By Sean Farrell / Record Sports
WALLINGTON – Steven Sanders caught it and hung on for dear life.
Somewhere under the bottom of the pile, the Pompton Lakes safety had the ball.
Then the senior wouldn’t let go.
A night of big defensive plays ended with his interception near midfield, one that sends the Cardinals to their first state final since 2013.
Sanders sealed a 34-26 win over Wallington on Friday night by stepping in front of a comeback route in the final minute.
That sets up a matchup between Pompton Lakes and defending-champion Hasbrouck Heights in the North 1, Group 1 championship.
An opportunistic defense was the reason why.
“I just saw the ball and bit on it, all or nothing,” Sanders said. “It just felt great. I can’t even explain it. I just caught the ball and went down on the floor. I got clawed since they were very angry with me. But I wouldn’t let them have that ball.”
Pompton Lakes forced seven turnovers to keep a solid offense in check.
There were three recovered fumbles including a pair from Leo Sylvestri. The Cardinals also picked off two passes and had two turnovers on downs. That doesn’t even factor in a goal line stand just before halftime when the Panthers had back-to-back chances to score.
“That’s just some Pompton football right there,” running back/linebacker Frank Negrini said. “Our defense is always working hard, and that’s what we did tonight. That’s our legacy and that’s what we got to do every game.”
Negrini did his best work on the offensive side.
The Cardinals’ back came into the game with 1,434 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns on the season, good for 8.8 yards per carry.
He had another four touchdowns as the Cardinals improved to 8-2.
“I love every moment of this,” Negrini said. “It’s awesome. I grew up always watching them play, with my brothers being part of it. I’m just glad that I can add to the tradition of the team.”
The powerful junior halfback, listed at 5-foot-10, 200 pounds, was a handful to take down throughout the night. He scored Pompton Lakes’ first two touchdowns with runs of 67 and two yards, with the latter coming on a 4th-and-goal scenario.
But Wallington responded to each one with touchdowns on the following possessions to keep the score close.
The turning point came in the fourth quarter from sophomore linebacker Philip Latora.
After practicing against swing passes this week, he diagnosed the play and snatched the ball from a receiver’s hands.
No one stood in the way to the endzone for his first pick-six.
It gave Pompton Lakes a 27-12 lead with about eight minutes left.
“I saw the play coming just like I saw it in practice,” Latora said. “I saw it up in the air and snagged it out.”
The Panthers mounted a comeback with touchdowns less than a minute apart, and even regained possession with 18 seconds left with a chance to force overtime.
That’s when Sanders came through to allow the Cardinals to take a knee and watch the clock hit zero.
“It’s phenomenal how far we’ve come,” Latora said. “I remember in July practicing and August practicing with only 24 kids on our team suiting up. But we have the best 11 guys out there. It’s amazing.”
