Rob Aitken Jr., Staff Writer
RUTHERFORD — The Rutherford Bulldogs will have two weeks to prepare for a state championship game. You could argue that the Bulldogs have been preparing for two years.
Top-seeded Rutherford, now 11-0 on the season, will return to the North 2, Group 2 final for the second time in three years after a 34-21 victory over fourth-seeded Lenape Valley in the sectional semifinals Friday night at Rutherford.
“It’s amazing,” said Rutherford head coach Andrew Howell. “It’s so exciting. We were on the doorstep last year against the same team and came so close.”
The Bulldogs avenged a 42-34 loss to the Patriots in last season’s North 2, Group 2 semifinal.
“We were in the title game two years ago and came up short,” said Howell. “Hopefully, the third time is the charm.”
Senior wide receiver Richie Marques caught four passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns to lead a string of 28 unanswered points for Rutherford. Junior running back Johnny Mendez rushed 16 times for 121 yards and a touchdown to pace the Bulldogs on the ground as Rutherford controlled the pace offensively following a first quarter stop.
Lenape Valley opened the game with a 14-play drive that spent almost eight minutes, rushing on every play except for a fourth down, where the pass fell incomplete.
“That was big,” said Mendez. “Our defense is a big part of our team. They did their job and we did ours.”
The Bulldogs took over at its own 21-yard line, driving down to a score in its opening drive of the night. It was a 15-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Russell to Marques. The extra point was short and Rutherford had a 6-0 lead.
Sophomore Nicholas Molinari was hard to stop on the Lenape Valley side. Molinari rushed 25 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns, the first of which gave Lenape Valley a 7-6 lead in the second quarter. Rutherford would respond as a big grab by Marques, keyed by a big block from Mendez, led to another Marques catch, this time a 12-yard touchdown grab to put Rutherford ahead for good.
Following a fourth down stop, Mendez capped off a 48-yard drive with a 13-yard rush for a score that put Rutherford up, 20-7, at the half.
In the second half, Mendez got big chunks of yardage for Rutherford to put the Bulldogs back in the red zone. Senior Billy Finn scored from one yard out twice in the third quarter to expand the Rutherford lead to 34-7.
Rutherford moves on to the North 2, Group 2 sectional final in two weeks against either Hackettstown or Caldwell. The Bulldogs have not won a state sectional title since 1966.
“It feels great,” said Mendez. “I hope we can bring a trophy back to Rutherford and give the community what they deserve.”
