PARK RIDGE − Cole Hughes did more passing than rushing in the first half, and he was stopped more often than not.

The Park Ridge quarterback then kept it on the ground in the second half and ran wild.

Hughes’ four second-half scores powered the Owls to a 40-21 victory over Lyndhurst in Friday night’s NJIC football semifinal at Doc Lewis Field.

Park Ridge (6-1) will face unbeaten Rutherford in the conference final next weekend.

Hughes threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Shannon late in the second quarter but was also picked off twice before the break.

“I think we were just trying to figure things out after an awful game last week,” the senior said, referring to a 22-20 loss to Waldwick/Midland Park.

In the second half, “We got back to our basics, and we pounded the ball. The line did a great job, me and Luke [Macfie] we able to make plays.”

What it means

The Owls and Rutherford met in the 2021 NJIC final at the latter’s field. This time, Park Ridge will have home-field advantage as it seeks to become the first school north of Route 46 to win the conference crown.

Rutherford is the two-time defending champion.

“They’re a tremendous football team,” Owls coach Tom Curry IV said. “They’re well-coached, they have players all around. So, I think it’s going to be a really good football game, just like it was when we went there a couple years ago [27-20 final].”

Lyndhurst (4-3), which defeated Park Ridge in the 2019 NJIC final, dropped its third in a row.

Key plays

For the Golden Bears, the big breaks came on kick returns. Anthony Pizzuti, Viktor Kanjak and Marcelo Navarro combined to gain 113 yards on three returns (37.7 average) when Park Ridge decided to kick it deep, and Pizzutti’s 67-yarder on the opening kickoff set up a 7-0 Lyndhurst lead.

The Owls adjusted by squib kicking more in the second half, which helped them rally from a 14-7 halftime deficit.

They took the lead for good after Macfie made an interception in his own end zone to thwart a long Lyndhurst drive. On the next play, Hughes broke loose for an 80-yard TD that made it 19-14.

Passing (not) fancy

6-of-12, 87 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT: Park Ridge’s passing stats, which included just one attempt (a 31-yard completion) in the second half.

5-of-21, 66 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT: The Lyndhurst line through the air, including a trick-play pass by lineman Jake Herman.

Game balls

► Hughes rushed 21 times for 243 yards, adding a 71-yard score late, and chipped in 8 tackles and a sack on defense.

► Macfie had 12 carries for 111 yards and a 37-yard TD run to put it away, and he added 5 tackles.

► Roddy Morinho shouldered the load for Lyndhurst on the ground (12 carries, 70 yards, TD) and in the air (3 catches, 33 yards, TD), while making 6 tackles and an INT.

They said it

“They’re kids. I think they looked ahead a little bit too much and got a little bit too ahead of themselves and kind of got excited for this game. And that’s on us, it’s our job as coaches to make sure their heads stay on. … They came to practice and refocused, and it was good to see.” − Curry on Park Ridge rebounding from its first loss