Player of the Year: Tommie Minaya, Becton
In a season full of terrific offensive performers, it was someone on the defensive side who stole the spotlight.
Minaya, a long-armed and disruptive pass rusher, finished with 19 sacks, five more than the next highest total in the conference. The 6-2, 195-pound senior added 50 tackles, forced three fumbles and blocked several kicks as an impactful player in all three phases. He registered multiple sacks in six games, including a season-high four against Secaucus on Oct. 8 and three against Cresskill the week prior.
As a wide receiver, Minaya scored six times — finishing with 304 receiving yards and another 338 rushing yards as Becton finished 7-4 and reached the semifinals of the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 playoffs.
Team of the Year: Rutherford
Rutherford found ways to win close games and rode that success on its way to the conference championship and 11-2 record.
Led by two-way dynamo Pat Cerulli, Rutherford won the Liberty Division title. The Bulldogs then downed Waldwick in the conference semifinals before pulling out a 28-21 victory over Park Ridge in front of their home fans at Tryon Field on Oct. 29. The win clinched Rutherford’s second NJIC title since 2016.
The offense, fueled by several exciting skill players like Matthew Manning, Kyle Bratcher and quarterback Cole Hughes averaged just under 30 points per game. Defensively, Andre Baskapan (14 sacks), Brian Kennedy, Liam O’Connor, Trevor Ludwig, Ayden Giacomelli and company held their opponents to 8.6 points per game.
In the state playoffs, Rutherford reached the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 final but lost to Jefferson, 28-7. Despite the championship loss, Rutherford rattled off 11 wins in a row between a season-opening loss to Hasbrouck Heights and its finale against Jefferson.
Seniors Doug Russell and Alex DiMaulo led the team in receiving while junior quarterback Van Weber had a break-out season, passing for 1,852 yards and 13 touchdowns to six interceptions. Defensively, senior Luke Carney and JJ Herninko were two of the team’s leading tacklers.
Cerulli finished with 27 touchdowns and led the conference in scoring. He rushed for 1,360 yards on 176 carries and added 29 catches for 403 yards. He added 50 tackles and four sacks as one of Rutherford’s defensive leaders as well
NJIC Top 10Final Rankings
- Rutherford (9-2)
- Park Ridge (10-2)
- Hawthorne (7-2)
- Waldwick (7-3)
- Hasbrouck Heights (7-4)
- Glen Rock (5-3)
- Pompton Lakes (5-4)
- Lyndhurst (5-4)
- Becton (7-4)
- Wallington (7-3)
Coach of the Year: Tom Curry, Park Ridge
Park Ridge continues to rack up the wins under Curry and was the NJIC’s only team to win a sectional title this fall.
Curry, in his eighth season as Park Ridge’s head coach, ran his career win total to 60-20 and led Park Ridge to the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 title. Park Ridge (10-2) won the Patriot Division title for the fourth year in a row, giving this year’s senior class a remarkable career record of 36-6 in the last four years.
The Owls defeated Hasbrouck Heights for the third time to win their sectional title and dropped a heartbreaker to Cedar Grove in a regional championship game.
The offense, fueled by several exciting skill players like Matthew Manning, Kyle Bratcher and quarterback Cole Hughes averaged just under 30 points per game. Defensively, Andre Baskapan (14 sacks), Brian Kennedy, Liam O’Connor, Trevor Ludwig, Ayden Giacomelli and company held their opponents to 8.6 points per game.
| Colonial | OVERALL | PCT | CONF | PCT | DIV | PCT | HOME | AWAY | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waldwick | 7-3 | .700 | 5-1 | .833 | 4-0 | 1.000 | 3-2 | 4-1 | 309 | 150 |
| Lyndhurst | 5-4 | .556 | 5-1 | .833 | 3-1 | .750 | 3-2 | 2-2 | 308 | 180 |
| Garfield | 3-5 | .375 | 2-4 | .333 | 2-2 | .500 | 3-2 | 0-3 | 147 | 227 |
| Manchester Regional | 3-7 | .300 | 1-5 | .167 | 1-3 | .250 | 0-4 | 3-3 | 192 | 327 |
| Lodi | 1-9 | .100 | 0-7 | .000 | 0-4 | .000 | 0-5 | 1-4 | 156 | 370 |
| Liberty | OVERALL | PCT | CONF | PCT | DIV | PCT | HOME | AWAY | PF | PA |
| Rutherford | 9-2 | .818 | 5-1 | .833 | 4-0 | 1.000 | 6-2 | 3-0 | 291 | 157 |
| Hawthorne | 7-2 | .778 | 5-1 | .833 | 3-1 | .750 | 3-2 | 4-0 | 283 | 84 |
| Glen Rock | 5-3 | .625 | 3-2 | .600 | 2-2 | .500 | 2-1 | 3-2 | 164 | 158 |
| Pompton Lakes | 5-4 | .556 | 3-3 | .500 | 1-3 | .250 | 3-1 | 2-3 | 233 | 160 |
| New Milford | 2-7 | .222 | 0-6 | .000 | 0-4 | .000 | 2-3 | 0-4 | 157 | 354 |
| Meadowlands | OVERALL | PCT | CONF | PCT | DIV | PCT | HOME | AWAY | PF | PA |
| Hasbrouck Heights | 7-4 | .636 | 5-1 | .833 | 4-0 | 1.000 | 4-1 | 3-3 | 276 | 117 |
| Becton | 7-4 | .636 | 5-2 | .714 | 3-1 | .750 | 3-1 | 4-3 | 298 | 156 |
| Cresskill | 3-6 | .333 | 3-3 | .500 | 2-2 | .500 | 1-4 | 2-2 | 119 | 278 |
| Secaucus | 1-7 | .125 | 1-4 | .200 | 1-3 | .250 | 0-5 | 1-2 | 132 | 275 |
| North Arlington | 3-7 | .300 | 1-6 | .143 | 0-4 | .000 | 3-3 | 0-4 | 219 | 324 |
| Patriot | OVERALL | PCT | CONF | PCT | DIV | PCT | HOME | AWAY | PF | PA |
| Park Ridge | 10-2 | .833 | 6-0 | 1.000 | 4-0 | 1.000 | 7-1 | 3-1 | 357 | 104 |
| Wallington | 7-3 | .700 | 5-2 | .714 | 2-2 | .500 | 3-2 | 4-1 | 295 | 173 |
| Butler | 4-6 | .400 | 3-4 | .429 | 2-2 | .500 | 3-1 | 1-5 | 151 | 282 |
| Wood-Ridge | 5-5 | .500 | 3-3 | .500 | 1-2 | .333 | 3-1 | 2-4 | 172 | 160 |
| St. Mary (Ruth.) | 1-5 | .167 | 0-4 | .000 | 0-3 | .000 | 1-2 | 0-3 | 101 | 206 |
| Union | OVERALL | PCT | CONF | PCT | DIV | PCT | HOME | AWAY | PF | PA |
| Bogota | 7-1 | .875 | 5-0 | 1.000 | 4-0 | 1.000 | 2-1 | 5-0 | 197 | 82 |
| Saddle Brook | 7-1 | .875 | 5-1 | .833 | 5-1 | .833 | 4-0 | 3-1 | 261 | 103 |
| Elmwood Park | 4-5 | .444 | 4-4 | .500 | 4-2 | .667 | 3-2 | 1-3 | 169 | 183 |
| Palisades Park | 3-5 | .375 | 3-3 | .500 | 3-3 | .500 | 2-2 | 1-3 | 105 | 152 |
| Harrison | 1-6 | .143 | 1-3 | .250 | 1-3 | .250 | 1-3 | 0-3 | 52 | 207 |
| Emerson Boro | 2-5 | .286 | 1-4 | .200 | 1-4 | .200 | 2-2 | 0-3 | 110 | 198 |
| Weehawken | 1-7 | .125 | 0-5 | .000 | 0-5 | .000 | 1-3 | 0-4 | 94 | 200 |
Patrick Lanni may be reached at planni@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatLanniHS and like his Facebook page.
