LYNDHURST — Any coach will tell you that when it comes to playoff football, the object is to win all three phases of the game – offense, defense and special teams. Lyndhurst did just that and now they will host the NJIC championship game.
The Golden Bears got touchdowns from all three units on the way to a convincing 33-7 defeat of the Panthers, setting up championship matchup with Park Ridge, which overcame a 28-13 deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat Cresskill, 29-28.
Both Piotr Partyla and John Rodriguez played major roles in all three phases as Lyndhurst dominated the final three quarters. It began with the defense, as Rodriguez opened the scoring on a 14-yard interception return.
After W/MP evened the game at 7 on an Ethan Kucharski to David Velsquez touchdown pass, the Golden Bear defense overcame a Shawn Grigsby interception and held the Warriors on downs at the Lyndhurst 11.
Two plays later, Partyla broke off the right side, made a cut back near midfield and completed an 86-yard touchdown run that made it 14-7. That would be the halftime score, but in reality that long score took some of the aura off of the Waldwick/Midland Park defense, which came in having allowed only 30 total points in the first six games.
Rodriguez then got into the offense with a 38-yard touchdown catch of a Partyla throw to extend the lead to 21-7. Partyla blocked a punt and Aaron Alvarez pick it up and scored, giving the Bears a 27-7 bulge.
Rodriguez finished off his night with a 15-yard touchdown catch from Anthony Lembo.
What it means
Lyndhurst, making its first trip to the NJIC playoffs, moves to 7-0 and not only gets to host the title game but garners a bunch of power points and OSI points. The Golden Bears came out confident and never really let the Warriors into the fray.
For Waldwick/Midland Park, the Warriors fall to 6-1 and will face an equally-frustrated Cresskill team next week in the third-place game. It will be interesting to see which of the two teams is able to overcome the disappointment of losing their first game and come out and take advantage of the opportunity to enhance their state playoff position.
Turnover frenzy
Late in the first half, both teams got very sloppy as there were five turnovers committed in a six-play sequence, including four in a row, all in a span of 1:09. It began with a Rodriguez interception at the Lyndhurst 3-yard line. Two plays later, Partyla fumbled and Grigsby recovered at the Bear 7.
On the next play, Partyla got the ball back, recovering a fumble, only to return it to the Warriors on a deep pass that Rashawn Markman picked off for W/MP. The next play was an interception by Isaiah DeLaCruz at the Lyndhurst 10. Partyla hung on to it for two plays to get them to halftime.
Stat lines
Partyla’s all-around night included 16 carries for 127 yards (15-41 without the 86-yard TD), 1 for 2 passing for 38 yards and a TD and a pick, eight tackles on defense, including two for loss and one sack, a fumble recovery and a blocked punt.
Rodriguez had the only two receptions for the Golden Bears, both for touchdowns and a total of 53 yards. He also had two interceptions, one for a pick-six, and added three tackles, one for loss. He also returned a punt 54 yards to set up his second TD catch.
Grigsby was held down in the second half, getting only 6 yards on five carries. He was 17-66 overall and added one catch for 10 yards. He had an interception and four tackles, one for loss.
They said it
“Literally, I’m not kidding, 2:30 in the morning on Sunday, I’m watching film and it clicked in my head. It’s a counter with the tight end and the tackle, something I’ve never done before in my life. We called it Thunder because it was going to explode and it sure did.” – Lyndhurst coach Rich Tuero on the Partyla TD run
“Every single week we come into the game believing we’re 0-0 and they are 0-0. We know we have to play hard, prepare hard and come out and execute. On the (long) touchdown run, I saw a small hole and once I got through it I got a good block downfield and cut back. We came in here looking to put up touchdowns and we did it.” – Partyla
“Coach told me at halftime we’d have a shot over the top. They came up thinking run and I got behind and Peter made a good throw (for the first TD catch making it 21-7). Defensively, we were just trying to go out and shut them down and get off the field. Good pressure on the (pick-six) by the guys.” – Rodriguez
“He is the most underrated player in New Jersey. There is no kid I’ve ever been around who works as hard as that boy, and he gets no love from the colleges. He’s got the grades, and he’s the greatest kid to be around. Everything he gets, he deserves,” –Tuero on Partyla
