A new champion will be crowned in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference when Lyndhurst hosts fellow unbeaten Park Ridge in Friday’s fourth annual final.

Lyndhurst (7-0) and Park Ridge (7-0) kick off at 7 p.m. and seek to join two-time titlist Hasbrouck Heights and 2017 winner Rutherford as champions of arguably New Jersey’s premier small-school league.

Here are 5 things you need to know:

Lyndhurst wants ‘Party-la’ time

Senior RB/LB Piotr Partyla is the best all-around player in the 27-team NJIC and can dominate a game. He has rushed for a North Jersey-leading 1,339 yards and scored 18 touchdowns for a team ranked No. 3 in the North Jersey Public Top 20. 

Partyla ran for 127 yards and a TD and had eight tackles and blocked a punt as the Golden Bears won their NJIC playoff debut with Friday’s 33-7 semifinal victory over Waldwick-Midland Park.

“Piotr’s just going to do what Piotr does,” Lyndhurst coach Rich Tuero said. “He’s incredible. He’s dynamic. He does everything. He’s everything you want. He’s the greatest kid I’ve ever been around in all facets of life, whether it’s football, school, just being a kid. Whatever it is, he works his tail off, and there’s nobody that outworks that kid. He’s got to do what he does. He’s just got to take over.”

Park Ridge’s 1-2 punch

The Owls, No. 4 in the North Jersey Public Top 20, counter with the league’s premier 1-2 senior combination in QB Vince Pinto and RB/WR Justin Wagner. During Friday’s 29-28 semifinal win over Cresskill, Pinto threw for 218 yards and two scores, and he ran for a pair of critical two-point conversions in the final minutes.

Wagner scored all four TD to help the Owls win their first NJIC playoff game, after losing in last year’s semifinals to eventual champion Hasbrouck Heights. Wagner was chosen NorthJersey.com Male Athlete of the Week.

“He’s a perfect complement to Vince,” Park Ridge coach Tom Curry Jr. said. “He allows us to do things that, if teams are going to game-plan for Vince, they are going to have to start game-planning for Justin as well.”

Lyndhurst’s lines

Lyndhurst owns the edge in size and will try to capitalize on it. The offensive line features a trio of three-year senior starters in Tom Ryan, Joe Cutola and James Blake, who also works the defensive line with senior standout and the Golden Bears’ leading tackler, Michael Renta.

“These guys have to play well,” Tuero said. “The game’s going to be won and lost at the line of scrimmage 100 percent. I know it’s all about Piotr and Pinto, but the reality is if there’s nobody blocking, then it’s going to be a problem.”

Park Ridge’s interior defense 

Park Ridge has an undersized but over-performing defense that capitalizes on its speed. The Owls have quality linebackers in Pinto, fellow senior Ethan Giacomelli and juniors Dan Gutin, Brendan Hughes and Dan Kim. The defensive line plugs holes and includes senior Dylan Conkling, juniors Casey Allen and Kevin Hunt and sophomore David Hodgins.

“They’ve been playing well,” Curry Jr. said. “Our linebackers have been tremendous for us all year.”

Coaches, what must you do to win?

“We’ve got to stop Pinto and Wagner. Those are good players, good team, and that’s the bottom line,” Tuero said. “Obviously we’ve got to execute on offense, and I’m sure they’re worried about a couple of my guys. But ultimately, you’ve got to stop those two. Those are the two guys who are the key to their team, especially after last week.”

“We’re going to have to control our emotions,” Curry Jr. said. “We’re obviously going to have to stop their best player [Partyla], and we’re going to have to match their physicality. They’re a little bigger than us, but I think we can do some real good things offensively and defensively. But it starts with keeping a level head and matching their physicality.”

Greg Mattura is a high school sports reporter for NorthJersey.com. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis from our Varsity Aces team, subscribe today. To get breaking news directly to your phone, sign up for our newsletter and download our app.

Email: mattura@northjersey.com Twitter: @gregmattura