Football North I & II -- Group 2

All standings, record and points are taken from information from http://www.gridironnj.com/ :

North I – Group 2 (after 8 games)

1. Kittatinny (8-0; 69)
2. River Dell (8-0; 55)
3. Lenape Valley (7-1; 55)
4. Lakeland (6-2; 45)
5. Pascack Valley (5-3; 43)
6. Jefferson (5-3; 42)
7. Mahwah (5-3; 39)
8. Tenafly (6-2; 36)

Key: Seed. Team (1^st 8 games, over-all; power points)

1. Kittatinny (8-0; 9-0; 69)

The Cougars are an offensive juggernaut, outscoring the SCIL 238-65. Kyle Hayes is an accurate and versatile passer while Richie Joseph and Ryan Carroll lead the rushing attack. The Cougars won the SCIL.

2. (or 3) River Dell (8-0; 9-0; 55)

The Golden Hawks have it all … an explosive offense that has scored 301 points and a defense that has only yielded 21 points. Six of the nine victories were shut outs. Matt Connolly, Dan Chiarello and Blake Crouch can get the Hawks to the end zone quickly and often.

3. (or 2) Lenape Valley (7-1; 7-2; 55)

Before the cutoff, the Patriots’ only set back has come at the hands of Kittatinny. They lost to Pope John last week. In their seven victories, the perennial Group 2 contender has put up 216 points with 3 shutouts. Trevor Stempert and Mike Moschella can get the ball in end zone.

4. Lakeland (6-2; 7-2; 45)

The North Hills conference team has rolled off three staright victories after falling to Delbarton on Ocober 13^th. Greg Bardzell and Ray Capo get the ball moving via the ground game. Lou Montegari is a strong passer who connects with Danny Dieghan and Tyler Johnson, amongst others.

5. Pascack Valley (5-3; 5-3; 43)

The Bergen County School enters the playoff on a two game winning streak. Donald Wiezik is a solid QB for the Indians, who are 4-1 at home. This does not fair well for the Indians since the #5 seed almost guarantees that they played their last home game this year.

6. Jefferson (5-3; 6-3; 42)

The Falcons are lead by John Kaschak’s 11 touchdowns. Travis Smith has 5 of his own. Dom Macaluso has missed a few weeks due to injury, but sophomore Gavin McCarney has filled in just fine. Both QB’s split time this Saturday against Wallkill Valley. The Falcons defense stopped the Rangers twice as the Wallkill Valley was about to score. Both times, the Falcons intercepted passes in the end zone.

7. Mahwah (5-3; 5-3; 39)

Greg Stripe, Dylan Meola and Anthony Negron handle the rushing duties for the Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds lost to Pascack Valley 28-14 three weeks ago and followed that up with a loss to Northern Valley-Old Tappan.

8. Tenafly (6-2; 6-2; 36)

The Tigers ended a two game losing streak by defeating their next two opponents by a combined score of 90-12. Brian Sherman is a solid senior running back who guides the Tiger’s offense.

The Question: Will Kittatinny’s rocket charged offense and River Dell’s air tight defense meet up in the finals? (Hopefully, Dell will get the 2-seed and let it be a possibility.)

North II – Group 2 (after 8 games)

1. Morris Hills (7-1; 56)
2. West Essex (7-1; 55)
3. Hanover Park (5-3; 32)
4. Chatham (5-3; 30)
5. Caldwell (4-4; 30)
6. Ridgefield Park (5-3; 28)
7. Madison (4-4; 26)
8. Bernards (4-4; 22)

North II – Group 2

1. Morris Hills (7-1; 8-1; 56)

The Scarlet Knights features a dangerous multifaceted attack lead by Dan Kellner, Colin Be, Justin Dolinowski, Derric Torres and Luke Mirabella. Now that Dolinoski back from a shoulder injury, the Scarlet Knights offense should overwhelm defenses, setting up the Knights-rematch with West Essex, who the lost to 28-7.

2. West Essex (7-1; 8-1; 55)

The Scarlet Knights boast one of the best defenses in North Jersey. Six of their eight wins are by shut out. They have not let up more than one touchdown in a game and 20 point over-all! Anthony Hayek – who is almost ready to return - is a dominate force on both offense and defense. The Scarlet Knights have a handful of talented and able backs ready to carry the ball including Andrew Cross, Mike Agrifolio and John Locascio.

3. Hanover Park (5-3; 5-4; 26)

The Hornets battled through a stint without standout Ryan Hinton. Phil Gatti, Alex Ardolino, Evan Picariello and Pete Nagy stepped it up when the Hornets needed it most. Hinton’s touchdown spurred

Hanover Park to a 7-6 upset victory over West Essex in Week 7. The Hornets have lost tough, tough games to Morris Hills, Chatham and Mendham – all of which were very close.

4. Chatham (5-3; 5-4; 30)

Another IHC team that has been in ever game until the end. The Cougars may have found their stride just at the right time. Cam Wood and Kyle McDoughna are as powerful as any back in the Hills Division. All three of the Cougars losses have been heart breakers. West Essex shut out the Cougars, but many wondered if the Cougars stayed vanilla knowing that the game had no effect on there post-season and conference.

5. Caldwell (4-4; 4-4; 30)

The Chiefs have dropped three straight entering the playoffs. One touchdown losses to Madison and Montville have haunted the Essex County School. Quarterback Derek Lawshe and RB Corey Patterson help aid the Chiefs offense.

6. Ridgefield Park (5-3; 6-3; 28)

A good record, but a lack of power points drops the Scarlets to #6. Craig McLean, Pete Kraljic and Hasham Sohail all contribute to the offense. The Scarlets rolled off four straight victories after opening with two losses. They enter the playoffs on a two game winning streak.

7. Madison (4-4; 4-4; 26)

The Dodgers almost knocked off Delbarton in week 3, but moral victories account for zero power points. An unexpected 14-7 loss to now 3-6 Orange really confused many who tried to figure out the seeding this section. Junior QB Sean Allen can pick apart defenses. A win against Pequannock in week 7 secured up a postseason seat for the Dodgers and 1^st year coach Chris Kubic.

8. Bernards (4-4; 4-5; 22)

The Mountaineers are actually heading into the states with a losing record. The new addition Skylands-Raritan League had to win three straight to qualify and did just that. Wins over North Warren, South Hunterdon and Somerville allowed the ex-Colonial Hills Conference team into the show.

The Question: Many though this was a cake walk section for West Essex, but This could be a very solid section. Madison was seconds away from upsetting Delbarton. Hanover Park has beat West Essex and was close with Morris Hills and Chatham was on a roll and has been in every game until last week … so who can beat West Essex?