Nutley Raiders Recapture Mayor's Trophy Following a 20-7 Gridiron Victory Over Bloomfield

Coaches at any level of football will tell you that turnovers and penalties will prove costly in the attempt to win a game.

For Bloomfield High, that was learned first hand on Sept. 6, when the Bengals lost a 20-7 decision, to Nutley, in the team's home opener. The win moved the Mayor's Trophy back to Nutley, who had held it for three straight years before the Bengals had captured it last season.

The Bengals (0-2) will seek its first win in 2024, when it renews a fabled rivalry on Sept. 12, against Montclair, at Foley Field. Don't forget, home games at Bloomfield this season will commence at 6:30 p.m. Bloomfield and Montclair have not played each other on the varsity gridiron in three years. This year's game has an extra special meaning since the Mounties are now coached by former Bloomfield High great Jermain Johnson. There will be more on Johnson's connection and friendship with Bloomfield head coach Mike Carter, later this week.

Both teams came into last Friday's game with an 0-1 record, and this figured to be a low-scoring, hard-hitting contest.

Taking advantage of a Bloomfield fumble on special teams deep in Bengals territory, Nutley scored first, in the first quarter, on a 9-yard scoring run by senior quarterback Clark Mohrbutter, followed by the point-after kick from Brian Dolaghan.

The Bengals would respond on its next possession, driving 66 yards, on 11 plays, bridging the first and second quarter. The key to the scoring drive were passes from quarterback Jeremy Tejada to Daniel Zacatzontle, for five yards, a 37-yard strike from Tejada to Michael Mickens, which moved the ball from the Bloomfield 30 to Nutley's 33, and later a 19-yard pass from Tejada to Christian Cradle, which gave the Bengals a first-and-10 at the Raiders' 11.

From there, some hard runs by Anthony Pope set up a 3-yard run, on fourth down, by Tejada, for the game-tying touchdown, and the point-after kick by Jo'elle Urdanivia.

Before halftime, Nutley regained the lead, 14-7. Aidan Rotbaum picked up eight yards on a pair of carries, followed by a 6-yard scamper by Mohrbutter and a 30-yard scoring strike from Brayden King to Jeremiah Tirado. Dolaghan then added his second point-after kick.

The Bengals threatened before halftime, when Mickens returned the ensuing kickoff to his 35. A 33-yard pass from Tejada to Cradle got the ball into Nutley territory, and a 14-yard run by Tejada moved it to the Nutley 15. However, the Bengals turned the ball over at the Raiders 14, to end the drive, on an interception by Nutley's Jordan Small.

Bloomfield's Mekhi Field returned the second half kickoff to the Nutley 45, but the drive stalled. The third quarter was scoreless. In the fourth, Bloomfield again moved into Nutley territory, but a holding penalty set the Bengals back 10 yards, and Nutley's Pedro Medeiros then intercepted a pass to end that drive.

Nutley added an insurance tally in the fourth quarter, when Tyler VonRoth scored on a 19-yard run to make the final count, 20-7.

Bloomfield did drive deep into Nutley territory, thanks to another good kickoff return by Field, late in the game, but the drive stalled at the Raiders 18.

While Bloomfield has been close in its first two games, the Bengals lack of production in the red zone has been costly, and it's something Coach Carter and his team hope to resolve this coming week, in practice.

For more local news, visit TAPinto.net