RUTHERFORD – Glen Rock needed to score, score some more, and keep scoring, to win the program’s first game in the NJIC Championship football playoffs.
Senior quarterback Nick Atme ran for four touchdowns and the Panthers had three interceptions and produced a pair of Pick Sixes to outpoint St. Mary, 50-33, in Saturday’s semifinal at Tamblyn Field.
“Props to our defense, two Pick Sixes, game changer, and the momentum came towards us,” Atme said.
Atme scored on a runs of 22, 8, 11 and 11 yards, and junior running back Matt Boisits started the comeback by scoring on a 3-yard run, as Glen Rock (7-0) grabbed a 15-12 lead in the second quarter and stretched it to 29-12 at halftime.
Versatile senior Mike Flaccavento returned a second-quarter interception 63 yards for a score to give the Panthers a 22-12 lead. Panthers junior defensive back Robert Lopez turned a deflected pass into a pickoff and 52-yard score in the fourth for a 43-26 advantage.
“We just called a good defensive [play], which allowed me to be in the right spot,” Lopez said. “When the ball popped out, I was right there to grab it for a Pick Six.”
St. Mary (6-2) kept fighting back. Junior quarterback Brad Higgins threw a 13-yard TD pass to senior B.J. Cunningham to cut the deficit to 29-19. Cunningham returned a kickoff 75 yards for a TD to pull the Gaels within 36-26. Higgins threw his third TD pass, a 53-yarder to senior Kazir White with 8:04 left in the fourth, to cut the deficit to 43-33.
St. Mary led in the first quarter, 12-3, after Higgins threw a 57-yard TD pass to junior receiver Jonathan Huertas and senior running back Nasir Owens scored on a 26-yard run. Glen Rock responded with four consecutive TDs to take the 29-12 halftime lead.
“I said to you before the game that whoever made more mistakes was going to lose the game,” St. Mary coach Paul Johnsen said. “We made a lot of mistakes that we couldn’t make up.”
What it means
Glen Rock can win its first NJIC Championship title when it faces host Butler, also making its league playoff debut, on Friday in the ninth annual final. Butler (7-0) advanced with Friday’s semifinal win over Becton.
“We played our tails off,” Glen Rock coach Kyle McCourt said. “We believe in each other, and credit to every player, every coach, with all our effort. It’s been a great ride so far, but we’ve got to keep going, we’ve got to keep believing.”
St. Mary, also making its NJIC playoff debut, still has something to compete for. The Gaels play at Becton on Friday for third place, and they also want to build momentum for the NJSIAA playoffs.
“This is a resilient group, and I’m so proud of them fighting back,” Johnsen said. “Where this program has come in three years is just amazing to me, so that’s what I’m most proud of. A couple of years ago we would not have reacted that way, and we might have started pointing the finger at one another, reacting bad, but the kids kept their head up. They know it’s ‘Get back to work, get better,’ because we’ve got a great Becton team that we have to go play.”
Key plays
Glen Rock’s Pick Sixes were huge in a game where offenses moved the ball all over the field and combined for more than 700 total yards.
Flaccavento’s interception came in the middle of the field on a third-and-5 at the Glen Rock 45-yard line. Lopez’s pickoff was near the left sideline, on a first-and-10 at the St. Mary 46, and the ball ricocheted off a Gaels’ receiver.
“St. Mary’s is a great squad. We’ve been watching their film a lot, and we’ve really been emphasizing on the defensive end locking down their receivers and their running backs, especially in the passing game,” said Flaccavento, who opened the scoring on a 38-yard field goal. “They’re really dynamic guys and being able to slow them down in the passing game, and get some interceptions, was a big part of our game plan coming in, and we were able to execute it.”
By the numbers
St. Mary had 398 total yards. Higgins was 21-for-34 for 314 yards, three TDs, and three interceptions.
Glen Rock had 333 total yards, including 221 rushing. Atme was 8-for-14 for 122 yards, no TDs and one interception. Boisits carried 14 times for 129 yards, featuring runs of 53 and 39 yards.
“Props to the linemen,” Atme said. “They’re doing really well this year, setting up big holes for me to run in. And Matt Boisits having explosive plays changed the game.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Glen Rock football outscores St. Mary to win NJIC semifinal and set up final with Butler
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