11/27/2012 - Pats Making History
The names Matt Parzero and Patriots have always been connected to state tournament success in football.
Why, you may ask?
Well, back in the early 1990s when Lenape Valley regularly made the state finals, Parzero was a big piece of the puzzle, helping Don Smolyn, his mentor, win a state crown in 1993.
Parzero brought that winning pedigree to Blairstown four years ago and what a ride it has been for North Warren football, a program that had known little success before the Lenape Valley grad came aboard.
Parzero’s Pats have made school history this season by hosting and winning the program’s first-ever state game with a convincing 35-0 win over Hopatcong in the first round of the North 1, Group 2 tourney.
Now the Pats (8-2), the No. 2 seed, will be gunning for their first trip to the state finals Friday night when they host Independence Division rival Kinnelon (7-3), the No. 6 seed, at 7 p.m. with a trip to Met Life Stadium on the line.
Pretty heady stuff for a program that went 0-10 the year before Parzero’s arrival.
“I give all the credit to the kids and my coaching staff,” said Parzero, a longtime assistant to Smolyn before coming to North Warren. “This senior group is a special group of kids on and off the field. They are very talented, but they are great leaders and that is so important.
“They have bought into the program and now we are one win away from going to the state final,” he added. “That is what we have all worked hard for, but we know it won’t be easy because Kinnelon is a very good team.”
The Colts certainly are as the Pats found out in October when Parzero made the gutsy call of his head coaching career going for two late in the game and getting it in the Pats’ 22-21 win on the road.
North Warren has had Kinnelon’s number the last three years knocking off the Colts all three times they have played, which makes Parzero even more wary of Friday’s showdown.
“They are good and we know how good their quarterback Sean Robbins is,” said Parzero, of the Colts’ multi-talented signal-caller who scored TDs in Kinnelon’s 33-6 win over No. 3 Elwood Park last week.
“But the kids know them and how they play,” he added. “They try to spread you out to set up running lanes for him. It will be a challenge.”
In the October meeting Robbins rushed for 132 yards on 23 carries and two TDs and he also threw for 131 yards on 9-of-16 passing.
Robbins hurt his ankle against North Warren and sat out Kinnelon’s 28-21 win over Boonton before returning against Elmwood Park. But in his absence big fullback Eric Clement has emerged and he had over 100 yards against Boonton and 143 yards against Elmwood Park.
After topping Elmwood Park, Kinnelon coach Kevin White told The Record of Hackensack, “This means we get a chance to play North Warren again. And we will embrace the opportunity.”
Be careful what you wish for, coach.
But the fact that North Warren is considered a player in football is simply astonishing to me. I have covered football in this area for a long time and except for a couple seasons and a 1979 co-league title, North Warren has been known, and rightfully so, as a soccer school.
So you cannot overemphasize what the Pats are doing now.
In talking with Parzero he named the kids who helped turn the program who have since graduated and now are playing college, something that didn’t happen at North Warren except for the Tosh brothers.
The first name was Kevin Van Laar, a dominant running back who rushed for over 1,000 yards in Parzero’s first season when the Pats went 5-5. Then it was Gene Molisso, Kyle Driscoll, Tim Lurz, Nick Davalos, Ethan Ivey and Kevin Conlon.
These guys laid the foundation for this year’s squad of super seniors led by Nolan Robertson and John Davalos, who both have over 1,000 yards rushing and play major roles on the Pats’ defense.
Quarterback David Wilbur, running back Luke Robertson, receivers Trent Simmons and Nick Tosh, linemen, the Big Guy, Chris Longyhore, Greg Galante, and Lucas Kiernan.
It has been a total team effort, and yes, I know that is cliché, but it is truth.
When the Pats play Friday night at Fred T. Ehrgood Field, many of Parzero’s old teammates from Lenape Valley will be there, he said.
So with so many current and former outstanding Patriots on hand from Lenape and North Warren, the Pats can’t lose. Pick---North Warren 28-24.
NORTH 1, GROUP 3
(5) SPARTA AT (1) RIVER DELL---Sparta played it first football game in over two weeks last Friday night and the Spartans really never missed a beat as they blanked No. 4 Mahwah 21-0.
Yes, there was some rust, but the defense came to play and blanked the Thunderbirds. Sparta’s offense showed its big-play capability with big TD runs by Codie Aromando and Mike Boryeskne.
But the Spartans (8-1-1) face an even bigger challenge Friday when they will make the trip to Oradell to face top-seeded River Dell (10-0) at 6 p.m.
Fear not Sparta fans, yes, RD has a gaudy record and a great all-around player in Ryan Duran, but the Golden Hawks have not seen the likes of Sparta this season.
Just proving how tough this section is, Sparta is a five seed despite a 7-1 record at the cutoff. Since a 14-10 loss to Pope John, the Spartans have been on a mission to run the table and they are almost there.
If QB Jake Melville is on his game, Sparta’s offense is almost unstoppable. The Spartans have scored over 50 points twice this season and average close to 40 a game.
Melville can beat you with his arm and his legs. While a backfield of Aromando, Boryeskne and Randy May and possibly a healthy Lucas Faria, Sparta can pound the ball as well.
Tommy Keller, Zac Davis and Teddy Fisher all have big-play ability at the receiver spot, while center Joe Whitney anchors the line.
The defense has been up and down this season, starting the season strong before Morris Hills put up over 40 points in Sparta’s shootout win.
Michael Walsh, Regan Penner Christian Glew, Randy May, Boryeskne, Jake Davis, Rob Burns, Nick Bevaqua and Nick Shalia will need to bring their ‘A” game and I think they will.
So I’m going with the Spartans to reach the final for the first time since the mid-2000s in a wild 42-31 win.
That’s it for now, see you on the sidelines.
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