11/14/2007 - Going a Little Extra
Overtime.
There is not another sports term that elicits a larger variety of emotional responses than overtime. For some coaches, players and fans, it brings dread, and for others, excitement. No matter how you look at it, it is most likely the uncertainty of the extra period that intrigues people the most. Like the old cliché, “Anything can happen in overtime.”
And when it comes to high school football overtime, the National Federation of State High Schools Associations gets it right. Anyone who watched Kittatinny’s thrilling 20-14 double-overtime win over Tenafly or Lenape Valley’s classic 26-20 double-overtime victory over Mahwah last weekend during the quarterfinal round of the North 1, Group 2 state playoffs can attest.
Having each team getting an opportunity to score starting at the opponents’ 25-yard line is the most equitable way of deciding a tied game after 48 minutes of grueling football. I’m not alone in thinking that the way the NFL decides overtime contests is unfair. Win the flip, and score, you walk home a winner. Yes, the argument can be made that you should have won the game in regulation, blah, blah, blah… It is still not right.
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association instituted overtime in regular season games in the mid 1990s and I think it was a great decision. No more could coaches play close to the vest in hopes of gaining a tie. With overtime looming, coaches go for wins during regulation, unless it is late in the game, which makes the games more exciting.
And with the way high school OT is set up, it is more than fair. Each team gets a set of downs starting at the 25 and can earn a first down if the team advances 10 yards through the course of play or defensive penalty. A team’s possession ends one of three ways: scoring (touchdown or field goal), turnover (fumble or interception) or on downs. If one of those events occurs, the opposing team gets its possession at the 25 with chance to win or tie and send the game into a second overtime. If the team is trailing and does not score, the game is over. If the game is tied after two overtimes, each team must attempt a 2-point conversion after each touchdown in the subsequent overtimes unless the scoring play ends the game.
Now here is something the casual fan may not know about high school OT. The defensive team can score on a change of possession. If a fumble is scooped up or a pass is picked off and brought the other way for a score, the game is over because each team technically had at least one possession of the ball.
But that wasn’t always the case, said Lenape Valley coach Don Smolyn, a veteran of many exciting playoff OT games. Years ago, games were decided like the NFL and it was sudden death. The state switched formats and OT started at the 10-yard line before being moved to the 25 over a decade ago.
“I remember a game years ago that we lost to Hawthorne in sudden death,” recalled Smolyn, who has guided the Pats to seven sectional crowns since 1976, his last coming in 1999. The Pats last appearance in the final was a heartbreaking double-overtime defeat to Lakeland in 2004 at Giants Stadium.
“The way it’s done now is the best way to get it done,” added Smolyn. “You have an equal amount of opportunity for each team. I would not change a thing.”
Neither would I.
PLAYOFF PICTURE: After pulling out a wild win Saturday over Mahwah, Lenape Valley gets the pleasure of playing third-seeded River Dell. Now, when the brackets came out and I saw that Kittatinny (10-0) and Lenape Valley (8-2) were the top two seeds, I figured I should get ready for a trip to Giants Stadium to see the two SCIL teams slug it out for the title.
Now, I’m not so sure. One thing is for certain: River Dell is the real deal. The Hawks did a great job of shutting down Jefferson in their 40-0 win Friday night. RD’s defense has only allowed 21 points and has a school-record seven shutouts to its credit. And offensively, RD is no slouch, outscoring its opponents 341-21 for head coach and SCIL expatriate D.J. Nimphius. Nimphius coached under Paul White at Wallkill Valley and was also the track coach for the Rangers.
After seeing the Hawks in person, they remind of Kittatinny. River Dell quarterback Blake Crouch can run and throw like Kyle Hayes and the Hawks have great skill kids who can score from anywhere on the field.
But the thing that will help Lenape Valley on Saturday is its time-killing, ball-control offense out the Delaware Wing-T. If the Pats keep the ball away, like Jefferson did for most of the first quarter, it will keep the quick-strike Hawks at bay. The Hawks have also not seen the likes of bruising Lenape fullback Mike Groome, either.
The Pats will also be home, which is a huge advantage in high school football come state time. You can’t put a price on not having to load up a school bus and embark on a hour-plus ride “down below.” And for those of you (myself, included) who were wondering why Lenape is playing its state games on Saturday during the day instead at night? Well, it is simple, according to Smolyn.
“It is about preparation,” said Smolyn. “When you play in the county, you know everyone and you can break down film and set up a game plan by Sunday night. Now, you have to get film on everyone and prepare, so we don’t want to shortchange our preparation.”
Schools must declare to the state by mid-October when they want to play state tourney games.
As for Kittatinny, the Cougars ran into a feisty Tenafly squad that was much better than its No. 8 seed and was playing its best football of the season coming into the game. Kittatinny survived the scare, which is the mark of a good team. But the Cougars will have to be at their best to knock off Pascack Valley, which blanked Lakeland and its high-octane spread offense, 21-0.
Pascack coach Craig Nielson (No, not the guy who was in the TV show “Coach”) is an outstanding coach and led the Indians to the title game last year by knocking off Kittatinny and Joe Martinek-led Hopatcong. The Indians fell to Westwood, 9-8, in the final.
The Indians feature an outstanding back in Matt Gray and fullback/guard Chris Yoo, a 250-pound beast. They are also healthy for the first time all season.
So the predictions? River Dell wins a close one, 14-10, while Kittatinny’s dream season continues with a 21-18 win. Check in next week to see the final prediction.
SNEAK PEEK: So you want to see the SCIL stars of the future today? Okay, I know that is a bit over the top, but you can see for yourself Saturday evening when the North Jersey Youth Football League holds its Championship Night at Veterans Memorial Park in Vernon.
The league’s three weight classes, Midget, Pee-Wee and Super Pee-Wee, will be decided starting at 5:30 p.m. when the Supers take the field. A battle of unbeatens will take place when Vernon White plays Kittatinny.
At 7 p.m., Sparta White will face Vernon Blue in the Pee-Wee finale, while the Midgets cap the evening’s festivities when Sparta takes on Vernon Blue at 8:30 p.m.
That’s it for now, see you on the sidelines.
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