Friday night began the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA playoffs in the North Jersey Section 1 Group 1 bracket, which saw the third seeded Hawthorne Bears host the sixth seeded New Milford Knights. Coming into this game, the Bears had a 6-2 record and the Knights had a 3-5 record.
Hawthorne got off to a quick start, scoring two touchdowns in the games first six minutes. Senior running back Cormac Smith got the first one for the Bears as he rushed 20 yards into the end zone. The second one was a 20-yard reception thrown by senior quarterback Tyler Menne to senior wide receiver Matthew Lorper.
Senior kicker Dominic Passero scored the extra points. The offense wasn’t the only ones who got off to a hot start for the Bears. Their defense was just as dominant in the first quarter, holding New Milford to multiple three and outs, while also picking them off at their own 30-yard line. Lorper would be the one to catch the pick, putting the offense back in a scoring position. The Bears would capitalize on this opportunity with a 24-yard reception thrown by Menne to Passero to give Hawthorne the 20-0 lead going into the second quarter.
The Bears' offense was still a force in the second quarter, being able to get huge rushing plays on New Milford with a 38-yard run by Smith and a 23-yard run by senior fullback Logan Sakir. The Knights were able to hold off the Bears' offense, but weren’t able to get themselves on the board going into the half.
Coming out of the half, the Bears found their dominant ways of the first quarter again, with Smith putting Hawthorne in good position after a 20-yard carry. Hawthorne cashed in with a 16-yard reception from Menne to Lorper. The Bears' defense was still lights out, giving the offense another opportunity to score. The opportunity was capitalized on as Sakir rushed the ball into the end zone from 24 yards out, giving Hawthorne the 34-0 lead going into the quarter.
New Milford’s defense really showed out in the fourth quarter, being able to hold off the Bears' offense, while also recovering the ball on their own 6-yard line. The strong play of the defense helped to spark the offense as they had a sequence of rushing plays that ended in a 2 yard rushing touchdown by senior running back James Speights, making the score 34-7. Ultimately, the Knights' push wasn’t enough and Hawthorne won the game 34-7.
With their win last night, the three seeded Hawthorne Bears move on to the semifinals where they will face the two seeded Hasbrouck Heights next Friday night at 7.
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