The No.1 seed Summit Hilltoppers (7-2) took on the Governor Livingston Highlanders (6-4) at home and produced a dominating performance, 42-14. Prior to this game, the Hilltoppers in their last five appearances against the Highlanders managed to outscore them, 203-37. This game only further pushes that margin, however Summit head coach Kevin Kostibos has high praise on how the Highlanders fought throughout the game and believes their potential is moving forward.
“Early in the game, they were moving the football and they were difficult to stop,” Kostibos explained. “They were incredibly prepared and did a great job.”
"This was a team win, but GL [Governor Livingston] punched us in the face,” he continued. “That’s what playoff football is all about, you never know what’s going to happen.”
Summit Hilltoppers Set the Tone
Early in this game, it appeared to be a shootout as the Hilltoppers set the tone with the opening drive. The Hilltopper's opening drive punched in by Henriqu Guicardi (10 carries for 65 yards and three touchdowns) laid the blueprint for how this game would be dictated as the game progressed. Nonetheless, it was directly answered by the Highlanders with an opening-drive touchdown themselves. That said, the Hilltoppers began to rely on their star running back, senior running back Carter Shallcross, to carry the load and help gain momentum to close out the opening quarter. Ultimately, this led to a 25-yard run by senior running back Ryan Schnall.
“The reality is playoff football is just completely different and you can see there were some jitters,” Kostibos continued. “Things we worked on all week, you can see where we were a second behind or a second slow because we were trying to think. We had to find our feet and I think as we got more and more comfortable with the game and the pace we began to finally settle down.”
Keys for the Hilltoppers' Success
Throughout the season, the Hilltoppers' identity has relied on the offensive linemen and on the back of Shallcross. Kostibos admitted that Shallcross has been their “go-to guy” all season and will heavily rely on him throughout this playoff run. That said, Shallcross recorded 16 carries for 187 yards and one touchdown. Although he didn’t score much, his efforts on the ground allowed for five other touchdowns to be scored by his teammates.
“The offensive line is the heart of the offense meaning if they play good naturally everyone else will play good,” Shallcross stated. “ I think they will keep it up because today is a great momentum builder moving forward.”
The offense will rely on that talented running back group and the offensive line moving forward, however the defense stepped up big also only allowing two scores all game. In fact, a pivotal moment in the game was when senior linebacker Tyler Kessel forced a fumble to help shift momentum early and gain another possession for the offense to capitalize.
“In a playoff game, turnovers are huge and it was tough being able to stop them. When you look at every game there are three to four plays in which they can determine the game and today we are lucky to make them,” Kostibos emphasized.
Ultimately, to ensure success the Hilltoppers must continue to control the time of possession with their terrific running attack and compliment that with stout defensive play that occasionally can cause turnovers to
What’s Next for the Summit Hilltoppers?
This upcoming Saturday, the Hilltoppers will face West Essex in the NJSIAA Semifinal Round back at Tatlock Sports Complex in Summit, New Jersey. The Hilltoppers and the Knights will kickoff at noon.
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