GLEN RIDGE, NJ (updated Sunday Nov. 5, 9:58 a.m.) – The Glen Ridge High School varsity football team enters the state playoffs on a roll.
The third-seeded Ridgers, who beat Hoboken for their second straight win, will host sixth-seeded Roselle Park in the first round of the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group 1 state playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 11.
Senior quarterback Tyler Liddy passed for 226 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Ridgers to a 39-24 win at Hoboken on Friday night Nov. 3, in a North Jersey Super Football Conference-National Red Division game.
The Ridgers, under head coach Duke Mendez, improved to 6-3 overall and 1-3 in the division.
Glen Ridge iced the game in the fourth quarter when senior running back Joe Marchesano scored on a 50-yard run and junior defensive back Tyler Strong scored on a 49-yard interception return.
Liddy, who completed 15 of 27 attempts, threw an 18-yard TD pass to Simon Low to give the Ridgers a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Liddy hit senior split end Avery Hackett on a 35-yard TD pass and Marchesano kicked a 27-yard field goal in the second quarter as the Ridgers led 17-12 at the half.
Liddy threw a 44-yard TD pass to Strong and Marchesano scored on the two-point conversion as Glen Ridge led 25-18 at the end of the third quarter.
Marchesano also was 4 of 4 on extra point kicks.
Hoboken fell to 3-6 overall and 1-3 in the division.
For the Ridgers, the win was sweet redemption. Glen Ridge lost to Hoboken in each of the past three seasons. Hoboken beat Glen Ridge in the first round of the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group 1 state playoffs in both 2014 and 2015. Hoboken also won last year’s division meeting.
The winner between Glen Ridge and Roselle Park will face the winner between second-seeded Shabazz and seventh-seeded Newark Collegiate in the semifinals. Glen Ridge lost to Shabazz in last year’s first round of the playoffs. The Ridgers also lost to Shabazz this season in a division meeting.
This year marks the Ridgers’ best season since 2010 when they finished 8-2 after losing to Lincoln in the first round of the playoffs.
Glen Ridge stats vs. Hoboken
Passing: Liddy: 15 of 27 attempts, 226 yards, 3 TDs.
Rushing: Marchesano: 15 carries for 72 yards, 1 TD. Liddy: 17 carries for 47 yards.
Receiving: Low: 4 catches for 47 yards, 1 TD. Hackett: 3 catches for 78 yards, 1 TD. Marchesano: 2 catches for 31 yards. Split end Strong: 2 catches for 46 yards, 1 TD. Senior tight end David Weissenberger: 4 catches for 24 yards.
Defense: Defensive back Marchesano: 18 tackles. Senior linebacker Max Auborn: 15 tackles. Sophomore DB Jackson Crutchfield: 12 tackles. Senior LB Kieran Moran: 11 tackles. Junior DB Low: 10 tackles. Senior lineman Jack Olczak: 9 tackles. DB Strong: 8 tackles. Sophomore DB Brendan Easter: 6 tackles with 1 sack. Senior DB Jose McCallen-Villafane: 6 tackles with 1 sack. DB Hackett: 4 tackles
NORTH JERSEY SECTION 2, GROUP 1
8-Hoboken (3-6) at 1-Weequahic (7-1)
5-Becton (5-3) at 4-Belvidere (6-3)
6-Roselle Park (5-3) at 3-Glen Ridge (6-3)
7-Newark Collegiate (5-4) at 2-Shabazz (8-0)
Glen Ridge (6-3)
Sept. 9, Won, Butler, 48-7
Sept. 16, Won, at Newark Collegiate Academy, 49-22
Sept. 23, Won, at Montclair Kimberley Academy, 55=19
Sept. 29, Loss, Cedar Grove, 28-14
Oct. 7, Won, Verona, 49-14
Oct. 13, Loss, at Weequahic, 42-8
Oct. 20, Loss, at Shabazz, 44-6
Oct. 28, Won, Immaculate Conception of Montclair, 62-22
Nov. 3, Won, at Hoboken, 39-24
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