Zach Konetzni
GLEN RIDGE, NJ — For the second straight season, the Glen Ridge High School football team has advanced to the semifinals of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Group 1 sectional state playoffs.
Senior quarterback Brad Foster passed for 336 yards and four touchdowns and junior running back Zach Konetzni rushed for 185 yards and two TDs on 13 carries and he added two receiving TDs to power the fourth-seeded Ridgers to a 47-13 win over fifth-seeded Pompton Lakes in the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 state playoffs on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 2, at Hurrell Field.
The Ridgers, under first-year head coach Chris Strumolo, improved to 5-4 on the season. They will visit No. 1 seed Butler in the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m. The other semifinal pits No. 3 seed Mountain Lakes at No. 2 seed New Milford. The championship game is Friday, Nov. 15. Butler defeated No. 8 seed Weehawken 47-8 to improve to 9-0.
In the win over Pompton Lakes, Foster completed 11 of 16 passes and he rushed for 95 yards on nine carries, including a 10-yard TD run. Foster threw TD passes of 23 yards to senior running back Luke Olczak and 45 yards to junior tight end John Leone. Foster connected with Konetzni on TD passes of 75 and 10 yards. Konetzni finished with four catches for 137 yards.
Leone had three catches for 89 yards, Olczak had two catches for 63 yards and freshman wide receiver Aiden Kelly had two catches for 47 yards.
Defensively for the Ridgers, defensive back Olczak and senior lineman Jake Liloia each had seven tackles, sophomore lineman Paul Wiley had eight tackles and freshman lineman Tyler Kamil had six tackles. Defensive back Konetzni had three tackles, junior DB Myles Adams had two tackles and they each had an interception.
Last season, seventh-seeded GRHS upset No. 2 seed Waldwick/Midland Park 33-26 in the quarterfinals for its first state sectional playoff win since 1982, before losing to No. 6 seed Shabazz 58-14 in the semifinals of the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 state playoffs.
Strumolo was elated for his players.
“Saturday was a great day for our program,” said Strumolo in an email to The Glen Ridge Paper. “The boys were fired up all week and showed up ready. We clicked better than we have all season on offense and our defense; minus a few plays, (it) was outstanding. This win meant a lot for our players as they set a goal, and through their hard work, were able to achieve it. To extend our season another week with this team, especially these seniors, is something special and we will work and prepare to compete on Friday night at Butler.”
Junior lineman Thomas Barton said in an email, “Last year was our first playoff win in 40-plus years. This win makes it feel like we are really becoming something special as a program. (This week) is definitely going to be a battle, but I believe that with the hard work we put in, we’ll see good results.”
“Winning against Pompton Lakes and advancing is a huge milestone for our team,” junior lineman Alex Bowman said in an email. “We have been working hard the whole offseason and have been putting in everything to this season. We have a strong group and we want to make a name for ourselves and show the world what we can do.”
Photos Courtesy of John K. Horsky
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