The Blue Knights charge onto the field for their home game against Seton Hall Prep on Friday, Sept. 22. Seton Hall Prep won, 23-12. (Photo Courtesy of Felicia Laguerre Owens)
IRVINGTON, N.J. — As the state playoffs loom, the Irvington High School football team is making a strong statement: watch out for the Blue Knights.
Irvington is as hot as ever. The Blue Knights posted another lopsided shutout victory with a 44-0 win over Livingston on Friday, Oct. 13, at Livingston.
It was the second straight win and shutout for the Blue Knights, who improved to 4-4 this season. Irvington defeated Montclair, 27-0, in the previous week on Saturday, Oct. 7.
Three of the Blue Knights’ four wins have been shutouts. They blanked Columbia, 21-0, at Underhill Sports Complex in Maplewood on Thursday, Sept. 14.
The Blue Knights will face another red-hot team in West Orange on Friday, Oct. 20, at Ralph C. Steele Football Field at the IHS Sports Complex. West Orange, under head coach and IHS alumnus Darnell Grant, has won three straight games to improve to 4-3 overall.
West Orange won its first state sectional championship last season under Grant, who has been at the WOHS helm since 2019. Grant was the head coach of the Blue Knights from 2002 to 2009, revving the program and leading it to tremendous success. He then was the head coach at Shabazz where he led the team to North 2, Group 1 state sectional titles in 2014 and 2017, with the latter ending a 12-0 season.
Irvington, under eighth-year head coach and Irvington native Ashley “Smoke” Pierre, is looking to win its second state sectional title. Its first state sectional title came in 2021.
The state sectional playoffs begin Friday and Saturday, Oct. 27-28.
Irvington is ranked No. 7 in North, Group 4 in the United Power Rankings. The top 16 teams will qualify for the postseason. West Orange is ranked No. 9 in North, Group 5.
Irvington (4-4)
Aug. 25: loss, vs. Camden Eastside, 6-0
Sept. 2: loss, at Millville, 34-0
Sept. 11: win, at East Orange Campus, 50-20
Sept. 14: win, at Columbia, 21-0
Sept. 22: loss, vs. Seton Hall Prep, 23-12
Sept. 30: loss, vs. Union City, 7-0
Oct. 7: win, at Montclair, 27-0
Oct. 13: win, at Livingston, 44-0
Oct. 20: vs. West Orange, 7 p.m.
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