Irvington players jog onto the field. for game vs. Columbia.
BRIDGEWATER, NJ — The Irvington High School football team needed to successfully make the extra-point kick to keep the game and its season alive.
Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.
After Bridgewater-Raritan scored a touchdown on the first drive of overtime and kicked the point-after, the Blue Knights answered with a touchdown. But Irvington’s tying point-after kick clanked off the left upright, ending the game and giving fourth-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan a wild 34-33 win in the quarterfinals of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 state playoffs on Friday night, Nov. 1, at Bridgewater-Raritan.
The Blue Knights, seeded fifth, ended their season with a 4-4 record under first-year head coach Marco Soto.
IHS took a 6-0 lead when junior Jayden Herron scored on a 9-yard run with 6:38 left in the first quarter. The extra-point kick failed.
Bridgewater-Raritan got on the scoreboard on a 33-yard field goal with 59 seconds left in the first quarter to cut it to 6-3. Bridgewater-Raritan kicked another field goal from 29 yards to tie it 6-6 with 5:28 left in the first half.
Irvington sophomore quarterback Jamir Howell ran for a 76-yard touchdown, followed by the extra-point kick, to put the Blue Knights up 13-6 with 5:08 left in the half.
With 2 seconds left, Bridgewater-Raritan tied it 13-13 on an 8-yard TD pass.
After a scoreless third quarter, Bridgewater-Raritan scored on a 23-yard pass for a 20-13 lead with 10:49 left in regulation.
IHS freshman lineman Malachi Mills intercepted a screen pass and returned it to the Bridgewater-Raritan 29-yard line. The Blue Knights capitalized as Howell scored on a 29-yard run to tie it 20-20 with 7:39 left.
The Blue Knights retook the lead 27-20 on another 29-yard TD by Howell with 4:34 remaining.
B-R answered with a 27-yard TD pass to tie it 27-27 with 1:45 left. The game then went into overtime.
B-R scored on a 21-yard TD pass on the first possession of overtime for a 34-27 lead.
Though their championship hopes were dashed, the Blue Knights had a good season and hope to build off that success for 2025.
Irvington results
- Sept. 6: win, vs. Orange, 42-18
- Sept. 13: loss, at West Orange, 34-10
- Sept. 20: loss, vs. Bayonne, 21-14
- Sept. 28: win, at Columbia, 38-7
- Oct. 12: win, vs. Passaic County Tech, 24-21
- Oct. 18: loss, at Union City, 51-0
- Oct. 25: win, vs. Newark East Side, 19-12
- Nov. 1: loss, at (4) Bridgewater-Raritan, 34-33 (OT), quarterfinals*
*North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 playoffs (IHS is the No. 5 seed)
Photos Courtesy of Felicia Laguerre Owens
Irvington at Columbia (Sept. 28, Irvington won, 38-7)
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