IRVINGTON, NJ (updated Monday Nov. 5, 11:41 a.m.) – The season seemed to be slipping away.
The Irvington High School varsity football team trailed by nine points midway through the fourth quarter.
But the Blue Knights showed their resiliency. As rain poured down throughout the night, head coach “Smoke” Pierre’s team poured it on down the stretch, scoring three quick touchdowns to post a thrilling 28-16 comeback victory over West Morris in the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group 4 state playoffs Friday night, Nov. 2, at IHS.
The third-seeded Blue Knights advanced to the semifinals for the second straight season and will face No. 2 seed Randolph this Friday night, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. Randolph defeated seventh-seeded Colonia, 34-27, Saturday, Nov. 3, to improve to 9-1.
Irvington won its fifth straight game to move to a 7-3 record, while ending sixth-seeded West Morris’ three-game winning streak.
The Blue Knights are looking for payback against Randolph. In 2016, Pierre’s first season as IHS head coach, the No. 2 seed Blue Knights lost to No. 7 seed Randolph, 13-12 at home in the quarterfinals of the North 1, Group 4 playoffs. Irvington went for the potential winning two-point conversion late in the game, but the conversion failed.
The other semifinal pits No. 1 seed Phillipsburg against No. 5 seed Cranford. Phillipsburg defeated No. 8 seed North Hunterdon, 49-7, to improve to 8-1, while Cranford defeated fourth-seeded Linden, 30-12, to improve to 6-3.
West Morris jumped out to a 10-0 halftime lead on Joe Spano’s 27-yard field goal in the first quarter and Anthony Ruggiero’s 9-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
The score remained going into the fourth quarter.
Senior Mohammed Toure gave the Blue Knights a spark as he returned a blocked punt for a touchdown to cut West Morris’ lead to 10-7.
West Morris answered with a 17-yard touchdown pass play to make it 16-7 with 6:41 left in the game.
The seesaw continued as the Blue Knights scored on junior quarterback Taiyon Battle’s short run to make it a two-point game, 16-14, with 3:44 left.
And then the game dramatically changed. Irvington blocked another punt and returned it for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:38 remaining for a 21-16 lead.
The Blue Knights sealed the comeback win with a pick-6 just 20 seconds later. West Morris fell to 5-4.
Irvington, which won the Super Football Conference-Freedom White Division title for the second year in a row, is looking for its first state sectional championship in program history. The only time they made the sectional final was in 2006 when they lost to New Brunswick, 18-14, at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway for the North 2, Group 3 title.
Irvington (7-3)
August 31, Won, Orange, 30-6
Sept. 7, Loss, Union City, 34-10
Sept. 14, Loss, at Ridgewood, 34-12
Sept. 22, Won, at Millburn, 44-17
Sept. 29, Loss, at Bergen Catholic, 47-7
Oct. 5, Won, North Bergen, 41-20
Oct. 13, Won, at Ferris, 38-0
Oct. 20, Won, Barringer, 24-6
Oct. 26, Won, Montclair, 34-21
Nov. 2, Won, (No. 6 seed) West Morris, 28-16*
*NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group 4 state playoffs. Irvington is the No. 3 seed.
Photos by Steve Ellmore.
Irvington vs. West Morris, Nov. 2.
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