Irvington’s Kyshir Desir runs for yardage in the home win over Union City this season.
IRVINGTON, NJ — The Irvington High School football team defeated Bayonne, 53-27, Friday night, Oct. 22, in Bayonne.
The Blue Knights won their second straight game and improved to 6-2 overall and 4-0 in the North Jersey Super Football Conference–Freedom White Division on the season. Irvington, under sixth-year head coach Ashley “Smoke” Pierre, also won its 20th straight division game dating to the 2017 season.
Saquan Gordon threw a long touchdown pass to Nasir Addison with 9:01 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead. Anthony Ellis kicked the extra point.
The Blue Knights extended it to 14-0 when Zaheem Crawford-Patterson returned a Bayonne fumble on the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. Ellis kicked the extra point.
Bayonne, however, made amends as it returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown.
But the Blue Knights answered, as Kyshir Desir scored on a touchdown four plays later for a 20-6 lead with 7:14 left in the first quarter.
Bayonne scored on a long touchdown pass with 8:11 left in the second quarter to draw to 20-12.
Gordon ran for a 2-yard touchdown, and Ellis kicked the extra point to make it 27-12 with 5:13 left in the half.
The Blue Knights extended the lead to 40-12 at the end of the third quarter and maintained control in the fourth quarter for the final 53-27 win.
Irvington will host West Orange in a matchup of 6-2 teams on Friday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. in an SFC crossover game.
It will be a homecoming for West Orange head coach Darnell Grant, who is an Irvington High School graduate, Class of 1991. Grant was the head coach for Irvington from 2002 to 2009, during which time he resurrected the program. He had a 64-21 record in those eight seasons at Irvington. In 2003, Irvington made the state playoffs for the first time since 1975. The current playoff system started in 1974. Grant also took Irvington to its first state championship game in 2006, in which Irvington lost to New Brunswick in the North 2, Group 3, final at Rutgers.
Photos Courtesy of Felicia Laguerre Owens
About the Author
