Seniors Zamar Grove, No. 9, and Justin Evans-Jenkins, No. 53, lead the Irvington defense during the home win over Wayne Hills this season.
IRVINGTON, NJ — The Irvington High School football team put together an all-around excellent performance in a hard-fought 7-0 victory over a solid Ridgewood team at Irvington’s Homecoming on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 16 in a Super Football Conference crossover game.
The lone score came in the fourth quarter as Raheem Wright ran for an 8-yard touchdown, followed by Anthony Ellis’ point-after kick.
The win improved the Blue Knights’ record to 5-2 on the season. Ridgewood, a perennial power in Bergen County, was coming off a 40-7 win over Paramus. With the loss, Ridgewood dropped to 4-2 on the season.
Everyone on the Irvington defense played key roles in the shutout, said Irvington head coach Ashley “Smoke” Pierre. Mohammed Diakite led the way with eight tackles and an interception.
Offensively, quarterback Saquan Gordon was exceptional as he completed 16 of 21 passes for 171 yards. Famah Toure, Trent Jones and Zaheem Crawford all caught three passes for more than 50 yards.
Irvington bounced back from the tough 21-0 road loss to a strong DePaul team the previous week in Wayne. That loss snapped the Blue Knights’ four-game win streak.
This season the Blue Knights have held an opponent out of the end zone in three games.
The first time came in the season-opener when the Blue Knights dropped a heartbreaking 2-0 road decision to Mount Olive, with the only score on a first-half safety.
Irvington then won its next four games, including a 28-0 win at Newark West Side.
The Blue Knights will visit Bayonne in a SFC–Freedom White Division game on Oct. 22. Irvington has won 19 straight division games dating to the 2017 season.
Irvington HS Blue Knights
results and schedule
Sept. 3: Loss, at Mount Olive, 2-0
Sept. 10: Win, vs. Union City, 22-6
Sept. 17: Win, vs. Hudson Catholic,
32-26 overtime
Sept. 25: Win, at Newark West Side,
28-0
Oct. 2: Win, Wayne Hills, 21-16
Oct. 9: Loss, at DePaul, 21-0
Oct. 16: Win, vs. Ridgewood, 7-0
Oct. 22: at Bayonne, 7 p.m.
Oct. 29: vs. West Orange, 7 p.m.
Photos Courtesy of Felicia Laguerre Owens
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