IRVINGTON, NJ — The Irvington High School football team is the king of the North.
The Blue Knights put an exclamation point on their best season ever as they defeated Northern Highlands in thrilling fashion, 19-14, to capture the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North, Group 4, regional, championship on Saturday, Dec. 4, at Rutgers University’s SHI Stadium in Piscataway.
Trailing 14-13, Irvington senior quarterback Saquan Gordon hooked up with senior receiver Trenton Jones on a 61-yard touchdown pass for the only score of the second half with 2:00 left in the fourth quarter to clinch the championship. Jones caught a hitch pass over the middle of the field and raced into the end zone to stun Northern Highlands. The subsequent two-point conversion failed.
Irvington, under sixth-year head coach and Irvington native Ashley “Smoke”Pierre, capped its sensational season with an 11-2 record. Northern Highlands was bidding for a perfect season, and ended with a 12-1 record.
The Blue Knights shut down the high-powered Highlanders, registering a whopping 12 sacks in the game, including back-to-back sacks by senior lineman Zamar Grove and junior defensive back Famah Toure on the Highlanders’ last possession of the game on third down-and-10 and fourth down-and-18, respectively, at around midfield to turn the ball over on downs.That ended the game and a magnificent season for the Blue Knights. Northern Highlands, located in Allendale in Bergen County, entered the game averaging 35.25 points a game and allowing just 11.1 points a game. Northern Highlands, which repeated as North 1, Group 4, champions this season, also had posted three shutouts and held opponents to 7 points or less in seven games during the season.
Senior linebacker Lensley Therlonge had 3-and-a-half sacks, senior defensive end Tafari Thompson had three sacks and Grove finished with two sacks for Irvington.
The game was a seesaw affair. The Blue Knights jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter when junior Adon Shuler, a University of Notre Dame commit, returned a punt 45 yards for a touchdown. Northern Highlands responded on its ensuing possession on a 45-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Enzo Arjona, a Monmouth University commit, to Zach Madison, followed by the extra point kick to take a 7-6 lead.
In the second quarter, senior running back Raheem Wright scored on a 27-yard touchdown run to put the Blue Knights up 13-7 after senior Anthony Ellis’ extra-point kick. Northern Highlands retook the lead, 14-13, on a 4-yard TD run by Nick Branca later in the quarter.
The victory also was sweet redemption for the Blue Knights, who lost to Northern Highlands in the 2019 North 1, Group 4, semifinals.
The Blue Knights two weeks earlier won their first-ever state sectional championship when they defeated Middletown South, 28-13, in the North 2, Group 4, final on Nov. 19 at IHS. The IHS football program has been in existence for 102 years. The current state playoff system began in 1974.
It was a memorable playoff run for the Blue Knights. As the No. 1 seed, the Blue Knights rallied to beat Linden and Colonia in the quarterfinals and semifinals on late-game touchdowns before beating Middletown South to win the state sectional title.
2021 Irvington results
- 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: win, at Bayonne, 53-27
- Oct. 29: win, vs. West Orange, 21-7
- Nov. 5, win, vs. No. 8 seed Linden, 11-6, quarterfinals*
- Nov. 12, win, vs. No. 5 seed Colonia, 14-7, semifinals*
- Nov. 19, win, vs. No. 2 seed Middletown South, 28-13, final*
- Dec. 4, win, Northern Highlands, 19-14**
*North 2, Group 4 playoffs (Irvington is the No. 1 seed)
**North, Group 4, regional championship, at SHI Stadium at Rutgers University, in Piscataway
Photos Courtesy of Gwen Murray/IHS Athletics
King of the North: Irvington HS football team defeats Northern Highlands, 19-14, in thrilling North, Group 4, regional final to cap its best-season ever added by Joe Ragozzino on
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