ORANGE, NJ — The Orange High School football team participated in the Zone6ix High School Kickoff Classic at William Paterson University in Wayne this past Saturday, Sept. 4 to begin the season. The Orange Tornadoes played Chatham in the first game of the day and the third game of the showcase, which featured West Orange verses St. Peter’s Prep and Newark West Side versus Passaic Tech at Montclair State University Friday, Sept. 3. Chatham beat the Tornadoes, 43-7.
The first half of the game was all Chatham, led by sophomore QB Jackson Hodges, who accounted for almost all of the Cougars’ scores, starting with a 14-play, 72-yard march that he called his number for a 13-yard scoot to paydirt for the early 7-0 lead. With Orange deep in its own territory, the Cougars blocked the Tornadoes’ first punt of the game, forcing the ball to the back of the Tornadoes’ end zone for a safety and stretching Chatham’s early lead to 9-0. Hodges then took to the air, launching a 41-yard strike to keep the ever-growing lead at 16-0 by the end of the first quarter.
Hodges continued to run wild in the second quarter as he scored the next touchdown on a 22-yard sprint to the end zone for the 23-0 lead. Then he returned to the end zone for an 8-yard score to give the Cougars a comfortable 29-0 lead with just 7:48 left in the half. He then sent RB Peter Boyd to the house after big plays to set up a Boyd’s 9-yard run and score of 36-0 by the end of the first half. With the score at more than 35 points, the state high school mercy rule kicked in.
In the second half, Chatham had senior RB Jace Ulrich, whose dad is the defensive coordinator for the New York Jets, score the final touchdown of the game for the Cougars to make it 43-0 halfway through the third quarter. Orange, led by sophomore QB Marquise Williams, finally found the end zone after going 58 yards in eight plays with an 18-yard connection to WR Khyron Hill with 1:18 left in the game. “We lost 20 kids due to COVID-19,” said Orange Head Coach Randy Daniel. “We have only 16 kids at the moment, and we are unsure if will be able to get more kids to come out after the school opens this week.”
Chatham Head Coach Evan Picariello said that much of his team, like himself, comprises first-time players and coaches. He was pleasantly surprised that his team was able to play at a high level in a convincing manner.
Chatham will play Jefferson in its home opener Saturday, Sept. 11, at 2 p.m. Meanwhile Orange will stay on the road and head to Newark to play the West Side Roughriders at 1 p.m. Sept. 11.
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