MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Columbia High School football team was looking to avenge a blowout loss to Montclair High School in the final regular season game, when the teams met again in the state sectional playoffs.
The Cougars made it respectable, but came up short.
Columbia, seeded No. 6, lost to No. 3 seed Montclair, 19-7, in the quarterfinals of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 5 state sectional playoffs on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 28, at Woodman Field in Montclair.
The Cougars, under eighth-year head coach Gary Mobley, ended the season with a 4-5 overall record. Montclair improved to 7-3.
Columbia fell to Montclair, 42-7, at Lynn V. Profeta Field/Underhill Sports Complex on Saturday, Oct. 21, in the regular season finale.
In Saturday’s playoff game, Montclair broke a scoreless tie in the second quarter on Bubba Lewis’ 57-yard touchdown pass to Jace Auletta, followed by Ben Price’s extra-point kick Price kicked a 27-yard field goal later in the second quarter for a 10-0 halftime lead.
Price kicked a 23-yard field goal in the third quarter to make it 13-0. The Cougars got on the scoreboard when Steve Memo scored on a 5-yard run, followed by Henry Aaron’s point-after kick, to cut it to 13-7 in the third quarter. Montclair answered later in the third quarter on Ja-Khi Chance’s 4-yard TD run to make it 19-7. The two-point conversion failed. The fourth quarter was scoreless.
Columbia HS football team ends playoffs season added by Joe Ragozzino on
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