ROCKAWAY – Bill Regan broke out the pads at football practice last Friday, which is usually a no-no for Morris Knolls football players — or any football players, for that matter.
The Golden Eagles didn’t mind this time.
After all, it was Morris Hills week.
“No one complained,” senior lineman Colin Groome said. “”We had to get our stuff going.”
Knolls certainly did that, running away from Morris Hills in a 31-6 victory at Morris Hills on Saturday at Morris Hills.
Wins are always nice, but this was no ordinary victory. The rivalry between sister schools has been loaded with tight games down through the years.
But not this time.
‘Big Win In Town’
“It was a big win in town,” said Regan, the coach at Knolls for 47 years. “There were 2,000 people and both stands were full. All of our kids came dressed in gold, their side was all dressed in red. It was a great afternoon game, a lot of excitement.”
Last Thursday, torrential storms prevented the team from practicing with pads on and there was no hitting. But the pads came out Friday and there was excitement at practice with bodies flying all over the place.
That continued on to the Hills game, which saw Knolls run its record to 4-0. Regan’s team used its usual recipe of a brilliant running game paired with an exceptional, swarming defense.
“We were well prepared,” Groome said. “We play as a team. Everyone does their part. We have a lot of positions where we rotate and we have a lot of guys working together.”
Running back Domenic DelleMonache led things off for Knolls with a 32-yard touchdown run. Ray Lara, who played an instrumental role throughout with his powerful right led, booted his first of four straight extra points.
In the second quarter, quarterback Nick Tavarone had a 2-yard touchdown run.
Lara then booted a 20-yard field goal, which came a short time after Tavarone completed a 77-yard pass to Pat Blum.
Hills played up in expecting the run and Tavarone capitalized in a big way.
“The offense has been clicking,” Groome said. “We run the ball a lot, so sometimes secondaries from other teams push up and we throw over the top. Linebackers and safeties come up, so wide receivers get open.”
In the third quarter, Hills’ David Turner broke free for a 60-yard touchdown run, but Knolls’ Joey DelleMonache answered with runs of 6 and 3 yards.
Lara’s kicks consistency were touchbacks, putting Morris Hills in a deep hole. Another unsung factor was the play of DE Tom Forand, who had three sacks.
Any win is sweet, but beating your sister school is sweeter.
‘Huge Rivalry’
“It’s a huge rivalry game,” Groome said. “Everybody came out to support both sides. It’s usually close games, very physical. We practiced really hard all week. Everyone is working together, doing their job. We are playing as one. This was for huge bragging rights, so everybody is happy. It is a huge victory, a big win for the whole team, fans, and the school.”
Knolls was not expecting this type of season. Most of last year’s team graduated, leaving this year’s group with untested players who’d never played much varsity.
“We only had two returning starters, no experience at all,” Groome said. “But we worked very hard to have a good team. We came together, practiced hard all summer, lifted all summer, and were on the field all summer. Everyone has stayed healthy. We knew we had to play together. There is strength in numbers and put it all together. We knew if we all came together, practiced hard and got better every day, every week, we’d have a shot to win every time we took the field.
Knolls should be tested Saturday, when it hosts perennial powerhouse West Essex (3-1) on Senior Day.
“We have to go one game at a time,” Groome said. “We have to get better each week. We have a tough second half of the schedule with West Essex, West Morris, Randolph and Old Tappan. Hopefully, we can keep the streak going. We have to keep pushing ourselves.”
Hills (1-3) travels to Jefferson Friday, Oct. 1, and then will host unbeaten Chatham on Saturday, Oct. 9, followed by a home game with Mount Olive Oct. 16.
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