JEFFERSON FALCONS SOAR AT CHANCE OF WINNING STATE-SECTIONALS

 By: Sports Entertainment Journalism

Picture by Jodi Benfatti

For the first time in 13 years, Jefferson Township High School football has the chance to get a State-Sectional win.

Led by Senior Captains Rory Coyle, Dylan Patscher, Justin Eisele, Erik Garv, and Thomas Young, the Falcons are looking to stop top-seeded Rutherford’s explosive offense on Saturday, November 20, for the North II Group 2 State-Sectional Final at Tyron Field.

The Eisele brothers have been tearing it up this season for Jefferson as Jason rushed for 129 yards and scored a touchdown in the previous game against Newton. Justin has three sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. However, Coyle surpasses Justin Eisele with nine sacks. Jefferson’s Boston College commit, Peter Delaportas, plans to increase his 2,000 plus yard season in Bulldog territory. First year receiver, Garv, leads the team in receiving touchdowns with ten this season. 

Running back Pat Cerulli has been a Rutherford power house, totalling 1,708 yards, with 26 touchdowns this season. Junior Bulldog quarterback, Van Weber, has stepped it up, throwing for 1,621 yards and 13 touchdowns.

The key to a J-Town win will be shutting down Rutherford’s strong run game and forcing them to make passes. The Falcon’s offensive strategy should remain the same - establish a run game and dominate the passing game. But Rutherford’s strong screen game has the potential to be deadly. 

To prepare for the game, Coach Stager said the Falcons will do what they’ve been doing all year - practice for defense, practice for offense. Stager also said it's not going to be an easy win because Rutherford is the #1 seed in the bracket. 

Jefferson player Christian Ciombor agreed that in order to prepare for this Saturday’s game, “Working on shutting down the run game, forcing them to pass, and making sure our offense is as powerful as ever” is key to win. 

Jefferson is on a four game win streak and has not allowed a team to score in the second half of every postseason game.

However, with an extremely strong run game, Bulldog’s, Cerulli, scored four touchdowns in his previous game bringing his Northern New Jersey lead to 22 rushing TD’s. With a weak run defense, the Rutherford secondary shines. With four interceptions in the previous game, their defense hasn’t allowed more than ten points in its five of ten games.

Top seeded Rutherford has a 9-1 lead. Their only loss was against Hasbrouck Heights during the season opener with a final score of 24-18. This comes after a 2018 Regional Championship when the Bulldogs went 11-0 and beat Hackettstown. 

When defensive Coach Stager was asked to predict the outcome of the game he said, “I expect to win.” Outside linebacker, Josh Danyus, has the same expectations for the outcome of the game. He agrees and thinks Rutherford is going to have some good plays but the Falcons will have more.

 Over the past three seasons Jefferson and Rutherford have combined for a record of 28-19 and this game is sure to be an exciting one. Jefferson is hoping to advance to the North Conference finals for the North Division.