After trailing for three quarters, Cedar Grove football comes back to win sectional title
MOUNTAIN LAKES — Cedar Grove has been a perennial Group 1 contender for years with one big knock on them: they can score in bunches, but their defense can't stop anyone. On Friday night, neither of those things were true.
"I've got to give Mountain Lakes credit for changing what they do," said Cedar Grove coach Rob Gogerty. "That forced us to change what we do too. We said at halftime that we would come out and run the ball more and made the adjustment with a few good drives."
Cedar Grove won their first sectional championship in a decade, winning a 15-7 game at Mountain Lakes in the North 2, Group 1 sectional final. Down 7-0 after three quarters, Cedar Grove scored on the first play of the fourth quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run by Patch McCarthy.
"This is a together win," said McCarthy. "We worked hard together to get here and we were together tonight to win this."
The Panthers went for two and were successful to take an 8-7 lead seconds into the fourth quarter. In the final minutes of the game, Cedar Grove continued to stop Mountain Lakes defensively and drove the ball once more, resulting in a Michael Willis 16-yard touchdown run. The lead was increased to 15-7, but still remained a one-possession game.
"I told our guys that this defense was going to win a sectional title," said McCarthy. "We settled down and stuck together all night long."
Defensively, the Panthers allowed a touchdown on the first Mountain Lakes offensive drive, capped by a one-yard Nico Dunn touchdown run for the game's first score. That's all that the Herd would be able to muster as Mountain Lakes was held to under 90 yards for the entire second half. Mountain Lakes had four more trips into Cedar Grove territory, but no points were scored. Two of the drives ended on a turnover on downs, while the others resulted in a missed 30-yard field goal and an interception in the end zone by Nick Iannacone.
What it means
Cedar Grove wins their eighth sectional title in the modern playoff era and the first since 2011. The Panthers will move on to their first regional championship game in program history against Park Ridge. The Owls were 14-0 winners in the North 1, Group 1 sectional final.
"This is a program win," said Gogerty. "This is about these players. This is about the players that have played for me for the past six years and probably beyond that."
Key play
After McCarthy's plunge into the end zone pulled Cedar Grove within a point, the Panthers rolled the dice on a play they refer to as "throwback".
"I went up to coach before we scored and said that I wanted the touchdown," said James Cantarelli. "We've been practicing that throwback since my freshman year and I don't think we have shown that play anywhere."
Cantarelli lined up as the tight end and chipped off a block as Antonio Lombardi rolled out and the defense went with him. That left Cantarelli all alone in the end zone for the conversion. The two point conversion put Cedar Grove in the lead for good.
"Seeing that ball hang in the air, it was just an unreal feeling," said Cantarelli.
By the numbers
Friday marked the 36th time Mountain Lakes faced Cedar Grove with the Herd leading the all-time series 22-14. Former divisional foes for a long time, Friday was the first time the Panthers took on the Herd since 2008.
This was the first sectional final played between the two teams but the fifth time they met in the state playoffs. Mountain Lakes previously won in the 1997 quarterfinals, as well as the semifinals in 2002 and 2006. Cedar Grove's sole playoff win over Mountain Lakes came in the sectional semifinals in 2000.
Game ball
Multiple key plays for the Panthers defensively frustrated Mountain Lakes offensively after scoring on their opening drive. Two important interceptions for Cedar Grove both fell into the hands of Nick Iannacone. Iannacone's first interception came in the end zone that prevented Mountain Lakes from doubling their lead.
Iannacone's second interception prevented Mountain Lakes from driving for a potential tying touchdown and two-point conversion. Cedar Grove milked the clock down and forced Mountain Lakes for one more offensive snap, resulting in a sack before the final seconds ticked away.
They said it
"It's hard to get here and it's harder to win it. We've come close a lot and it's a testament to our program."- Cedar Grove coach Rob Gogerty.
"Growing up, I went to the Meadowlands to watch the old Cedar Grove teams play for sectional titles. If we get to go to MetLife, it'll mean the world to end my high school career there." - Cedar Grove running back Patch McCarthy.
Robert Aitken is a high school sports reporter for NorthJersey.com. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis from our Varsity Aces team, subscribe today. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter and download our app.
Email: aitken@northjersey.com
Twitter: @robertaitkenjr
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Cedar Grove NJ football wins sectional title with late comeback
