If Wayne Hills senior quarterback Justin DeGroat, shown above running the ball against Wayne Valley, is limited tonight due to an ankle injury, backup Peter Palczewski proved last week he is capable of running the Patriots' offense effectively. (PHOTO: THOMAS E. FRANKLIN/The Record)

If Wayne Hills senior quarterback Justin DeGroat, shown above running the ball against Wayne Valley, is limited tonight due to an ankle injury, backup Peter Palczewski proved last week he is capable of running the Patriots’ offense effectively. (PHOTO: THOMAS E. FRANKLIN/The Record)

Wayne Hills senior quarterback Justin DeGroat is expected to return tonight against Paramus from an ankle injury that kept him out of the Patriots’ impressive 35-7 win against Passaic Tech a week ago.

If DeGroat is limited or needs to come out of the game, though, the Patriots now know they can count on Peter Palczewski, their junior backup quarterback. Palczewski’s performance against a good Passaic Tech defense was one of the most encouraging things to happen to Wayne Hills’ program during the second half of this season.

The 6-foot-3 Palczewski completed six of nine passes for 156 yards, two touchdowns and wasn’t intercepted while leading Wayne Hills (5-3), ranked No. 23 in The Record Top 25, over the 12th-ranked Bulldogs (7-1). One of his touchdown passes, to senior running back Steve Pursterla, went for 75 yards.

“Pete really made some great passes for us, some great decisions for us,” Wayne Hills coach Wayne Demikoff said. “The protection was good and he really gave us that little bit that we needed to keep them off balance a little bit on defense. We were really, really happy with how he played. Pete’s a smart kid. He understands the offense. He understands his role, too.

“We told him all week we weren’t going to put him in a position where he had to win the game for us. He just has to manage the game for us and not make those big mistakes that can kill you in a game. He played within the system. He was six of nine and on one ball he made a good decision to throw it away, because there was nobody open. He didn’t try to force anything. He just played within the system. That’s all we can ask for from him. He did a great job and the kids rallied behind him.”

The 6-3 DeGroat has been more effective as a runner than as a passer in his first full season as Wayne Hills’ starting quarterback.

Before suffering a bruised ankle during a 21-17 loss to Passaic Valley on Oct. 25, DeGroat rushed for 715 yards and four touchdowns on 84 carries. He has completed 38 percent of his passes for 327 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions.

If Wayne Hills beats Paramus in a 7 p.m. game tonight, the Patriots will win the Big North’s Colonial Division championship. If 13th-ranked Paramus wins, Northern Highlands, Paramus and Wayne Hills will share the division championship.

 

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