Ramapo remains undefeated, earns trip to sectional final by Darren Cooper of The Record
FRANKLIN LAKES – Ramapo went old school when it mattered the most.
Green Raiders running back Luke Ragone scored on a four-yard touchdown run with 1:15 left to send Ramapo past a valiant Sparta team 42-33 Saturday night in the North 1, Group 3 semifinals.
The clinching touchdown drive was nine plays, 67 yards, and entirely on the ground, with Ragone carrying the ball eight straight times.
“Early on Sparta decided they were going to force us to run the ball, they played guys in coverage and only three linemen, but we hit a couple of big passes and they went back in coverage,” Ramapo coach Drew Gibbs said. “That’s why we were able to run the ball. We took what they gave us.”
Ragone finished with 189 yards on 28 carries and the Green Raiders ran for 305 as a team.
Sparta (8-3) pushed Ramapo all game long. Spartans running back Austin Castorina had 186 yards and a score, and Ramapo could never quite put Sparta away until the final minutes. Ragone’s last touchdown made it 42-27. Sparta would score on the last play of the game.
What it means
The North 1, Group 3 final will be Ramapo and River Dell. Again.
The two teams met for the sectional final in 2017, with River Dell winning 28-7, and in 2015, with Ramapo triumphing 45-15. River Dell also knocked Ramapo out of the playoffs in 2014 and 2016.
And oh, by the way, the two teams met in the regular season this year with Ramapo pulling out a 42-35 win in overtime.
“They are hard to prepare for because they play as hard as anybody in the state,” Gibbs said. “Their players play hard. They are tough and physical. They are a good football program.”
Key play
Ramapo jumped out to a 14-0 lead after a 43-yard touchdown run by quarterback A.J. Wingfield early in the second quarter, but the Green Raiders were called for unsportsmanlike conduct after the play and gave Sparta good field position on the ensuing drive. Sparta would then score two touchdowns quickly and the game turned into a back and forth affair.
“I thought we had way too many penalties today, a little bit of undisciplined play,” Gibbs said. “That’s not like us. That put us in a hole, but we managed to overcome that in the second half.”
Game balls
Ragone wins the honor statistically, but Ramapo’s offensive line deserves huge praise for opening holes, particularly the two tackles Sean Costello and Miles Shifar. Ragone would often take steps toward the line of scrimmage, then burst around the corner and find plenty of open space.
The Green Raiders offensive design also had the wide receivers run the defensive backs off giving Ragone a one-on-one shot at the safety.
By the numbers
► The game took 3:01 to play.
► There was one punt in the entire second half, by Ramapo with 6:01 left in the fourth.
► The two teams combined for 1040 yards. Ramapo with 537. Sparta with 503.
They said it
“We kind of thought it would be Ramapo and River Dell. We hoped it would be,” Gibbs said. “Now we have the opportunity to prove that we’re the best.”