Pascack Hills win over Mahwah simply magical by Darren Cooper & Chris Iseman of The Record
If they tried to make this a movie, a studio would probably say it was too unrealistic, but Pascack Hills coach Brooks Alexander knows it’s true.
Alexander’s Cowboys defeated Mahwah Friday night 20-7 in one of the biggest surprises of the North Jersey football season. Jack Eichner and Mitchell Bloom had a pair of fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns to spark the Cowboys.
Consider: it was the first time Pascack Hills had beat Mahwah since 1998, a run of 10-straight wins. The two teams didn’t play regularly after Pascack Hills left the North Bergen Interscholastic League.
Just scoring points against the T-Birds was a big deal for the Cowboys, now 3-1, they had been outscored 129-0 in their last three meetings against the T-Birds.
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And none of this is the best part of the story.
Alexander was watching the teams warm up when he was suddenly reminded of an old joke he used to share when he was on staff with former Park Ridge coach Gary Mioli.
“Gary was one of the most nervous people in the world, he was always anxious about how good our opponents were,” said Alexander, who worked under Mioli for seven years. “When Mahwah came out, one of our coaches said, are they good every year? I said yes and I remembered and old joke we would tease Gary with about how they stretched better than us, so it could be a long night.”
That joke caused Alexander to pause for a moment, and ask for an assist from his old friend Mioli, who tragically passed away just before the start of the 2014 season.
“I said, ‘Hey GLM 57, which was Gary’s old license plate number, are you listening? Give me a sign?’” Alexander said to himself.
A few seconds later the song, “Carry On Wayward Son” by Kansas came over the loudspeaker.
“At that moment, I felt everything would be all right,” said Alexander.
Mioli and the song were synonymous. It was played in the Park Ridge locker room after every victory, Mioli would famously open a bottle of Fanta soda while the team chanted “Park Ridge! Park Ridge!”
There was no mad celebration for Pascack Hills after the game, according to Alexander. He said his team was happy, but is focused on Fort Lee this week.
“I do not drink orange soda, that I do not,” said Alexander. “Maybe I should.”
– Darren Cooper
News and Notes….
Hasbrouck Heights now has North Jersey’s longest active win streak at 14 games. The longest win streak in school history for the Aviators is 22 games, a span that stretched over the 2006-2008 seasons.
Tenafly’s 55-33 victory over Marist was the first win for Tigers first-year coach Peter Toale. In the contest, junior running back Nick DiStaulo finished with 288 yards and six touchdowns.
A name to remember if/when coaching jobs come open this off-season is NV/Old Tappan defensive coordinator Joe Clause. The top-ranked Golden Knights have allowed only 13 points through their first four games, and Clause should be at the top of any list for an open head coaching job in New Jersey.
Since the formation of the Big North United division in 2010, no team has gone through divisional play without a loss playing a full slate of divisional opponents. Bergen Catholic is now 2-0 in the North Jersey Super Football Conference United Red, with two games left in the division.
This is the first time Kennedy has been 3-1 after four games since 2004.
Indian Hills’ 25-19 win over Fair Lawn in overtime is the first overtime victory for the Braves in school history.
With the NJIC regular season at the midway point, it’s a good time to review the playoff procedure. The four division winners will meet in the semifinals in Week 8. The winner of the Colonial Division (which looks like it will come down to Rutherford/Manchester) will be at the winner of the Liberty Division (New Milford is currently leading the Liberty). The Meadowlands Division winner (currently Hasbrouck Heights is in first) will travel to the winner of the Patriot Division (Wallington and Emerson are currently tied for first).