McNerney, DeBenedetto lead NV/Old Tappan to 42-7 win over Wayne Hills by Chris Iseman of The Record
OLD TAPPAN — NV/Old Tappan’s first play from scrimmage previewed what was to come.
Golden Knights quarterback Nick McNerney found Sal DeBenedetto wide open in the middle of the field. DeBenedetto made the catch and coasted into the end zone for a 57-yard touchdown reception just 15 seconds into the game.
“We said, ‘We’ve just got to keep going from here,'” McNerney said.
That’s exactly what NV/Old Tappan did.
McNerney threw four touchdown passes to DeBenedetto as the top-seeded Golden Knights beat No. 4 Wayne Hills 42-7 in the North 1, Group 4 semifinals on Friday night.
They also maintained their perfect record, moving to 11-0.
NV/Old Tappan, which beat Wayne Hills 35-0 back in September, is headed to a sectional final for a third straight year.
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“We’ve turned into a really good practice team and I could tell by the way we were practicing we were ready to go,” coach Brian Dunn said. “First play was indicative. It was executed perfected. Nick threw the ball right on the money on a route we thought would be there early in the game.”
McNerney, who also scored on a 25-yard run, went on to throw touchdown passes of 28, four and 63 yards to DeBenedetto.
Marquez Antinori scored on a one-yard run in the third quarter.
Wayne Hills, the defending sectional champions, made it 21-7 early in the second quarter when quarterback Jaaron Hayek scored on a 36-yard run, giving the Patriots some momentum.
But NV/Old Tappan didn’t let them keep it.
Turning point: The game hinged on a big penalty against Wayne Hills in the second quarter.
Up 21-7, the Knights were forced to punt on fourth-and-2 from their own 10, which would’ve given Wayne Hills good field position with a chance to slice its deficit even more.
But the snap to punter Sebastian Santana was high. With defenders closing in on him, he managed to bring it down and get the punt off.
The Patriots were then called for roughing the kicker, giving NV/Old Tappan a first down at the 15.
“That ball should’ve been snapped either through end zone or should’ve been blocked for a touchdown,” Dunn said. “Either way it’s bad news for us. Sebastian made an unbelievable play not just to catch it but then get it off without it getting blocked.”
The Knights had stolen the momentum right back.
Key play: On that same drive, McNerney hit DeBenedetto for a 35-yard pass down the left sideline. DeBenedetto made the over-the-shoulder grab and managed to stay in bounds, giving NV/Old Tappan a first-and-goal at the 4.
One play later, McNerney hit DeBendetto for a touchdown pass that made it 28-7.
What’s next: NV/Old Tappan will play No. 3 Mount Olive in the sectional final. Mount Olive beat second-seeded West Morris, 21-16.
Quotable: “Just going back there and knowing this is my last time I could actually win it, we’re going to be that much more intense,” DeBenedetto said of returning to the final. “We’ve got to bring it home this time.”