Football – Paramus keeps undefeated season going with first round playoff win

Nov 5, 2018

Paramus keeps undefeated season going with first round playoff win by Greg Mattura of The Record

PARAMUS – Paramus elevated its season to a perfect 10, and there’s still work to be done.

The Spartans muscled past West Milford, 42-14, Friday night in a North 1, Group 3 opener. Their 10-0 record ties the program record for most victories in a season.

“It’s very nice,” Paramus coach Joe Sabella said of a 10-0 record, “but at this moment in time we’ve got our eyes on one thing – we want to bring home a championship to Paramus.”

Junior quarterback Trevor Bopp ran for three touchdowns and threw a TD pass to help No. 2 Paramus earn a semifinal showdown next weekend against two-time defending champion and No. 3 River Dell.

Junior running back Kyle Jacob ran for two TD in the first half to help stake the Spartans to a 35-0 halftime lead, and almost the entire second half was played with a running clock due to the “35-point rule.”

Story continues below the photo gallery

Paramus tops West Milford 42-14 to move on in the playoffs
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The Paramus Spartans line up to shake hands with West Milford following their decisive playoff victory as they move on to play River Dell.

The Paramus Spartans line up to shake hands with West Milford following their decisive playoff victory as they move on to play River Dell. Chris Pedota/NorthJersey.com
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  • The Paramus Spartans line up to shake hands with West Milford following their decisive playoff victory as they move on to play River Dell.1 of 19
  • Kyle Jacob of Paramus beaks tackles on this first half run.
  • Ryan Coyle of West Milford makes this TD catch late in the game.
  • Stephen Prado of Paramus runs the ball after a catch in the first half.
  • Paramus head coach Joe Sabella yells out instructions to his team in the first half.
  • Kyle Jacob of Paramus listens as his coach addresses the team after the game.
  • Matthew Ivanicki of Paramus makes this catch for a TD in the first half.
  • Nick Karounos of Paramus tackles Brandon Peters of West Milford late in the game.
  • Brandon Peters of West Milford tries to catch Justin McKeon of Paramus after McKeon made this first half catch.
  • This pass intended for Adam Rust of West Milford is broken up by Kyle Jacob of Paramus.
  • Kyle Jacob of Paramus can't pull in the pass as he is defended by Ryan Coyle of West Milford.
  • Zack Milko of West Milford is tackled for a sack by Brandon Del Colle of Paramus in the first half.
  • Matt Amato of Paramus listens as his coach addresses the team after the game.
  • Justin McKeon of Paramus makes this catch on a long pass play to setup a Paramus TD in the first half.
  • Justin McKeon of Paramus leads his team onto the field to start the game.
  • Trevor Bopp of Paramus runs around the end past Brandon Peters of West Milford in the first half.
  • Matthew Ivanicki of Paramus listens as his coach addresses the team after the game.
  • Matt Amato of Paramus hugs his quarterback Trevor Bopp after Bopp scored the games first TD in the first half.
  • Matthew Ivanicki of Paramus is taken down by Sean Kuhn of West Milford in the first half.

19 Photos
Paramus tops West Milford 42-14 to move on in the playoffs

What it means

Paramus will face River Dell (7-2) for the second time in three weeks. The Spartans defeated the Golden Hawks on Oct. 19 in Oradell, 20-13, to earn the right to host this highly anticipated semifinal.

“We have a great group of guys and it’s just really special to be out here with them every day,” Spartans senior lineman Dan Chermark said. “And we have a lot more to give, and it all starts in practice.”

Key play

More like the best play, with Jacob turning a run up the middle into a cutback, 55-yard TD run to provide Paramus with a 28-0 lead at 8:19 of the second quarter. (He also scored on a 6-yard run with 27 seconds left in the first half for the 35-0 lead.)

By the numbers

► Paramus had 358 yards in the first half and finished with 455. Bopp scored on first-half runs of seven and nine yards, and tossed a 24-yard TD to senior receiver Matthew Ivanicki. Bopp scored on a 9-yard run midway through the third to stretch the lead to 42-0.

► The Spartans defense held West Milford (5-5) to 44 yards in the first half, with the visitors tacking on 205 yards in the second half.

► Senior Ryan Coyle scored on a 19-yard run and caught a 19-yard TD pass from senior Zack Milko for West Milford, which posted its first non-losing season this decade.

Game balls

Paramus’ offensive line dominated, leading the way to 455 total yards of offense: Chermark, and fellow seniors Matt Amato, Ryan Collins, Josh Ferro, and Bobby Colonna.

“We won it up front, and it starts with our line, and I think our skill guys feed off the energy of the line,” Sabella said. “And when they’re on their game, we’re just a hard football team to stop.”

They said it

“We had to get back to our basics, back to our fundamentals, what got us here, and that was playing physical all over the place, up front, on the perimeter, defensively, tackling, and we did,” Sabella said.

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“We see that we keep progressing each week and we’re getting better and better,” Jacob said, “and our main goal is to win a championship and that’s what we’re going for.”