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A year ago, standing on its home field, Old Tappan was stunned by what happened against West Morris in the sectional final.
Old Tappan let one slip away, losing in a game most expected the Golden Knights to win as a home favorite.
This year, Old Tappan made it a mission to get back to a sectional final and was going to make sure it wouldn’t let another golden opportunity slip through its hands against a different team.
That opportunity came on Friday, and Old Tappan made the most of it behind its ultimate Swiss army knife in senior Alex Orecchio, senior running back and linebacker Nick Rossi and a fabulous offensive line.
Top-seeded Old Tappan thumped West Essex, 41-13, in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 sectional championship game of the 2024 NJSIAA/Xfinity Football State Championship Tournament.
It’s Old Tappan’s fifth sectional championship in school history and its second in the past three years as it improved to 10-1 on the season. It was also the second time this season that Old Tappan beat West Essex after winning the first matchup, 19-7, back in Week 0.
“We’ve been working so hard for this since January, and this was the goal,” Orecchio said. “We still got more work to do, but this is where we wanted to be.”
Old Tappan will face a familiar foe in Pascack Valley in the Group 3 semis next weekend with a chance to play in the Group 3 championship on the line.
Pascack Valley, which defeated River Dell in the North 1, Group 3 final, handed Old Tappan its only loss of the year on Oct. 25, 27-21.
To get another crack at Pascack Valley, Old Tappan had to handle business first against a good and well-coached West Essex team.
Old Tappan dominated, scoring 41 consecutive points at one point after trailing 7-0.
Orecchio was dynamic catching and running the ball, a role he’s embraced this season after serving as the team’s quarterback a year ago.
He had touchdowns runs of 1 and 4 yards, while catching an 81-yard pass for another score. Oh, the senior also kicked two field goals, a 31-yard boot and a 33-yard kick, and was a perfect 5 for 5 on PATs.
“It feels great. These are hard to get,” Old Tappan coach Brian Dunn said. “Even with the last couple of years with them expanding (the state tournament), it doesn’t matter. These are hard to get. We’ve been through a lot of them and it takes a combined effort of a lot of players, a lot of kids, a lot of parents, a lot of coaches, a lot of people surrounding it.
“They’re not easy, so it feels great.”
Orecchio wasn’t the only star performer for Old Tappan.
Quarterback Zachary Miceli was efficient throwing the ball, connecting on 8 of 13 passes for 171 yards and rushing for 50 yards and a score on eight attempts.
“It was a team effort and the coaches did a great job coaching,” Miceli said.
Rossi had 132 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, while also recording 1.5 sacks on defense and recovering a fumble on special teams.
The offensive line, which featured (left to right) Caden Pemberton, Jack Horgan, Joseph Puccio, Ryan Miceli and Michael Gracey, consistently fired off the ball and pushed the pile for extra yards.
“I give all the credit to them. I would be nothing without them,” Rossi said. “They did their job and they did it with perfection, and that’s what showed.”
Rossi added that he thinks Orecchio is one of the best players in Old Tappan history and Friday’s performance added to his legacy.
West Essex (8-3) was a defending sectional champion and reached the Group 3 final last season. The Knights got off to a fast start, scoring on the game’s opening drive to take a 7-0 lead as Max Garcia ran for a 35-yard touchdown.
But Old Tappan adjusted and cleaned up some mental mistakes defensively after the first drive and hit big play after big play.
“When we get a chance to reflect once the pain goes away, which will be a while, they accomplished a lot,” West Essex coach Chris Benacquista said. “It hurts. Every year when you don’t win your last game, it hurts even worse. But these guys will bounce back.
“I’m very proud of the effort that they gave and they played hard for each other and for me every game.”
Old Tappan’s season continues next week with a chance to get back to the Group 3 championship after winning the first one ever two years ago.
Pascack Valley stands in the way and Orecchio and the Golden Knights will be ready.
“It’s going to take a lot of hard work and it’s going to take a lot of focus. It’s going to take everyone,” Orecchio said. “We need to play as a team, and it’s PV. It’s exactly who we wanted.”
Source Link: https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2024/11/old-tappan-dominates-west-essex-wins-north-2-group-3-sectional-title.html
