I attended all or part of four New Jersey semi-final games this past weekend: Demarest at River Dell, Hasbrouck Heights at New Milford, Bridgewater-Raritan at Piscataway, and Hillside at Johnson. Here is what I saw at these games.

Friday night

Demarest at River Dell - This is one of the best games I have seen in the last few years, won by River Dell, 38-34. River Dell was on the board first when David Estevez hit Jack Racine for a 9-yard score before Demarest came right back with a Austin Albericci-to-Jack Mottola pass of 20 yards. Estevez scored on a 26-yard run and the Golden Hawks kicked a field goal to pad the lead to 17-7 in the second quarter. Albericci scored from five yards and found Joe Rotonde for another score just before the half to go in front, 21-17.

River Dell came out with the ball and scored on an 85-yard drive when Estevez scored from two yards out. Demarest came right back when Rotonde returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for the score. That was the only time Demarest would have the ball in the third quarter, as River Dell went the rest of the quarter and a minute into the fourth when Estevez found Mike Sirico for a score.

Rotonde scored his third touchdown on a 28-yard reception to go in front, 34-31 with 7:33 left. Estevez executed the game-winning drive eating up seven minutes. On fourth-and-21 from the 35, Estevez found an open Racine on the 10 for a first down and the two teamed up for the winning score two plays later to go up, 38-34 with 36 seconds left. Demarest tried, but their last second pass into the end zone fell to the ground and River Dell celebrated in victory.

The guy who made River Dell go is Estevez. He can do it all, running and passing. HE finds the receivers and runs with authority and he is also a good safety. With him at the controls, you can never count out the Golden Hawks and in two weeks, River Dell has a chance to win their second straight state championship.

Hasbrouck Heights at New Milford - Luckily, it is only a five minute drive from River Dell to New Milford and I arrived with five minutes left in the game, with Heights up 10-7. Both teams exchanged drives, followed by one last possession for New Milford.

Things were going when Ryan Picinic connected with Matt McElroy for 50 yards down the left sideline in front of the New Milford bench. A few plays later on the 10-yard line, the clock read eight seconds left when the Knights came out for a field goal to send the game into overtime. I walked behind the goal post and did not see the ball come up when it was kicked. I realized I heard the double thud, the sound of the ball being kicked and the ball being blocked.

The Heights players were running on the field in celebration and as I walked into the end zone, I noticed three or four New Milford players coming toward me. I saw one with the ball and that is when it got really crazy. A Heights defender tried stopping him and he crossed the goal line with his teammates coming out and mobbing him, thinking they just won the game. After a huddle in the end zone, the officials ruled the whistle had blown and Heights won the game. New Milford was very unhappy but there was nothing they could do.

Saturday afternoon

Bridgewater-Raritan at Piscataway - This had a surprising result, not that Bridgewater-Raritan won, but the the way they handled Piscataway in winning, 27-6.

It started out with Piscataway scoring when Joseph Hatcher found Isaiah Colon, who caught the pass and then fumbled with Kamille Pryor scooping up the ball and running 16 yards for the score.

After that, it was all Bridgewater. They played with a passion, some outstanding defense plus the hard running of Anthony Goffe and Justin Bryant. The defense was led by Bryant, Chike Nwankwo, and Brandon Myers.

Bridgewater-Raritan started things going when Nwankwo blocked a punt and Tyler Ball recovered on the 11. The Panthers were on the board when Goffe scored out of the wildcat from two yards out for a 7-6 lead. Greg Verano hit Myers for a 24-yard score, Goffe scored from a yard out, and it was Verano to Goff again, this time from 17 yards just before the half.

Bridgewater-Raritan dominated Piscataway and looked like an outstanding team. They were aggressive and had loads of energy. A tough defense, a physical running game, and timely passing paved the way to the finals in two weeks.

Hillside at Johnson - The weekend was capped off when Johnson hosted Hillside. Johnson started the game going on a seven minute drive, but fumbled on the 1-yard line with Hillside recovering. Johnson was on the board when an errant punt snap by Hillside gave Johnson a safety. Hillside was on the board in the second quarter when James Louis scored from on a 13-yard run to go up, 6-2. Vito Galluzzo scored late in the half to give Johnson the lead, 9-6.

Hillside came out in the third quarter with the ball and Louis struck again, this time when he ran through a huge hole for a 70-yard run. They made it 19-9 early in the fourth when Tajae Irby found Shadon Willis for a 22 yard score and a 19-9 lead. Johnson wasn’t going away. They cut Hillside’s lead to 19-16 when Mike Casalino scored on a 6-yard run. Hillside was forced to punt and Johnson was faced with a fourth-and-two on their 28, when Casalino went 52 yards down the left sideline to the 20. They scored what looked like the winning touchdown, but it was called back due to a penalty and Boris Nicolas-Paul intercepted on the 10 to kill Johnson’s last chance.

One of the top players on the field was linebacker-running back Brian Ugwu. Only a junior, he was in on the action and has a good chance to be a 1-A or 1-AA prospect next year, probably as a linebacker.