It was a decade of dominance for Benjie Wimberly and the Cougars, who finished off 2009 with their 3rd consecutive state championship. Greg Moore closed out his brilliant career by rushing for 1,853 yards this season and 26 total touchdowns, while scoring a touchdown in 23 straight games. The PC defense was its usual dominating self as well, giving up just 41 points all year, which averages out to 3.7 points per game. Trevor Clemmings and Todd Anderson led a dominating unit which registered 29 sacks and forced 23 turnovers.

The Raiders playoff hopes were on life support at halftime of their October 30th game at Pascack Valley. Having already lost two games this season, Ramapo found themselves trailing PV 23-10 at the half. But the Raiders defense came out of the locker room a different unit, holding PV to just seven yards of offense in the second half, and Ramapo never looked back. With Jesse Devonshuk the full-time tailback and junior Tyler Ward running the show under center, Ramapo's offense and defense began clicking down the stretch, and the rest is history. The Raiders won road playoff games against Tenafly and Paramus before shutting down arch-rival Wayne Hills in Giants Stadium to capture their first state title since 2003. Six starters return on defense next year, including their entire secondary, and Ward returns to lead the offense, along with his top two receiving targets in Tyler Speziale and Matt Bunting as the Raiders will be considered favorites to repeat in North 1, Group 3.

The Patriots had a pair of legendary streaks come to an end in 2009. On September 25th, a loss to St. Joe's snapped their 55-game winning streak, the second longest streak in New Jersey history. Then on December 5th at a snow-covered Giants Stadium, Hills saw its run of five straight state championships come to an end after a 16-8 loss to rival Ramapo. At just about every school in the state, a 10-2 season and an appearance in the state finals would have everyone jumping for joy. But it's the Patriots who have set the standard of excellence in the GHT listening area, and with the bar set so incredibly high, it was a tough season by the Patriots' standards. That being said, Brian Dowling had a breakout season for the Patriots. The junior ran for nearly 1,100 yards, led the Patriots with 33 catches for 558 yards, and finished with 28 total touchdowns. He'll be on everyone's All-State watch list next season.

The Hornets came out of nowhere to put together one of the best seasons the program has enjoyed in recent memory. First year coach Al Cappello pushed all the right buttons, and defensive coordinator Bill Johnson led one of the best defenses around. That 'D' helped the Hornets reach the state finals, as PV recorded 5 sacks and forced 10 turnovers in their first two state playoff games before falling short against West Morris. Running back Dom Coiro put together a season for the ages, finishing his senior year with over 1,700 yards on the ground and 17 touchdowns.

A solid ground game and a suffocating defense - that's the familiar formula the Bulldogs used to reach the semifinals of the North 1, Group 4 state playoffs. Terrel Smith and Terrell McDuffie were one of the best one-two rushing attacks in the area, as they finished with over 2,000 yards on the ground and 20 touchdowns. And when it comes to defense, few teams were better than PCT, who finished with an astounding 39 sacks in 11 games. Terran Phillips was the best player on Tech's defense, as he finished an incredible senior year with 118 tackles, 19 sacks and seven forced fumbles.

Despite getting run over the in the state finals by Mountain Lakes, the Bulldogs put together one of the most memorable seasons in a long, long time. After struggling through an 0-10 campaign in 2008, Butler completely turned things around thanks in large part to their high-flying offense. Peter Brand threw for over 2,600 yards and 26 touchdowns, while Andrew Turzilli and Ed DeMarchi each finished with over 50 catches and 900 yards receiving. Even though they fell short at the end, Jim Matsakis and his coaching staff engineered one of the best one-year turnarounds in state history.

Another year, another step forward for Stan Myles and the Cutters. Fair Lawn made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2000, and came away victorious in one of the most exciting playoff games in recent memory. The Cutters jumped out to a 32-0 lead, only to hold on for dear life and escape with a 39-38 victory over Passaic. Sophomore James Hegybelli exploded on the scene this season, and will be counted on next year to continue Fair Lawn's resurgence. The Cutters should continue to make strides, as they return their entire offensive line next season along with with 8 starters on defense.