| 1. Wayne Hills (11-1) |
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The Patriots put all of their off-the-field distractions aside and somehow found a way to erase a 12-0 halftime deficit in the North 1, Group 3 finals, stunning Old Tappan in a 15-12 thriller. Playing without 10 suspended players, Wayne Hills put their depth on full display in winning their eighth title in 10 seasons. Wide receiver Jeff Gignac, who had just 5 receptions on the year coming into the game, made the most of his opportunities, hauling in eight passes for 142 yards and scoring a pair of touchdowns. Junior quarterback Kevin Olsen, who won his second straight championship as the Hills QB, had another solid game, completing 14-of-26 for 181 yards with a touchdown. The Patriots defense, which has been its calling card for years, forced five Old Tappan turnovers, including four in the second half to keep the explosive Golden Knights at bay. Wayne Hills returns a ton of talent next season, including Olsen, running backs Cristian Rodriguez and Robby Schiller, wide receiver/defensive back Erik Moskal, linebacker Ryan Kardux, safety Kyle Huntzinger and linemen Nick Galizia and Rob Levine.
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| 2. Pompton Lakes (11-1) |
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The Cardinals were simply dominant from start to finish in 2011, capping things off with a 20-0 victory over Glen Rock in the North 1, Group 1 finals. No one was better than Pompton running back Nieko Torres this season, as the senior ran for over 1,800 yards and 25 touchdowns, while adding another four scores through the air, finishing with 29 total touchdowns on the year. Quarterback Robbie Meyers was terrific as well, completing 63% of his passes for over 1,000 yards with 14 touchdowns against only two interceptions. But as good as those two were in grabbing the headlines on offense, we could argue that the Pompton Lakes defense is what will be remembered most about the championship season of 2011. The Cardinals were suffocating on defense, played with a physical style rarely seen at this level, and forced 31 turnovers, finishing an astounding +25 in turnover differential. Although graduation will definitely take its toll, the Cards have a ton of talented players coming back next season, including Meyers, Corey Flynn, Keith Lopez, Dane Torres, Brandon Torres, Jose Arroyo and Daniel Foote.
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| 3. Saddle Brook (10-1) |
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Despite falling short of their ultimate goal of a state championship, it was another great season for Leo Ciappina and the Falcons. They tied the school record for most victories in a season, and played with utter dominance right from the season's opening kickoff. The Saddle Brook defense was as good as any in the GHT listening area, never allowing more than two touchdowns in a single game. The offense had a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Steve Longa (over 1,300 yards, 19 TD) and Matt Dickman (over, 1,050 yards, 16 TD), and quarterback Andrew Caravaglia completed over 62% of his passes while throwing for over 1,000 yards in the air. Although the Falcons will really miss this year's senior class, there's still plenty of reason for optimism going into next year. Three starters on the offensive line return, as well as five starters on defense, led by Kevin Bottine, Alex Fernandez and Chris Jacobsen.
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| 4. DePaul (8-2) |
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The Spartans were knocked out of the playoffs, losing to Immaculata in the first round, 38-28. Despite rotating a pair of inexperienced sophomores at quarterback, Depaul's offense clicked to the tune of over 400 yards per game. Junior running back Joe Moreno finished with 1,500 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns, while sophomore receiver Kiy Hester exploded on the scene with over 500 yards receiving and eight touchdowns. The defense was loaded with playmakers as well, including Rutgers-bound safety Davon Jacobs, middle linebacker Greg Lis and defensive end Justin Nelson. Next season, DePaul returns six starters on offense and four on defense, and with Hester, Moreno, Lis, Nelson, and Stephen Speidel leading the way, should once again be one of the best teams in the area.
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| 5. Hawthorne (8-2) |
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The Bears lost two games against state champion Pompton Lakes, but went undefeated against everyone else. Had their game with Glen Rock not been postponed because of the October 29th blizzard, maybe the Bears are on the other side of the bracket, and their playoff fate plays out differently. That being said, Hawthorne had another very good year, as they made back-to-back playoff appearances for the first since 1986-87. Quarterback Ryan Hollis, a starter since late in his freshman season, will definitely be missed. But the Bears do return plenty of talent next season, including linemen Ethan Ramos, Evan Ramos and Bobby Shaw, as well as Tommy Walls, Dwayne Miele and Ricky Grofsick.
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| 6. Glen Rock (8-4) |
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The Panthers overcame a ton of injuries in 2011 to reach the state finals for the 10th time in school history, and although they fell short against Pompton Lakes, it was a great year for head coach Jim Kurz, his staff and the entire program. After missing the playoffs last year for the time in 14 seasons, the Glen Rock players rededicated themselves in the offseason, and had a number wins against quality opponents, including Shabazz, Secaucus, Cresskill and Butler. One of the great moments of the 2011 football season in the entire GHT listening area was Diamo Streaser kicking the Panthers into the sectional finals with a game-winning 42-yard field goal as time expired to give Glen Rock the semifinal victory over Butler. Their returning players next year -- David Sasek, Pat Sheahan, Chris Kuiken, David Ott, Jeff Kopyta and Mike O'Neill -- will give the Panthers a more physical look than we're used to seeing from the usually faster and quicker Glen Rock teams.
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| 7. Butler (8-3) |
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The Bulldogs went back to the playoffs for the third straight year, and it appears that no matter how many graduation losses Butler deals with, head coach Jim Matsakis now has this team reloading rather than rebuilding. In Butler, 2011 might be remembered as the year running back Mike Tenned cemented himself as one of the best around, rushing for over 1,400 yards and finishing 22 total touchdowns. Despite graduating seven starters on both sides of the ball, Butler will still have plenty of playmakers to lean on next year, including Travis Canty, Ryan Mack, Kirc Bargamento, Nick Ballistreri and Billy White.
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| 8. Lakeland (6-4) |
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Despite a ton of early season injuries, it was such a promising start to the season for Lakeland. The Lancers jumped out of the gates at 5-1, with wins over Demarest, Passaic Tech and Bergenfield. But Lakeland finished up losing three-of-their-last-four, including a 41-23 setback to Paramus in the first round of the North 1, Group 3 state playoffs. Wide receivers Jason Feuhring and Joe Jordan were perhaps the best 1-2 punch in the area, as they finished with a combined 96 catches for 1,542 yards and 12 touchdowns. Jordan leads a solid group of players who return next year, including Cory Caddell, Kyle Allegrini, David Shellhammer and Nick Unger.
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| 9. Passaic County Tech (6-4) |
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The Bulldogs came oh-so-close, but for the second straight year, they were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by North Bergen, this time in a 20-14 setback in overtime. Things are probably that much more painful for coach John Iurato and his players as they watched the Bruins run the table and win it all in the North 1, Group 4 playoffs. Junior running back Isaac Williams had a great year, rushing for over 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns, and sophomore Thomas Jefferson showed flashes, averaging almost seven yards per carry while scoring nine touchdowns. They should be the focal point of the Tech offense next season as the Bulldogs look to win a state title for the first time since 2001.
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| 10 . Pequannock (7-3) |
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| The Panthers lost twice to rival Butler, including a 17-14 defeat in the first round of the North 1, Group 1 playoffs. But they ended up 7-1 against everyone else, including a thrilling 7-6 win at Mountain Lakes in the snow, handing the Herd their first loss at home in four years. After going six straight years without a playoff berth, 2011 marked the third straight season Pequannock got into the playoffs under head coach Ed Kopp. With quarterback Luke Foukas returning to the lead the offense and linebacker Dan Mormillo back on defense, the Panthers could very well be looking at fourth straight postseason berth. |
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