Pequannock coach Mike Moschella has found that he has his pick of players to turn to if he needs a clutch play.
With the game on the line, the second-year coach turned to several players from his sizable senior class, and the results couldn’t have been better for the Panthers.
Senior quarterback Alex DeLitizia kept the ball for a 2-yard touchdown, and senior kicker Nick Zuccala added the game-winning extra point as Pequannock defeated Madison, 28-27, in a dramatic quarterfinal finish in the NJSIAA / Xfinity, North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 playoffs Friday night in Pompton Plains.
The third-seeded Panthers (8-2) travel to second-seeded Bernards (9-0), which toppled seventh-seeded Rutherford, 35-33, in the sectional semifinals next week. This marks the first playoff victory for the Morris County school since it downed Newton in 2016.
“This is big for us,” said Moschella, who program had dropped four straight and 11 of the last 12 meetings to Madison. ”You remember games like this for the rest of your life and now we get a chance to build on it.”
Madison, which had a five-game winning streak snapped, opened overtime with a pair of runs from Chris Carfano, including an 18-yard touchdown jaunt, to put the Dodgers ahead 27-21. But on the ensuing extra-point attempt, the snap was bobbled and a wild heave into the endzone landed incomplete.
The Panthers took over and used a 14-yard run by Eddie Shalongo to put the ball at the Madison 11. Three short rushes had Pequannock staring at fourth-and-one from the Madison 2.
That’s when senior Justin Gryszkin approached Moschella to rotate the team’s hulking tackles – Tyler Frame and Gryszkin – to the interior guard positions, so the team could get a better push at the line. The move combined with the additional shove from backs Roemmele and Shalongo allowed DeLitizia to slip through a seam for the tying score.
“I knew we would get it done, and we stepped into together and were successful,” said Gryszkin, who had his right hand wrapped due to an injury in the previous meeting between the schools two weeks ago, which was a 21-14 Madison victory. “I had the thought that this would be like the last time we played them, but I loved how it finished this time.”
In the first meeting between the programs, Madison (5-4), had two long drives to rally back from a 14-6 deficit. This time, the script seemed eerily similar as the Dodgers used an 11-play, 71-yard drive to secure a 21-14 lead with 1:28 left in the game.
But Pequannock battled back behind a composed DeLitizia, who was forced to throw the ball after just one pass attempt all game prior to the game-tying drive.
The senior rallied back from a sack by Madison’s Jonathan Erickson and located Dylan Roemmele for two completions that totaled 36 yards. He added a short toss to Angelo Cundiff, who scampered all the way to the Madison 3 for a 29-yard gain.
DeLitizia, who had three touchdowns in the game, punched it in from 3-yards out with 17 seconds for the 21-21 tie and eventual extra session.
“We practice that stuff every week and our playmakers did what they‘re supposed to do,” Moschella said of the two-minute drill. “We got second chances that you don’t always get, and we came through in the end.”
Andrew Carreno had 141 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Madison, while Angelo Cundiff had a game-high 193 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers.
Pequannock, which finished third behind Hanover Park and Madison in the SFC American White division, won its second straight game.
The victory boosts the Panthers’ all-time postseason record to 13-15, while Madison’s mark drops to 33-15.
“This is a big step, but we’re not done yet,” DeLitizia said. “It’s great this coaching staff has trust in us. It just gives us more confidence.”
Todd Cohen can be reached at [email protected]
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