Going into a season, every team’s goal is to win the championship.

Top-seeded Pascack Valley had the privilege of doing it last year and this, both against Paramus, outscoring the No. 3 Spartans by a combined 40 points over these two games. This one was a 22-6 victory in the North 1, Group 4 final Saturday at MetLife Stadium.

 “I’m real happy for the kids,” said coach Craig Nielsen.

 It was perhaps the biggest play and catch of the season for Mike Pimpinella, who made a spectacular one-handed 28-yard touchdown grab in the first quarter.

“I just I felt the guy on my back and knew I had some room and I made eye contact with (quarterback Colin Dedrick) and he put it in a place where only I could get it. He made a great throw,” said Pimpinella.

 “I just saw Mike down the field and he’s a big-time player and he came up with a great catch,” Dedrick said.

 The catch pushed all the momentum to the Indians (10-2), whose only other state title came in 1990.

The catch was the only one in the game for Pimpinella, but the junior wide receiver/defensive back also scored on the ensuing fake extra point/2-point conversion when he popped up as the holder and ran into the right side of the end zone. Pimpinella added an interception early in the second quarter, and senior cornerback Brian Horvath also added another interception later in the second quarter.

“The defense executed fantastically,” said PV defensive coordinator Jim Cleary. “We did what we were supposed to do.”

The conditions were wet, as the rained pounded the field for the entirety of the contest. The two teams combined for two fumbled punts, three fumbles, and one missed field goal.

Although not given many opportunities, Dedrick finished the game 4-for-7 for 54 yards and 1 touchdown. When the Indians did throw, it was mostly off play action.

The running game was exceptional for the Indians led by a great offensive line. Running back Jorge Cortes capped off his stellar career by running for 160 yards on 35 carries and scoring a touchdown. Rocco Swatek had a great night, rushing for 82 yards on 12 carries and also had a score.

“We talk about legacy and how it’s never been done before, winning twice in a row and that’s what we did,” said Cortes.

Nielsen now realizes that come June, he will have again lost many seniors, most notably wide receiver/defensive back Steve Farrell, Cortes, tight end/linebacker Greg Collier, Swatek, and linemen Jimmy Alburtus and Jake Padva. And Nielsen acknowledged that replacing key players and possibly taking a few lumps is part of the process of getting better.

“I’m not here to build a winning team,” Nielsen said. “I’m here to build a winning program.”