Pascack Valley got back in the win column in dominating fashion.

The Indians (6-1) won their game Saturday away at Passaic Valley, home to the Hornets (0-7).

This win came after Pascack Valley’s only loss to the season to Old Tappan (7-0), a one-sided, 42-14 setback to the top team in The Bergen Record’s Top 20 Public Teams.

“After losing, we knew we just had to work harder and improve week by week in practice and at games,” said senior linebacker Joe Williams.

The Indians fell from No. 2 to No. 5 the week after being defeated, and they were looking to get back on track.

That was fairly easy to do against a Passaic Valley team that the Indians beat twice last year, including in the playoffs. Pascack Valley beat them once again in game where they never let up.

After receiving the opening kickoff, junior fullback Josh Tillis capped off a 14-play, 59-yard drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown. The drive was highlighted by hard running from running backs Andrew Flores and Jake Giambona and an athletic 21-yard catch by wide receiver Mike Pimpinella that put the Indians in the red zone.

The early touchdown was followed by a somewhat uneventful first half. Despite seeing the Indians score on them, the Hornets showed that they came to play.

“They definitely showed us that they improved this year from last, and they gave us a fight for all four quarters,” said quarterback Colin Dedrick.

However, Passaic Valley was outlasted by a talented Pascack Valley squad.

The Indians shut down the Hornets’ offense early, holding run plays to minimal yards and leading two of their three possessions. On its third drive, Pascack Valley senior cornerback Connor Jones picked off a pass that stopped Passaic Valley from seeing its first trip of the game to the red zone.

The Indians capitalized on only one of the three times that they shut down the Hornets when tight end Phil Wong scored his second touchdown in two games on a 5-yard pass from Dedrick. Prior to the score, Joe Colosuano had a 35-yard rush on a trick play involving Flores handing him the ball on a reverse.

Pascack Valley went into the half winning 14-0.

Coming out of the half, it was more of the same for the Indians’ offense.

Passaic Valley received the second half opening kickoff, which lead to a drive ending in a fumble recovered by Pascack Valley’s Giambona. The offense immediately took advantage of the opportunity of great field position, scoring quickly on a 35-yard run from junior running back Matt Urrea.

Urrea didn’t squander a chance to score on his next carry, as he rushed 33 yards to the end zone at the start of the third quarter.

Running the ball was the main strategy for the Indians in the second half, as they played very conservatively to secure their win. Dedrick finished the game 10 of 18 passing with 133 yards and a touchdown, but he only threw the ball once after halftime.

With the offense thriving in the latter part of the game, the defense had reason to get comfortable. Pascack Valley allowed more offensive yards in the in the last 24 minutes than it did in the first, which was noted by head coach Craig Nielsen.

“We didn’t play a complete game, but for the most part we were consistent and it’s good to get the win,” said Nielsen.

The Hornets’ two possessions in the third quarter shed light on the strength of their rushing attack. Running backs Jair Sanjuan and Chris Armagno were heavily featured and hard to stop.

Passaic Valley’s offensive totals in the third quarter weren’t daunting, as they had 43 yards, 37 of which came from running the ball. However it was worth noting it’s comparison to their totals on that side of the ball in the entire first half, which only added up to 17 yards.

The Indians’ slight struggle to Hornets runners could be attributed to the absence of senior defensive lineman, James Poggiogalle.

“[James] could have played,” said Nielsen. “He had some issues with his ankle and back, and it was our decision to keep him out.”

Passaic Valley fought their hardest on offense, but only ended the game with 180 total offensive yards.

Despite the minor pitfalls Pascack Valley faced, they cruised to victory. After Urrea’s third quarter score, the Indians stopped Passaic Valley’s next drive and put in the junior varsity players.

Though the title for this period of the game is considered “garbage time,” the last eight minutes of the game were quite exciting.

To milk the clock, Pascack Valley ran the ball with junior back Jack Jankowsky. His first rush of the year went for 23 yards with several broken tackles along the way. He ended the game with 8 rushes, 102 yards, and a touchdown that came on the Indians’ final drive.

On the other sideline, the Hornets kept their starters in and managed to score. A 47-yd rush by Sanjuan put them on the board in the middle of the fourth quarter.

In the end, Pascack Valley prevailed, adding another win to their impressive season thus far. Most of the starters came out early to rest for their big upcoming game against No. 4 Ramapo at home on Friday night.

Ramapo is a team the Indians lost to last year, 21-19, and they could possibly see them in the North 1, Group 3 playoffs this year. Post-game, their sights were immediately set on winning their upcoming game.

“We have to play better than we did today, and I know we will,” said Nielsen.