Indians crowned league champions after thriller vs River Dell

Valley improves to 6-1

Spencer Goldstein, Sports Editor|October 19, 2019

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Matt Austin
The Indians hoist the Patriot Gold League Championship trophy.

Zero percent.

No chance.

Nada.

According to northjersey.com, the Pascack Valley Indians didn’t have a shot at winning the New Jersey Super Football Conference Patriot Gold division.

Until they did.

The Indians clinched the Patriot Gold league championship at home on Friday night with a nail-biting 20-19 win over River Dell. Had the Golden Hawks pulled out the victory, they would have been crowned league champions instead.

“[Being given a zero percent chance to win the league] has been a motivating call for us,” defensive coordinator Adam Preciado said. “We wanted to prove a lot of people wrong and these kids worked so hard and sacrificed so much. They did everything we asked them to do, went out, executed, and got the job done. It’s a fantastic feeling.”

The game came down to the wire, with the Indians leading 20-13 late in the fourth quarter as quarterback Mike Sirico looked to lead the Golden Hawks down the field and tie it. Facing a third down in River Dell’s own territory, Sirico scrambled around and made a perfect pass on the run to receiver Joe Mellet for a 53-yard gain to Valley’s 5-yard line.

Sirico soon found the endzone on a 3-yard rush, bringing River Dell within one point with just two minutes to go. However, the Golden Hawks would then miss their second PAT kick of the game, sealing the win– and the league championship– for the Indians.

“[Winning the league] is just a testament to the boys,” head coach Len Cusumano said. “They did a great job executing.” 

Valley’s offense was productive all-around, led by its dynamic senior duo out of the backfield. Quarterback Stephen Begen completed 12 of 16 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown, and running back Jake Williams ran for 130 yards and two scores of one yard and 24 yards, respectively.

“We maintained time of possession,” Cusumano said. “Give credit to [offensive coordinator] Coach Lynn, he does a great job with the offense and made great calls at the right time.”

One of the offense’s most momentous plays of the night came at the end of the third quarter with the Indians leading 14-7. Facing a third-and-15 on River Dell’s 27-yard line, Begen dropped back and lofted a screen pass to senior receiver Craig Moorehead, who cut to the outside and sprinted to the endzone untouched. The touchdown gave Valley a 13-point lead, one that it would not give up.

“I [thought], ‘We need a score, so I’m going to catch the ball and get in the endzone,’ and I felt we sealed it there,” Moorehead said.

Defensively, getting consistent pressure on Sirico proved to be key in forcing him to make mistakes. Valley’s effective pass rush led to two interceptions, both by Begen, which served as the highlights of a stellar defensive effort by the Indians in holding River Dell to 19 points despite the Golden Hawks having averaged 26 points per game coming in.

“I thought we executed pretty well,” Preciado said. “[Sirico] is such a great playmaker that it’s hard since even when you have him bottled up, he still finds a way to make a play. We [made sure] we had as many eyes on him as possible. It’s hard, but I thought we did a very good job. He’s a great playmaker but we just found a way.”

Valley’s win over River Dell elevates its record to 6-1, and the Indians are set to face undefeated Ramapo next week in the regular season finale. Ramapo, who comes in following an overtime victory Friday night against Wayne Hills, has won 20 games in a row and poses as Valley’s toughest challenge yet.

“[We just have to] keep rolling and keep working hard in practice,” Cusumano said. “Be focused every single day and just be Valley tough.”

Having put together two straight wins since the team’s only loss of the season against Old Tappan, the Indians are embracing their upcoming test before they set their sights on the playoffs.

“It’s our time to shine,” senior Andrew Martinez said. “This game is what we’ve been working for since June.”