PV football coach Len Cusumano preaches about going “1-0 every week,” and preparing the same way for every game. In Friday night’s game against River Dell, however, going 1-0 will not be the only prize for the winner. The reward for the winner is becoming the champion of the Patriot Gold league of the North Jersey Super Football Conference.

With River Dell coming into the contest with a record of 4-2 on the season, and Valley having a record of 5-1, the two teams are currently in first and second place in the league.

If Pascack Valley wins on Friday night, it would make it impossible for the Golden Hawks to surpass the Indians’ win total. If this is the case, River Dell could only tie Valley’s win total, but the Indians would own the tiebreaker by defeating the Golden Hawks head-to-head.

If River Dell wins, the best the Indians could do is tie River Dell’s win total by the end of the season. With River Dell defeating Valley in a head-to-head matchup, River Dell would have the tiebreaker, which would make it the champion of the league.

In 2018, Paramus won the league with a record of 10-1. River Dell is looking to change its fortunes, as it came in second place in the Patriot Gold League in 2018.

The last time Pascack Valley faced off against River Dell, the Golden Hawks defeated the Indians 42-6 in a playoff game, ending Valley’s 2018 season.

For the Indians, this game is the beginning of what they hope to be a successful postseason.

“Our playoffs have started,” Cusumano said. “From this point on, every single win means significant things as far as what our [postseason] looks like.”

Last week, Valley overwhelmed an outmatched Ridgefield Park team, defeating the Scarletts 54-6. If the Indians plan on capturing the league title, they can expect a tougher challenge than last week.

River Dell has four wins on the season, and one of their two losses came against a Ramapo team that has won its last 19 games. The Golden Hawks hung in this game, only losing by two points at home. River Dell’s other loss came to Penns Grove, who picked up their 17th straight win by defeating the Golden Hawks.

The Golden Hawks’ offense is led by senior quarterback Mike Sirico, who proved himself as a dual-threat in River Dell’s game against Ramapo, running for three touchdowns, scoring all of his team’s points. The offense provided two lengthy drives in this game, one lasting 16 plays and for 85 yards, and another lasting for nine plays and 79 yards.

In last year’s playoff game against Valley, Sirico only threw twice, and completed both attempts for 59 yards and a touchdown.

Sirico and the offense will have to face off against the Indians’ defense, which only allowed six points last week, and holding four of Valley’s six opponents to less than 20 points this season.

“The defense has to communicate, make sure to be doing what they were coached to do, and continue to tackle well,” Cusumano said. “Against some of the athletes we may see down the road, we have to make sure we’re just as athletic and physical as they are.”

After giving some younger players opportunities last week, it is likely that Friday night’s game will feature the starters for almost all of the game. One of these starters is running back Jake Williams, who ran for two touchdowns in the opening quarter of last week’s game, before being removed from the game shortly after.

“The running game is getting back to being fundamentally sound,” Cusumano said. “They are focusing on the little things, [such as] communication up front and being physical.”

The Indians aim to avenge last season’s misfortunes, as they fell twice to the Golden Hawks in 2018 – once in the regular season and once in the playoffs.