Pascack Valley at Bergenfield

When: Saturday Nov. 4, 1 p.m.

Location: Bergenfield High School

2017 Records:

Pascack Valley: 2-6

Bergenfield: 5-3

Background:

Pascack Valley will play its last regular season game of the year against Bergenfield. Pascack Valley is currently tied with Jefferson for the eighth and final playoff spot in North 1 Group 3, with 72 power points. Jefferson will play against Lenape Valley on Friday night in their final regular season contest. According to Coach Len Cusumano, Pascack Valley hopes that New Canaan can win its game this week, as that could give the Indians some residual power points. The Indians will also want some of the teams that Jefferson has played to lose this weekend, as that could give the Indians a boost. Last season, PV lost to Bergenfield 23-17.

Pascack Valley Perspective:

Cusumano did not make it clear of who will start at quarterback against the Bears, but the Indians have a number of options that they can rely on at that position. Jake DeMilia handled the majority of the snaps at quarterback last week and threw for 40 yards on 5 completions, with Jake Williams getting some reps as well. Another option could be Stephen Begen, who may return this week from a shoulder injury.

As usual, the Indians’ offense with rely heavily upon its rushing attack, with Mike Gulino (280 yards, 4 touchdowns) and Jake Williams (422 yards, 4 touchdowns) being the lead backs. Gulino scored both of Valley’s touchdowns last week and contributed 89 yards on the ground. Greg Zoll and Stephen Soravilla will also be in the mix for carries as well.

“[Gulino] is a very physical runner, very explosive… he is getting better game by game,” Cusumano said.

Defensively, PV will look to continue to improve on back-to-back solid performances. Two weeks ago, Valley’s defense nearly shut out Ridgefield Park, and then last week held New Canaan to just 33 points, its second lowest total of the season. The Valley defense pressured Rams star quarterback Drew Pyne throughout the game and the Indians even intercepted him twice. Joe Cuti and Jake Ciocca each had an interception for PV.

Cusumano was pleased with the performance of his defense against a tough opponent in New Canaan. “I think we did enough defensively to be successful,” he said.

Bergenfield Perspective

The Bears (5-3) will try to wrap up their regular season with a victory over the Indians. Offensively, Bergenfield deploys an offense similar to the Indians, with a run heavy scheme. Bergenfield is led by dual threat quarterback Chris Sunga (742 rush yards, 413 pass yards). Sunga has a knack for creating explosive plays with his arms and legs, a combination that the Indians have struggled with this season. The Bears are also led by running back Brian McCoy (954 yards, 9 touchdowns), who has rushed for more than 100 yards in all but two games this year.

Defensively, Bergenfield has a number of high impact players that can rush the passer and force turnovers. Steven Paulino has 6 sacks on the year, while Kenneth Larcier and Anthony Bencosme each have 3 interceptions. The Indians will need to play disciplined football in order to limit these three players, as well as the other Bergenfield defenders.