Pascack Valley v.s. Bergenfield, Round 1 of North 1 Group 3 playoffs

When: Friday Nov. 13, 7 p.m.

Location: Pascack Valley High School

PV Record: 7-2

PV Regular Season results:

Sept. 5: W @ Hackensack 34-29

Sept. 12: W against Montclair 20-13

Sept. 26: W against West Milford 35-0

Oct. 2: W against Wayne Hills 23-20

Oct. 9: W @ Bergenfield 49-13

Oct. 16: L against Northern Valley Old Tappan 42-14

Oct. 24: W @ Passaic Valley 35-6

Nov. 1 W @ Northern Highlands 42-14

Bergenfield Record: 5-4

Bergenfield Regular season results:

Sept. 11 L @ Ramapo 42-6

Sept. 19 W against Northern Highlands 25-22

Sept. 26 W @ Passaic Valley 42-7

Oct. 2 L @ Paramus 14-0

Oct. 10 L against Pascack Valley 49-13

Oct. 16 W @ West Milford 19-0

Oct. 24. W against Teaneck 40-6

Oct. 31 W against Clifton 28-0

Nov. 6 L @ Old Tappan 42-13

Rankings:

PV: No. 11 in North Jersey (The Bergen Record), Unranked by The Star-Ledger

Bergenfield: Unranked

Pascack Valley Perspective: In their first go around against the Bears, the Indians had no problem containing star player Jovani Haskins whether he lined up at quarterback, running back, or wide receiver. Joe Williams became Haskins’ worst nightmare as Williams batted down most of Haskins’ pass attempts, especially deep in their territory. Carlos Macon is a tremendous running back, one that PV will have to keep an eye on. The Bears are going to have to use Macon if they want to win, as trying to have Jovani Haskins do it all against PV didn’t work. Colin Dedrick is coming off of another impressive game where he thew three touchdowns on 177 yards with just one interception. The run game was also strong as usual, with Casey Lewis coming up big despite seeing most of his action in “garbage time.” For the Indians, jumping out to an early lead will be crucial.

Bergenfield Perspective: With a 5-4 record overall, the Bears will be looking to beat Pascack Valley for the first time since 2003. They are coming off of a tough loss to Old Tappan in where the Bears gave up 42 or more points for the third time this season. With how poorly Haskins performed against PV the first time out, the Bears will also have to lean on running back Carlos Macon who has over 1,000 yards rushing this season. Assuming Haskins plays quarterback, his receivers are not nearly the caliber of Pascack Valley’s and Haskins may struggle in the air. Defensively, the Bears will have to get stops early and get PV off the field often if they want to compete

Predictions:

Evan Jones: 35-7 PV

Jake “The Snake” Aferiat: 35-14 PV

Mike Zocco: 42-0 PV

Calvin Ralph: 42-7 PV

Claudia Ralph (Sports Editor): 42-7 PV

Jimmy Dronzek: 35-14 PV

Bobby “Bobberino” Saul: 35-7 PV

Celebrity Picks:

Ken DelSanto 42-7 PV

Cindy Reese: 35-7 PV