Some say Wayne Hills is a bit down this year, but Pascack Valley found that the Patriots are still a tough out.

Linebacker Rocco Swatek knocked away  a Wayne Hills two-point conversion pass attempt with 20 seconds left in fourth quarter, and the Indians held on for a 21-19 victory Thursday night at Wayne Hills High School.

“They came to play,” said PV coach Craig Nielsen of Wayne Hills.

The Indians were aided by a big second half from running back Jorge Cortes, who scored the first of three Indians touchdowns on a 51-yard run to break a scoreless tie in the third quarter. Cortes had 123 yards on 15 carries on the day.

“They loaded the box on first and second down, which gave us the opportunity to throw the ball and the box opened on third down for big runs for Jorge,” said Nielsen.

Meanwhile, quarterback Colin Dedrick persevered through a difficult outing and made some good throws down the stretch to Greg Collier and David Baumgarten.

Collier was on the receiving end of the latter two touchdowns, one from Dedrick and the other on a trick play from Rocco Swatek, while Dedrick and Baumgarten connected on a 65-yard pass a few plays before to set up the third touchdown.  On the day, Collier had five receptions for 34 yards and two touchdowns and Baumgarten had three receptions for 87 yards.

The trick play came on fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line and came on a jump pass from Swatek, who had just taken a hand-off from Dedrick.

The extra point proved to be a big cause in the game. Jack Madden was 3-for-3 on the day, while Wayne Hills had botched a snap on its extra point attempt after drawing within 14-13 in the fourth quarter. Jake Giambona was able to cover the holder as he tried to pick up the ball and make a play.

Consequently, Wayne Hills (1-3) had to try the 2-point conversion at the end.

The Indians played a well fought game against an underrated Wayne Hills team, a team that many overlooked, but showed that they can give most teams a run for their money.