Pascack Valley’s football season came to a close tonight.

In a North 1, Group 3 state playoff semifinal matchup with second-seeded Ramapo, the No. 3 Indians fell 45-13 to the Raiders at Ramapo High School. This defeat eliminates PV from the state playoffs, while Ramapo advances to face No. 1 River Dell in the final in two weeks.

Two of PV’s three losses this year were to the Raiders, with the other coming by a 42-21 score on Oct. 30.

Ramapo (10-1) jumped out to a large early lead because of PV turnovers. After a long touchdown pass from senior quarterback Keith Woetzel and two PV fumbles, Ramapo led 21-0 with 1:48 remaining in the first quarter.

Woetzel finished the game with 184 total yards and the sole touchdown pass.

Ramapo running back Joe O’Hagan was another vital piece of the Ramapo offense. He scored three touchdowns on ten carries and totalled 83 yards.

The Indians (8-3) did manage to fight back, but through the passing game due to Ramapo’s lead. Senior quarterback Colin Dedrick threw for 173 yards. But he did throw an interception that was returned for a touchdown in the second quarter, pushing the score to 28-0 with 8:52 remaining in the second quarter.

Junior running back Matt Urrea scored PV’s two touchdowns on short yardage runs. His first touchdown right before the end of the first half to get PV on the board, 35-6, in favor of Ramapo. The second occurred in the fourth quarter pushing the score to 45-13, which ended up being the final score. He only carried the ball five times and totalled 14 yards because of his usage near the end zone.

Andrew Flores completed the contest with 44 yards on 11 carries and Mike Pimpinella had three catches for 46 yards. Senior receivers Mike Soravilla, Mike Gramegna, and Joe Colasuono also contributed to the passing game.

This defeat means that PV will not reach the state sectional final for the first time in three years. The team had won the past two North 1, Group 4 championship matchups with Paramus.

“The sun is still going to rise tomorrow,” PV coach Craig Nielsen said of the team’s defeat. “Being able to deal with failure improves the quality of life.”