River Dell Golden Hawks Varsity Football Team shows resilience in 2025 regular season and home opener loss to Nutley

For the second consecutive year, the River Dell Golden Hawks varsity football team began the regular season by hosting the Nutley Maroon Raiders. This year, the matchup took place at River Dell High School in Oradell, New Jersey.

Nutley opened the scoring late in the first quarter. On a fourth down at the River Dell 37-yard line, Maroon Raiders quarterback Brayden King completed a touchdown pass to wide receiver Dom Saladino.

The Golden Hawks’ special teams provided a much-needed spark in the second quarter when Zion Yoon returned a punt to the Nutley one-yard line.

On second and goal, running back Cain Lanza took a handoff from quarterback Zion Yoon and powered into the end zone for a touchdown.

As the second half began, excitement intensified when Nutley’s kickoff returner, Jeremiah Tirado, fielded the ball and burst through a group of defenders, sprinting 83 yards for an electrifying touchdown.

However, the Golden Hawks quickly answered on the ensuing kickoff. Cain Lanza gathered the ball off a high bounce, navigated through a wall of players, and raced down the left sideline for a spectacular 79-yard touchdown, tying the game at 14-14.

The back-and-forth action continued when Nutley’s kickoff returner, Jalyn Carabello, displayed his skills by returning the ball to the River Dell 40-yard line.

On first down, quarterback Brayden King took the snap, dropped back, and threw a pass to Jalyn Carabello, who scored, putting the Maroon Raiders back in front 20-14. River Dell managed to block the extra point attempt, with Jayden Kim coming in to knock the ball away.

Nutley's defense kept up the pressure, leading to an interception by Jeremiah Tirado, who returned the ball to the River Dell 23-yard line.

Nutley’s offense gained significant yardage on the ground, with running back Aidan Rotbaum carrying the ball four consecutive times, culminating in a 3-yard touchdown run that put Nutley ahead with eight minutes remaining. Jayden Kim again showcased his skills by blocking the extra point attempt for the second time.

In a crucial moment for the Golden Hawks, Cain Lanza made a game-changing play, stripping the ball from Maroon Raiders running back Zahir Weatherington during a pile-up. Lanza then raced to the end zone for a touchdown, narrowing the deficit to 26-21.

Early in the fourth quarter, Nutley responded as Jeremiah Tirado scored his second touchdown of the game. This time, he took a handoff, dashed to the left side of the field, and dove into the end zone.

Nutley opted for a two-point conversion, but River Dell’s defense made another key stop, knocking down the pass and leaving the score at 32-21.

Despite trailing by double digits, River Dell showed resilience, marching down the field in eight plays and covering 64 yards. Zion Yoon capped the drive with a beautifully executed 17-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Nader, bringing the score to 32-27 with less than nine minutes remaining.

Unfortunately, that would be the final score for River Dell, as Nutley managed a 14-play drive that took the ball to the Golden Hawks' one-yard line, effectively running out the clock to secure the victory.

River Dell(0-1) returns to action on Friday, September 5th, facing the Northern Valley Old Tappan Golden Knights(1-0) at North Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan in Old, Tappan New Jersey, with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m.