River Dell Golden Hawks Freshman Football Team Cruises Past Paramus

The River Dell Golden Hawks Freshman Football Team (3-0) continued its undefeated season with a commanding 26-6 victory over the Paramus Spartans at River Dell High School in Oradell, New Jersey.

After a scoreless first quarter, River Dell broke the deadlock early in the second. Punt returner Jaeden Raguindin provided exceptional field position by returning a punt to the Paramus 28-yard line.

Facing a third down at the 29, quarterback Mark Spano took the snap, dropped back in the pocket, and threw a pass in stride to wide receiver Brendan Komar with eight minutes remaining in the half.

The Golden Hawks' defense made an immediate impact on Paramus's next offensive possession, with Mark Spano executing a spectacular leaping interception near midfield and returning the ball to the Paramus 22-yard line.

Quarterback Chris Barone then entered the game and demonstrated his accuracy by lofting a pass to wide receiver Declan O'Donnell. O'Donnell shook off a defensive back, caught the ball, and dove into the end zone, extending River Dell's lead to 12-0 with five minutes left in the second quarter.

On the Spartans' subsequent offensive series, the Golden Hawks' secondary continued to excel. Chris Barone intercepted a pass, returning the ball to the Paramus 22-yard line.

Mark Spano returned to the quarterback position and completed a pass to Jaxson Kyasky, who fought through multiple defenders and gained 16 yards, moving the ball down to the 20-yard line.

On first down, Spano took the snap in shotgun formation, scrambled out of the pocket, and dashed down the left side of the field for a touchdown, increasing River Dell's lead to 19-0 with just over a minute remaining in the half.

In the third quarter, the Golden Hawks' stifling defense, particularly the secondary, made another strong statement. The Spartans attempted a deep pass into River Dell territory. Still, Jake Van Wettering made an impressive deflection, allowing Daniel DePol to catch the ball and return it to near midfield.

The Golden Hawks' offense leaned on their ground game as the offensive line dominated the trenches, leading to a potent running attack that steadily gained yardage. Quarterback Mark Spano pitched the ball to Brendan Komar on a jet sweep, and Komar cut back to the middle, rumbling all the way down to the Paramus three-yard line for a 19-yard gain.

On first and goal, a miscommunication caused Spano to fumble the snap, but a fortunate bounce allowed him to regain control. He evaded several defenders and, just before going out of bounds, threw a pass to Jake Van Wettering in the back of the end zone. Van Wettering made a sensational catch while keeping his feet in bounds, further boosting River Dell's lead to 26-0 with three and a half minutes remaining.

Though the Golden Hawks aimed for a shutout, the Spartans managed to score on a long touchdown pass, though their two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful.

River Dell will return to action on Saturday, September 20th, hosting Parsippany Hills at River Dell High School, with kickoff set for 9 a.m.