River Dell Golden Hawks Varsity Football Team retains ‘Rumble for the Rail’ Trophy in dominating win over Pascack Valley

The River Dell Golden Hawks Varsity Football Team (2-1) bounced back from a tough loss to Westwood in the ‘Bird Bowl’ with an emphatic 34-0 rout of the Pascack Valley Panthers (1-2) in the 2026 home opener. They retained the ‘Rumble for the Rail’ trophy for a second consecutive year at River Dell High School in Oradell, New Jersey.

Junior quarterback Brooks Esler, in his first home start under center, showed poise and composure by completing 10 of 13 passes for 133 yards, throwing two touchdowns, and adding a score on the ground.

River Dell's running game was ferocious in the trenches, amassing 299 yards. Sophomore Jaeden Raguindin was one of eight players to contribute on the ground, totaling a team-high 142 yards.

On a summery night with warm temperatures and sunny skies, the home crowd showed up in numbers. The student section was fully packed, the bleachers were filled, people stood behind the fences, and administration was in attendance as well. Luke Van Dam led the team onto the field with the green flag for the first time and burst through a banner held by the cheerleaders before kickoff.

“I’m very fortunate to have the opportunity to do that, and I wouldn’t have been able to without my teammates,” Luke Van Dam said. “Walking down that hill is something special. Nothing compares to a high school football game, and you only get so many, so now we’ve got six more for the seniors, and we’re trying to enjoy the moment as much as possible.”

The Golden Hawks received the opening kickoff and wasted no time marching down the field as Brooks Esler engineered a masterful drive, mixing the passing and running game.

A 13-play drive that chewed up five and a half minutes of the clock ended with Esler taking the snap in shotgun formation, running right, cutting back to the middle, and plowing straight across the goal line for the five-yard touchdown.

“It was very special, my first start at home and a big game that we needed to win,” Brooks Esler said. “We were also playing another one of our rivals, and walking into that stadium and playing with our team meant a lot.”

“Our game plan was to get the ball to as many guys as possible, and I think we did that well. It was a cool moment to score, and the offensive line blocked well. There was a big hole and, honestly, an easy touchdown at that point.” On Pascack Valley’s first offensive possession of the game, the River Dell defense showed fire and tenacity by relentlessly blitzing starting quarterback Michael Marotta, resulting in a sack by Mikey DeGroat and a quick three-and-out.

Even though the Panthers defense got a stop of their own on the Golden Hawks, with defensive back Tyler Cacavella intercepting a pass, the River Dell defense kept imposing its will. Luke Van Dam registered a sack, and the pass rush forced an incomplete pass and a punt.

“Our guys were in the right spots and got the blitz calls right,” Luke Van Dam said. “The blitzes were drawn up perfectly and opened lanes for the linebackers and defensive ends to get to the quarterback and help us a ton.”

In the second quarter, the Golden Hawks offense had excellent starting field position at the Pascack Valley 46-yard line. Brooks Esler completed a pair of passes and then ripped off a 14-yard run.

On second down at the 15-yard line, Esler took the snap in shotgun formation, dropped back briefly, and fired a strike in stride to Jayden Kim for the touchdown that put River Dell up 14-0 with seven minutes remaining.

“We ran a prior play, and we saw that Jayden Kim was open. I knew I had to get that pass out quickly, and at that point you usually throw it. It was just there—basically a perfect play,” Brooks Esler said. “It was drawn up very well and executed.”

The Panthers offense, stymied for most of the first half, finally found some fluidity and rhythm, gaining yardage through the air and on the ground to move the ball into Golden Hawks' territory.

However, the River Dell defense battened down the hatches. Luke Van Dam registered sacks on back-to-back plays, including a vicious hit on Pascack Valley quarterback Michael Marotta that jolted the ball loose, and Van Dam recovered it to force another turnover on downs.

“I would say that completely drained Pascack Valley, and you could tell by their body language,” Luke Van Dam said. “They weren’t getting in their stance and rolled over.”

The Golden Hawks took over at midfield and immediately cashed in. Jaeden Raguindin took the pitch from Brooks Esler, darted and weaved through traffic, then kicked into several gears and dashed into the end zone for the electrifying score and his first varsity touchdown, extending the margin to 21-0 with less than three minutes to go.

River Dell’s defense, flying all around the field, delivered another statement play. Jackson Lee put a hat on the ball after a Panthers completion, and Eric Raimondi was in the right place to recover the fumble.

“All the credit goes to Jackson (Lee) for making the hit and making it an easy play for me,” Eric Raimondi said. “I give credit to the defensive line for pressuring the quarterback, and it was definitely a big turning point in the game.”

Late in the first half, the Golden Hawks offense got back in business with Brooks Esler, who was given ample time in the pocket and connected on a 27-yard pass to Jayden Kim that moved the ball inside the 20.

River Dell, faced with another pivotal fourth down at the 11, hit paydirt as Brooks Esler took the snap, rolled to his right, and lofted a pass to a wide-open Iain Rossig on the left. Rossig made a leaping catch for the score as the clock hit zero, widening the gap to 28-0 at halftime.

“That was huge, a good stop by the defense, and we were able to execute on offense and get points on the board before the half,” Brooks Esler said.

In the third quarter, the Golden Hawks’ physicality in the trenches and at the line of scrimmage wore down the Pascack Valley defense. Jaeden Raguindin then used his speed and agility to break off a 42-yard run.

River Dell capped off another impressive drive with running back Mark Spano joining Raguindin in scoring his first varsity touchdown from seven yards out to expand the advantage to 34-0.

“I have to give credit where credit is due; my blockers all game were a huge help in seeing me through the gaps,” Mark Spano said. “Having a veteran offensive line truly is a game changer. Coming in as a sophomore running back is not easy but having a skilled and gritty team keeps everyone calm.”

“We have been working all offseason for one main goal: to win. We needed everyone on board for that, and it seems every week we are working together and clicking as one unit.”

As the final seconds ticked down and the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the game, Luke Van Dam reflected on the moment. “I went down our sideline and looked around at the student section and the trophy, soaking everything in.” “I’m so grateful for our school and how they’re able to show up for a football game and create a whole different atmosphere.”

“PV shut us out two years ago, and this shows how quickly everything can change. There’s no better feeling than running to that trophy, lifting it, and having guys surround you for the pictures and post-game speech.”

Brooks Esler on the victory and the ‘Rumble for the Rail Trophy’: “It meant a lot to me—my first varsity start at home. We dominated the game, and it felt good to come out on top as a team. We didn’t forget what they have done to us over the past couple of years.”

Eric Raimondi on the importance of the win: “We worked for it, and I know we must take one game at a time, but when you see these trophy games, PV is one of those games that is marked as a must-win. Coming out, executing, and playing a full game, every single person on the team played hard.”

Now the Golden Hawks shift their attention to a highly anticipated matchup against the Northern Valley Old Tappan Golden Knights (2-0) on Friday, September 18th, at Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan in Old Tappan, New Jersey, with kickoff slated for 6 p.m. Old Tappan is off to another fast start and has totaled 77 points. Last season, the Golden Knights beat River Dell twice, including a playoff victory.

“Old Tappan is a great program. Give props to them—they play very hard,” Eric Raimondi said. “We’re going to come in very prepared, be super silent, play harder than ever, and take care of business. We love playing against a great team, and to be the best, you must beat the best.”

“Zach Miceli is a great quarterback with a great arm, and he can pick his spots. He’s also sneaky as a runner. He sneaks up the middle and breaks containments, and he rushed for a ton of yards in the first two games. We have things in mind to stop that. They have good receivers, so we’re going to have the assignments down and be fully prepared.”

Brooks Esler on the keys to a win over Old Tappan: “We’re going to have to play a complete game on offense, defense, and special teams. There’s a lot of history, and they’ve had our number for the past couple of years. We’re hungry to flip that script and hopefully come out with a win on Friday night.”

Luke Van Dam on the impending matchup: “Everything needs to be perfect, and we need to be flawless and control the game for the entire 48 minutes. Then it can be anyone’s game.”