River Dell Golden Hawks Varsity Football Team extends winning streak to three games in resounding victory over Sparta

The River Dell Golden Hawks Varsity Football Team (5-2) extended its winning streak to three games and second consecutive shutout and third overall this season at home with a 34-0 victory over the Sparta Spartans (1-5) at River Dell High School in Oradell, New Jersey.

River Dell quarterback Brooks Esler continued his strong play with near-perfect passing, completing 11 of 12 passes for 160 yards and two touchdown passes. The Golden Hawks' running game also prospered, racking up 153 yards.

“There are a lot of quarterbacks in River Dell history, and it’s unreal to see how many have been very successful on and off the field. It motivates me to be at my best. I don’t want to be at the bottom of that list and want to be right with those guys at the top,” Brooks Esler said.

The Golden Hawks were off and flying in the first quarter, with the defense setting the tone as linebacker Luke Van Dam registered a sack and linebacker Teddy Schwanewede intercepted a pass.

“The last game I struggled getting to the quarterback, and I couldn’t make the play. This week I emphasized fixing that mistake in practice,” Luke Van Dam explained.

River Dell capitalized on Schwanewede's pick as running back Jackson Lee took a handoff from quarterback Brooks Esler, darted to the left side of the line, and into the end zone for the five-yard score with five and a half minutes remaining.

“The defense has given us a boost, and they haven’t let up a point,” Brooks Esler said. “They’ve been creating turnovers and leaving us with good field position and doing their job. Jackson did a great job of running the ball and the offensive line as well.”

River Dell’s offense got the ball back late at its own 27-yard line in the first quarter, and the drive continued into the second, mixing the running and passing game effectively. The drive was highlighted by Brooks Esler connecting on a 23-yard pass to wide receiver Iain Rossig, advancing the ball to the Sparta 25-yard line.

The Golden Hawks pushed the ball to the five-yard line and then faced a critical fourth-down play. Brooks Esler took the snap, dropped back in the pocket, and slung a pass to receiver Jayden Kim in the end zone to extend the advantage to 13-0 with eight minutes left in an 11-play, 73-yard drive that took four and a half minutes.

“That was big, and it was fourth down, and we needed to score there,” Brooks Esler noted.

River Dell’s defense continued to dominate in the trenches as Luke Van Dam notched his second sack of the game and ninth of the season, forcing the Spartans to punt.

With three minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Golden Hawks offense started with a short field at the Spartans' 28-yard line.

River Dell’s offense pounded the rock in the running game, and once at the seven-yard line, Brooks Esler lofted a pass into the end zone where Iain Rossig hauled in the catch for the score, widening the lead to 20-0 with 1:35 to go.

“Iain and I have been throwing to each other since we were eight years old and have a really good connection,” Brooks Esler said. “That helps out a lot every time I throw him the ball, and I trust that he’s going to make the catch, and he trusts me that the ball is going to be where it needs to be.”

Just when it appeared the scoring was complete in the first half, the Golden Hawks' swarming defense forced another quick three-and-out.

River Dell’s offense seized the outstanding field position at the Sparta 42, then Brooks Esler found his favorite target in Iain Rossig, heaving a deep pass down the right side with Rossig skying into the air to reel in the catch for the 38-yard gain down to the Spartans' 2-yard line.

Once at the two-yard line, Jackson Lee took the handoff from Esler and plowed through a maze of players across the goal line and into the end zone for his second touchdown run of the game, boosting the lead to 27-0 with 46 seconds left.

“It’s always good having a big lead heading into halftime, and from our players’ perspective I think we should be scoring more touchdowns and scoring on every drive against these teams,” Brooks Esler stated. “Obviously you’re never going to be upset going into the locker room up 27-0.”

“During Coach Nimphius' era, we are 1 and 4 against Sparta, and the message was clear: they’re an extremely talented program. Even though they haven’t been as good this year and are going through their struggles internally right now, in the past they have been one of the best programs in New Jersey.”

The Golden Hawks received the second-half kickoff and were bolstered by a fantastic kickoff return by Eric Raimondi to the Sparta 40-yard line.

Brooks Esler, in a groove, completed a couple of passes that pushed the ball down to the Spartans' 5-yard line. On first and goal at the one-yard line, Esler pitched the ball to Iain Rossig on the jet sweep, and Rossig dashed to the right side of the line and smashed his way through a host of players into the end zone for the touchdown that expanded the advantage to 34-0.

“That’s a play that has been good for us all year, and Iain is pretty tough and runs hard,” Brooks Esler said.

“The offensive line is great, and they work so hard and are great at what they do and look out for me on and off the field. They’re great people, players, teammates, and deserve all the credit.”

With the clock running the rest of the game, the backups got quality playing time.

“You can’t just have the same 11 guys playing, and it makes the rest of the team feel a bit more comfortable,” Luke Van Dam remarked. “The season is almost at the end, and you've got to start planning for next year and be able to get those guys in a crucial role in playing them.”

Once again, the home crowd turned out in fantastic numbers, with a lively student section, parents and fans, people lining up behind the fences, and an overflow of junior cheerleaders joining the varsity squad before kickoff and halftime.

“There were so many of them when we ran out onto the field, I got winded from running 60 yards,” Luke Van Dam said. “Seeing all of them was a big motivator and having them on our sideline cheering and coming out to watch us play helped a lot. The student section showed up again, and we’re so thankful for them and the parents as well.”

River Dell now shifts its attention to a notable trophy game, “Battle of Midland Ave.” against the Paramus Spartans (4-3), with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m. at Paramus High School in Paramus, New Jersey, due to the inclement weather forecast for the evening. The Golden Hawks have won their last two games.

“There’s a lot of preparation going into this week and a trophy game right across Midland Ave., and we need to win this game. It’s a big tradition at River Dell to play in this game against Paramus, and it’s something we always circle on our schedules,” Brooks Esler said.

Luke Van Dam on the upcoming matchup against Paramus: “It’s going to be a packed crowd with alumni night, and we’ve got to make sure our crowd travels. It’s going to be a fun game. The schools are so close together and right down the street from each other, and knowing what’s on the line, ups the stage for that trophy. We have to focus and be locked in for this game because they’re coming, and that’s how we’re winning.”