Nutley, Lyndhurst grid teams head to NJSIAA state playoffs

One team started the high school football season with high expectations – then exceeded those hopes and aspirations with every passing week.

The other began the 2015 campaign with despair, losing their first three games, putting themselves in a hole that not a lot of teams recover from.

However, after the eighth week of the gridiron schedule, one thing can be said for both local squads. They are headed to the NJSIAA state playoffs.

Nutley came from behind with four minutes remaining last Friday night to take a 28-24 decision over Weequahic of Newark, nailing down the No. 2 seed in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group III playoffs that begin next week.

With the win, the Maroon Raiders remain undefeated at 8-0, the latest in the season that the Maroon Raiders have been without a loss since the state championship season of 1991. Nutley also clinched the Super Essex Conference Liberty Division championship with the victory.

“It’s incredible,” said Nutley head coach Tom Basile. “The kids are reaping the benefits of their hard work. We had a bad game this week and we still scored four touchdowns, so that’s a good sign. They’ve been able to turn it on and turn it off to get to 8-0.”

With the win, the Maroon Raiders have sealed up home field advantage for the first two rounds of the state playoffs – if they advance – which means that Nutley will have two more chances to play at the famed Nutley Oval if they win.

“Anything but winning it all this year is unacceptable,” Basile said. “Most of our kids have experienced playoff football before. They got a taste of what it’s like and now they want to go for it. We were able to turn it on with two scores in the last four minutes (against Weequahic) and that was a little miraculous.”

In fact, senior lineman Devin White was inspirational in the final minutes.

“He was screaming on the sidelines that we were not go ing to lose the game,” Basile said of White.

“A lot of times this season, we have been doubted,” White said. “I just knew that we would find a way to win the game. That’s just the way we are.”

White said that remaining undefeated was a major goal.

“I think it’s something we’ve been talking about and we’ve put it in each other’s heads that we’re striving for perfection,” White said. “I actually did believe that we were going to win the game. I just wanted to put it in the minds of the other leaders.”

August Mustardo is another of those senior leaders.

“We knew that we had a couple of special things going on that we didn’t want to lose,” Mustardo said. “I think this a great opportunity for us to make our mark in Nutley football history. We believed in ourselves. I believed in Devin (White) when he was yelling those things. It was great to see him get everyone else so fired up. We were not backing down and got everyone else up and gutted it out.”

The Maroon Raiders rode the rushing of senior Craig Merkle, who scored three more touchdowns. Merkle now has more than 1,200 yards rushing this season and more than 3,000 in his career. He also has scored 17 touchdowns this season.

Meanwhile, Lyndhurst started the season with three straight losses, pushing the losing streak to nine straight over the last two seasons. Things didn’t exactly look rosy for the Golden Bears.

But the Golden Bears battled back to get to 3-4 before facing a tough Pompton Lakes team Friday night.

With 1:04 remaining in the game, Lyndhurst gave up the go-ahead touchdown, but thanks to the fleet feet of amazing senior quarterback Petey Guerriero, the Bears managed to score the game-tying touchdown with 41 seconds left and won the game on the PAT kick by freshman kicker Ben Franchino.

Jonathan Karlok sealed the victory with an interception.

With the win, the 4-4 Golden Bears have clinched a berth in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group II playoffs and could very well play local rival Rutherford in the first round next week. The last time Lyndhurst made the state playoffs was 2011 and the Golden Bears’ opponent? It was none other than Rutherford, which Lyndhurst upended, 38-13.

Guerriero had another brilliant game, carrying the ball 34 times for 320 yards and three touchdowns. It marked the third time in the last four games that Guerriero eclipsed the 300-yard mark – an absolutely amazing statistic.

“The old-timers say that he’s the best runner Lyndhurst has ever had,” said Lyndhurst head coach Rich Tuero. “This is literally the greatest feeling in the world. The kids all believed. Last year, they had a terrible season, but made sure after losing the first three games that they were going to come back. They gave me their heart.”

With the 320 yards, Guerriero has now rushed for 2,100 yards this season in eight games.

“If you think about it, we were 1-12 for our previous 13 games, then turned it around to win four of our last five,” Tuero said.

Senior Matt DeMarco added 140 yards and two touchdowns for the winners. DeMarco has rebounded nicely from an ankle injury that was suffered during the first game of the season.

“After the first three losses, I just tried to keep the team as positive as possible,” DeMarco said. “It was easy to get down after losing nine straight games, but we had to stay positive and believe in one another. We turned the season around. I truly believed that we were capable of doing what we’re doing.”

Fellow senior Ryan Smith knew that the Golden Bears had to turn it around after the three setbacks to start the year.

“That was just awful,” Smith said. “It was disappointing, but we never had the mentality that it was over. It was all about hard work. We worked so hard over the summer to get ready for this year. I never thought it was over. I knew we had the potential to turn things around. I think we all got inspired as the season went on.”

DeMarco, whose older brother Bobby was on the 2011 team that won a state playoff game, wanted more of the same for himself.

“It’s a dream come true,” De- Marco said. “It’s an incredible feeling to know that we’re in. Now we want to make some noise.”

DeMarco was asked what it was like to play with Guerriero.

“It’s just unbelievable,” DeMarco said. “It’s truly an honor to play with Petey. I think he’s the best athlete I’ve ever been around. It’s just incredible what he’s done.”

Two local grid teams with different hopes and aspirations, different paths to take – and now both are headed to the state playoffs next week.

“I think it’s incredible,” said Nutley’s Mustardo. “We are going to get the chance to play at the (Nutley) Oval again and that’s just a great atmosphere. I think it’s going to give the team a lot of confidence.”

“For our senior class to get the chance to play on the Oval again is amazing,” White said. “It’s great for the town of Nutley. We haven’t had a home playoff game in such a long time. Now, we have a chance to have two. There’s nothing like playing on the Oval.”

Basile was asked if he believed his team would be undefeated come November.

“To be honest, we didn’t,” Basile said. “We looked at our schedule and by no means did we think we’d be 8-0. No one in their wildest dreams thought that. We still have a lot to play for.”

So does Lyndhurst.

“It’s great to think we may have a rivalry game (Rutherford) in the first round of the state playoffs,” Smith said. “But we can play with any team right now. We’re on the top of the world right now.”

That’s what happens when you make the state playoffs. Dreams start to become reality.