They are the two most prolific and storied high school soccer teams in New Jersey.
Since the NJSIAA started the playoff system in the 1970s, Harrison has won 15 overall state championships and Kearny has captured nine. It’s an impressive array of hardware collected by the two neighboring schools and rivals.
Now, both teams have a chance to add to their already burgeoning trophy case this week as they will represent themselves as respective state sectional champions.
Last Thursday afternoon, occurring no more than nine blocks apart along Schuyler Avenue, the two schools won NJSIAA state sectional championships in the same fashion, via penalty kicks after overtime.
In Harrison, the Blue Tide played Dover for the North Jersey Section 2, Group II championship and after a tied game at 2-2 in regulation, the two times remained scoreless in overtime and went to penalty kicks.
There, the Blue Tide prevailed, 4-2, to capture the 12th state sectional crown in the 17-year coaching career of Mike Rusek. Harrison will now face nemesis Newton in the Group II semifinals slated for Tuesday at Livingston.
In Kearny, the Kardinals played West Orange for the North Jersey Section 1, Group IV title at Harvey Field. Those two teams played scoreless soccer through regulation into the overtimes. Finally, in the penalty kicks, Kearny prevailed, 4-3, to advance.
It was the first state sectional title for the Kardinals since 2011 and just the second in the career of Kearny head coach Bill Galka, who was an assistant coach for many of the state championships won under the tenure of former coach and current athletic director John Millar.
For the Blue Tide, it was the first state sectional title since 2014, when they won the overall Group I crown.
Three members of the current team, namely Deydiry Chamba, Ney Moreno and Jean “J.P.” Lara, were on the team when Harrison won the state title in 2014.
So for most, it was a new experience.
“We’re very fortunate to have all this success,” Rusek said. “Every year, this is what we hope for.”
In the game against Dover, Lara scored the Blue Tide’s first goal off a header. After Dover tied the game at 1-1, the Blue Tide took a 2-1 lead on a goal from Raphael Resende, but Dover was awarded a penalty kick with five minutes left in regulation to send the game to overtime and eventually the penalty kicks.
After the two teams traded scores, standout defender Omar Sowe scored what proved to be the game-winning penalty kick. When Dover misfired, the Blue Tide secured the state sectional.
“It’s always a goal of ours,” Rusek said. “We had a very good season. We just had that week where we lost three straight. John (Rusek, Mike’s brother and assistant coach) and I never experienced that before.”
After winning the first 11 games of the season, the Blue Tide lost to Ridgefield, Dwight-Englewood and Dickinson in the second round of the Hudson County Tournament. Just like that, the Blue Tide seemingly went from state-ranked power to mediocre.
“We made a few changes and got the team together,” Rusek said. “They all said that we weren’t going to experience another loss and they were right.”
After that loss to Dickinson, the Blue Tide has rolled off nine straight wins.
“Everyone has responded very well,” Rusek said. “When you’re on a run, you try to take advantage of it.”
Count on the Blue Tide running away with things.
Kearny head assistant soccer coach Bill Galka was a lot more subdued with his championship.
“It’s always special to win a sectional title,” Galka said. “But we’re not satisfied with it. We have more work to do. Our seniors Adrian Velasquez, Matt Farias and Joao Fernandes, made sure that we were focused. I think they were so disappointed last year of getting knocked out early and they wanted to make sure they had a run in them.”
Galka said that his team was playing well and that play carried over.
“For some reason, we’ve kept playing to penalty kicks,” Galka said. “We were controlling the game and were the more creative team, but we didn’t score. We have not let up a goal in the state tournament. We didn’t want this game going to PKs, but it did. For the last few weeks, we’ve been practicing penalty kicks at the end of practices just to get ready. We tried to replicate what we might have and what it might be like.”
Galka said that the scene afterwards was exciting.
“The kids were elated, so it was good for the school, the principal and the administration,” Galka said. “Our team didn’t want to leave the field afterwards. It took an hour or so to get everyone off the field. It was great to see the whole school behind us, supporting us.”
Junior Emerson Vera has been rock steady in net, not allowing a single goal in the state tourney, posting four shutout wins.
The Kardinals now move on to face Scotch Plains in the overall Group IV semifinals Tuesday night at Somerville High School.
“It’s always nice when you win a title, but I look at it as we’re just moving on,” Galka said. “We have to win two more. Winning the sectional was nice, but we’re not satisfied with it. People don’t think we stand a chance. They’re the highly rated team and we’re the underdogs.”
So there they were, two rivals playing on fields blocks apart, but both securing a piece of hardware as state sectional soccer champions. Like the way it should be for legendary soccer venues like Harrison and Kearny.
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Jim Hague | Observer Sports Writer
Sports Writer Jim Hague was with The Observer for 20+ years — and his name is one of the most recognizable in all of sports journalism. The St. Peter’s Prep and Marquette alum kicked off his journalism career post Marquette at the Daily Record, where he remained until 1985. Following shorts stints at two other newspapers, in September 1986, he joined the now-closed Hudson Dispatch, where he remained until 1991, when its doors were finally shut.
It was during his tenure at The Dispatch that Hague’s name and reputation as one of country’s hardest-working sports reporters grew. He won several New Jersey Press Association and North Jersey Press Club Awards in that timeframe.
In 1991, he became a columnist for The Hudson Reporter chain of newspapers — and he remains with them to this day.
In addition to his work at The Observer and The Hudson Reporter, Hague is also an Associated Press stringer, where he covers Seton Hall University men’s basketball, New York Red Bulls soccer and occasionally, New Jersey Devils hockey.
He’s also doing work at The Morristown Daily Record, the very newspaper where his journalism career began.
During his career, he also worked for Dorf Feature Services, which provided material for the Star-Ledger. While there, he covered the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets.
Hague is also known for his announcing work — and he’s done PA work for Rutgers Newark and NJIT.
Hague is the author of the book “Braddock: The Rise of the Cinderella Man.”