Rutherford football holds off Wood-Ridge to win second straight NJIC championship

Greg Tartaglia, NorthJersey.com

October 21, 2022 at 10:49 PM·4 min read

RUTHERFORD — The legacies of the Ward family and the Rutherford football team live on.

Junior Ryan Ward caught a pair of second-half touchdowns to help the Bulldogs bring home a record third NJIC tournament championship Friday night. And there’s really no better way to put it than Rutherford (ahem) warded off Wood-Ridge, 24-10, at Tryon Field.

The Blue Devils came in having allowed only 10 points per game on the season. The Rutherford offense had averaged 40.3 points through its first seven.

Wood-Ridge scored an early third-quarter touchdown to pull within 10-7, but on the Bulldogs’ next play from scrimmage, quarterback Van Weber (14-of-21, 249 yards) found Ward behind the defense for a 66-yard score.

“I noticed that they were playing kind of a shallow zone,” Ward said. “So I just told Sean Ryan, our OC [offensive coordinator] to just hit me with the post [pattern], and we made it work.”

Check out the photo gallery, then continue reading.

The 6-foot-4 receiver hauled in his first career TD catch on the same field as a freshman in 2020. The quarterback was his brother Evan Ward, who has since graduated but was in attendance for the conference final.

“In our program, the main word is ‘family’,” the younger Ward said. “Every time we come out here, coach [Steve] Dunn tells us that many guys are reaching out to him from 20, 25 years ago, saying ‘good luck’.”

Ward, in fact, is the second receiver-with-a-QB-older-brother to make an impact on a Rutherford NJIC title in as many years. Doug Russell (younger sibling of Kyle) made the pivotal catch to help secure a seven-point win over Park Ridge in 2021.

What it means

Rutherford plays Wood-Ridge in the NJIC final football game at Tryon Field in Rutherford on Friday October 21, 2022. R #3 Van Weber scrambles as #16 Ryan Ward looks to make a downfield block.

Rutherford (8-0) is now 3-1 all-time in NJIC finals and heads into the Group 2 state playoffs as a likely No. 1 seed in one of the two North sections.

The Bulldogs had not played a game closer than 21 points all year, and Wood-Ridge (7-1) – a projected top seed in North Group 1 – made them earn this one.

“That was the first time we’d played [the varsity] over three quarters,” said Dunn, who noted his team’s first seven games all had a mercy-rule running clock in the second half. “[Wood-Ridge] has been a great second-half team all year. So, it’s something we’re very proud of, that we were able to handle that punch and keep fighting.”

Key plays

Rutherford plays Wood-Ridge in the NJIC final football game at Tryon Field in Rutherford on Friday October 21, 2022. R #1 Cole Goumas celebrates after scoring a touchdown.

The teams traded field-goal attempts in the first quarter. The Blue Devils missed from 36 yards, while Rutherford sophomore Drew Carney converted from 29. A 1-yard scoring run by Cole Goumas (21 carries, 110 yards) with 31 seconds left in the second quarter was the only touchdown of the half.

The Bulldogs received the second-half kick, but their drive was diffused when an illegal touching penalty nullified a 68-yard Weber-to-Zach Herninko touchdown.

Antonio Loyola scored the lone Wood-Ridge TD on a 9-yard run, and his team responded to Ward’s big score with Kledji Elezaj’s 35-yard field goal.

Weber and Ward put things out of reach, though, connecting for a 5-yard touchdown with 8:29 left.

“After that, we just had to finish it out,” Ward said. “Our defense stepped up.”

COOPER:After tragedy, Rutherford finds inspiration in Nathan Ianuzzi's courage

By the numbers

377: Offensive yardage for Rutherford, with 128 coming on the ground.

216: Offensive yards for Wood-Ridge, which had its most success through the air (154 yards).

4-0: Dunn’s coaching record in NJIC tournament games.

SCOREBOARD:North Jersey high school football scoreboard: Week 8

Game balls

► Ward caught six passes for 149 yards, including a 47-yarder (augmented by roughing the passer) on the final scoring drive.

► Herninko had two catches for 33 yards, made four tackles and recovered a backward pass on the Rutherford 18 with 6:31 left, snuffing out the Blue Devils’ last real scoring threat

► Leo Ramirez led the Wood-Ridge defense with eight tackles, while Elezaj keyed the special teams by averaging 38.3 yards on three punts.

They said it

Rutherford plays Wood-Ridge in the NJIC final football game at Tryon Field in Rutherford on Friday October 21, 2022. Rutherford Head Coach Steve Dunn holds up a a trophy as the team celebrates a 24-10 win over Wood-Ridge.

“Down here in South Bergen County, we take a lot of pride in the brand of football we play – the tough-guy mentality. So, we’re definitely proud that all the [championship] schools have been from South Bergen.” − Dunn

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutherford NJ football holds off Wood-Ridge to win NJIC championship

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