Sunday,
September 28, 2014
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Zach, Passaic Valley's quarterback, was on of two Mazalewski brothers to throw a touchdown pass in the Hornets' 14-6 win at Bergenfield on Saturday. |
BERGENFIELD – For as long as each has been able, Anthony Mazalewski has been on the receiving end of passes from his brother Zach. But a part of him has always wondered what it felt like to sling passes all over the field when his team needed a spark offensively as Zach had done so many times before. After Passaic Valley went three-and-out in its first series, Anthony got his number called to make a big play with his arm and took advantage of the rare opportunity.
Anthony Mazalewski's 60-yard touchdown strike to Shawn Ulrich opened the scoring and Passaic Valley held off a late charge to earn a 14-6 triumph over Bergenfield on Saturday at Bergenfield High School.
“It wasn’t pretty but it’s all about getting the ‘W’ any way you can get it,” said Anthony Mazalewski. “We weren’t as consistent as we want to be, but we came out with a win and that’s all that matters.”
On Passaic Valley’s second series starting at its own 40, Zach handed off to Anthony on a jet sweep. But with the defense in hot pursuit, Anthony stepped back and heaved a perfect pass to a wide-open Ulrich for the long touchdown and a 6-0 lead.
“We had a feeling that play would be wide open and it was even more than I thought it would be,” added Anthony Mazalewski. “I knew I had a chance to make something happen and the play worked perfectly. I was just waiting for him to get in the clear and put the ball up in the air."
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Quarterback Jovani Haskins accounted for 195 yards of total offense for Bergenfield. |
The Hornets’ defense held Bergenfield at bay throughout the first half before a drive late in the second quarter gave them some breathing room. Zach Mazalewski made a pair of third-down escapes during the drive. The first was a 20-yard run that moved the chains. On the second, he moved around in the pocket to escape a sack before hitting tight end Dylan Atieh going across the back of the end zone for the touchdown.
Zach Mazalewski then caught a pair of breaks on the same play on the two-point conversion. As the holder, he caught a bad snap with his knee on the ground but it was not called. He then raced for the pylon and released the ball while stretching for it. After much deliberation, the two-point conversion was awarded and the Hornets grabbed a 14-0 halftime lead.
Down two touchdowns, the Bears came out more inspired to start the second half with a long drive. But on a second-and-one from the PV 18, a fumble was recovered by the Hornets’ Tyler Tepe.
The score was the same in the fourth quarter when Bergenfield finally got on the scoreboard. Quarterback Jovani Haskins did not have to look outside of his own family to find his favorite receiver. His brother D.J. caught three passes on the scoring drive, including an acrobatic catch on a fade pass for a five-yard TD. But the 6-foot-9 Ulrich blocked the PAT try and Bergenfield still trailed by 8 with 7:43 remaining.
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Tight end Dylan Atieh caught a TD pass for Passaic Valley. |
After forcing a three-and-out on the Hornets’ next possession, the Bears had one last shot to potentially tie the game. Jovani Haskins marched his team down the field from the Bears’ own 20 to the PV 20. But on a third-and-five, Casiano Franco and Atieh combined on a sack for an 11-yard loss, forcing the Bears to call their final timeout with 27 seconds left. On fourth down, Haskins wiggled out of trouble and found a wide-open receiver for what would have been a first down but the pass was dropped and the Hornets’ escaped with their second win of the season.
Anthony Mazalewski finished with eight tackles while Franco added six tackles, 2 ½ for loss, to lead the way defensively for Passaic Valley (2-1).D.J Haskins hauled in a career-high 10 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown, while his brother Jovani accounted for 195 yards of total offense for Bergenfield (0-3).
The Hornets will get a major test next week as they try to keep up their winning ways against Ramapo. A win there would put them in line for one of the top seeds in the North 1, Group 4 state playoffs, which is a goal for this senior-dominated team. Sneaking into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed as they did last year simply will not cut for the Hornets. They have much bigger goals in mind.
“Last year there were times here I think we were happy to be in games, this year we come out expecting to win every time we step on the field,” said PV’s Zach Mazalewski. “It’s a totally different mindset this year than it was last year. It shows with how hard we work and the results that come from working so hard.”
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