Saturday,
September 12, 2015
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Joe O’Hagan rushed 10 times for 91 yards and a pair of TDs as Ramapo opened its season with a 42-6 win over Bergenfield on Friday night. |
FRANKLIN LAKES – When adjusting to a new quarterback to start the season, many coaches might simplify the playbook and help him get his feet wet in the offense before slowly loosening the reigns. However at a school like Ramapo, with a rich tradition of strong quarterback play, it is the ‘next man up’ mentality that is more prevalent. Last year, Keith Woetzel was a bruising running back. In Friday night’s season-opener, he was under center and quickly made a statement that he is not just a game-manager.
Woetzel led Ramapo into the end zone on all three of its first-quarter possessions as the Green Raiders cruised to a 42-6 victory over Bergenfield in Franklin Lakes.
Ramapo won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. It proved to be a wise move as the Woetzel and Co. quickly set the tone. They marched down the field in just 1:09 with Woetzel running it in from five yards out for a quick 7-0 lead.
“You always want to go up early and make a statement right away,” said Woetzel, one of Ramapo’s four senior captains. “Once we got that first score everything else kind of fell into place. In our offense, you always want to keep up the pace. Once you see the other team getting tired, you have to push even harder to get into the end zone. We have a bunch of skill players who can make plays and our O-line opens up great holes for us.”
Bergenfield responded with a long drive but it eventually stalled out on downs. The Green Raiders continued to play at a fast, but controlled pace that the Bears were not able to match.
Joe O’Hagan’s second effort on a third-and-one got him two tough yards to keep the drive going. Woetzel hit Dan Diaz on a quick slant for a 14-yard completion and then Woetzel snuck over from a yard out to put the Green Raiders ahead 14-0.
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Jovani Haskins had set up Bergenfield's lone TD with a 53-yard run. |
The Bears quickly answered with their most exciting two plays of the game coming in succession. Jovani Haskins, the highly-recruited, 6-foot-4 senior quarterback busted loose for a 53-yard gain. Then on the next play, tailback Carlos Rojas used a spin move to shake a defender and then carried another Ramapo defender five yards into the end zone to cut the lead to 14-6.
It was only a bump in the road for the Green Raiders as they marched 76 yards in just six plays. O’Hagan capped it by going off right tackle then making a cut back towards the middle of the field. From there it was nothing but green in front as he went the distance for a 41-yard touchdown jaunt to make it 21-6.
“It’s always a good thing to go out and set the tone,” said O’Hagan. “I have a lot of trust running behind our right tackle Brian Raguseo. He’s a three-year starter and a great player. I always like running behind him so I knew that play would be there.”
Bergenfield had opportunities to get back in the game, picking off passes on consecutive drives. The Bears were unable to convert either of them into points though. The latter pick led to a drive that stalled out on a fourth-down sack by Matt Connor. That gave Ramapo one last chance to pad its lead before the half. Senior wide receiver Ryan Curtiss took a handoff on a jet sweep and shrugged off a tackle to score with 15 seconds left in the second quarter to give Ramapo a 28-6 halftime lead.
After a fast-paced first half, the third quarter slowed to a crawl. Numerous penalties and stoppages of play did not allow either team to get into any sort of rhythm. The Green Raiders kept pushing the pace and eventually found paydirt once again. On back-to-back plays, Woetzel hit Dan Diaz for completions that went for a combined 50 yards. Two plays later, O-Hagan took a perfectly executed middle screen and scampered in from 19 yards out to make it 35-6.
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Ramapo QB Keith Wotezel will lead his team into a big game against Old Tappan next Friday. |
Shane Bracaleone capped the scoring with a three-yard touchdown run for Ramapo (1-0). Woetzel finished with 234 yards of total offense and accounted for three touchdowns. O’Hagan rushed 10 times for 91 yards and a pair of TDs.
Haskins ran for 90 yards, had five tackles, and an interception for Bergenfield (0-1). The Bears will try to get a win under their belt next week when they face Northern Highlands.
Meanwhile, Ramapo has a huge showdown next Friday when its travels to face Northern Valley/Old Tappan. For two teams with state championship aspirations, it will be the ultimate measuring stick for how close or far they are to being a state-championship caliber team.
“It’s a big game and (Old Tappan) is an outstanding football team,” said Ramapo head coach Drew Gibbs. “They are a program that is committed to success and those are the types of football teams you want to test yourself against.”
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