BY KAYLEE WEINGARTEN
The football team finished the season, 6-4, second in the “National Gold” division, behind only Piscataway whom they lost to by one point. Although they finished with a loss to Cherokee in the NJSIAA Tournament Quarterfinals, the Knights considered the year a success.
The team earned the first winning record since 2021, winning their six games by an average of 22 points and losing by an average of just two points in the four losses. “We didn’t have a great season last year, so we didn’t want a repeat of that,” said senior Jaden Griffith, who led the team with 380 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.
On October 10, the team played one of their best games of the season against Monroe. “The Monroe game stands out,” said quarterback Brody Hunt, who scored a total of 29 touchdowns this season between passing, rushing, and returning kicks. “We had a lot of injuries, and the guys stepped up to win 38-0.”
The annual Pink Out game, played on October 18 against Hunterdon Central, added to the team’s win column, with a score of 35-8, “It was the team’s biggest victory this season,” shared Justin Vallinotti, who led the team in solo tackles (81) and total tackles (124).
The Knights won the last game of the regular season against Colonia 36-29 after trailing throughout the first half. “Our game against Colonia stood out because it went to double overtime,” said Johnny Sorrano. “We pushed through even though we were losing and got the win.”
Adian Rios and Zahmir Evans scored the touchdowns that secured the overtime win against Colonia. “It felt great because with that win, we knew we had a home playoff game,” said Griffith.
“Our team’s biggest goal was to make the playoffs,” said Sorrano. The team worked all season to have a playoff game on our home field, which hasn’t happened since 2019.
Posted on 11/25/24
Photos by Sam Prado Roberts and Kaylee Weingarten
Knight Life 