Northern Highlands knew it wouldn’t be the same Montgomery team that came to Allendale for the first round of the North 1 Group 4 playoffs last year when they came out on the wrong end 61-14.
This was supposed to be a Cougar team that was passionate and aggressive, and the Highlanders used that to their advantage thanks to the return of two key starters. Quarterback Nate Johnson and wide receiver Zach Madison are back with a bang.
The duo connected on a 61-yard touchdown bomb on Highlands’ fifth play that gave them the quick lead they were looking for. Northern Highlands was in complete control of the game through three quarters, and it was enough to register a 27-12 victory and a date with Irvington next Friday in the sectional semifinals.
Johnson threw three touchdowns in the game, with the second to Dan Smyachowski on a 4-yarder to cap a 16-play, 91-yard drive that ate up 6:49 of the clock spanning the first and second quarters. It made it 14-0 Highlands and Dan Moore hit a 24-yard field goal just before halftime to extend the lead to 17-0.
Johnson and Madison duplicated the first half TD on the same drive three plays into the second half, this time for a 71-yard touchdown that made it 24-0. Midway through the third quarter, Moor kicked a 30-yard field goal to make it 27-0.
Montgomery got a pair of touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, both from Mike Schmelzer to Matt D’Avino for 61 and 57 yards, but any possible thoughts of a miracle comeback were quashed when Johnson hit Madison on third-and-12 for 32 yards. three minutes left.
What does that mean
It’s another week for Northern Highlands with a trip to Irvington to face the top-seeded Knights, who beat Sayreville in their opener. The Highlanders gave first-year coach Dave Kord his first postseason win since replacing Chuck Johnson at Ridgewood in 2019 and led the Maroons to the North Group 5 regional championship. The Highlanders are now 6-3 on the season.
Montgomery ends the season at 7-3. Next season, the Cougars will return a strong core of juniors and sophomores led by Schmelzer and D’Avino.
A turning point
Right after NH scored the first touchdown, Montgomery punted safely at the Highlander 9-yard line. Schmelzer hit four different receivers and the Highlands defense was on its heels.
Schmelzer was stopped with no gain at first and was sacked by Zach Chastak at second. A third down pass on a flat field was incomplete and after a timeout they went to the right side of the end zone on fourth down, but the pass was too long for Ethan McManus.
Northern Highlands then went on a 91-yard drive to open up a two-score lead.
Inside the game
Northern Highlands played with aggressive defensive tendencies. The Cougar tight ends were tough to stop the run, and that allowed the deep ball to be very effective. It also meant Johnson could use the defense on Sparago’s screens and Smiachowski’s short flat passes. They sacrificed the run for the most part, but more than made up for it with the pass.
The combination of Schmelzer and D’Avino has been the catalyst for Montgomery’s offense all year, connecting 48 times for 883 yards and 12 touchdowns in the first 9 games, but Highlands held them in check in the first half, allowing just two carries of 16 yards and 3 for 24 yards before the final minute. the third quarter.
By the numbers
Northern Highlands outgained Montgomery 420-279 and Johnson, a sophomore, had a career game. He completed 23 of 32 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. He also added 38 yards on 9 carries in his first game after missing the last two with a sprained MCL.
Madison, who has been battling a knee injury all season, returned after sitting out the previous game and had four catches for 167 yards. Smyachowski had a career-high 9 catches for 73 yards, while Sparago had 6 receptions for 37 yards on 22 carries for 44 yards. Matthew Boydell and Smyachowski had steals for the Highlanders.
Schmelzer completed 13 of 29 passes for 199 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions and ran for 52 yards on 8 carries. D’Avino finished with nine catches for 167 yards, giving him 1,050 receiving yards on the season. Keith Holloway had an interception, while Gavin Guidette and Lukas Szczepanski shared one sack.
They said it
“We read the safety regulations. They were biting on the underground route, and this made it possible to go deep. We were confident that we would be able to use their aggressiveness.” – Johnson
“We talked a lot about getting an early lead and not giving them a chance to gain confidence. Zach Madison is a handful for anyone, and even at 80 percent, he’s better than most guys at 100 percent. I thought we complimented each other well; Smyakhovsky staged plays, Sparago, Saturn. We have a lot of weapons and when we play our game, we’re very hard to stop.” – Cord
