WEST MILFORD, NJ - Parsippany Hills jumped out to an early three-touchdown lead and held off a second-half comeback by West Milford to earn a 20-13 road victory Friday night at West Milford High School.
The Vikings improved to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in the SFC Liberty Gold, while West Milford fell to 1-5 overall and 1-1 in the division.
Parsippany Hills wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Anthony Caponegro opened the scoring with a two-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. After the extra point was unsuccessful, quarterback Nick Napolitano connected with Will Maass on a 10-yard touchdown pass, with Ben Ferrante adding the extra point to give the Vikings a 13-0 advantage.
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The Vikings extended their lead to 20-0 in the second quarter when Napolitano found Donovan Martell for a 22-yard touchdown. Ferrante converted the extra point.
West Milford got on the board before halftime on a three-yard touchdown run by quarterback Luke Maslanek, cutting the Parsippany Hills lead to 20-7.
Neither team scored in the third quarter, but West Milford made things interesting in the fourth when Maslanek connected with Blake Tyburczy for a six-yard touchdown. The extra-point attempt failed, leaving Parsippany Hills with a seven-point advantage at 20-13.
The Vikings' defense made the lead stand to secure the road victory.
Napolitano finished an efficient 13-of-19 passing for 112 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Martell caught two passes for 31 yards and a touchdown, while Maass had the other touchdown reception. Chrystian Bouman led Parsippany Hills with five receptions for 35 yards.
Dante Gutierrez led the Vikings' ground attack, carrying 16 times for 72 yards, including a 41-yard run.
Defensively, Parsippany Hills put consistent pressure on West Milford. Caponegro recorded two sacks, while Tinashe Makasi added two and Logan Wilson had one. Nathan Cerullo led the Vikings with seven tackles, followed by Patrick Donaldson with six.
West Milford's Maslanek finished with 101 passing yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 75 yards and a score. Tyburczy caught six passes for 54 yards and a touchdown.
The victory pushed Parsippany Hills to four wins through its first six games and gave the Vikings a strong start to SFC Liberty Gold play.