NEW PROVIDENCE — The New Providence High School football team wasn’t perfect on Saturday, but it was were pretty close.
The Pioneers scored on all seven of their full possessions – the exception a one-play series just before halftime -- did not punt or turn the ball over, and were whistled for just two penalties -- both late in the third quarter.
New Providence ran 29 times for 332 yards and six touchdowns and completed both of its passes for a seventh score in blasting Boonton, 49-24 in the opening round of the North 2 Group 3 playoffs
The second-seeded Pioneers (8-2) will play host to third-seeded Hasbrouck Heights in next weekend’s semifinals, but it will be hard to replicate Saturday’s performance.
“We think we can run the ball effectively, we’re fortunate that we have a great offensive line,” New Providence coach Chet Parlavecchio stated. “They’re physical and they’re tough and we like how it’s going right now.”
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Quarterback TJ Munn led New Providence by running 11 times for 205 yards and touchdown runs of 24, 44 and 66 yards, respectively. He also completed both of his pass attempts, including a 30-yard scoring strike to Mike Petses, and intercepted a pass, which he returned 40 yards.
“The blocking was great and we barely threw the ball,” Munn said. “When we have AJ running like that there’s no need to throw the ball. We were able to just go through the open holes and get touchdowns.”
AJ Whitehead contributed 109 yards on 15 carries to the rushing total, finishing the Pioneers’ first drive of each half with scoring runs of 11 and six yards, respectively.
Seventh-seeded Boonton (6-4), which entered the contest having attempted just 20 passes all season, was able to contain the potent New Providence attack by sustaining it’s two first-half possessions, which each consisting of 14 plays. The first ended with a 25-yard field goal by Metin Ahmedi, the second with a six-yard touchdown run by Colin Bostrom that reduced the deficit to 14-10 just before halftime.
Neither team was able to stop the other in the first half and whichever team could assert itself on defense would have a huge advantage.
That team was New Providence.
“It was going to come down to who made the first stop,” said Parlavecchio, who earned his 50th victory at the school with the victory. “That drive coming out of the second half was a massive drive. We were able to make it a two-score game and then we kept it at that reach. We wanted to get them playing from behind.”
Boonton received the second-half kick and fumbled the ball away five plays into the drive. The Bombers six second-half possessions consisted of two touchdowns and four turnovers, including a pair of fumble recoveries by New Prov linebacker Gui May.
The combination of New Providence’s unstoppable offense and opportunistic defense proved too much for Boonton to overcome.