GLEN RIDGE, NJ -- The Glen Ridge High School football team hopes to make a strong run in the state sectional playoffs.
The Ridgers, seeded fifth, will visit No. 4 seed Cedar Grove in the quarterfinals of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association's North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 state sectional playoffs on Friday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m. Glen Ridge, under second-year head coach Chris Strumolo, is looking to avenge a wild 42-34 home loss to Cedar Grove back on Oct. 11 in a Super Football Conference-National Red Division game. Since then, the Ridgers have won two straight to improve to 5-3 overall on the season. Cedar Grove is 6-3 overall.
The winner of Glen Ridge/Cedar Grove will face the victor of No. 1 seed Mountain Lakes and No. 8 seed Brearley Regional (Kenilworth). The other quarterfinal matchups are No. 6 Secaucus at No. 3 New Providence and No. 7 Wood-Ridge at No. 2 Hasbrouck Heights.
The Ridgers defeated Dwight Morrow 44-6 on Saturday, Oct. 25, in Englewood for their second straight win in a SFC crossover divisional game to improve to 5-3 overall.
Senior quarterback Zach Konetzni completed six of 13 passes for 101 yards with one touchdown and one interception and rushed for a whopping 285 yards and two scores on 16 carries to power the Ridgers.
Sophomore Phillip Nelson ran for 53 yards and a TD on seven carries, junior Hunter Sicoli had 33 rushing yards on six carries and senior JP Labadia had two carries on 11 yards and a TD.
Senior linebacker Tristan Wilson had nine tackles, junior lineman Paul Wiley had eight tackles, and senior lineman John Leone and sophomore lineman Tyler Kamil each had six tackles for GRHS.
After Dwight Morrow scored on a run for a 6-0 lead, Konetzni had a 10-yard TD run later in the first quarter and junior James Gist kicked the extra point to put Glen Ridge up 7-6.
In the second quarter, Konetzi had a 25-yard TD run, Labadia scored on an 8-yard run and the Ridgers recorded a safety when a Dwight Morrow fumble was kicked out of the end zone, as Glen Ridge led 23-0 at halftime.