New Providence scored early and never let up, beating Becton 48-27 in the NJSIAA North 2, Group 2 quarterfinal playoff Friday, Oct. 30, at Lieder Field.
Senior quarterback Kevin Reilly completed 15 of 21 passes for 257 yards and five touchdowns, NJ.com reported. Senior Charlie Maneely rushed 23 times for 162 yards and a touchdown while catching three passes for 77 yards and two more scores.
The Pioneers set the tone before their offense even took a snap. Junior Marty Naujokas recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff at the Becton 38-yard line. Five plays later, Reilly hit senior Michael Schmidt on a 26-yard touchdown pass.
"The fumble to start the game gave us juice and set the precedent of what was going to happen the rest of the game," Reilly said, according to NJ.com.
Fourth-seeded New Providence scored on its next two possessions and built a 14-point halftime lead. The Pioneers forced two fumble recoveries and two interceptions on the night.
First-year head coach Anthony Conzentino credited his team's preparation. "I told them they had to be ready from the second the game started, and they were," Conzentino said, according to NJ.com.
Becton senior quarterback Elijah Davis kept the fifth-seeded Wildcats in the conversation, passing for 200 yards and three touchdowns and rushing 17 times for 70 yards and a score. But New Providence's balanced attack proved too much. Reilly repeatedly escaped pressure and found Maneely as a safety valve near the line of scrimmage. One of those short throws turned into a 70-yard touchdown on the second snap of the third quarter.
The win improves New Providence's record to 8-1. The Pioneers reached the North 2, Group 1 sectional final the past two seasons and are now pursuing a similar run after moving up to Group 2.
New Providence entered the game averaging 35.8 points per contest and had already topped 40 points three times this season. The Pioneers' only loss came Oct. 9 against Perth Amboy, 39-34, according to NJ.com's playoff preview.
The Pioneers travel to top-seeded Waldwick/Midland Park in the sectional semifinal during the Nov. 6-7 round, according to the NJSIAA playoff schedule published by SI.com. Waldwick/Midland Park (8-1) beat eighth-seeded Indian Hills 21-7 in its quarterfinal, according to CJ Sports Radio. The Warriors won the NJIC Tournament this season and feature junior running back Luciano Mayer, who rushed for 1,594 yards and 23 touchdowns in the regular season.
