WEST CALDWELL- Nutley and Caldwell came into Friday night’s game at Bonnel Field looking to gain momentum heading into the playoffs: Nutley in Group 4 and Caldwell in Group 2.
The Chiefs got three TD passes from Adam Sepe and the defense pitched a second-half shutout as Caldwell reached the .500 mark with a 27-13 win in the Super Football Conference-Patriot White matchup.
It was a hard-fought, physical affair. The Caldwell defense forced six negative plays in the second half. Junior Santino Russo had three tackles for loss and was a menace at safety all night.
“Our defense was just a lot more tough,” Russo said. “In the first half they were moving us, our D-line was getting moved back a little bit.
“We really toughened up and played good D in the second half. Coaches dialed up a bunch of blitzes that worked and they realy weren’t blocking me at all. I was getting free and making plays.”
Both teams scored on their first possession with most of the yards coming through the air.
Nutley took the opening kickoff at their 30 and used a pop pass to Jeremiah Tirado who turned it into a 46-yard scamper around left end to the Caldwell 18. Brayden King then found Jalyn Caballero for 15 yards and a 1st-and-goal at the 3. After a 2-yard loss, King rolled left and found Michael Misner at the pylon for the TD and a 7-0 Nutley lead with 7:29 left in the first quarter.
It took the Chiefs just five plays to answer. Starting from their 40, an 11-yard pass from Sepe to Nick Moyano moved the ball to the Raider 49. A 15-yard penalty moved the ball to the 25, and Sepe connected with Kaelen Harper for a 25-yard TD to even the score at 7-7.
The Raiders took advantage of a turnover when Dom Saladino picked off a Caldwell pass and returned it to the Nutley 26. A holding penalty backed up the Raiders 10 yards, but a 19-yard scramble by King (7-18 105 yd., 1 TD 2 INT) on 3rd-and-17 gave Nutley a first down at the 38. They methodically moved the ball down the field on the ground, and on 1st down from the Caldwell 18, Zahir Weatherington (14 carries, 87 yd. 1 TD) rambled to the 10 and the offensive line pushed the pile down to the 1. The senior blasted in on the next play and Nutley had its second lead of the night at 13-7 with 3:19 left in the half. It was a 13-play, 74-yard drive, all on the ground and took over seven minutes.
The lead was short-lived, with Caldwell using big plays on offense and a Nutley turnover to take the lead for good before halftime.
Nico Sozio returned the kickoff 35 yards to the Nutley 40 and a 15-yard penalty moved the ball to the 25. Following an incompletion, Sepe hit Russo on a slant, and the junior broke a tackle and raced to the endzone for the score. The PAT gave Caldwell the lead for good, 14-13, but the Chiefs were not done.
The Raiders drove into Caldwell territory and turned it over when Moyano stepped in front of a pass at the Chiefs 40 and returned it to the Nutley 26 with 59 seconds left in the half. Sepe connected with Dante Placenti for six yards to the 20, and after a timeout Sepe dropped a 20-yard dime to Moyano to extend the lead to 21-13 at the break.
It was Moyano who would put the game away midway through the second half, when Caldwell drove 57 yards for the clinching TD. The senior accounted for all but two of the 57 yards, catching two passes for 13 yards and rushing five times for 42 yards. His 21-yard TD run with 10:33 left made it 27-13 and the Chiefs were never threatened after that.
Sepe (7-13 100 yd., 3 TD 2 INT) noted the change in offensive philosophy in the second half.
“First half, we kinda’ came out slinging it,” he said. “Then, in second half they loosened up the box so we just started pounding the rock and from there (Moyano) just got his yardage.”
Coach Todd Romano was pleased with the Chiefs’ effort.
“Both sides of the ball made huge plays for us,” said the Caldwell head mentor. “I am very proud of the effort tonight.”
On the play of the offensive line, Romano was pleased with that unit’s continued progress:
“Just dialing in on details, making sure assignments are right, angles are right, footwork’s right, so they handled that,” he added. “But, the offensive line did a good job overall tonight!”
After an 0-2 start with last-second losses to Passaic Valley and West Essex, Caldwell was able to right the ship with an overtime win against Westwood. The Chiefs ended the season winning three of their last four, with the only loss coming against Group 2 power Shabazz two weeks ago.
For Nutley, the Raiders have dropped four of their last five after a 3-1 start. Those three wins were over Group 3 standout River Dell and Group 5 schools Bloomfield and Passaic.
Playoffs get underway next weekend and Caldwell might host a first-round game. Seedings and matchups will be released over the weekend.
Super Football Conference-Patriot White Division Game:
Nutley (4-5) 7 6 0 0 13
Caldwell (4-4) 7 14 0 6 27
N – Michael Misner 5 pass from Brayden King (Brian Dolaghan kick)
C – Kaelen Harper 25 pass from Adam Sepe (Matt Murtagh kick)
N – Zahir Weatherington 1 run (kick failed)
C – Santino Russo 25 pass from Sepe (Murtagh kick)
C – Nick Moyano 20 pass from Sepe (Murtagh kick)
C – Moyano 21 run (kick failed)
