MOUNTAIN LAKES—Facing a one-point deficit with just over 2:00 to play in Friday night’s NJSIAA North 2, Group 1 semifinal, Cedar Grove head coach Rob Gogerty felt at ease as quarterback Pierce Asfalg took the field 60 yards from the end zone.
Gogerty’s ‘go-go’ Panthers have always relied on the steadiness and decision-making of their quarterbacks, and the veteran head coach has watched as Asfalg has matured and earned his trust over the course of a difficult 11-game season, his first as a starter.
In the waning moments of a high school football playoff classic between two of the premier small-school football programs in New Jersey, the dynamic 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior delivered the biggest moment of the Panthers’ season – a 10-yard touchdown run with 49 seconds left in the fourth quarter – to stun the home crowd at Doug Wilkins Field, and propel fourth-seeded Cedar Grove to a thrilling 22-15 victory over top-ranked Mountain Lakes.
“I said to Pierce a few weeks ago, you know, win or lose, it’s on him,” Gogerty said. “That’s just kind of the role of the quarterback in our offense. And I think he’s really accepted that role, that pressure, and he has absolutely run with it. He was lights out all game, just making plays and running hard, and we felt pretty good in that spot.”
The win gives the Panthers (8-3) “one more week” – Gogerty’s 2025 postseason motto – to chase their dream of a second consecutive sectional crown. Cedar Grove will travel to third-seeded and unbeaten New Providence (10-0) next Friday, Nov. 14, for the N2G1 championship. Coached by Chet Parlevecchio Jr., the Pioneers rallied to edge second-seeded Hasbrouck Heights in overtime, 28-21, in the other N2G1 semifinal.
Asfalg completed 18 of 28 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown Friday, and the senior added 47 hard-won rushing yards to keep the chains moving for the powerful Cedar Grove offense, which moved the ball consistently throughout the game despite being held scoreless for the first three quarters.
Indeed, the Panthers found the magic touch in the final period, scoring on all three of their offensive possessions in the game’s most critical moments.
“We came in here as a 4 seed, with everyone doubting us, no one thinking we could win this game,” Asfalg said. “And we just came in here, gave everything we got, and beat the #1 seed. No one thought we could do it except for me and my boys.”
Mountain Lakes (7-3) had just taken a 15-14 lead with 2:10 to play when running back Massimo Corvelli took a direct snap and waltzed into the end zone for a 2-point conversion, following Ty Plotts’ 18-yard touchdown reception from Lawson Fagan one play earlier. Disaster nearly struck for the Panthers on the ensuing kickoff, when a squib kick took an awkward hop, but junior up-man John Kukuch managed to corral it with several Lakers in the vicinity – a sneaky important play, given what was to follow.
Asfalg started the drive with a quick outside completion to Michael Ruggiano (7 catches, 157 yards) for 11 yards, then followed it with a deep ball down the left sideline to Ruggiano that drew a defensive holding penalty. Next, Asfalg showed off his legs, scrambling for an 18-yard gain and moving the ball to the Mountain Lakes 21. After a short Jerry Targia run took the clock inside the final minute, Asfalg flung the ball to his other favorite target, Xavier Andujar (8 catches, 97 yards) for eight yards and another first down. The Panthers needed only a field goal to win, but Asfalg removed all doubt on the next snap, scampering in on a designed QB keeper for the winning score.
“We had a situation like this at Wayne Valley [in the season-opening 37-31 loss] where we couldn’t get the touchdown,” Asfalg said. “But I was just so confident in my guys. I knew that I could make plays, our line was going to block for me, and we were just gonna do anything we had to do to score there. And we did.”
