Friday night will mark a sixth straight state sectional playoff final for second-seeded Passaic Tech and a third title tilt in four years for its opponent, top-seeded West Orange, as the two teams will battle it out in the North 1, Group 5 final with a 7 p.m. kickoff at Suriano Field.
The two teams met back on Sept. 7, also in West Orange, with the Mountaineers earning a 32-29 victory.
However, the Bulldogs (8-3) were without their standout senior quarterback Gabe Miles, who had to sit out the first 30 days of this season, and his team’s first four games, after having transferred back to the Wayne-based Passaic County Technical Institute (PCTI).
With Miles, PCTI has played much better since its 0-2 start to the season, going 8-1 in its last nine contests, including a 35-0 shutout win over East Orange Campus in the N1G5 semifinals last Friday night in Wayne, while West Orange (9-2) was blanking fourth-seeded Livingston, 21-0, behind its own stifling defensive effort.
PCTI, which has five sectional titles, and West Orange last met in the playoffs in the 2022 Group 5 semifinals at Franklin High School with the Bulldogs winning 21-7 before they fell to Toms River North, 28-7, in the overall Group 5 state final.
The 2022 season also marked the first and only state sectional playoff title for West Orange, which as a sixth seed in N2G5 that fall, surprised top-seeded Phillipsburg, 28-7, in the sectional final in P-Burg.
Toms River North also defeated PCTI, 23-13, in the 2023 Group 5 final after the Bulldogs had edged Montclair, 34-27, in the N1G5 final and then Union City, 14-0, in the Group 5 semis.
That all brings everything up to date with everyone’s undivided attention now on this Friday night’s much-anticipated playoff showdown at Suriano Field with two annual sectional playoff powers going at it. The Mountaineers fell at home to Essex County rival EOC, 13-7, in last year’s N1G5 championship game.
The question is what might give for either team to break through in the latest showdown between two large-school squads that appear to be fairly even at this late juncture of the campaign?
“At this time of the year it’s who makes the fewer mistakes and who shows the most discipline that usually comes out on top,” said seventh-year West Orange head coach Darnell Grant. “Defensively, we’ve been really tough the last seven or eight weeks, including leading in the fourth quarter at P-Burg (in 24-20 Mountaineers loss back on Oct. 3) before dropping a close one there.”
PCTI, under the direction of 14th-year head coach Matt Demarest and set to appear in its 11th sectional final, relies on the gamesmanship and versatility of Miles (62-of-94 for 1,016 yards, 14 TDs, 5 Int. in seven games) and other top weapons including running back Kadir Younge (119 carries for 1,170 yards, 12 TDs) and junior wide receivers Tyson Watkins (28 receptions for 516 yards and 7 TDs) and Ian McDuffie (18-394-5).
McDuffie (87) tackles, 3 forced fumbles) along with fellow linebackers Michael Moro (108 tackles) and Dante Fasoli (70 tackles) are other run stoppers for Bulldogs.
West Orange has an ace running back it frequently turns to in speedy West Point commit Farad Green (180 carries for 1,004 yards, 13 TDs), and it also has a bevy of key receivers to turn to including UMass commit David Moore (34 receptions for 536 yards and 7 TDs), Ahkir Morgan (29-456-5) and Sydney Padilla (7-79-4).
The Mountaineers utilize two QBs on an almost equal basis depending on who is having the most success at a specific juncture of the contest.
In the win over Livingston, senior Brandon LaBanca (44-of-75 for 755 yards, 11 TDs, 2 Int.) was having much success through the air, delivering 3 TD passes. Meanwhile, junior Daniel Lewis (50-of-104 for 644 yards, 7 TDs, 2 Int.) is always ready to step in do a solid job directing the offense when he gets the nod.
