SPORTS

Parsippany Hills football claims first state crown

Jim Hague
Correspondent

EAST RUTHERFORD There were four previous trips to the NJSIAA state championship football game and all four times, Parsippany Hills head coach Dave Albano came up empty.

Even last year, when the Vikings were just two plays and 12 yards shy of defeating Summit, Albano kept the faith, knowing some day that his luck would change.

So when Albano's Vikings held a 20-13 lead in the closing seconds in Sunday's NJSIAA North 2, Group III title game against Cranford, the coach was on the sidelines, on one knee, rubbing his hands across his face and eyes. He couldn't bear what he was seeing. Here was another one that was perhaps slipping away. Cranford moved its way down to the Vikings' 12-yard line with 1:12 remaining in regulation.

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Albano just wanted the clock to keep moving in order to remove the giant albatross that hung around his neck, because he coached a program that never won a state title.

"We were finally so close," Albano said. "We just had to withstand it."

Thanks to the Vikings' secondary, spearheaded by diminutive senior defensive back Nick Hill, who is listed at 5-foot-7, but in reality, is more like 5-foot-4, the Vikings were able to hold up under the pressure of the final minute.

"We might be smaller than most," Hill said. "But we're definitely stronger."

Hill successfully defended two passes in the final 35 seconds, including one at the goal line with just six seconds remaining, enabling the Vikings to hang on to the 20-13 victory and giving Albano and the school their first-ever state title in the process.

"I've been chasing this for 20 years," Albano said. "The feeling is indescribable. I'm so happy for the kids. They're the ones who earned it."

There was one member of the Vikings who definitely earned it _ that was another of the smaller members of the team, namely running back Angelo Gallego.

Gallego is even smaller than Hill, standing only 5-foot-3. But Gallego didn't let that size disparity get to him Sunday, because he ran like the biggest guy in the world.

Gallego carried the ball an astounding 35 times for 181 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown with 9:27 remaining, giving the Vikings (10-2) the long-awaited state title.

"He's a workhorse," said Albano, who scrapped his old spread passing attack this season to implement a more run-friendly approach. "I told him that he was going to get 35-to-40 carries for us to win the game. He was ready for it."

Gallego's touchdown was a thing of beauty. After he had two non-descript runs, setting up a fourth-and-two at the 12-yard line, Gallego took a misdirection handoff, then used a stutter step, a la Barry Sanders or Walter Payton, to avoid two would-be tacklers for the go-ahead score.

Before Gallego's performance, the Vikings needed help from everyone, including freshman quarterback Nick Verducci and receiver/defensive back Ryan Shaw.

Verducci completed four-of-eight passes for 115 yards and scored the Vikings' first touchdown of the game with a two-yard run in the second quarter.

Verducci's TD jaunt was set up by a brilliant, almost astounding reception from Shaw, whose 69-yard catch-and-run enabled him to shake free from two defenders and put the Vikings in prime scoring position.

For the last 30 yards of Shaw's reception, he was shaking off a would-be tackler and just kept going.

"I guess that gave us a lift," Shaw said. "We got all pumped up after it. I think the whole team really wanted to win this one. We needed to get this one. We had been here four times and this was our year."

Shaw said that his father has been best of friends with Albano since high school, so he knew that Albano had never won a state title before.

After Verducci's run gave the Vikings the lead, Cranford (11-1) came right back. On the first play after the score, Luke Christiano broke free for a 72-yard touchdown that tied the game at 6-6.

The game remained that way at halftime.

The Vikings got the opening kickoff for the second half and proceeded to march 80 yards on 10 plays, taking almost six minutes off the clock. Gallego had six carries for 45 yards, setting up Anthony Barlotta's 3-yard TD reception of a pass from Verducci, giving Parsippany Hills a 13-6 with 6:42 remaining in the third quarter.

Again, the Cougars wasted little time to respond to the Vikings' score. On the first play from scrimmage, Cougar quarterback Jack Schetelich scampered 91 yards for the game-tying touchdown. The Vikings needed six minutes to score, the Cougars needed all of 19 seconds.

The game remained that way until the final scoring drive. The Vikings marched 74 yards on 11 plays, capped by Gallego's highlight reel touchdown dance.

After the Vikings held the lead, it was up to them to maintain it. And that's what the defense, led by Hill, did.

Six weeks ago, Hill suffered a concussion that was thought to end his season.

"When the doctors first said I wasn't going to play, I was scared and nervous," Hill said. "Because I wanted to be out there one last time with my teammates."

Hill received clearance to return to action two weeks ago. Now, he makes the big defensive play that protected the school's first-ever state title.

"It's just destiny," Hill said. "I believe everything happens for a reason. This is just amazing. It was a challenge, but we all worked so hard."

"I'm happy for Nick Hill, because he overcame a concussion, then made the last play of the game," Albano said. "I think our defense played very well. We were a very physical football team all year and it showed today."

Other than the two big plays, the Vikings allowed very little, shutting down big-play artists like Christiano and Donovan Walker, getting two first downs outside of the big plays. Schetelich completed only three-of-10 passes for 44 yards. This was a defensive shutdown, culminating in Parsippany Hills' first-ever state title.

Parsippany Hills (10-2) 0-6-7-7—20

Cranford (11-1) 0-6-7-0—13

PH: Nick Verducci 2 run (kick failed)

C: Luke Christiano 71 run (kick failed)

PH: Anthony Barlotta 3 pass from Nick Verducci (Connor Bradley kick)

C: Jack Schetelich 91 run (Joe Norton kick)

PH: Angelo Gallego 12 run (Connor Bradley kick)