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In a preseason meeting in June, senior quarterback T.J. Munn told his coach that he wanted to emulate one quarterback: Tim Tebow.
Friday night was the culmination of that meeting, as Munn scored three rushing touchdowns to lead New Providence to a 21-14 victory at home over Hasbrouck Heights in the NJSIAA/Xfinity North Jersey Section 2, Group 1 semifinals, clinching the program’s first appearance in a sectional final since 2010.
“I’ll tell you what, the last four weeks it was pretty accurate,” New Providence head coach Chet Parlaveccio Jr. said about Munn’s preseason prediction. “I love to see a player in the playoffs show that it means more to his team and can take a game over like that.”
Munn controlled the tempo of the first half, leading the Pioneers (9-2, 2-1) into the red zone on multiple drives. He scored both touchdowns of the half on the ground, getting in from 16 and 11 yards. His 96-yard first-half performance put him over 1,000 yards on the season.
“All week we were trying to recreate history,” said Munn. “We haven’t done this in a while, so it feels very cool.”
The Aviators (7-3, 3-2) came into the game with a highly touted rushing attack led by junior Michael Napolitano, whose 1,444 yards ranked first in the NJIC and 13th in the state. They opened up with a defensive stop and drove down the field before a failed hook and ladder ended their chances of scoring just outside the New Providence 20-yard line.
“I just told our guys that they competed hard,” Hasbrouck Heights head coach Eddie Suri said. “We just came up short, we didn’t get enough stops.”
Hasbrouck Heights tried to open up their playbook on their last drive of the half, with senior Daniel Amendola uncorking a 48-yard completion to Nico Nipitella. However, the New Providence defense was stout, not allowing another yard on the drive and forcing a turnover on downs to go into the locker room up 14.
“It slows the game down a lot,” said Munn. “I’m really able to focus and make the right play when we’re up like that.”
The Pioneers would put the game to rest when they came out of the locker room, holding the ball for almost eight minutes before Munn added his third rushing score of the game from two yards out. In a contest where both offenses relied heavily on the run, the three score lead was insurmountable.
“We really controlled the game by rushing and getting first downs,” Munn said. “It’s always good when you can have the ball for a while and come away with a score.”
The Aviators would get on the board at the beginning of the fourth, with Jake Summers scoring a three-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 14. They would force a three and out, but their next drive took too much time off the clock.
“I think their experience showed today and our lack of experience showed as well,” Suri said. “I thought we played hard until the final whistle, and at the end of the day that’s all you can ask for.”
Amandola would find Napolitano in the corner of the end zone for a nine-yard score with 1:22 left in the ball game. The ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Pioneers, and a first down run sent New Providence to their first sectional final in 14 years.
Munn led the way on offense for the Pioneers, recording 135 yards on 15 carries and all three of his team’s touchdowns. He only threw four passes, completing two of them for 22 yards. Junior A.J. Whitehead also saw a lot of the ball, recording 69 yards on 15 carries.
Hasbrouck Heights was led by Napolitano, who recorded 97 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. Amandola stepped up when called upon in the second half, completing 11-of-19 passes for 137 yards and a score. Junior Brady Shine was his main target, catching four passes for 63 yards.
New Providence now awaits the winner of the Cedar Grove-Verona game for next Friday night’s sectional championship. It would be the Pioneers’ first sectional title since 2010.
“Our boys have done a great job of preparing these last four weeks,” said Parlaveccio Jr. “They’ve been loose, they’ve been confident. We’re just going to keep going about our business and we’re just going to enjoy this ride right now.”
