Early turnovers help Old Tappan topple West Essex in clash of Group 3 titans

Northern Valley Regional High School in Old Tappan was the site for one of the best matchups North Jersey had to offer on Friday.

The 2022 Group 3 champion Old Tappan Golden Knights hosted the 2023 Group 3 finalist West Essex Knights in a matchup of public powers, both teams facing as stiff of competition there is to be had in Week 0.

A pick six on the opening drive of the game by Old Tappan senior Michael Gracey gave the Golden Knights a lead before their offense stepped onto the field, and two more turnovers in West Essex territory led to a pair of touchdown passes from sophomore Zach Miceli to supply all the offense necessary for Old Tappan to hold on for a 19-7 victory.

Stepping onto the field for the first time in 2024 following a fumble recovery by senior Ronan Molady, the Old Tappan offense debuted a new wrinkle. Senior Alex Orecchio did it all for the Golden Knights in 2023, passing for over 1,500 yards and rushing for nearly 900 as a dual-threat playmaker.

The first offensive play of the season saw Orecchio line up out wide, and it was Miceli making the first start of his high school career as Old Tappan’s signal caller. After throwing for 36 yards in mop up duty as a freshman, Miceli’s first pass of the season was a dart down the near sideline into the hands of a sprinting Molady, who had his defender beat and took Miceli’s pass into the end zone for a 39-yard score.

Displacing a senior for a sophomore is the type of decision that could result in ruffled feathers, but Old Tappan head coach Brian Dunn has both quarterbacks, as well as the rest of his roster, bought in on the dual quarterback approach.

“Coach Dunn knows what’s best for us, and Alex is a great athlete,” Miceli said.

“We can put him anywhere on the field and he’ll make plays. We put him at receiver and he made plays, we put him at quarterback and he made plays, and doing that really expands the offense. It’ll keep teams on their toes all of the time and it’ll be hard to stop.”

One of those plays Orecchio made came on Old Tappan’s following offensive drive, a 34 yard catch and run from Miceli to extend the Golden Knights’ lead to 19-0 a shade less than seven minutes into the contest.

Orecchio would find himself back at quarterback throughout the night, attempting the occasional pass and using his legs to keep West Essex honest defensively. Whether it’s throwing the ball, running it, or catching it, Orecchio is up for the challenge of contributing in every way possible.

“Wherever we are on the field, we’re going to make plays”, Orecchio said of his positional flexibility.

“Zach’s a heck of a QB. He does it through the air, I try to do it on the ground for the most part but we both have that dual threat ability. He can still run and I can still throw. It’s a dual threat that a lot of teams don’t have, and I think that sets us apart and gives us a leg up on most teams.”