Another playoff win for New Providence
Nov 02, 2025
Photo Credit Raquel Silva www.tapinto.netNew Providence offense comes out clicking against Boonton in N2G1 first roundSeven drive, seven scores. The New Providence offense was in full effect and executing from every direction, as second-seeded New Providence took down seventh-seeded Boonton in the first round of the NJSIAA/Xfinity North 2, Group 1 playoffs in New Providence.T.J. Munn was the star of the show, rushing 11 times for 205 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, while also hoisting two touchdown passes through the air for New Providence (8-2). While James Keneally led the defense with a team high 13 tackles. Munn had his fingerprints all over this game, and led New Providence to seven scoring drives, except for a drive that fell short due to halftime.While Munn ran for a 44 yard touchdown in the third quarter, that play was topped just a quarter later, when he ran for a 66-yard scamper down the left sideline to give New Providence a 42-24 lead.“I just wanted to be tough. We had to match their [Boonton] energy which was extremely important coming into this game, and I feel like we did a great job of doing that, the blocking was also incredible all game long.”Junior running back A.J. Whitehead made his impact felt in this matchup, rushing for 109 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.Whitehead and Munn combined for 314 yards on the ground, executing the ground and pound mindset to perfection, however, when New Providence decided to impact the game through the air, it converted in a big way.New Providence only threw the ball two times, one of them coming in the third quarter when Munn found Mike Pestes for a 30-yard touchdown connection, Pestes went on to score two touchdowns on the day.New Providence earned its first playoff win since 2021, and Munn expects this team to continue to battle moving forward in the playoffs.“We need to keep doing what we’re doing right now, we are on the right track and if we keep our heads down and only focus on winning, that is a recipe for success.”Boonton (6-4) came into the game with a traditional style of ground-and-pound mentality, and gave New Providence a fight until late in the third quarter when New Providence eventually pulled away.Colin Bostrom contributed a six-yard touchdown run, followed by a Metin Ahmedi one-yard keeper.Costly turnovers wound up being the achilles heel for Boonton, as two fumbles ruined potential promising drives, two which resulted in New Providence touchdowns on the other end.Head coach Sean Norton spoke about Boonton’s promising season, winning the SFC-National Blue conference this season, and the fight his team showed all season long.“This sport is special, and this loss hurts a lot. We lost to a very good team who I think is going to go very far here. We had some seniors, who should be very happy about what they accomplished here, we won our first conference title in a few years and had a winning season. It wasn’t how we wanted to end it, but we lost to a very good team.”Second-seeded New Providence has its eyes set on third-seeded Hasbrouck Heights next week in the semifinal round, and New Providence is taking its momentum and effort back to the practice field this week in preparation.
New Providence to first Sectional final in 14 years
Nov 08, 2024
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.”
