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How good was Mountain Lakes in its first-round state football playoff game against Kinnelon? Anyone watching the game could see the Herd dominating in all aspects. But perhaps the true measure of their performance could be seen in the numbers. In this case, the statistics didn't lie.
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Six minutes into the contest, Mountain Lakes had run one offensive play, and held a 22-0 lead. Twelve minutes later the starters were on the bench and the score was an amazing 50-0. The Herd went on to defeat the Colts 57-7 to advance to next week's sectional semifinal against Park Ridge High School.
The Herd scored on its first offensive play, a 69-yard run by Greg DeLuca. After forcing the Colts to punt again, Mountain Lakes scored without having to bring its offense onto the field when Jake Tripucka scooped up a low punt and scooted 45 yards to paydirt.
On the next possession, the Colts made their only significant play against the Herd starters, a 61-yard pass on a halfback option (albeit with starting quarterback Brian DeVeau as the halfback). Two plays after that, Scott McWilliams intercepted a pass into the flat and ran the football back 90 yards for a score to kill any momentum Kinnelon might have had.
The Mountain Lakes defense shut down Kinnelon's powerful running attack for the entire first half. The Colts ended up committing two more turnovers on fumbles, both of which led to Herd touchdowns. Many Mountain Lakes starters were out of the game with nine minutes left in the half and the score 43-0, and the rest came out three minutes later after the next touchdown.
Kinnelon managed to avoid the shutout on DeVeau's touchdown run late in the third quarter. The Colts fall to 7-2, and must somehow gear up for a rematch with Mountain Lakes on Thanksgiving Day. The only good news for Kinnelon is that it will host that game, and perhaps the grass field will help slow down the speedy Herd.
As for Mountain Lakes, it got past the first New Jersey state playoff game after losing in that same round last year. Herd players said they used that loss as motivation to ensure they came out with their best sports effort against Kinnelon. It would be hard to argue that they gave anything less. -- Paul Mencher for Jersey Sports Now
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