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In their first high school football conference game, the Passaic Valley Hornets came up short against the West Orange Mountaineers 37-23. After coming out strong and taking a quick 10-0 lead, a few key turnovers and a strong West Orange running game led to the Hornets' sports downfall.
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Passaic Valley's quarterback Frank Giardina put forth a valiant effort but could not rally the team to a come from behind win in the closing quarter. Good pressure by the Mountaineers' front four helped keep the passing game in check. The Hornets were also missing many key players to injury, including two-way starter Tom Romeo.
The highlight for the Hornets came as time expired in the first half. Giardina launched a bomb down the sideline to Alex Milza who got behind two defenders for the score. The shocking Hail Mary pass cut the halftime deficit to 24-17. Passaic Valley converted a good percentage of their attainable third downs but couldn't keep up with West Orange's offense in the end.
Despite the loss, PV Coach Angelo DeSalvo still had a positive outlook on the effort. "We played hard for 48 minutes," he said. "We had four starters out due to injuries... we'll be a team to reckon with as the season progresses."
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