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It was a tale of two halves as the Pompton Lakes Cardinals took on the
Crusaders of Elmwood Park in a rare Friday afternoon football contest. A high-scoring
first half provided a total of 54 points while the second half only
yielded three. Unfortunately for Pompton Lakes, that last score turned out to be the biggest
points of the high school football game.
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After a slow start, Pompton Lakes turned around the course of the contest
and used their strong running game to maintain possession. Running back Shawn Patane ran
hard all day and didn't shy away from any contact on his way to a two-touchdown sports performance. While the Cardinals clicked on offense
throughout the first half, they displayed a leaky defense which
led to an offensive free-for-all during the first 24 minutes.
While the running game kept the score close, it was the huge
performance by wide receiver Paul Mason that gave Pompton Lakes the lead at two different points
in the game. After the Cardinals' defense forced an Elmwood Park punt, Mason shook off a collision with a teammate and dashed down the sideline to give his team its first lead of the day, 21-19. After
another impressive Elmwood Park drive, Mason wasted no time in
retaliating. With 50 seconds left in the half, a personal foul penalty gave the Cardinals
good field position at midfield. They wasted no time and a perfect
pass by Nick Sponzilli fell into Mason's lap to give Pompton Lakes a 28-26 lead at the
half.
It seemed like two different teams came out for the third quarter as a
defensive battle ensued for the remainder of the football game. Both teams had opportunities to score, but a fourth-quarter field goal by the Crusaders provided the
only points to be had. Pompton Lakes had one last chance with 2 minutes left, but an interception by Elmwood Park's Jarrod Diaz sealed
the deal for the 0-2 Cardinals.
With a matchup against Waldwick/Midland Park next week, the Cardinals are moving
forward and focusing their attention on achieving their first win of
the season. -- Anthony Mulvihill for Jersey Sports Now
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