The Bridgewater-High School football team will play in its first New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) sectional playoff championship game since 2017.

Bridgewater-Raritan defeated Union City High School in the state sectional playoff semifinal, 22-7, on a chilly evening of Friday evening, November 7, at John Basilone Memorial Field in Bridgewater.

The top-seeded Panthers are set for their third straight home state sectional playoff game when they take on sixth-seeded Bayonne High School on Friday, November 14.
A victory against Bayonne would result in the first-ever state sectional playoff championship for Bridgewater-Raritan High School.

Kick off for the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 state playoff title game is set for 6 p.m.

Bridgewater-Raritan last played in a state sectional playoff final in 2017 when it fell to Westfield High School in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 5 title game at MetLife Stadium.
For Bridgewater–Raritan Coach DJ Catalano and his squad, the state playoff semifinal with fourth-seeded Union City acted as a revenge game, as 364 days earlier, the Panthers were knocked out by Union City, 61-10, in the state sectional playoff semifinals in Hudson County.

In that game, the young and inexperienced Panthers allowed an astounding 515 rushing yards, with 257 of them coming from Lincoln University commit Mark Boyd. Boyd finished his senior season with a touch over 1,500 rushing yards and helped propel the Soaring Eagles to their second straight state sectional playoff title.

However, this year’s matchup could not be any different, as the development of the Panthers, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, proved to be too much for Union City to handle.
The Panthers looked to uphold their perfect 7-0 stretch at home, coming off a dominating 35-6 victory over Linden High School in the state playoff opener on Oct. 31, when the Panther defense allowed only 194 yards of total offense.

Union City made the lengthy trip following an overtime victory in the state playoff opener against fifth-seeded Irvington High School. Union City showed tremendous fight in this contest, as after falling behind 14-0 at halftime, it went on to score 21 unanswered points en route to its fifth consecutive victory.

Union City won the coin toss and deferred to the Panthers, who started the game with the ball for the 10th game this season.

The Bridgewater-Raritan offense quickly got to work, as despite an early sack, senior quarterback Declan Kurdyla was able to convert on a third-and-22 and later break off a long rush to enter Union City territory.

This season, Kurdyla’s mobility has continually been supplemented by a one-two punch running back room that contains Jahmier Black and Denzel Amoafo. The pair has combined for over 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. The Panthers turned to Amoafo on their first drive when he took a simple inside run 20 yards into the end zone for an early lead.

The high-flying Soaring Eagles offense took the field for their first drive, looking to answer, but with their first and second down run plays bottled up and third down pass play falling incomplete, they were forced to punt it away to Bridgewater-Raritan.

The Panther offense picked up right where they left off and ran it to the Union City 13-yard line. However, on fourth down and three yards for a first down, Coach Catalano elected to be conservative and sent in senior kicker Joe Squicciarini, who delivered a 29-yard field goal. That kick gave Bridgewater-Raritan a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.

The next Union City possession looked to be over before it even began, as the Hudson County school was faced with third down and 16 from its own 14-yard line. But Union City got out of trouble when a sensational over-the-shoulder grab by receiver Khalil Sutton near the right sideline resulted in a 26-yard gain.

This burst of yardage proved to be what Union City needed to get its offense into rhythm, as its run game helped to move the offense downfield and eventually allowed for Mario Medina to score on a four-yard run. The conversion kick left the score at 10-7 in favor of Bridgewater-Raritan.

The ensuing Bridgewater-Raritan series took the Panthers into Union City territory but stalled shortly after. However, Squicciarini’s first punt was a beauty, landing inside the five-yard line and being downed at the one by Will Higgins.

With a disastrous field position, Union City attempted to inch the ball out of their own end zone, but a fumble on the transfer between quarterback Xavien Rodriguez and Medina led to a safety, giving the Panthers a 12-7 lead.

Bridgewater-Raritan got another offensive possession thanks to this sequence and notched a second field goal from Squicciarini. His 25-yard field goal extended Bridgewater-Raritan’s lead to 15-7 heading into the locker room.

The Panthers were clearly focused on controlling the ball for as long as possible in the second quarter, as Kurdyla did not register a single passing attempt in the third and fourth quarters, and continued to lean on Amoafo and Black.

On the defensive side of the ball for Bridgewater-Raritan, no changes were needed, as Union City’s offense was completely foiled. Although prioritizing a sense of urgency in the second half, the Soaring Eagles were still prone to unforced errors, as yet another fumble, this time recovered by Miles Tofte, gave the Panthers yet another scoring opportunity.

Black was able to punch in a seven-yard run for his first touchdown since October 10, making the score 22-7 and putting the game out of reach.