MONTCLAIR- The fourth quarter was taxing the remaining strength of both teams with several starters going both ways for Montclair and Bloomfield in Thursday afternoon’s heat and humidity, and the game perhaps hinging on one more key play as the Bengals were clinging to a 13-7 lead.
The question was who might make a big defensive stop or perhaps complete a key pass play to create a pivotal turning point.
In the end It would be the Mounties (2-1) who made the game’s biggest play when it mattered most, a key 4th down touchdown pass with 6:47 remaining, and then added the critical extra point placement to post a narrow 14-13 victory over Bloomfield (1-2) in the 105th meeting between the two longtime local rivals.
Montclair, which has now won 9 of the last 10 meetings with its neighbor to the east, has a 77-27-1 edge in the longstanding gridiron series that dates back to 1903.
Bloomfield was leading 13-7 when it had mounted a late third-quarter drive into the red zone that was halted at the Mounties 19, and the Bengals were pushed even further back after a key Montclair sack and subsequent penalty assessed against the visitors to set the stage for what proved to be the Mounties’ game-winning 8-play, 60-yard drive that culminated with the game’s most clutch and pivotal play, on a 4th-and-3 as promising sophomore quarterback Andrew Reynolds found an open receiver over the middle on a ‘line’ screen pass as senior Jesiah Godfrey-Pelham hauled it in near the goal line and proceeded into the end zone rto tie the contest at 13-13.
Montclair’s senior placekicker Jaxon Parma, who earlier had a field goal attempt blocked and returned 55 yards for a touchdown by Bloomfield defensive back Christian Cradle to tie the score 7-7 as the first half was ending, provided the game-winning margin with his successful extra point placement.
“I’m just glad to be able to kick this year for Montclair’s football team,” said Parma, a forward on the Mounties ice hockey team who didn’t even play football last fall. “We have a young team to keep an eye on this season, that’s for sure!”
One of those youngsters is definitely Reynolds, the team’s precocious 15-year-old sophomore QB who had a breakthrough performance in just his second varsity start after relieving injured senior starter Samad Jiles, who suffered a fractured bone in his wrist in the Mounties’ 41-7 season-opening loss to Ridgewood.
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Reynolds was quite productive vs. Bloomfield, completing 11-of-14 passes for 171 yards and 2 TDs,
“My first big game really,” said the smiling, young QB after Thursday’s big win over Bloomfield. “That fourth down pass play was a designed screen to Jesiah as the linemen clear out and he was wide open.
“We have some real good receivers, and I’m just trying to get the ball out to them and watch them do the rest.”
Reynolds’ other primetime completion for a score came with 5:54 left in the second quarter when he uncorked a long pass downfield that speedy senior wide out Zakir Huff hauled in behind three Bloomfield defenders and then sprinted into the end zone to complete a 62-yard TD pass play.
