Even when his team was trailing West Essex, 28-6, in the third quarter, Caldwell’s Dante Placenti never doubted his team’s comeback chances, and that was before the visitors’ big 19-point fourth quarter explosion in pulling out a rather impressive 32-28 comeback victory against their neighboring rivals.
“We have the backs and receivers, and I knew our line was going to lock down and do a great job in the second half,” said the Chiefs’ talented junior wide receiver-safety. “We practice long and hard every day, and our coaches have us very well- conditioned.
“I could see midway through the second half that West Essex was getting tired and those are the types of moments our coaches get us ready for.”
Placenti, the outstanding football-baseball combo athlete, scored two fourth-quarter TDs, including his game-winning catch and run to complete an 82-yard game-winning pass play with 2:43 remaining as Caldwell (5-0) stunned West Essex (5-1) in the well-attended contest at the Knights’ Travis Field in North Caldwell.
For his clutch efforts, which also included a well-conceived reverse resulting in a 3-yard TD run to pull his team to within 28-26 earlier in the fourth quarter, Placenti is the Parisi Fairfield/Sideline Chatter Athlete of the Week.
Caldwell is currently first in the North, Group 2 power index as the playoffs (Oct. 30-31 first round) are not far off now, and don’t expect the Chiefs to look past anyone at this juncture as they prepare to host Glen Ridge (2-4) on Friday night back in the friendly confines of Bonnel Field.
“We have to look at the win at West Essex as just another day, and that’s not to take anything away from how great a victory it was against a quality opponent,” said Placentri. “But, we know that we have to keep pushing forward because there is so much more football to play and we’re continuing to put in the necessary work for each day while getting ready for the playoffs.
“Since the summer I’ve felt that this team has been really coming together in a great way and that we have the talent to win a state championship.
“We are really close, we hang out together every chance that we can, and we’re all determined to make this a special season!”
Placenti leads the Chiefs’ superb cast or receivers with 20 receptions for 520 yards and 7 touchdowns. He is also part of a stellar defensive secondary where he has 21 tackles and 2 interceptions.
Junior Santino Russo (11 receptions for 172 yards), seniors Nico Sozio (8-64, 1 TD) and Nicco Capaldo (8-64) are other key pass catchers for the Chiefs.
Junior Aaron Sepe (14 of 18 for 233 yards and a TD vs. Wessex and a very efficient 49-of-67 for 910 yards, 8 TDs, 3 Int. on the season) is one of the better QBs in the Super Football Conference.
“I couldn’t be more thankful to be around so many talented players and they are the main reason that I have success out there,” said Placenti. “I’m nothing without Sepe and all of our other receivers who are around me plus the hard work our O-Line does up front to protect us all.
“I can become a threat thanks to the routes the other receivers run while they also help occupy the attention of more defenders.”
The late fourth quarter route that Placenti ran at West Essex with his team still clawing back while trying to ultimately take the lead has become the ‘the TD pass reception’ of a still-evolving season.
“It was a sail route across the field and we had run it earlier in the game where I was open,” Placenti recalled. “We knew that we had to come back to it and our coaches sent the play in again at just the right time.”
