The Irvington attack all begins with Spellman (79-of-167, 1,193 yards, 14 TDs, 9 Int.), and the running backs by committee have standouts such as Nadree Richardson (78 carries for 427 yards, 5 TDs), who had a first quarter 5-yard TD run at Ramapo on Friday night, and Mitch Jenkins (52 carries, 397 yards, 5 TDs).

A strong junior class helps lead the Blue Knights defense with standouts such as linebacker-defensive end Malachi Mills (96 tackles, 6 sacks, 18 TFL), middle linebacker Jalil Coursey (74 tackles 12 TFL, 1 Int.) D-lineman Khayari Brydie (55 tackles) and safety Desmond Allen (48 tackles, 2 FF, 2 Int.).

Among the top senior defenders are rover back Nazeem Hooker (42 tackles, 2 Int (including 1 for a TD) and D-lineman Jaylin Williams (7 sacks).

The ups and downs along the way have included a season-opening win at Union City, shutout losses to both West Orange and Shabazz and wins over both Passaic Tech and a good Bayonne team.

There was disappointment with a 26-23 overtime loss at EOC in the sense that Irvington led at one point by three TDs, and although the final score was certainly respectable (31-21) in the loss at SHP, Soto felt his team could have played better.

“The East Orange loss hurt and I thought we got a little away from what we needed to do at Seton Hall, but – again – I think playing good teams like they both are has helped us get to this point, and now we have to keep getting better as we prepare to face a strong Piscataway team with two game-breakers in that quarterback and running back.

“I really like where our team is right now, but it’s the playoffs and you can never take anything for granted because any team still alive at this point can rise up and win the game.”

NOTES- Irvington has reached the playoffs 10 straight years since 2016…The 56-year-old Soto is a lifelong resident of Paterson and is a 1988 graduate of Don Bosco Tech which used to stand on Union Avenue in the Silk city. A soccer player at DBT, Soto played football for the first time at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield Conn., and wound up being a standout at defensive tackle for the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS, formerly 1-AA) school….Soto also coached at another Catholic school now closed in Bayel-Ellard where one of his young players was Irvington resident Smoke Pierre who attended the Madison-based school in the early 2000s…Soto, whose family has Peruvian roots, is an athletics student affairs coordinator at Irvington High School…One of his mentors is Bill Vacca, the well-liked, longtime administrator in athletics in Passaic County, including with the Passaic County Tournaments in basketball and with his roles in the athletic department at DBT and - more recently - at Passaic Tech….College interest is beginning to generate for QB Spellman, who had an informal visit to Rutgers earlier this season….Malachi Mills, who was discovered by Soto when the youngster triple jumped 19 feet as a freshman, is among other Blue Knight to watch emerge on colleges’ radar in the coming months…Several former Irvington standouts are currently on major college rosters including Adon Shuler at Notre Dame, Mikai Ghayer at Florida State, Nasir Addison at Kentucky, Murad Watson at Texas, Vaboue Toure at Penn State  and Cam Richardson at Stanford…Adon Shuler’s younger brother, Donte, a senior linebacker for the Blue Knights, is expected to come off the injury shelf this week and play at Piscataway.

This Week’s Sideline Chatter Essex County Top 10:
1-Shabazz (9-1)- Bulldogs seek upset at Old Tappan in N1G3
2-West Orange (8-2)- Mountaineers absorb heartbreaking loss
3-Seton Hall Prep (5-4)- Pirates are at familiar foe St. Peter’s Prep
4-Cedar Grove (9-1)- Panthers look to win third straight sectional title
5-West Essex (10-1) Knights host state-ranked Wayne Hills
6-Caldwell (9-1)- Chiefs have great shot at Westwood
7-East Orange Campus (7-3)- Jags will regroup for Turkey Day
8-Irvington (7-4)- Blue Knights seek more road magic
9-Weequahic (4-4)- Indians look forward to ‘Soul Bowl’
10-Livingston (6-4)- Another solid season for Lancers

This Week’s Schedule Involving Essex Teams. Pick To Win In Boldface:
Friday, Nov. 13:
NJSIAA playoff sectional finals:
North 2, Group 1:
Hasbrouck Heights at Cedar Grove, 7

North 2, Group 3:
Wayne Hills at West Essex, 6:30

North 1, Group 2:
Caldwell at Westwood, 7

North 1, Group 3:
Shabazz at Old Tappan, 6

Playoff Sectional Quarterfinal:
Non-Public, Group A:
Seton Hall Prep at St. Peter’s Prep, 7

Saturday, Nov. 14:
Playoff Sectional final:
North 1, Group 5:
Irvington at Piscataway, noon

Record on picks last week: 6-1; for the season: 116-32 (78%)                        

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