Cedar Grove became the first team to hold Glassboro under 30 points this season, and Gogerty could legitimately point to the handful of plays and missed opportunities that might have changed Sunday’s outcome, including drives into the red zone at the end of each half that saw Cedar Grove come away with zero points.

“It felt like we were knocking on the door a few times, and credit to Glassboro, they’re a great team. We were going to have to be perfect today,” Gogerty said. “We didn’t do a good job against them last year, and today all we asked of our guys was that they come out here and fight until the clock hit 0:00, and that’s exactly what they did.”

That fighting spirit is why Gogerty and his players left the field Sunday with their heads held high. It’s also responsible for the undisputed highlight play of the day, and one of the crazier plays you’re likely to see.

It came as Cedar Grove was driving the ball just across midfield while trailing 29-7 midway through the fourth. Asfalg (12-for-21, 148 yards, 1 TD) took a deep shot down the left sideline towards senior receiver Michael Ruggiano (game-high 5 catches for 63 yards), but Glassboro’s Xavier Sabb stepped in front of it for an interception inside the 5-yard line, with room to make a significant return.

Sabb got across the 15 before the hustling wide receiver Xavier Andujar, who had been on the far opposite side of the field running his route, delivered a crushing blindside hit that dislodged the ball. Cedar Grove players swarmed to the loose ball, muffing four different attempts to corral the fumble and pushing the ball into the end zone. Finally, the chaos ended when seniors Jerry Targia and Michael Cantarelli simultaneously covered it up, with the official scorer awarding Targia the touchdown.

“We had gold uniforms flying around all day today,” Gogerty said. “That’s all we can ask.”
It would be a bit of well-earned consolation for Cedar Grove, whose comeback hopes were kept alive a bit longer after Julian Cruz recovered an onside kick. A drive inside the red zone stalled and ended with a fourth-down incomplete pass with two minutes to go, allowing the Bulldogs to run out the clock.

Glassboro scored on its first two possessions to grab a 14-0 halftime lead. The first TD came on Jack O’Connell’s 3-yard shovel pass to Amari Sabb on fourth-and-goal, the second fourth-down conversion of the drive. The next time they touched the ball, Sabb took a swing pass, broke two tackles and spun away from a third before outracing the other defenders for the 78-yard TD.

After Glassboro picked off Asfalg in the end zone just before halftime, the Panthers defense opened the third quarter by stopping Glassboro on a fourth-down attempt, and the offense countered with a score of its own. Asfalg hit Targia on a fade route down the sideline for 24 yards on first down, and two plays after that, he drilled Cantarelli on an inside slant that went 17 yards to the end zone, cutting the deficit to 14-7 with 7:48 left in the third.

But that would be as close as the Panthers would get. On the fourth play of the ensuing drive, DeLecce broke loose around the left end and sprinted down the sideline for a 69-yard score. The Panthers’ next drive was promising, but stalled near midfield after consecutive sacks by Tyler Bright and Maurice Davis, the latter causing a fumble that was recovered by the Bulldogs’ Junior Serrano. On the next snap, DeLecce ran straight up the gut 44 yards for the score that all but iced the game.

GAME NOTES—Glassboro’s speed and pass rush limited Cedar Grove’s typically-explosive quick passing game to just 148 yards Sunday. Asfalg, the senior first-year starting QB, concluded a fantastic season under center with 2,851 passing yards and 20 TDs. Asfalg also led CGHS in rushing this season with 910 yards and 15 scores … Andujar fell just six yards of a 1,000-yard receiving season (76 catches for 994 yards and 7 TD), while Ruggiano – who led all Panther receivers Sunday with 5 catches for 63 yards – was not far behind with 45 for 846 this year … Sebastian Kovacs led the Panthers defense with 8 tackles and 1 tackle for loss. Kovacs also booted both of his extra-point attempts Sunday and had a touchback on a kickoff. An ever-reliable kicker, Kovacs finishes his Panther career making nearly 95 percent of his PAT kicks (153-for-162), as well as 20 of his 30 field goal attempts, including the career-long 48-yarder that lifted Cedar Grove past Butler in last week’s Group I semifinal … Senior linebacker Thomas Cannataro had 6 tackles to wrap up a strong season with 90 for the year.

NJSIAA GROUP 1 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
at Rutgers
Cedar Grove (10-4) 0          0          7          7          -         14
Glassboro (14-0)     7          7          15       0          -           29

FIRST QUARTER
GL—Amari Sabb 3 pass from Jack O’Connell (Sal Esgro kick), 2:26
Drive: 11 plays, 71 yards, 6:55

SECOND QUARTER
GL—Sabb 78 pass from O’Connell (Esgro kick), 9:08
Drive: 4 plays, 90 yards, 2:52

THIRD QUARTER
CG—Michael Cantarelli 17 pass from Pierce Asfalg (Sebastian Kovacs kick), 7:48
Drive: 3 plays, 41 yards, 1:09
GL—JoJo DeLecce 69 run (Esgro kick), 6:12
Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:36
GL—DeLecce 44 run (Xavier Sabb pass from O’Connell), 1:26
Drive: 1 play, 44 yards, 0:07

FOURTH QUARTER
CG—Jerry Targia 0 fumble return (Kovacs kick), 6:03

OVERALL GROUP 1 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME HISTORY
2025: Glassboro 29, Cedar Grove 14
2024: Glassboro 56, Cedar Grove 14
2023: Mountain Lakes 24, Glassboro 6
2022: Woodbury 31, Mountain Lakes 7

CEDAR GROVE FOOTBALL 2025
10-4 overall, 3-1 SFC-National Red
Group 1 runners-up
North 2 Group 1 sectional champions (2nd in a row)
Aug. 31          L, 31-37 vs. Wayne Valley (at West Point Prep)
Sept. 5                       W, 23-14 at Weequahic
Sept. 12        W, 41-7 at Verona
Sept. 19        W, 40-21 vs. Madison
Sept. 27        W, 48-12 at Newark Collegiate
Oct. 3             L, 14-29 vs. Caldwell
Oct. 11                      W, 42-34 at Glen Ridge
Oct. 17                      L, 16-20 vs. Newark Central
Oct. 24                      W, 49-7 vs. Boonton
Oct. 31                      W, 35-20 vs. #5 Glen Ridge (N2G1 quarters)
Nov. 7            W, 22-15 at #1 Mountain Lakes (N2G1 semis)
Nov. 14          W, 37-13 at #3 New Providence (N2G1 final)
Nov. 21          W, 24-21 at Butler (G1 semis)
Nov. 30          L, 14-29 vs. Glassboro (G1 final at Rutgers)