“I’ve been getting the ball a lot lately and I’m just trying to do everything I can to try and help our team,” said the precocious Mountie freshman. “The losses have been really tough, but we stick together as a team and we have really bonded.

“We practice really hard and we have very good coaches trying to help us become better.”   
Martin (14-of-22 for 157 yards, 2 Int.) and Webb (6 receptions for 75 yards) helped spearhead an aerial attack that was crucial since the Mounties had just 89 yards rushing compared to 159 on the ground for Barringer.

A big difference was the 157 passing yards for Martin to just 2 passing yards for the Blue Bears.  

The Mounties also have the edge of an excellent kicking game with senior punter Oscar Crosbie-Smyth and senior placekicker Quinn Previdi, who came through with two field goals, the first one from 41 yards out for a 3-0 lead with 3:11 left in the first quarter, and the second one from 36 yards on the final play of the first half to build the Mounties’ lead to 12-0 at the intermission when the Hall of Famers present were honored out on the field before the band performed.

RB-WR Samad Jiles had given MHS a 9-0 advantage on his 14-yard TD run just 96 seconds prior to Previdi’s second field goal of the first half.

A 20-yard Martin to Burns completion on the right sideline brought the ball down to the 14 where the athletic Jiles then burst up the middle for the TD.

The Mounties struck again quickly after senior linebacker Adam Schmitt helped create a turnover when he forced a fumble, deflecting the ball out of a Barringer running back’s hands with junior D-lineman Avery Brantley-Burden recovering at the Blue Bears’ 35 with 1:36 still showing in the second quarter.

Previdi then cleanly converted his second field goal of the half as time expired.

For Martin, who has enjoyed playing QB full-time after Jiles switched back to his more familiar position as a receiver, the progress of the Mounties attack is finally being enjoyed with results, even if the season will soon be over.

“Our offense has been clicking a lot more,” said the Mounties senior QB who serves as a quad captain along with fellow senior Aaron Smith, the veteran lineman, and two juniors in Jiles and the 2-way lineman Brantley-Burden. “Having all our playmakers on the field definitely helps us a lot because there are a number of guys who can make something happen for us in a very productive way and you saw that happen today.

“Our defense also came up big and ultimately won the game for us by keeping them in check throughout the fourth quarter.

“Now, it’s time to study film of Livingston and get ready to come out and put forth another winning performance on Friday night.

“Our team is getting better and we want to finish on a high note for sure!”

NOTES- Barringer had interceptions in Saturday's game by DB Jayden Thorn and D-lineman Jayden Serrano…The Blue Bears still have a Thanksgiving Day game with East Orange Campus Nov. 27 at Schools Stadium in Newark, visits Hackensack next Saturday (Oct. 25) after the Mounties face Livingston on Friday night at Allen ‘Jake’ Jacobson Memorial Field…Barringer, which is playing with its third different head coach in three years, has not had a .500 season since 2019 (5-5) and hasn’t had a winning campaign since going 8-2 in 2015…Montclair defeated Barringer 46-6 last season when the Blue Bears finished 0-9 under coach Carlos Rodriguez. Coach Dave McCombs’ team was 3-7 in 2023…Among the Mountie Hall of Famers taking in Saturday’s game with Barringer were all-time great basketball players from the late 1970s and early ‘80s in Craig Robinson, Greg ‘Dunkin’ Hines, Curtis Ritchwood and Dwayne Jones…Several former Mountie greats in a number of different sports were inducted into a newly-formed Montclair High School Sports Hall of Fame during ceremonies held on Friday night in the high school, including all-time great football players who were on hand for that occasion including Ron Burton, Lenny Coleman and Dale Berra.

Super Football Conference-Freedom Red Division:
BARRINGER (2-5)     0     0    12   0    - 12
MONTCLAIR (1-7)     3    9     8    0     - 20
M- Quinn Previdi 41 FG
M- Samad Jiles 14 run (kick blocked)
M- Previdi 36 FG
B- Marshon Wooten 12 run (pass failed)
B- Sean Smith 65 punt return (run failed)
M- Jake Martin 10 run (Martin run)