Every Team’s Player to Watch: North 1 Group 1 Playoffs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Park Ridge (1) vs. North Arlington (8)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Park Ridge</em>: Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='309262' first='Deron' last='McLaughlin']</strong> has been an absolute monster for his team on the defensive side of the ball. Not only has he racked up 39 total tackles on the season, but he has found his way to the quarterback 9 times so far this season. He will look to get to double digits in this game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>North Arlington</em>: The "do it all" quarterback for North Arlington will be looking to upset the number 1 seeded Park Ridge this weekend. <strong>Sean McGeehan</strong> has been a force for his offense, as he has passed for 1243 yards and tossed it to the end zone 9 times. He is also the leading rusher for the team with 625 rushing yards and another 9 touchdowns. Sean may cross 20 offensive touchdowns on the season in this matchup. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kinnelon (5) vs. Mountain Lakes (4)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Kinnelon</em>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1000447' first='Zach' last='Grande']</strong> has stepped up in a big way for Kinnelon this season. Leading the team to a 5-3 record, the 2025 quarterback has thrown for 851 yards and 9 touchdowns through 8 games. He may have one of his toughest opponents yet in the quarterfinals this weekend. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mountain Lakes</em>: One of the best 2 loss teams in the northern part of the state, the Herd's defense has been impressive for the most part this season, and have been led by senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='606204' first='Cosmo' last='Fusco']</strong>. As a defensive lineman, Cosmo has dominated the line of scrimmage and has racked up 38 tackles and 6 sacks in 8 games. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hawthorne (3) vs. New Milford (6)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Hawthorne:</em> With a dominant run game throughout the season, Hawthorne has been led by the talented <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='994300' first='Cormac' last='Smith']</strong>. With 820 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in the regular season, Cormac will look to help his team advance to the next round, and inch closer to the 1000 yard rushing mark. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>New Milford</em>: Another program looking for a big upset, New Milford's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1548608' first='Jerzey' last='Ryan'] </strong>will need to take control of the game to get a win this weekend. He has been the most dangerous player on his offense, throwing for 1008 yards and 9 touchdowns, and has also rushed for another 3.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Walkill Valley (7) vs. Hasbrouck Heights (2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Walkill Valley</em>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1005646' first='Zack' last='Clarken']</strong> is another QB in this Group that plays multiple roles for his offense. As a passer, he threw for 1365 yards and 7 touchdowns. While not a true duel threat, Zach was able to find the end zone 6 times this season as a runner as well. Zach is only a junior so will have more opportunities in the future to perfect his craft. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Hasbrouck Heights</em>: Entering this playoff game on a 5 game winning streak, Hasbrouck Heights has all of the momentum. Offensively, they have put up a ton of points. Defensively, they have prevented teams from ever putting up more than 11 points. A major contributor to this effort has been 2025 defensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='310326' first='Joseph' last='Russo']</strong>. Joseph has an astonishing 61 tackles on the season, and has brought the quarterback down 5 times as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->