North Jersey Interscholastic Conference: Championship Semifinals

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Friday, October 13 a quartet of NJIC teams will be competing in the conference's semi final round for the conference championship. Below is a quick preview of each matchup and the key players in each matchup. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">North Jersey Interscholastic Conference Championship Semifinal Round</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>#3 seed Rutherford (6-0) at #2 seed Hawthorne (5-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a very tight matchup the Bulldogs will travel to take on the Bears in this semifinal matchup. [player_tooltip player_id='1002365' first='Chris' last='Gioia'] has been Mr. Butler Bulldog this year as he has been heavily involved and critical to his team's success. As a quarterback, he is now 41 of 65 on the year for 661 yards while throwing 9 touchdowns to 0 interceptions. He has also thrown a touchdown in every game this season. On the ground Gioia has slashed 40/521/6. Whereas most quarterbacks only play offense, Gioia plays defense too, and is quite effective. Gioia has made 31 stops to go along with 3 tackles for loss and 1 forced fumble on the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Although Hawthorne is a more senior-heavy team, There are two sophomore standouts playing key roles for Hawthorne that are looking to slow Gioia down. [player_tooltip player_id='1037783' first='Rocco' last='Monica'] has had a tremendous sophomore season. He has already matched his season total in tackles from last year (47), along with 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 2 interceptions. His fellow 2026 graduate [player_tooltip player_id='1037782' first='Ali' last='Visaev'] has etched out a role on defense as well, as Visaev has made 17 tackles (13 solos) and 1 interception on the year. Together, they look to corral and contain Gioia. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>#4 seed Lyndhurst (4-2) at #1 Park Ridge (5-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lyndhurst and the Golden Bears will travel to take on the Owls. In this game, Lyndhurst finds their attack focused on the play of [player_tooltip player_id='1022239' first='Shawn' last='Bellenger']. The quarterback, Bellenger has gone 49 of 107 for 904 yards this year. He has thrown 11 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions during his junior season. Bellenger has also slashed 35/285/1 on the ground while also having thrown a for a score in every game this year. When it comes to rushing the ball, that is where [player_tooltip player_id='1022234' first='Roddy' last='Morinho'] shines. Also a junior, Morinho has slashed 91/493/7 on the season on the ground and 8/165/2 through the air. Morinho is also a standout on defense as he has made 64 tackles on the season (53 solo), 10 tackles for loss 1 sack, and 1 interception.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the Owls their defensive game is controlled in the trenches by two-way lineman [player_tooltip player_id='309262' first='Deron' last='McLaughlin']. An absolute load to handle up front, McLaughlin has made 28 stops on the season, including 2 tackles for loss and 7 sacks. He will look to afford his offense consistent opportunities too with his blocking on offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->