New Milford Returns to .500 Mark with Grind-Out Win Over Secaucus

The New Milford Knights varsity football team evened their record at 2-2 after a hard-fought 6-0 victory over the Secaucus Patriots at New Milford High School in New Milford, New Jersey.

In the first quarter, Secaucus's defense made an immediate impact when Brandon Vega recovered a fumble at their own 24-yard line. However, a botched snap by the Secaucus offense deep in their territory resulted in a recovery by New Milford's Jesse Brophy at the Patriots' four-yard line.

On first and goal, Knights running back Jack Johnson took the handoff from quarterback Max Kenny and powered straight ahead into the end zone for a touchdown with four minutes remaining in the quarter. Johnson not only excelled offensively with his bruising running style but also demonstrated his toughness on defense by recording a sack late in the quarter.

Brandon Vega continued to shine for Secaucus on defense, recovering his second fumble of the game with five minutes left, which provided the Patriots' offense with excellent starting field position near midfield.

Secaucus managed to keep its drive alive on a critical fourth-down conversion when Brandon Vega bulldozed through a line of players for a six-yard gain, advancing the ball to the Knights' 36-yard line. The Patriots faced another important fourth-down attempt, which was successful as quarterback Chase Berckes completed a pass to Dominick Brescia.

Chase Berckes showed his running abilities, scrambling for 18 yards that moved the ball into the red zone. Unfortunately, a pair of incomplete passes followed by an attempted hook-and-ladder play on a completed pass led to time running out on Secaucus.

In the third quarter, New Milford regained possession with less than ten minutes remaining. The Knights established control with a potent running attack featuring Jack Johnson, Peter Psarianos, and Daniel Maye, who picked up significant yardage.

However, New Milford hit a roadblock when a series of false start penalties pushed them back. The Knights caught a break on a pass interference penalty against the Patriots' defense, which moved the ball down to the 19-yard line. On fourth down, a running play fell short of the first down marker, resulting in a turnover on downs with four and a half minutes left.

With five and a half minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Secaucus got the ball back and moved it up to midfield. Facing a fourth down, quarterback Chase Berckes launched a pass downfield, but New Milford's Alex Stucke made a leaping interception.

Secaucus had one last chance as time wound down, but Knights' Jesse Brophy sacked quarterback Chase Berckes as time expired.

New Milford will be back in action on September 26th, facing Hawthorne at Hawthorne High School, with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. Meanwhile, Secaucus (2-1) returns home on September 26th, hosting Butler with a kickoff at 7 p.m.