Old Tappan Cruises Past River Dell in the 2025 Home Opener

The Old Tappan Golden Knights(2-0) secured a dominant 35-7 victory over the River Dell Golden Hawks(0-2) in their 2025 home opener at Northern Valley Regional High School in Old Tappan, New Jersey.

Right from the start, Old Tappan's defense forced River Dell into a three-and-out on their first offensive possession. Golden Knights punt returner Leo Etter made a solid return, bringing the punt down to the Golden Hawks' 42-yard line.

On second down from the 42, quarterback Zach Miceli took the snap, dropped back in the pocket, and threw a perfect pass to wide receiver Leo Etter, who caught it in stride and ran into the end zone for a touchdown with nine minutes left in the first quarter.

River Dell's offense aimed to regroup on their second possession, successfully marching down the field by mixing runs and passes. They advanced deep into Old Tappan territory, reaching the 15-yard line. However, on fourth down, an incomplete pass led to a turnover on downs, wasting a 13-play drive that consumed seven minutes.

In the second quarter, the Golden Knights capitalized on the momentum created by their defense. On second down at the Golden Hawks' 44-yard line, running back Devyn Radoian took the handoff from quarterback Zach Miceli. Radoian sprinted to the left side of the line and dashed into the end zone, extending Old Tappan's lead to 14-0.

Desperate for a spark, River Dell found one on their next offensive drive. Making a bold decision to go for it on fourth down at their own 36-yard line, quarterback Zion Yoon completed an 18-yard pass to wide receiver Iain Rossig.

The River Dell offensive line then opened large holes in the running game, allowing running back Cain Lanza and quarterback Zion Yoon to gain substantial yardage, advancing the ball further into Golden Knights territory.

On first and goal at the two-yard line, Cain Lanza took the handoff from Zion Yoon and pushed through a pile of players into the end zone for a touchdown with two and a half minutes remaining in the half.

However, the Golden Knights still had time to respond. Quarterback Zach Miceli completed two passes that brought Old Tappan into the red zone. On third and two from the Golden Hawks' three-yard line, Miceli took the snap in shotgun formation, faked the handoff, rolled out to his left, and fired a pass to a wide-open Nick Blanchard in the end zone, extending the lead to 21-7 at halftime.

Old Tappan received the second-half kickoff and wasted no time in expanding their margin. On second down at the 32-yard line, quarterback Zach Miceli executed a deep pass into River Dell territory, where wide receiver Christakis Nicolaou made a spectacular catch and sprinted into the end zone for an electrifying 68-yard touchdown.

The Golden Knights put the game away for good late in the third quarter as running back Damian Du Toit took the handoff from Zach Miceli and bulldozed his way through a crowd of defenders, scoring from 13 yards out.