Toughness, physicality, and heart are what separate contenders from pretenders, and in a 20-7 win over Paramus Catholic, the Green Knights showed every bit of that grit.
"We got a gritty group of guys," said Coach Hoffmann.
"They love football. Our program has been built on toughness, and that's what we are going to live on. We're just going to be tougher than everybody else,"
In the first quarter Friday night, both teams battled for field position, but as the clock was ticking down to the end of the quarter, quarterback Lamar Best and the SJR offense were putting together a strong drive.
Then, right out the gate to start the 2nd quarter, Best connected with wide receiver Stalin Knowlden, who hauled in a toe-tapper catch just as he was going out of bounds.
Both offenses were silent until the final offensive drive of the half, until Richard Rigolioso followed up a 14-yard rush with a 7-yard rushing touchdown.
The Green Knights had the edge over the Paladins heading into halftime with a 13-0 lead.
Straight out the tunnel on the first play of the 3rd quarter the SJR defensive continued to carry the load as AJ Revella forced a fumble to give SJR perfect field position.
After taking a big hit, Best was ruled out of the game with an injury, which forced SJR to turn to QB Mason Geis to finish the game.
On the first drive with Geis at the helm, the SJR offense did not miss a beat. In just four plays, Geis connected with senior tight end Brady Shust on a 20-yard pass where Shust fought his way through PC tacklers for the touchdown.
Despite a late Paladins score, the SJR defense held control of the game as the Green Knights would go on to win 20-7 and improve to 4-0 on the year.
When Coach Hoffmann had to call on Mason Geis to finish the game, he executed to put a bow on the win.
"I thought it did a pretty good job," said Mason Geis
"I just had to get the job done and get the win, but my team put it all on the line and got it done."
While the win was impressive, it may have been over shadowed by the loss of senior wider receiver Nate Bailey and Lamar Best. Both played sparingly due to injuries and the extent of their injuries and status for next week's game is unknown.
After the Best and Bailey went down, the Green Knights offense struggled to finish drives, primarily dealing with dropped balls.
"Drops are a a focus thing," said Coach Hoffmann
"We got a few touchdowns that were left on the field because of the dropped balls. To win the big games, we've got to make those catches."
The Green Knights are back in action next Saturday in Jersey City when they face St. Peter's Prep.
