Caldwell football shuts down Mountain Lakes in battle of undefeated teams
MOUNTAIN LAKES — For the past two seasons, Caldwell has been one of the dominant programs in the state. Loaded with quickness throughout the lineup, the Chiefs added another notch to their remarkable state-best 23-game winning streak Friday night.
Behind Joey Marinello’s 157-yard rushing effort and a touchdown, Caldwell defeated Mountain Lakes 35-14 in the SFC, American Gold division matchup in the regular season finale for both schools. Both programs await their matchups for the playoffs that start next week.
Caldwell’s defense played a nearly flawless first half. Other than the 45-yard reception by Jimmy Elliott, Mountain Lakes had just one play in the first half yield more than three yards. The Chiefs were quick to the edges, as the Herd were outgained 321 to 44 on the ground. Linebacker Julian Casale and defensive lineman Mike Fano paced the unit that suffocated the Herd ballcarriers throughout the game.
“Our kids were up for the challenge,” Caldwell coach Todd Romano said. “Defensively, we thought we got the grip on them early and stopped the things that they need to live on.”
Check out the photo gallery, then continue reading.
The teams were scoreless through most of the opening quarter but Caldwell cracked into the scoring column first courtesy of great field position. After starting at the Mountain Lakes’ 38, Marinello set up his own score with a 35-yard run.
Mountain Lakes responded when Ben Miniter threw a short pass to Jimmy Elliott, who found space near the right sideline for a 45-yard touchdown with 11:48 left in the first half. Unfortunately for the Herd, those opportunities were limited against Caldwell’s steadfast defense.
“We needed to be better offensive and were trying to do too many things and were a little out of sorts,” Fusco said. “We were hoping to get some guys in space for a touchdown like Elliott did.”
As Mountain Lakes’ offense stalled to open the second half, Caldwell continued to find success through its ground attack. Harry Boland, who steamrolled the Herd defense on several runs, collected 56 yards and a pair of touchdowns on consecutive drives as Caldwell pushed out to a 28-7 lead just seconds into the fourth quarter.
Anemone, who shared time at quarterback with Luke Kurzum, added a final score on a 32-yard yard run with 10 minutes left as Caldwell piled up 28-straight points in the game. Kurzum played a few series in his return from an injury.
Caldwell captured its fourth-straight win in the series. The Chiefs have won those meetings by an average of over 29 points per game and hold a 4-3 edge in their meetings since 2012.
What it means
Caldwell runs its winning streak to a state-leading 23 games, dating back to the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign. The Chiefs’ last loss came to Cedar Grove by a 33-27 score on Nov. 6, 2020. Caldwell captured the SFC, American Gold division title with the victory. It was the third straight shared or individual conference crown for the school.
Mountain Lakes’ undefeated run ended at seven games. It was the longest unbeaten run for the program since the 2013 and 2014 squads won 24 consecutive games.
Caldwell, which entered the week as the top seed and one of four undefeated teams in North Group 2, will open with a home playoff game next week. Entering the week, the Herd ranked fourth in North Group 1 and will host a first-round playoff game.
Both squads entered the game as two of only 22 undefeated teams throughout the state.
Key play
Caldwell was facing a third-and-6 from the Mountain Lakes’ 44-yard line late in the second quarter. Anemone went into his throwing stance and then tucked the ball and took off toward the left side for a 37-yard gain.
The play set up his own 5-yard touchdown on a keeper with 42 seconds left in the first half to put Caldwell ahead 14-7 at halftime.
By the numbers
► Elliott’s 45-yard reception was over 71 percent of the team’s yardage in the first half.
► Caldwell scored a touchdown on four straight possessions over the second, third and fourth quarters.
Game balls
► Junior running back Joey Marinello had 25 carries for 157 yards and a touchdown for Caldwell.
► Junior quarterback Louie Anemone had 105 rushing yards and two touchdowns for Caldwell.
► Senior back Jimmy Elliott had 48 yards receiving and a touchdown to pace Mountain Lakes.
They said it
"They are really good at what they do and they physically beat us. You’re not going to beat a team who hasn’t lost since 2020 unless you really play well.” – Mountain Lakes coach Darrell Fusco said.
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Caldwell NJ football tops Mountain Lakes in battle of undefeateds
