For a second straight week, Wayne Hills went into a week preparing for one squad, but then played a different opponent, on about 24-hour notice, come game night.
The Patriots, who were slated to visit Hackensack, on Oct. 30, ended up playing host to a strong Kingsway team, from Woolwich Township, in South Jersey, after Hackensack had informed Hills, a day earlier, it would not be able to play.
Versus Kingsway, Hills broke open a close game en route to a 33-6 victory, on Oct. 30. The win was the 60th for Wayne Demikoff, who took over as head coach at Hills, in 2013, after a 14 years as an assistant.
Demikoff is now 60-23 as the program’s head coach,, which includes four conference titles, two state sectional crowns and a Bowl game championship in 2018.
A week earlier, Hills had prepped to play Northern Highlands, in a key conference game, on Oct. 23, in Allendale, but Highlands had to postpone. The Patriots were able to get a game, at home, against Old Bridge, and won a 35-8 decision, on Oct. 23.
Wayne Hills senior Joe Kubofcik had tweeted last week that challenges made his team stronger.
“One of the keys to success is the ability to constantly ADAPT,” said Kubofcik.
Off to its first 5-0 start since 2011, Wayne Hills will be home again, on Nov 6, to play its biggest rival, Ramapo, in a 7 p.m. game. Hills leads the all-time series with the Green Raiders, which began in 1972, 30-22-1.
The schools have split the last six meetings, dating back to 2014, with Ramapo winning the past two games, including a 35-28 overtime thriller, last year, in Franklin Lakes.
Read more about the Ramapo-Wayne Hills rivalry here. https://mikelamberti.wordpress.com/2019/10/13/here-we-go-again-wayne-hills-vs-ramapo-week-begins-as-big-time-football-rivals-gear-for-53rd-meeting-on-oct-18-in-franklin-lakes/
Following the Ramapo game, the Patriots are expected to play two cross-over games, before a Thanksgiving Eve finale, at home, against Union City. In a season where the Patriots were scheduled to play four home games, the team could play as many as eight, on its home field.
The game with Ramapo is expected to be a hard-hitting contest, as the Patriots and Green Raiders have played some legendary games.
However, this is not a conference game, so the Patriots, with a 3-0 mark in the New Jersey Super Football Conference’s Freedom Red Division, appear to be in good shape to win a third straight conference title, fifth in the last six years and 20th overall, since 1990.
Demikoff wasn’t sure how the two cross-over games would affect his team’s schedule.
“I really don’t know,” the coach said last Sunday. “It could be games against two teams in our section, but I really don’t know right now. I’m hoping to find out soon. We just want to keep on playing, and get as many as nine games in.”
Kingsway, like Old Bridge, a Group 5 school, had come into the game at Hills with a 3-1 record. The first half was tight, as Hills held a 7-6 lead at halftime, with Makai Gray, a junior, scoring a touchdown for the Patriots, followed by Jordan Thiel’s point-after kick.
Hills opened it up with a 13-0 third quarter run, thanks to touchdown runs by Gray and Chris Brutofsky and put it away with two more scores in the fourth quarter, one on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Noah Abida to Joe Brunetti and the second a 20-yard run by Abida to close it out.
Thiel converted three point-after kicks, Abida passed for 130 yards, threw a TD pass and ran for another tally, as well as rushing for 72 yards, Gray ran for 30 yards and two scores, Brutofsky led the running game with 90 yards and a score and the receiving game was led by Brunetti and Dean Imparato.
On defense, Daly had eight tackles while Brunetti, Abida and Stanley Oseback had seven tackles each. Oseback also had a quarterback sack and Abida registered an interception.
Demikoff, who has been a part of the rivalry with Ramapo since joining the staff at Hills as an assistant in 1999, knows how special a game with the Raiders can be.
“There’s no doubt, it’s a special rivalry,” said Demikoff. “(Ramapo head coach) Drew (Gibbs) runs a tremendous program. Just look at their record, year in and year out. It speaks for itself.
“I always enjoy coaching in this game and I know our kids are excited for this opportunity on Friday.”
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