Caldwell football completes perfect season, beats Jefferson for North Group 2 title

Robert Aitken Jr., NorthJersey.com
·4 min read

EAST RUTHERFORD — Destructive defense and opportune offense has propelled Caldwell all season long and Saturday's season finale was no different.

The Chiefs became the first New Jersey team to finish the season unbeaten, winning 42-21 over Jefferson in the North, Group 2 regional championship to finish the year at 12-0.

Caldwell, No. 24 in the USA Today Network New Jersey Top 25 poll, had been dominant all season long. The Chiefs allowed only 68 total points all season with five shutouts and a margin of victory of at least 22 points in all but one game entering Saturday. Yet, Jefferson has been surprising teams across the state for weeks, turning an early Caldwell rout into a close second half game.

"All season long, we took it one game and one opponent at a time," said coach Tom Lamont. "We know what Jefferson is capable of and we knew they don't give up, so we were expecting something when we got up big early."

Caldwell began the game with a drive near the Jefferson red zone. One play after Harry Boland caught a fourth down conversion to extend the drive, Boland hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass to put the Chiefs up, 6-0.

In the second quarter, Peter Murray hopped in front of an Eric Garv pass attempt and scored on a 43 yard interception returned for a touchdown.

"Our emphasis was that if we created turnovers, we were going to win this game and that's exactly what we did," said Murray. "We didn't let everything get to us and we were able to compete out there."

Following a three-and-out and a short punt and return, Pat Capozzoli rushed for a touchdown to give the Chiefs a dominant 20-0 lead in the second quarter.

The Caldwell lead shrunk to six in the third quarter, but Caldwell put the ball back in Boland's hands. A fourth down and one from the Jefferson 43-yard line resulted in Boland running for a 43-yard touchdown run for the senior. A two-point conversion on a fake extra point gave the Chiefs a 28-14 lead heading to the fourth.

Fourth quarter touchdown runs by Boland and Capozzoli extended the Caldwell lead, finishing off the perfect season.

Ryan Pini of Caldwell carrying the championship trophy at the end of the game as Caldwell defeated Jefferson 42-21 in the North Group II Championship game at MetLife Stadium on November 28, 2021.
Ryan Pini of Caldwell carrying the championship trophy at the end of the game as Caldwell defeated Jefferson 42-21 in the North Group II Championship game at MetLife Stadium on November 28, 2021.

What it means

For the third time ever, Caldwell finishes a season without a loss. Making their regional championship debut, Caldwell gets an extra game to finish 12-0 for the first time in program history.

One of seven unbeaten teams remaining in New Jersey entering Saturday, Caldwell is the first to complete their season unbeaten. Bergen Catholic plays in the Non-Public A final after Caldwell at MetLife Stadium. Cedar Creek, East Orange, Hillsborough, Northern Highlands and Woodbury all play next week at SHI Stadium at Rutgers University.

Caldwell won its 15th straight game Saturday, tying Northern Highlands for the longest active winnings streak in New Jersey.

Key play

On fourth and one from the Jefferson 43-yard line and holding on to a 20-14 lead, Caldwell handed the ball to Harry Boland. Boland ran straight up the middle and wasn't taken down until he reached the end zone.

Boland's touchdown gave Caldwell a two-score lead into the fourth quarter and prevented the Falcons from keeping the momentum they took into the half.

By the numbers

Jefferson ran 68 plays on Saturday, compared to 46 for Caldwell as the Falcons controlled the pace of play throughout the game. Caldwell prevented Jefferson from crossing the 50-yard line until the seven minute mark of the second quarter. Conversely, Caldwell had short fields throughout the first half and did not take a snap on their own half of the field until late in the second quarter.

Harry Boland of Caldwell scores his team's first TD in the first half as Caldwell played Jefferson in the North Group II Championship game at MetLife Stadium on November 28, 2021.
Harry Boland of Caldwell scores his team's first TD in the first half as Caldwell played Jefferson in the North Group II Championship game at MetLife Stadium on November 28, 2021.

Game ball

The football found Boland throughout the afternoon, scoring three touchdowns and securing two interceptions defensively. Boland finished with 102 yards rushing and 32 receiving yards on nine carries and three catches respectively.

Boland only touched the ball a dozen times on offense, but got chunks of yardage each time

"I have so much faith in him," said Murray. "Every time we have a fourth and one or two, I know they're going to get it. I trust them and I trust our O-line to get them through."

They said it

"We weren't sure if we should go for it [on fourth down], but we figured we've only been here once in 20 years, so what the hell." - Lamont.

"We were 1-8 when I was a sophomore and we were determined to change things. It took two years and a lot of hard work, but we wanted to be here and we got here." - Caldwell senior Peter Murray.

Robert Aitken is a high school sports reporter for NorthJersey.com. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis from our Varsity Aces team, subscribe today. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter and download our app.

Email: aitken@northjersey.com

Twitter: @robertaitkenjr

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Caldwell NJ football completes perfect season with win over Jefferson