SPORTS WRAP
By William Hathaway, Jr.
The New Jersey High School Football Playoffs are underway, and the quarterfinal round saw the Irvington Blue Knights defeat Sayreville 38-7. Leading IHS was senior Famah Toure with 129 yards and 2 passing touchdowns. Kyshir Desir chipped in 101 yards and Nasir Addison added 115 receiving yards. Irvington now heads into the Semifinal Round against Northern Highlands at home this Friday night. The winner will advance to the championship round in North Jersey Section 1 Group 4 playoffs. The Knights are 8-2 on the season and look to repeat as state champs.
In another sectional quarterfinal round, the rivalry between East Orange and Clifton continued. Last year, EO won the state title on a walkoff fumble return for a TD. Earlier this year, Clifton got revenge in a 21-0 shutout. As for the rubber match, Clifton was victorious again over the Jaguars 17-7. Clifton will move on to play Passaic Tech in the section semifinal round, while East Orange’s bid to defend its state crown comes to an end.
In other action, West Side lost a tough game to Dumont team on the road 7-6. Newark still has a dog in the fight, with Weequahic set to play Butler in the semifinal round of North Jersey Section 2 Group 1. West Orange defeated Watchung Hills in a tight game 18-10. WOHS is now 6-3 on the season and will play Ridgewood in the NJSIAA Regional Invitational Tournament. The Orange Tornadoes who finished with a 4-5 season were defeated by Bergenfield 27-20 in a good game. Finally, Barringer was shut out by Linden 41-0.
The first rankings of the College Football playoff came out, with Tennessee, Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson taking the top four spots.
In pro football, both the Giants and Jets lost. Big Blue saw two fumbles on punts lead to points for Seattle in a 27-13 loss to the Seahawks on the road. Gang Green still can’t get by Patriots coach Bill Belichick, as New England won 22-17 at MetLife Stadium.
Finally, the Nets have parted ways with head coach Steve Nash, with the hopes that suspended Celtics head coach Ime Udoka will become available.
