Hawthorne Football had a good regular season going 5-4. They are on a 3 game winning streak heading into the playoffs. So, they have a lot of momentum as they plan to take on Butler this week on Halloween.
Regular Season Recap
The Bears started the season off hot beating Montclair Kimberly Academy (MKA) 42-14. Then they beat Wallington 25-12: a week later the Bears received their first loss to the reigning Sectional Champions, Butler. It was a hard fought game but the Bears lost 28-14. Then the Bears came home to host their first home game of the season and fell short to Hasbrouck Heights 41-7.
The Bears then took on New Milford and lost 28-21. Dylan Mejia had 170 passing yards and led the team with 123 rushing yards. Anthony DeLallo led the team with 110 receiving yards and Hugh Shortway led the team with 8 tackles. Dylan Mejia had 3 touchdowns and Damian Delvalle made 3 FG’s.
On Friday October 3 the Bears played Secaucus and unfortunately fell short to them 35-14. Dylan Mejia had 139 passing years and led the team with 13 tackles. Giovanni Trovato led the team with 54 rushing yards and Anthony DeLallo led the team with 88 receiving yards. Giovanni Trovato had a 33-yd rushing touchdown and Anthony DeLallo received a 30-yd pass for a touchdown from Dylan Mejia.
On Friday October 10 the Bears took on Saddle Brook at home: it was a close game and they came out with the win 24-20. Dylan Mejia led the team with 143 rushing yards, Anthony DeLallo led the team with 84 receiving yards, Sebastian Gill with an interception, and Kenny Callaghan led the team with an impressive 14 tackles. Anthony DeLallo had a 65 yard passing touchdown. Damian Delvalle had a 30 yard field goal. Dylan Mejia had a 50-yd rushing touchdown and Kenny Callaghan had a 23 yard passing touchdown.
On October 17 the Bears went up against Weehawken and had a breathtaking win 35-14. Dylan Mejia had 103 passing yards and led the team with 140 rushing yards. Giovanni Trovato had 54 receiving yards and led the team with an impressive 17 tackles. Dylan Mejia had 4 touchdowns: 2 1-yd runs, a 5-yd run, and 44-yd run. Giovanni Trovato had a 54 yard passing touchdown from Dylan Mejia.
This past Saturday the Bears went to Pompton Lakes and beat them 10-7. Dylan Mejia had 90 passing yards, 91 rushing yards, and 1 sack. Anthony DeLallo led the team with 64 receiving yards. Hugh Shortway led the team with 13 tackles and Kenny Callaghan had an interception. Dylan Mejia had a 20-yd running touchdown and Damian Delvalle had a 30-yd field goal.
Playoffs
This Saturday October 25 the Bears clinched a playoff spot and are sitting as the 8th seed. The Bears have a hard first round in the playoffs taking on Butler who they previously lost too, but that game came down to the wire. They need to work hard this week in preparation for Butler. Butler is a strong team and has some valuable players that the Bears need to keep their eye on.
Key Players From Butler
Butler has top team leading players that the Bears need to focus on. Quarterback David Smith has over 1000 passing yards and over 800 rushing yards on the season. Wide-receiver CJ Bentley had just about 400 receiving yards on the season.
Key Players From Hawthorne
Hawthorne has some top leading players that could help the Bears come out with the win and move on to the second round. Senior Dylan Mejia leads the team with over 900 passing yards and over 600 rushing yards. Senior Anthony DeLallo leads the team with 550 receiving yards. On defense the Bears look strong with 3 players having over 60 tackles on the season, Senior Hugh Shortway leads the team with 80, Junior Joshua Kilot has 67, and Junior Kenny Callaghan with 62 tackles on the season.
When & Where
The game will take place this Friday October 31 on Halloween. The Bears will travel to Butler High School for the first round of the playoffs. Come out and support your Bears football team and cheer them on and hopefully they can knock out Butler and move on to the second round of the playoffs.