By Andy Loigu

Exciting times are here!

Last weekend Hackettstown won its first Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex field hockey championship since 2005 (when the players were in pre-school), the Tigers have reached the H/W/S final in boys soccer and the Hackettstown and Warren Hills football teams are getting ready for the 93rd meeting in their rivalry at a time when both programs are competitively on even footing.

The Hackettstown field hockey players may have heard stories from their grandparents about how the Brooklyn Dodgers of 1955 finally defeated their nemesis (The Yankees) and rose to the pinnacle of their sport through sheer determination and gumption after several heartbreaking season-ending losses.

Not only did the Tigers knock off the four-time defending champion Warren Hills Blue Streaks to win the top prize on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 20, in rootin-tootin Newton, they overcame the frustration of losses in the sectional finals the past two years.

“We are now a seasoned team, that has learned from prior losses to powerful teams,” said Tigers’ coach Stephen Spiers. Although the Tigers were underdogs going into the game, they did not play like it. “Being underdogs gave us fire and we climbed the mountain today,” he said. “We knew that you can never relax against a team like Warren Hills. We kept going hard to the ball and were one step ahead all day.”

With nine seniors, the Tigers were on offense more than they were on defense, determined to finally make it happen. Not allowing the Blue Streaks to maintain their normally dazzling offensive flow, repeatedly clearing the ball and taking it upfield on the attack, Hackettstown broke through in overtime for a well-deserved 1-0 win. Madison Hoskins, who was awarded Outstanding Player honors, drove the baseline with expert stickwork and was one-on-one with goalkeeper Julia Webber. The goalie made a stellar kick save, but a hustling Ashley Zellars got to the ball and knocked  in the golden goal. For the historical record, the goal came 1:52 into the overtime.

“In overtime, when it becomes a 7-on-7 game and attackers face a lot less traffic, one defensive mistake can produce a one-on-one going to the cage,” Speirs observed. “We got that breakthrough by maintaining our energy and momentum. When we got our chance, we did not squander it. “

Going into the state tournament, the Tigers are 15-2-1 and the Blue Streaks are 14-5-1.

The Streaks had a 9-8 shots advantage and both teams earned six corners. Hackettstown goalie Sophia Mallozzi “pitched the shutout” with help from the tenacious Tigers’ midfielders, who stopped Warren Hills from advancing time after time.

“This is the boost we need,” said Spiers, who has been guiding the program for the past decade. Hackettstown is the second seed in North 1, Group 2, behind West Essex. “Another big challenge, but we know how to beat quality teams now,” the coach said.

In boys soccer, Hackettstown also has a chance to hoist the hardware, as the third seeded Tigers knocked off second seed Hunterdon Central on the road, by a 2-1 score. Hackettstown now sojourns to Vernon on Saturday for the championship game, a 3:30 p.m. start against fourth seed Delaware Valley.

Shane Davies contributed a goal and assist and Eleazar Diaz also scored for the Tigers against the Red Devils.

Like Jim Mora, when he coached the New Orleans Saints in the NFL and gave the press a great rant, the Tigers’ and Blue Streaks’ football coaches are hesitant to answer, when asked about their playoff standing.

Warren Hills and Hackettstown both won and await news on whether or not their 4-4 records will get them into the state playoffs. Some teams are playing their eighth game (the qualification cutoff) this weekend. The method for determining playoff inclusion is much more complex than it has been in the past. Even though I have a master’s degree, I have a hard time understanding the rhyme or reason of it.

Warren Hills defeated Voorhees 21-10 on Friday night, Oct. 19, in the Blue Streaks’ homecoming game. Holding a 14-10 lead in the fourth quarter, the Streaks’ defense forced a three-and-out. They converted the opportunity into important add-on points with a five-play, 72-yard scoring drive, finished by senior quarterback Garrett Koch sneaking in for the touchdown with 6:46 remaining.

Running a balanced offense, Koch was 10-for-14 passing for 138 yards through the friendly skies, while scoring two rushing touchdowns. Sean Morris carried the ball 16 times for 42 yards and a touchdown. His first period interception helped the Streaks build an early 14-0 lead.

While Hackettstown’s triple option is a run-first system, the Tigers went to the air to keep scoring drives going on Saturday evening in Chatham, gaining a 36-23 win. They outscored the Cougars 20-9 in the second half.

Shining on both offense and defense, Zack Jastrzebski broke loose for 67 and 70 yard rushing touchdowns. Matt Castro also scored twice in the Tigers’ ground and pound, from one yard and 20 yards out. Quarterback Tim Ervey, capably filling in for Nick Gagliardi who is sidelined with a hand injury, scored a one-yard touchdown and Denis Bishtriku booted a 15-yard field goal and three extra point conversions.

Now, on Saturday evening, Oct. 27, in a 7 p.m. start at Warren Hills, the Tigers and Streaks will play for the Beater Board and neighborhood bragging rights.

Last year the Tigers won a down-to-the-wire 27-21 thriller that Michael Jackson would have enjoyed. The Blue Streaks won the previous three times and lead the nearly century-long series 44-42-6.

Hackettstown dominated during the Chot Morrison era and Warren Hills came back to hold the upper hand during the Bob Lockhart years, while scientists started warning that tigers are becoming an extinct species. Well, hold on there, said coaches Art Piancone and Tony Villante, as they engineered scintillating Tiger victories in 2005, 2008 and 2012, that kept the rivalry viable. Now the programs appear to be on an even level and Saturday night’s game should be a dandy.

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Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.