by Michael Moschella

[Hamburg, NJ] After a tough loss to the Jefferson Falcons, Lenape valley was looking to bounce back. In the first half of the game against Wallkill they showed what they were capable of, scoring on their first three possessions, a 44 yard touchdown pass from Mike Iazetti to Joey Moschella, set up by Moschella’s opening kickoff return, a 56 yard run by Shane Hosler, returning this week to his halfback position, and a short touchdown run by Jim Labell after a long drive by the Patriots. Because of two missed PAT’s the score after three touchdowns was only 19-0.

Walkill managed to close the gap a little bit before the half and scored a touchdown with a great effort by a Wallkill receiver [Dan Nann], catching a pass that bounced off of Iazetti’s helmet in the middle of several Lenape defenders, to make it 19-7. The patriots had one more possession that half but ran out of time before they could add any points to the scoreboard. The first half gave the impression that this would be a great way to bounce back from last week’s loss, but the Rangers weren’t just going to roll over and let it happen.

Wallkill kept possession of the ball for most of the half only scoring one time, again on a great effort by a Wallkill receiver [Jason Neal] catching a ball that was deflected off of the Lenape secondary’s helmet and in the middle of several defenders. Lenape was in possession of the ball twice this half, with both possessions ending with an LV running back fumbling. The Rangers drove down the field in the fourth quarter, with great plays made by Matt Briggs, Jason Neal, and John Walsh. The Rangers made it all the way down inside the ten, with four plays to score. The Patriot’s defense stepped up on these last four plays, and kept the Rangers out of the endzone. Shane Hosler seemed to have an interception, but the official ruled that he landed out of bounds. The final play went to Hosler’s side again, and the Wallkill receiver got open after pushing off of Hosler, but could not catch the ball thrown by Briggs. Lenape Valley kneed the ball and walked away with their second win of the season.

This game showed what the Patriots are capable of when the offense is executed properly, and the defense gets their assignments right and get several defenders to the ball. Last week the defense allowed Murphy, McCarney, and Strumolo to break too many tackles, although after this week it seems like Jefferson is the team to beat, after beating Sparta, Lenape Valley, and pre-season favorite Vernon. Kittatinny will take a trip to Stanhope this Friday as Lenape tries to pick up another win in week 4.