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The North All-Stars were a completely dominant force on Saturday as they overwhelmed their rivals from the South 34-0 to win the Phil Simms NJ North-South Flag Football All Star Game at The College of New Jersey in Ewing.
The North roster included eight all state players, which resulted in some explosive offense.
But the North was even more impressive on defense, stunting Souths attempts to move the ball with any consistency.
It marked the third consecutive year that the North had emerged triumphant.
The North has got some great players, elite players all around, said North head coach Andrew Mazurek, who coaches West Orange during the season.
We just came together really great this weekend.
Same thing as at West Orange, defense is our specialty.
We had 11 shutouts this year with my team and I had the great team here that I knew could do similar things.
Weve got aggressive girls that play with energy.
They just played positive and it showed today.
The North players ability to work together was most evident in what would be the biggest play of the game, when the North put together some old-fashioned trickery to launch a lightning strike for a touchdown with just seconds left in the first half.
North held a 13-0 lead and the defense had just turned the South offense away twice in a row in their own end of the field, including an interception with just 32 seconds remaining in the half at the two yard line by Passaic Techs Samantha Laracuente.
But the North never took its foot off the gas, going for another score, instead of sitting on the 13-0 lead at intermission.
After quarterback Nora Istvan of Montville connected on a seven yard reception to Nola Duncan of West Orange, the North went for the whole bag of marbles by running the old hook and ladder play.
It caught the South defense completely off guard.
Istvan connected again with Duncan, this time for six yards.
But before her flag could be grabbed, Duncan lateraled the ball to Bayonnes Tatyanna Watson, who saw nothing but open field ahead and sprinted 50 yards into the end zone to put the North up 20-0 with just five seconds left in the half.
On that last drive, I asked the girls, Do you want to go for it? Mazurek said of the big play.
And they wanted to go for it.
So we ran a hitch the first play.
And we didnt actually even practice that hook and ladder this weekend, but Nola, who we threw it to, is on my team (West Orange), so I knew she knew what to do.
Taty is an amazing player and we pulled it off." For Watson, covering the 50 yards to a score, after taking the lateral from Duncan, was just a simple sprint to the goal line.
Against West Orange they did do that play, Watson said of her familiarity with the unrehearsed play.
So the second they called it with me and Nola, I just knew it was going to be a good play.
The second that Nola passed it to me, and it was actually in my hands, all I saw was green.
I saw there was a girl coming, but I knew she couldnt catch me.
The stunning touchdown play effectively iced the game for the North, as the South never threatened again.
The South failed to move into North territory for the entirety of the second half, until crossing midfield on the next to last play of the game.
North, meanwhile, added two more touchdowns, covering 66 yards on just five plays for a touchdown on its first possession of the second half to take a 27-0 lead, and scoring on a 27 yard interception return for a touchdown by West Milfords Sara Wardlaw with just 2:48 remaining to play, which set the 34-0 final margin.
On the first drive of the half, DePauls Jaelynn Perez carried twice for 14 yards before North quarterback Jayla Johnson of Hoboken connected with Perez on a perfectly timed 51 yard touchdown pass, stunning the South defense on both sides of the halftime break.
It was part of a big day for Perez, who was the Norths second leading rusher on the day, and who also was a defensive standout, recording an interception.
For her efforts, Perez was named the Norths Most Valuable Player of the game.
She was on the offensive team and the defensive team, she was awesome, Mazurek said of Perez.
I played against her for three years at DePaul, so it was good to have her on my side today.
For Perez, there was plenty of confidence from her and her teammates coming into the game but she points to her interception on Souths second possession of the game as the moment she kicked it into high gear.
Honestly, what kind of woke me up a little bit had to be my pick, she said.
I had a pick and then, afterwards, I had a pass deflection as well, and it stopped them from scoring a touchdown.
It just felt great.
We were just confident.
We performed well at practice and we werent worried about how today was going to go.
Were here as all-stars.
So when we come onto that field, we know what were putting onto the field.
And we know the talent that we have.
Sayrevilles Gabriella Gonzalez was named the Souths Most Valuable Player of the game.
Ironically, it was the South that hinted at the games first score, when a 26 yard pass play, from South quarterback Gabriella Niccolo of Gloucester Tech to Camden Catholics Ayana Jackson, moved the South to the North 28 yard line in the games opening series.
But the North defense would hold, and after twice stalling out inside the South 20 yard line, the North offense got on the board on a one yard touchdown run by Mount Olives Molly Smyth.
Smyth would score her second touchdown of the game one possession later, again on a one yard run, to finish as the Norths leading rusher.
Smyths first score capped an eight play, 66 yard drive, while her second came on the heels of another explosive pass play by the North.
On just the third play of the drive, Istvan connected to Weequahics Heaven Porter on a pass play from midfield.
Porter caught the ball in traffic and weaved her way through the South defense before being stopped at the one yard line.
That set up Smyths second touchdown run which gave the North a 13-0 lead and set up the Istvan to Duncan to Watson hook and ladder play.
Were on the North side.
North has won the last couple of years, Perez said of her teams victory.
And Im not surprised.
Im really just proud of all the girls and how we performed.
We have a great coaching staff, great players all around, and we did our thing.
Everybody played their best game.
And thats what Im proud of the most.