BBYC Finishes First Year with Super Bowl Win

BBYC's first postseason as a merged program started on a very snowy Saturday morning with the D squad Bulldogs facing Woodland Park at Passaic Valley High School. With the elements as much of an opponent as the Panthers, the Bulldogs were limited to a single trip to the end zone by Alex Orth in the final seconds of a weather-shortened game, as they fell to the eventual D squad Super Bowl champion Panthers, 27-6.

After the remainder of the first round of the playoffs was postponed due to the snowstorm, playoff action picked back up in Little Falls, where first C squad faced off against the Totowa Tigers in a rematch of their last regular season game. The Bulldogs were led in the air by quarterback Evan Smith (3 for 5 passing for 45 yards) and on the ground by the trio of Mathew Wolowitz (56 yards, 1 TD, 12 yard KO Return), Joseph Conti (39 yards) and Jacob Luciani (26 yards, 1 TD, 8 yard KO Return). On the other side of the ball, the defensive leaders were Justice Struble (6 tackles), Leonard Marion (5 tackles, 1 for a loss), Julian Amadio (4 tackles and a fumble recovery) and Patrick Monahan (4 tackles, 1 for a loss). The Bulldogs played a lackluster three quarters of football before firing up for the fourth quarter, where they scored all 14 of their points. But their comeback wasn’t enough, as they fell to the Tigers, 19-14. 

Following that game, the A Squad faced off against Manchester. Carrying the ball most of the way for the Bulldogs were Danny Castiglia (167 yards, 1 TD) and Darius Soriano (20 yards, 2 TDs). On defense, big contributions were made by Cole Rhinesmith (1 INT, 7 tackles, 1 for a loss), Nick Guagliardi (7 passes defended and 3 tackles, one of which was stopping a fake punt attempt by the Falcons), Patrick Eisenhardt (5 tackles, 2 for a loss) and Danny Castiglia (5 tackles). While the Falcons hung tough the whole game, the Bulldogs kept them at bay, and walked away with a 22-12 victory. 

After not playing in the first round of the playoffs due to a Little Falls forfeit, the B Squad took the field against the Ringwood Rattlers in Ringwood to start the second round of playoffs for BBYC. The Bulldogs were eager to avenge the sole game they didn’t win in the regular season, a 53-53 tie against the Rattlers a few weeks before. The defense, led by Shane Connolly (7 tackles, 3 for a loss), Steven Schubert (6 tackles, 1 for a loss), Joshua Webb (5 tackles, 2 for a loss), Joshua Fane (1 INT, 3 tackles, 1 for a loss), Patrick Brady (1 INT, 3 tackles) and Christopher Grecco (4 tackles), the Bulldogs kept the Rattlers largely in check. The Ringwood defense could not say the same, as the Bulldogs came out with an offensive package revamped in the weeks off, and Sean Centinaro ran for 265 yards and 5 TDs, propelling the Bulldogs to a 31-19 victory and a Superbowl berth.

The action then shifted to Little Falls, where the A squad looked to up-end the undefeated Totowa Tigers. The defense, led by Cole Rhinesmith (17 tackles, 4 for a loss), Danny Castiglia (11 tackles) and Darius Soriano (8 tackles) tried to Tigers at bay, but their physical style chewed up both clock and yards, limiting the Bulldog’s offense’s time on the field. So while the A squad’s first play from scrimmage was a 97-yard touchdown run by Castiglia, the Bulldogs had to go with a largely air based attack, as quarterback Cole Rhinesmith, while throwing 16 passes for 72 yards, also had to take the ball himself several times, gaining 24 yards on the ground. The end result for the Bulldogs was not good, as the Tigers (who completed an undefeated season with a Super Bowl win Sunday night) defeated them 19-6.

This left BBYC with only their B squad still in the hunt, where, as good fortune would have it, they would play the Super Bowl against the Totowa Tigers at home at Butler’s Memorial Field. A well rounded defensive effort had Joshua Webb, Brandon Wyble, Joe Bastante, Jake Grecco, Sean Centinaro, Patrick Brady and Sean Dunleavy each with 4 or more tackles, and they also took advantage of the Tigers’ miscues, as Fane, Brady and Randy Wyble each had a fumble recovery. But the focus of this game was on Centinaro, who rushed for 278 yards and 4 TDs and throwing a 48 yard TD to Brady. The final touchdown of the day for Centinaro would tie him for the Junior Bulldog season record for touchdowns, with 31. Adding in the additional touchdown throw from Declan Minogue to Randy Wyble, the Bulldogs defeated the Tigers 37-20, and with that, won the UCJFL B Squad Super Bowl title, ending their season undefeated with a 9-0-1 record.