Coming off a bye week, and still seeking its first win of the season, the Glen Rock High School football team thought it might have a chance to turn things around if only it could find a way to beat a visiting Waldwick-Midland Park team that has been a nemesis for the past few seasons.
But against a Warriors squad that had given up 42 points in a loss Saturday to Manchester, Glen Rock struggled to generate much offensively, and the result was a 14-7 loss Thursday night at Al Deaett Field that dropped the Panthers to 0-3 on the season.
“Too many mistakes, and not having 11 guys on the same page,’’ Glen Rock coach Jim Kurz said. “We’ve had 10 guys on the same page, but we haven’t had 11 guys on the same page.’’
Playing a rare Thursday night game because of the Yom Kippur holiday, the Glen Rock offense had something of a new look, as it seemed intent on running the ball more than it had in the past. Running backs Matt Sapoff and Seve Bilbao were able to gain some yardage, but the offense looked out of sync at times. Waldwick-Midland Park (2-1) took a 7-0 lead in the second quarter and doubled the lead with 2:23 left in the third. Both touchdowns came courtesy of Warriors senior running back Sonny DiPasquale, who as a youngster attended Kurz’ summer football camp.
After the second touchdown, Kurz made the decision to insert sophomore Greg Schlett at quarterback. Schlett, whose older brother Matt was the starter at quarterback the last two seasons, had some success moving the ball in two drives, running for some big yards and connecting on a long pass to Ashton Dalessio. But both drives stalled eventually, and senior Dom Patania returned for the final offensive series and drove the offense down the field, scoring the Panthers’ only touchdown on a short run with 20 seconds left. Waldwick-Midland Park recovered the ensuing onside kick to end the game.
At 0-3, with five games remaining, the Panthers’ chances of making the playoffs now look grim, but Kurz insisted on not giving up.
“We’ve got to have hope and faith that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel,’’ Kurz said. “I believe there is. We trust that, and the season’s not over yet.’’
