The championship of the NJIC Colonial Division is the prize tonight when undefeated Glen Rock takes on undefeated Rutherford in a showdown at Memorial Field in Rutherford. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will be live-streamed. Here is the link: https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/rutherford-high-school-rutherford-nj/gam489b6ba097
Both Glen Rock and Rutherford are 4-0 and the winner of this game will go on to play for the championship of the NJIC. In the structure of the NJIC, the final three games of the schedule is undetermined until the positions in the league’s divisions are set. The winners of each division play against each other in a tournament to determine the league champion; the second-place team will play other second-place teams, and so on, ensuring competitive matchups at the end of the season as teams are battling for state playoff positioning.
As far as the state playoffs, Rutherford, the North Jersey Group 2 champion in 2018 and North Jersey Section 1 Group 2 champion in 2017, is currently fifth in the rankings for North Jersey, Group 2. Glen Rock is 13th. The top 16 teams make the playoffs.
Rutherford is led by 6-4, 180-pound senior quarterback Van Weber, who according to nj.com has passed for 593 yards with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 67.8 percent of his passes. Sophomore running back Nick Lora leads the team in rushing, with 483 yards and eight touchdowns, and juniors Matt Scheibe and Ryan Ward lead the receiving corps, Scheibe having 11 catches for 157 yards and one touchdown, and Ward having 10 catches for 206 yards and five touchdowns.
Glen Rock is led by senior quarterback Andrew Knight, who has passed for 463 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 266 yards and five touchdowns. Senior running back Aiden Burkhardt, who returned from an injury to run for 103 yards and one TD last week against Lodi, has 174 yards and two touchdowns in three games. Senior receiver Tony Atme has 16 catches for 198 yards and three touchdowns.
