“One game does not define a season.”
That was one of the parting words from Watchung Hills head coach Rich Seubert to his team after a gutting 24-21 loss to Montclair in the North 1, Group 5 semifinals Friday night at Tozier Field in Warren.
In a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, the second-seeded Warriors overcame a 13-0 halftime deficit and two interceptions by quarterback Aleks Sitkowski to make it a ballgame, but in the end, the visiting third-seeded Mounties were three points better.
Ben Price’s 27-yard field goal with three seconds left put Montclair (8-3) ahead 24-21. One second ticked off on the ensuing kickoff, and a last-ditch effort with a trio of laterals as time expired didn’t go Watchung Hills’ way.
Hills trailed 13-0 after one half, where they left several points on the board, having first-and-goal on two separate possessions, coming away empty-handed each time.
But the Warriors roared back in the second half on two touchdown catches from senior Jack Clintock, who scored the first on a five-yard screen pass, then got the second in triple-coverage over the middle of the field at the 20, going 43-yards in all for a score that gave Watchung a 14-13 lead.
Montclair went ahead 21-14 with a touchdown and two-point conversion to make up for a missed PAT on their second score, but Watchung Hills answered to tie it at 21-all.
The Mounties then came down field and got within field goal range, right in the middle of the field, to cue Price’s big moment.
Watchung Hills falls to 8-3 with the loss.
Click below for postgame reaction from Watchung Hills coach Rich Seubert, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen: