Senior QB Connor Laverty runs four yards for a touchdown against Hillside in a Big Central game on September 2, 2023 at Conant Street Park in Hillside. (Source: Marcus Borden)
If the Bernards football team can beat Lakeland Friday night to bring home the first state sectional title in program history, it’ll be the shortest walk from the trophy presentation to the school’s trophy case.
Connor Laverty will savor it.
A senior quarterback who has been instrumental – along with so many other Mountaineers on a week-in, week-out basis – in the program’s success, he and his teammates got a surprise home game in the finals.
That’s because minutes after they crushed Sussex Tech in the semis, they found out top-seed Caldwell was upset by the Lancers, meaning Bernards would get one more home game, prompting a second celebration at Olcott Field.
And that’s where everyone will be making noise again this Friday night, cheering on a Mountaineer team that already has set a program record for wins in a season (11) and total points scored (438).
The defense has been ridiculous, too, allowing just 72 points, a program best under head coach Jon Simoneau, leading to a +33.3 point differential, better by almost ten points than any other previous season under his tenure.
Central Jersey Sports Radio will broadcast Friday night’s North 2, Group 2 title game between second-seed Bernards (11-0) and fifth-seed Lakeland (8-3), with pregame starting at 6:30 and kickoff at 7 pm. Mike Pavlichko and Dylan Allen will call all the play-by-play; click here to listen.
Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko with Bernards senior QB Connor Laverty: