Next-play mentality. It is one that’s hard to perfect in high school football, no less when the going gets tough in the playoffs.
But Montgomery did just that, shaking off a couple of mistakes and instantly snatching the momentum back to defeat Woodbridge 20-15 in the North 2 Group 4 semifinals, advancing to the first sectional final in program history.
The Cougars (8-3) also rebounded from a 41-31 loss to the same team back on October 17th, and prevented the Barrons (8-3) from reaching the end zone in the second half, after they scored a trio of third-quarter touchdowns in the first matchup.
Montgomery was led on the ground by senior running back Caiden Miller and his 112 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. He crossed the century mark with a 14-yard run to ice the game with under two minutes to play – just a minute after needing to be helped off the field after suffering an apparent leg injury.
Senior quarterback Jack Kristjanson got it done with his arms and legs, completing 10 of 23 passes for 97 yards, and running for 44 yards on seven carries.
Woodbridge took the early momentum, as senior defensive back Emilio Ruiz stepped in front of a Kristjanson pass at midfield, intercepted it, and took it all the way to the house for a pick-six to open the scoring four minutes into the game.
As they have all year, the Cougars responded immediately. Junior wideout Xavier Harrigan took a bouncing kickoff 89 yards the opposite direction for a score just seconds later, and while the two-point attempt was no good, Montgomery was right back in it.
The two teams traded defensive stops before Woodbridge extended its lead. The Barrons used a long drive to take the momentum back, as senior running back Joshua Allen scored on a 15-yard toss play. A successful two-point conversion put the home team up by two possessions at 15-6 midway through the second quarter.
Montgomery then went two-for-one, efficiently marching down the field to close the first half, as Miller punched in a six-yard score with just over 90 seconds left in the half. After regrouping in the locker room, the Cougars got another short-yardage stop in their own territory, and once again used the ground game to take the lead. After a 12-play drive, senior Michael Bellamy rumbled in a two-yard rushing touchdown to give Montgomery a lead it would not relinquish.
The Barrons did not go down without a fight, however.
Even after punting on the ensuing drive to end the fourth quarter, they gave themselves another chance. Facing a third-and-long near the red zone, Kristjanson threw his second interception of the night, this time to Allen, as he ran the return all the way to the doorstep of the red zone.
But the Cougars’ defense held strong once again. Facing a second-and-four in the red zone, the defensive front stuffed Woodbridge on three consecutive run plays, including a fourth-and-one handoff where Allen was stuffed at the line of scrimmage.
And it still wasn’t over by that point.
The Cougars picked up two key third downs, as Kristjanson shook off his two picks and confidently found Harrigan for a first down through the air. Miller iced the game with his aforementioned heroic run after coming back from injury.
Finally, Montgomery was able to hold on, and clinched a sectional final berth for the first time in school history.
They will travel to Maloney Stadium next weekend and face off against top-seeded Phillipsburg in the North 2 Group 4 championship. The Stateliners (9-1) defeated fifth-seeded Colonia 35-7 in the opposite semifinal matchup on Friday night.
Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel with Montgomery head coach Sean Carty, along with running back Caiden Miller and wide receiver Xavier Harrigan, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!