A fired up Cedar Grove team got off the team buses hooting and hollering as they felt disrespected as the defending 2024 North 2 Group 1 Champions, whose only loss last year was to the overall Group 1 title-winner, Glassboro, at MetLife Stadium.
The Panthers beat New Providence last year in the first round of the playoffs, and would do it again Friday night. Fourth-seed Cedar Grove (9-3) topped the third-seeded Pioneers, 37-13, winning the 2025 title in a rematch of last year’s final.
It was the first loss of the season for New Providence, which ends a magical year at 10-1. Cedar Grove will face Butler in next week’s semifinals, as the top-seeded Bulldogs won the North 1, Group 1 title Friday night at home over second-seed Kinnelon, 28-14.
Cedar Grove – which got to the final by upsetting top-seed Mountain Lakes in the sectional semis – would win the coin toss and elect to play defense. Placekicker Sebastian Kovacs would put the ball deep in the end zone forcing the Pioneers to start at their 20 yard line.
New Providence would punt on their first possession setting up the Panthers on their 38-yard line. Mixing the run and pass the visitors marched down the field in nine plays with Senior quarterback Pierce Asfalg hitting Thomas Cannataro on a 16-yard swing pass for a touchdown and the early 6-0 lead after a two-point pass failed at the 6:31 mark in the first quarter.
The Pioneers would run two consecutive running plays with the second one looking like it would go the distance when the runner was hit by two defenders and fumbled the ball deep in Panther territory.
Cedar Grove would once again use the quick passing game, power runs with Cannataro while Asfalg enjoyed some success running to the outside. They would march to the New Providence six-yard line as the first quarter came to a close. Cedar Grove would have to settle for a 26-yard FG and a 9-0 lead at 11:54 in the second quarter.
The Pioneers would go three and out on their next series and a set the Panthers up with good field position around midfield. Cedar Grove would need less than two minutes as Cannataro would score on a six-yard run at 8:37 in the second quarter and a 16-0 lead.
Both teams would trade punts, with New Providence getting the ball with back with Kevin Reilly hitting a deep bomb, setting the stage for a 12-yard touchdown pass from the junior signal caller to Daniel Poretti with 27 seconds before halftime making the score 16-6 after a failed two-point conversion.
Following the intermission both teams would be forced to punt on their initial offensive drives of the second half. It was, however, the home town Pioneers who would close the gap to 16-13, as James Keneally would intercept an Asfalg pass setting up New Providence’s Jack Fitzgerald for a two-yard touchdown run with 2:27 remaining in the third stanza.
Cedar Grove would waste little time as Asfalg would hit Xavier Andujar on a 70-yard crossing pattern with 58 seconds left in the 3rd quarter and a 23-13 lead.
That would be as close as the Pioneers would get as Cannataro would rumble for a 46-yard TD run and Asfalg would score on a double pass making the final score 37-13 for Cedar Grove, giving back-to-back North 2 Group 1 Sectional Championships.
Mike Pavlichko contributed to this report.
