West Essex – Central Jersey Sports Radio

How important are special teams?

Ask Summit.

A week after kicking a go-ahead field goal from 19 yards out with seven seconds remaining for a quarterfinal win over Warren Hills, the second-seeded Hilltoppers got a 34-yarder from cool-as-a-cucumber sophomore Cooper Smoragiewicz as time expired to win a back-and-forth, see-saw affair at Tatlock Field Saturday in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 semifinals, 31-28 over visiting third-seed West Essex.

The victory sends Summit to the finals next Friday night at 7:30 at top-seed and undefeated West Morris (11-0). It’ll be their first finals appearance since beating Rahway, 36-14, in the North 2, Group 3 final in 2018, and will give them a chance at their tenth sectional title all-time, second best among Union County schools, behind Union’s eleven.

Summit scored first on a 57-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Alex Schwark with less than two minutes into the game, but the Knights got the next two – on a Jake Long five-yard run after West Essex recovered a Summit fumble, and a 42-yard touchdown catch by Luke Kesack – to take a 14-7 lead after one.

Schwark scored again from a yard out with 2:59 to go before the break, leaving the score tied 14-all at halftime.

After the Knights opened the second half with the ball but turned it over on downs, Smoragiewicz scored on a three-yard run with 4:21 to go in the third, making it 21-14.

In the fourth, Michael Lozito scored on a 13-yard touchdown catch after the Hilltoppers turned it over on downs, tying it at 21 with 9:50 to play, but on the next possession, it was Schwark again from 37-yards out capping a fast drive.

West Essex went on a long drive, and it was Long who capped it off this time, with a nine-yard run with 5:04 to go. But all it would do was set up Smoragiewicz’ heroics.

A long drive got the Hilltoppers within range. Head coach Kevin Kostibos worked and milked the clock, calling a time out with 1.3 to go so the Knights couldn’t get a chance to win in regulation. A chance to win was coming up with the ball on the 17, right in the middle of the field.

Turned out to be a piece of cake.

Smoragiwiecz split the uprights. Again.

Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden with Smoragiewicz, Schwark, and head coach Kevin Kostibos, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

An interception, and a scoop and score on a fumble were the key plays by West Essex Saturday afternoon, costing top-seed Summit a berth in the North 2, Group 3 title game next weekend.

Summit (7-3) fell 27-17 to the Knights at Tatlock Field, making them the fourth No. 1 seed in the public school playoffs to be eliminated in the sectional semifinals, joining Park Ridge, Timber Creek, and Caldwell, which also had its state-best 37-game winning streak snapped in the process.

West Essex (8-3) will host the North 2, Group 3 final next Friday night, welcoming in sixth-seed Passaic Valley (7-2) , which topped 7th-seed Montville Friday night in the other semifinal in the section, 28-13.

Summit built a 14-0 first-half lead thanks to a two-yard touchdown pass from Jake Procaccini to Cole Sabol late in the first quarter, and a Carter Shallcross two-yard touchdown jaunt midway through the second period, but West Essex got within a score on the ensuing possession, on a 25-yard touchdown connection from Jorden Simeone to Sam Long, making it 14-7 Hilltoppers at the break.

But after the half, the Knights roared back. First, they picked off Procaccini, with Max Garcia returning the pick 50 yards for a score to tie it at 14 with 6:55 to play in the third. And after a 39-yard field goal by Seamus Brown got Summit back in the lead by three in the final minute of the third quarter, a couple of repeat performances put West Essex ahead again for good.

First, the Long-Simeone connection struck again to make it 21-14 West Essex early in the fourth. Then, Max Garcia scored again, this time on special teams, scooping a fumbled punt and returning it 38 yards to paydirt to make it 27-17 Knights with 4:27 left.

As Summit tried to rally, a second pick – this one by Anthony Drago – sealed the game for West Essex.

It leaves two Big Central teams left to play in title games next weekend. In North 2, Group 5, Phillipsburg will face Union City at home Friday night, while Bernards will entertain Lakeland in the North 2, Group 2 final.