Phillipsburg 34, Bridgewater-Raritan 28 - Mid-State 38 Delaware Division football

Joe Green conducted the Phillipsburg band in the postgame alma mater.

That was after he conducted the game.

The senior tailback ran for 213 yards on 31 yards, on touchdowns of 1, 6 and 6 yards, as the host Stateliners (4-1, 3-0) handled the Panthers (1-4, 1-3) at Maloney Stadium.

Green was at his best in the fourth quarter as Phillipsburg ground out a win.

“I felt like we all were getting stronger,” Green said. “As for me maybe I am just waking up more in the fourth quarter.”

Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy was happy to give the ball to Green.

“We just felt like we had to keep feeding Joe the ball,” he said.

Turning point: After Bridgewater scored to make it 28-21 in the fourth quarter, an 8-play, 65-yard drive -- 7 runs by Green -- was capped with Green flying into the end zone for the clinching score with 2:59 to play.

Top performer: Green was spectacular at tailback with loads of credit to the offensive line as well. The combination just battered Bridgewater when the game was on the line. Tackles Tony Rivera and Jeff Vitale, guards Ryan Fisher and Matt Cherry and center Chris Gurneak -- all seniors -- pushed the Panthers almost back to Bridgewater.

What it means: Phillipsburg moves one step closer to a Delaware Division title. The Stateliners showed resilience during the game as the Panthers kept battling and in the bigger picture coming off a tough loss last week to Union. “I was happy with way the kids responded after last week,” Duffy said. “They really stayed together.”

Brad Wilson may be reached at bwilson@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @bradwsports. Find Lehigh Valley high school sports on Facebook.