Phillipsburg 42, Ridge 17 -- Rapid Recap
In a matchup of two 5-1 teams from the Big Central Football Conference on Friday night, Phillipsburg showed its superiority on both sides of the ball.
The Stateliners defeated Ridge 42-17 at Maloney Stadium in the first of two postseason games on their schedule.
Turning point: Trailing 28-7, Ridge scored on the first play of the fourth quarter, when Mike Olivo lofted a jump-ball to Nolan Murphy for an 11-yard touchdown.
The Red Devils then tried to spark a comeback with an onside kick, but Tim Pherson recovered for the Stateliners at their own 41-yard line.
Phillipsburg started off the drive with a little trickery as Matt Garatty handed off to Matt Quetel. The running back then threw a deep pass to Jalil Terrell down the home sideline for a gain of 30.
On the next play, Garatty threw an out route to Terrell along the away sideline. The senior receiver made several defenders miss on a 22-yard touchdown, which put Phillipsburg up 35-14 with 11 minutes left.
Top performers: Garatty was 10 of 15 with 261 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers. Declan Marron was Garatty’s top target, making four receptions for 73 yards and pulling in an 11-yard touchdown catch to put Phillipsburg up 7-0 in the first quarter.
Matt Quetel ran for 93 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries. The senior also hauled in a 64-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.
Jacob Hille ran for a 46-yard touchdown in the third quarter to extend the Stateliners’ lead to 28-7. The senior also had an interception and finished the game with 15 total tackles.
What it means: The Stateliners improve to 6-1 and will wrap up in-state competition when they travel to Somerville (7-0) on 7 p.m. Nov. 20.
Phillipsburg will then have five days to prepare for its annual Thanksgiving clash with rival Easton, which lost to Freedom in the District 11 6A semifinals.
Desmond Boyle may be reached at dboyle@lehighvalleylive.com.
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