Passaic Tech football survives scare from Montclair, wins second straight sectional title
On a night when Passaic Tech found itself in a back-and-forth dogfight with Montclair, they needed someone to make a big play.
When it counted most, ‘Cash’ was money.
Cashmere Jones’s interception and 49-yard return finally turned the tide on the alternating scores by the two teams, and Trashon Dye would not be denied.
He scored with 8:23 to go to give the Bulldogs a seven-point lead, and ran for two first downs in the final two minutes, to send PCTI to a 34-27 win over the Mounties in the North 1, Group 5 sectional final. The Bulldogs get a rematch date with Union City in the Group 5 state semifinals next week.
With Passaic Tech holding a precarious 28-27 lead, Jones stepped in front of a short pass and brought it back to the Montclair 13. Two plays later, Dye burst into the end zone from 5 yards out. While Passaic Tech missed on a two-point conversion, the defense, which had allowed the most points of any game this season, came up big again.
Kaiden Rex had two sacks in a three-play sequence, forcing Montclair to punt on a fourth and 32 with 3:14 left. The offense, and Dye in particular, made sure the Mounties never got the ball back.
The teams alternated touchdowns for the first eight scores of the game. Montclair scored first and Passaic Tech countered four consecutive times. The only difference was a missed Mountie extra point after the second touchdown.
The Mounties were very successful going up top, as quarterback Malachi Lewis threw for the scores, including two to Jace Auletta (one for 59 yards) and a 60-yard bomb to David Thom-Rodgers. Richard Williams opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run.
The Bulldogs got three rushing touchdowns from Dye and one from Jones in addition to a Jovan Tyrell 95-yard kickoff return score to open the second half. Kicker Efrain Sanchez was good under pressure on all four of his extra point kicks.
What it means
For Passaic Tech (12-0), it’s a trip back to the regional semis.
The Bulldogs previously faced Union City back on Sept. 2, coming away with a 13-6 win. In fact, they faced them twice last year, winning 6-3 in the regular season and 14-7 in the 2022 sectional final.
For Montclair, the season ends at 8-4 in frustrating fashion. The silver lining is that the Mounties are a junior-dominated team that will be one of the favorites to be back in this spot in 2024.
Inside the game
Passaic Tech made the risky decision to go for two after the Dye touchdown to make it 34-27. Bulldog coach Matt Demarest explained his thinking.
“We wanted to get up two scores," he said. "We kind of tossed it around prior to scoring, and the thought was that if they come down and score and kick the point to tie, or if they go for two and we have to defend it, it was worth the risk.”
Tyrell’s kickoff return was redemption after he saw a sure touchdown pass go off his hands. On that play, PCTI quarterback Ma’Kao Taylor scrambled and threw a deep ball then went 60 yards in the air. With his team trailing 13-7 at the half, he immediately erased the gaffe with a run down the right sideline.
After that return, Tyrell spent much of the second half on the sideline with leg issues, meaning the Bulldogs had to adjust their secondary. Sophomore Jose Trinidad and junior Jayden Santiago were pressed into service and fared well.
“Throughout the season we get those guys opportunities, and they are hungry for the chance,” Demarest said. “When the time comes, they are ready.”
Turning point
Facing a third-and-19 on the opening play of the fourth quarter and trailing 27-21, Taylor scrambled out of the pocket, extended the play and found Damian Rosario in front of the PCTI bench for 20 yards and a first down.
It kept the drive alive and it led to Dye scoring the lead touchdown.
By the numbers
Dye was his usual workhorse self, racking up 215 rushing yards on 28 carries, pushing him over 1,840 rushing yards on the season. He was 77 percent of the entire Tech offense (280 team yards). Taylor was 4-of-8 passing for 46 yards and ran five times for 23 yards.
Lewis had a big game for Montclair, completing 23 of 30 passes (12 of 14 in the first half) for 329 yards while also running for 12 yards on five rushes.
Thom-Rodgers had seven catches for 153 yards and Jayden had eight receptions for 71 yards. Auletta caught three passes for 75 yards and Ja-Khi Chance had three receptions for 19 yards, and 15 carries for 66 yards.
They said it
“They had been running that route all game. I saw the quarterback looking at him the whole way. They really were getting to us, and we needed a play," Jones said of his sixth interception of the year.
“We needed to win this one so he could get back. It was definitely on my mind, and there was no way I was going to let him down. The whole team played like that. We didn’t want to let each other down, and this was definitely a team effort," Dye said of his twin brother Travon, who has missed the last five games with a hand injury but should be back in the lineup for Union City
“They are us last year. We were a team of juniors who really stepped it up in the playoffs. Montclair did just that. They beat a really good team (Watchung Hills) last week and were a real handful here. We knew that the offense was going to have to step it up. I don’t know that I expected that (34 points), but they did the job and the defense made it stand up in the end," Demarest said.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: PCTI NJ football survives scare from Montclair, wins sectional title
