On an evening when the Caldwell Chiefs celebrated their season finale with a four-touchdown game and their third straight victory, they were only too happy to use their podium on Thanksgiving weekend to discuss being fortunate to even have a season.
“A point of emphasis for all our players was to stay in on the weekends and be smart, not go to any gatherings with a bunch of kids inside,” said Caldwell senior back Jeff LaQuaglia. “We actually had a COVID case early in the offseason in the summer and that’s what made us realize we need to be smart if we want to even have a season.”
While LaQuaglia may be commended for his focus on the big picture, he’s also a huge reason why the Chiefs were able complete a tremendous reversal from a one-win season last fall. The 5-7, 165-pound back rushed for 114 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries to propel Caldwell to a season-concluding, 31-14 victory over Parsippany at Bonnel Field in West Caldwell.
Caldwell finished 6-3 for its first winning season in three years.
The Chiefs averaged 15 points per game and went a combined 4-14 the last two years. But this season Caldwell closed with a flurry. After losing their first two games, the Chiefs averaged 38 points per game and won six of their last seven by a combined score of 231-26.
“It feels good to go 6-3 after a lost season, going 1-8,” said LaQuaglia, who overcame a high ankle sprain suffered three weeks ago and closed his season with 643 rushing yards. “We weren’t even certain about even having a season but it all worked out and we had a great season. I’m happy we got to end the season with a win and happy to be able to play with all these guys.”
“It’s been a turnaround season and I had so much fun,” Chiefs quarterback Luke Kurzum said. “The last two games Jeff has had an ankle problem -- he’s still having an ankle problem -- and you can still see how elusive he is. I’ve been so thankful to have him behind me this whole time.”
Besides LaQuaglia’s workload, Caldwell’s ability to score in clutch situations was another reason why the Chiefs’ season ended on a pleasant note.
Parsippany pulled to within a touchdown, 20-14, after Justice Fitzgerald scored on a 4-yard run with 2:24 left in the third quarter. The Chiefs responded by marching 37 yards before the drive stalled and junior Nick McNish booted a 34-yard field goal three minutes into the fourth quarter for a 23-14 Chiefs lead.
Parsippany, with Campbell Pivnick at quarterback, showed an ability to move quickly downfield with a short, precise passing game. With that in mind, Caldwell coach Tom Lamont called for a two-point conversion after LaQuaglia’s third TD -- a 10-yard run -- made it 29-14 with 6:15 left in the game. When Peter Murray successfully passed to Harry Boland for the 2-pointer, it put the Chiefs ahead by three scores at 31-14.
“That comes off of film,” Lamont said of the conversion. “We knew they come hard off the edge. We thought we had a two-point play earlier and we were too anxious and the play didn’t count, so we knew it could work again.”
Two explosive plays on back-to-back possessions got the Caldwell offense humming after a scoreless first quarter. After the Chiefs’ John Casale forced a Pivnick fumble and recovered it at the Parsippany 21, LaQuaglia used the first offensive snap to burst around the right side and beat a defender to the pylon for a 21-yard TD.
Following a Parsippany three-and-out, Kurzum exploited the Redhawks’ blitz on second-and-21 at his own 12 by lobbing a pass over the defensive line to senior Tyler Nolan, who brushed off four tacklers and galloped 88 yards for his first TD of the season and a 13-0 Chiefs lead.
“Did I just do that?!” Nolan exclaimed when he returned to the sideline.
“We run that play a lot, and we make fun of him because he’s not as elusive as he showed on that play,” Kurzum said. “It was kind of a middle screen, throwing a lot of different things at the defense, motion and sending him out to the flat and then right in the middle. He was wide open and he just took off.”
Kurzum completed 5 for 10 for 125 yards and finished the season with 1,027 yards passing and 12 TDs against just three interceptions. Boland, Lucas Lattimer and Mike Moyano each had an interception, and McNish was 1 of 2 on PAT attempts.
Parsippany finished 2-5 after an historic 2019 campaign in which the Redhawks went 10-2 for their first winning season since 1998 and reached the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 final.
For the Redhawks, Pivnick completed 15 of 26 for 138 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. Nick DePietro was Pivnick’s top target, catching six passes for 61 yards, and he also kicked two extra points. Aiden Figueroa caught two passes for 29 yards, including a 19-yard TD. Dylan Wang caught five passes for 22 yards, and Fitzgerald rushed for 22 yards and a TD on eight carries.
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November 28, 2020 at 10:42AM
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LaQuaglia runs for 3 TDs to help Caldwell complete turnaround season - nj.com
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