On Saturday, October 4th, we had our Homecoming Game at Hurrell Field at 2 pm against Newark Collegiate. This was a pink-out game to honor breast cancer awareness month, and everyone came completely dressed in pink spirit wear! Senior Alex Bowman says that his favorite part of the game was “the overall vibe and everyone coming out to support” since he enjoyed seeing all the pink school spirit. Ridger Points also awarded a senior who was cheering on the team from the student section with a T-shirt, as she was the most spirited. She sported a pink feather boa and fun sunglasses! It was a beautiful day for some football with the hot sun shining, and GR came out with a victory, 33-0!
Glen Ridge led 12-0 in the first half and then scored another 21 points in the second half. This was a great win since our defense was able to keep Newark Collegiate from scoring any points at all, but Coach Liddy notes that it was a slow start. When asked if he would do anything differently or what they could improve upon, he answered that he wished they had started stronger in the first half. He believed they could’ve won by more points since Newark Collegiate is currently 0-5 (0 wins and 5 losses) this season. Coach Liddy says his favorite play was the 54-yard long pass from QB Zach Konetzni to JP Labadia for a touchdown. This was JP Labadia’s second touchdown of the game, and also both his favorite play that day and his teammate Brady Gold, who helped block for that pass. Brady Gold says this was his favorite play of the day because it was the touchdown that “put them away” basically putting the nail in the coffin and showing GR will win. On the other hand, QB Zach Konetzni said his favorite play of the game was the first touchdown, which was a pass to Aiden Kelly, since it “set the energy for the whole game” and got everyone hyped up.
Noted was that in previous games, Newark Collegiate only had maybe 18 players, but then around 30 kids exited the bus, which surprised GR. According to Coach Liddy, “they just kept coming [off the bus]” and Labadia found it “disrespectful” to the team since they were trying to intimidate us.
Throughout the game, Konetzni threw 20 completions for 241 yards and rushed for 135 yards. The first score of the game was a safety, which scored GR 2 points. This was Tristian Wilson’s favorite play of the game since he was the one to sack the Newark Collegiate quarterback, therefore securing the 2 points. For reference, a safety happens when the quarterback is sacked in their own endzone. The next score was the touchdown pass from QB Konetzni to Kelly. Then, Labadia added two touchdowns, a 50-yard run, and a 54-yard reception for Glen Ridge. Konetzni also ran the ball into the endzone, scoring a touchdown. Impressively, Jimmy Gist kicked a 36-yard field goal, which scored another 3 points for GR.
Overall, this was a great game to watch for GR, with them winning by 33 points and having no points scored against them. The student section brought the spirit and was excited to celebrate the team. The cheerleaders had young junior cheerleaders accompany them to do some stunts and perform, which was very adorable. The GR band also did a great halftime performance, keeping everyone entertained. Another successful homecoming game for Glen Ridge is in the books!
