The Roselle Park Panthers won against the Brearley Bears from Kenilworth by a score of 28-20 to advance to the semi-finals against Malcolm X Shabazz Bulldogs at Newark next week.
With a first quarter that ended with the Bears in the lead by 7 points against a scoreless Panthers, Roselle Park turned the tide during the 2nd quarter when Panthers Pete Hillburn (#30) picked up a fumble and ran 60 yards for the Panthers’ fist touchdown. Failing the Point After Touchdown (PAT), the Panthers trailed by one point until Brian Matthews (#23) broke through the Bears’ line to make Roselle Park’s second touchdown, and with a good two-point conversion brought the end of the first half with the Panthers 14 and the Bears 7.
Five minutes into the third quarter, the Roselle Park Panthers’ Brian Matthews runs 71 yards for their third touchdown of the game. The Bears respond 8 minutes later, ending the third quarter Panthers 21 – Bears 14.
Mirroring the 3rd quarter, the Bears score 4:55 into the last quarter of the game, cutting the Panthers’ lead by only one point after failing to kick the PAT inside the goal post. The final touchdown of the game came from the Panthers when Brandon Pugliese (#5) ran into the end zone. The Bears’ final attempt to catch up ended when they failed to convert their last fourth down, giving Roselle Park a turnover by downs with only 1:02 left in the game.
The Panthers are one game away from repeating last year’s finals at MetLife Stadium. If Roselle Park defeats Malcolm X Shabazz High School, they will face either New Providence or Hoboken for the championship.
