ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP BOWL
Kovar (3), Marra TDs
beat Blue Angels, 25-6
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ROCKAWAY TWP. - Brendan Kovar scored three touchdowns - one trick play that covered 60 yards - and Chris Marra added one TD when the Rockaway Township Rockets youth football clinic team defeated the Denville Blue Angels, 25-6, in a Rockaway Township Bowl game played at Peterson Field on Friday, Nov. 12.
Kovar scored the only points of the first half on a 25-yard run as the Rockets took a 6-0 lead into the halftime break.
A Patrick Gallagher fumble recovery stopped a Denville third-quarter drive and set up Rockaway Township's second TD.
Rocket quarterback Josh Perez threw a screen pass to Gallagher who then handed off to Kovar coming back the other way and Kovar went 60 yards untouched into the endzone to give the Rockets a 12-0 lead that soon became 13-0 when Gallagher scored on a one-point PAT run.
Marra followed with a more traditional touchdown on a 1-yard fullback dive and then Kovar added third his TD on a 5-yard run in the final period of play.
The Rockets defense was again led by Jason Ponteliona, Josh Ortiz, Jake Antonelli, Joe Rabeno, Bryce Merin, Jaden Lago, Alex Cardoza, Davis Chen, Jake Lissy and Marra.
The offensive line of Jake Busel, T.J. Rome, Chase Bruno, Tristan Busel, Ron Stewart, Nick Delafuente, Jason Ponteliona and Zach Knightes and running backs Chase Bruno, Marra, Gallagher, Kovar and Antonelli also drew praise from the clinic coaching staff, not only for this game but for their efforts throughout the season.
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Gallagher's TD give Rockets 6-6 tie with Randolph
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Patrick Gallagher's 14-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter gave the Rockaway Township Rockets clinic team a 6-6 tie with the Randolph Bulldogs in a Morris County Youth Football League defensive struggle at Peterson Field here on Saturday, Nov. 6.
Randolph scored its only points in the first period and neither team scored in the second half although the Rockets were stopped twice within the 10-yard line by a stubborn Randolph defense.
The Rockets defense was solid throughout the game with Chris Marra and Josh Perez coming up with key plays to halt Randolph drives - Marra recovering a Randolph fumble and Perez intercepting a Randolph pass.
Jason Pontelliona, Josh Ortiz, Jake Antonelli, Joe Rabeno, Bryce Merwin, Jaden Lago, Alex Cardoza, David Chen, Jake Lissy and Marra also came up with key tackles.
The Rocket coaching staff also pointed out that the offensive line of Jake Busel, T.J. Rome, Chase Bruno, Tristan Busel, Ron Stewart, Nick Delafuente, Jason Pontelliona and Zach Knightes performed well not only against Randolph, but throughout the season.
Running backs Brendan Kovar, Marra, Gallagher, Antonelli, Bruno and Ponteliona also played at a high level all through the season, according to the coaches.
The peewees will be playing Denville on Friday, Nov. 12, at 6:30 p.m. to kickoff the seventh annual Rockaway Township Bowl at Peterson Field here. A super peewee game between the Rockets and Dover Tigers follows at 8 p.m. and five games will also be played on Saturday, Nov. 13 from noon to 8 p.m.
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Perez 3 TDs, 171 rush yards spark 20-12 victory
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Josh Perez scored three touchdowns and finished with 171 yard rushing to lead the Rockaway Township Rockets clinic team to a 20-12 victory over the Morristown Colonials in a Morris County Youth Football League game played at Morristown on Saturday, Oct. 30.
Perez scored on runs of 64, 18 and 32 yards and finished with 171 yards rushing for the game, a total that put him over the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season. Perez also scored the team's lone extra point.
According to the Rockets' coaching staff, the offensive line of Jake Busel, T.J. Rome, Chase Bruno, Tristan Busel, Ron Stewart, Nick Delafuente, Jason Pontelliona and Zach Knightes was key in Perez' yardage total.
Running backs Chris Marra, Patrick Gallagher, Brendan Kovar, Jake Antonelli, Chase Bruno and Jason Ponteliona also made key blocks for Perez.
Defensive highlights included a fumble recovery by Kovar that stopped a third-period drive by the Colonials and several key tackles made by Jason Ponteliona, Josh Ortiz, Joe Rabeno, Bryce Merwin, Jaden Lago, Alex Cardoza, David Chen, Jake Lissy, Marra and Antonelli.
The clinic team faces Randolph in its regular-season finale Saturday, Nov. 6, in a 6:30 p.m. game at Peterson Field.
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Perez (3), Marra TDs beat Twin Boro, 24-12
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Josh Perez went long-distance for three TDs and Chris Marra scored on a one-yard run when the Rockaway Township Rockets clinic team defeated the Twin Boro Bears, 24-12, in a Morris County Youth Football League game played at Peterson Field here on Saturday, Oct. 23.
Marra opened the scoring for the Rockets with his TD and then Perez followed with scoring runs of 60, 48 and 67 yards as he finished with 246 yards rushing for the game.
The defense was led by Jason Ponteliona, Josh Ortiz, Jake Antonelli, Joe Rabeno, Brendan Kovar, Bryce Merwin, Alex Cardoza, Ronnie Stewart, David Chen and Jake Lissy.
Solid blocking by linemen Jake Busel, T.J. Rome, Chase Bruno, Patrick Gallagher, Tristan Busel, Nick Delafuente, Zach Knightes and Stewart keyed the Rockets' offense throughout the game.
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Perez scores 3 TDs to lead Rockets, 26-7
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Josh Perez scored three touchdowns and Chris Marra added one when the Rockaway Township Rockets clinic team won its fifth straight game by beating Roxbury, 26-7, in a Morris County Youth Football League game at Peterson Field on Saturday, Oct. 16.
Perez scored on runs of 34 and 15 yards and returned a fumble recovery 65 yards for his third TD. Jaden Lago's tackle on a Roxbury runner caused the fumble.
Marra scored on a 40-yard run and Brendan Kovar and Jake Antonelli each ran for one-point conversions to round out the scoring for the Rockets.
On defense for the Rockets, Chris Marra intercepted a pass and Bryce Merwin came up with a TD-saving tackle. Jason Ponteliona, Josh Ortiz,Joe Rabeno, Alex Cardoza, Ronnie Stewart, Jake Lissy and Antonelli also drew praise from the coaching staff for their solid work on defense.
On offense, running backs Patrick Gallagher and Kovar were cited by their coaches for their blocking. The offensive line of Jake Busel, T.J. Rome, Chase Bruno, Tristan Buse, Ron Stewart, Nick Delafuente and Zach Knightes also drew praise from the coaches.
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Perez (3), Marra TDs spark Rockets to 25-21 win
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Josh Perez scored three touchdowns and the Rockaway Township Rockets clinic team rushed for a team-record 333 yards in a 26-21 victory over Mount Olive in a Morris County Youth Football League game played at Mount Olive on Saturday, Oct. 9.
Perez scored the Rockets' first three TDs on runs of 60, 3 and 62 yards and finished with 164 yards rushing as Rockaway Township (4-1) registered its fourth straight victory.
Chris Marra added the fourth TD on a 55-yard run in the fourth period and finished with 72 yards rushing and Patrick Gallagher ran in two extra points to complete the scoring for the Rockets. Gallagher also rushed for 49 yards and Brendan Kovar added another 40 yards on the ground.
A key defensive play came in the third period when Jason Ponteliona intercepted a Mount Olive pass to halt a scoring threat. Jaden Lago, Josh Ortiz, Joe Rabeno, Alex Cardoza, Jake Anthonelli, Bryce Merwin, David Chen, Jake Lissy, Marra and Kovar also played solid defensive game, according to the Rocket coaching staff.
Center Jake Busel anchored an offensive line that included T.J. Rome, Chase Bruno, Tristan Busel, Ron Stewart, Nick Delafuente and Zach Knightes and proved to be a key factor in the Rockets running backs gaining their team record yardage total.
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Kovar, Perez, Ponteliona scored TDs in 25-12 win
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Brendan Kovar scored two touchdowns and an extra point and Josh Perez and Jason Ponteliona added two long-distance TD runs when the Rockaway Township Rockets clinic team beat Jefferson, 25-12, in a Morris County Youth Football League game at Jefferson on Friday, Oct. 1.
The 25 points were the most scored in one game by the Rockets (3-1) all season.
Kovar scored on runs of 6 and 15 yards; Perez scored on a 42-yard run in the fourth quarter to break a 12-12 tie; and Ponteliona had the longest scoring run of the game, a 58-yard TD run in the final quarter to close out the game's scoring.
Perez' winning TD came off a drive that was set up when Ron Stewart recovered a Jefferson fumble early in the third period.
Kovar finished the game with 124 yards rushing and Ponteliona added 58 as seven Rocket backs combined for 275 yards on the ground running behind blocks provided by offensive linemen Jake Busel, Tristan Busel, T.J. Rome, Zach Knightes, Nick Delafuente, Chase Bruno, Jaden Lago, Jake Lissy, Joe Rabeno, Stewart and Ponteliona.
On defense, Alex Cardoza, Chris Marra, Josh Ortiz, Jake Antonelli, Patrick Gallagher, Perez and Lago drew praise from the Rockets' coaching staff.
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Rockets rush for 278 yards to beat Montville
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Josh Perez, Brendan Kovar and Chris Marra rushed for TDs as seven different Rockets carried the ball for a combined 278 yards when the Rockaway Township Rockets clinic team beat the Montville Broncos, 19-7, in a Morris County Youth Football League game played at Montville's Camp Dawson Field on Saturday, Sept. 25.
Perez opened the scoring with a 60-yard run and Kovar added the one-point PAT run for a 7-0 lead.
Kovar scored on a 2-yard plunge in the second quarter and Marra completed the Rockets' scoring for the game when he scored on a 3-yard plunge in the fourth period for the only points scored in the second half.
Perez finished with 113 yards rushing while Marra added 63, Patrick Gallagher finished with 45 yards on the ground, and Kovar added 44 yards. Running backs Jake Antonelli, Chase Bruno and Jason Ponteliona also contributed to the rushing yardage total as the Rockets improved their season record to 2-1.
Offensive linemen Jake and Tristan Busel, T.J. Rome, Zach Knightes, Nick Delafuente, Chase Bruno, Jason Ponteliona, Jaden Lago and Ron Stewart drew praise from the Rocket coaches for their blocking in helping the Rocket backs gain their 278 yards for the game.
On defense, Antonelli had a drive-stopping interception plus several key tackles while Bryce Merwin, Joe Rabeno, Alex Cardozo, David Chen and Jake Lissy were also in on multiple tackles.
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Rockets edged, 21-20, by Long Valley in opener
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Quarterback Josh Perez scored two touchdowns and Patrick Gallagher scored one when the Rockaway Township Rockets clinic team opened its Morris County Youth Football League season with a 21-20 loss to the Long Valley Rockets at Long Valley on Friday, Sept. 10.
Gallagher opened the Rockets' scoring with a 34-yard TD run in the first period; Perez got his first TD on a 40-yard QB option in the third period; and then Perez scored again in the fourth period, going in on a QB keeper from seven yards out. Chris Marra scored two PATs on fullback dive plays.
Long Valley won the game on touchdowns and successful PAT runs in the first, third and fourth quarters.
Perez finished with 119 yards rushing on 13 carries; Marra gained 60 tough yards in 20 carries; and Gallagher added another 60 yards on only five carries.
Jake Busel, Joe Rabeno, Chase Bruno, Zach Knightes, Jake Lissy, T.J. Romer, Nick Delafuente, Jason Ponteliona and RB Brendan Kovar provided solid blocking for the game, according to the coaching staff.
Defensive players singled out by the coaches were Tristan Busel, Josh Ortiz, Jake Antonelli, Bryce Merwin, Alex Cardosa, and Jaden Lago.
