Morris Knolls secured its place in the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 football final after a decisive 42-14 victory over Mount Olive in the NJSIAA/Xfinity Football State Championships semifinals on Saturday in Rockaway. The Golden Eagles, ranked No. 16 in the NJ.com Top 20, powered through a challenging first half to claim the win and maintain their undefeated season at 10-0.
The game began with Morris Knolls trailing by seven points as starting quarterback Chris Kaiser was briefly sidelined due to injury. The offense found its footing with the help of senior running back Jayden Koger, who took a pitch from backup quarterback Gavin Toland and ran 60 yards to even the score.
Shortly after, senior fullback Bobby Bricker scored on a 2-yard run, giving Morris Knolls a lead just before halftime. After being evaluated at halftime, Kaiser returned to the game, adding to the team’s momentum with a 65-yard touchdown run to open the second half.
Morris Knolls scored 35 unanswered points, holding Mount Olive to two touchdowns and relying entirely on a powerful rushing offense. The Golden Eagles accumulated 456 rushing yards, scoring on 77, 60, 2, 65, 10, and 37 runs. The team did not complete a pass but maintained control with its effective ground game.
Head coach Bryan Gallagher credited the team’s resilience and preparation, noting, “We told them that was the message right before we took the field that the fire is coming. We’re bound for some real adversity at some point here. Playing a tremendous football team that is highly motivated and us having beaten them the first time.”
He added, “So for our guys to respond and be able to keep their cool during a really rough patch of football there says a lot about their resilience and the kind of kids that they are.”
This semifinal win is Morris Knolls’s second over Mount Olive this season, following a 27-7 result in the regular season. With this latest win, the team advances to host third-seeded Ramapo in the sectional final next Saturday. Ramapo secured its place in the final with a comeback win over second-seeded Ridge in the other semifinal matchup.
Morris Knolls will now pursue its first sectional championship since 2005, hoping to continue its strong season and win the title.
