On Saturday night the Rutherford Junior Bulldogs (10-11 year olds) opened the first round of the playoffs with a win against the Secaucus Junior Patriots.  The Bulldog (6-3) offense was lead by running backs Kevin Calabrese, Kevin Wilton, Charlie LaGreca and Luke Barnes.  All had long runs throughout the game with LaGreca and Calabrese each scoring a touchdown.  Calabrese added a long run at the end of the game, breaking tackles through the entire Patriot defense to help seal the victory for Rutherford.  In the air, quarterback Wyatt Bohn connected on a long pass to tight end Aidan Keely. Defensively, Rutherford came to play, giving up minimal yardage on the ground to Secaucus.  Defensive linemen Kosta Makridakis, Cristian Acosta, Declan Moran and Mark Goldsack clogged up the middle throughout the game.  Linebackers Luke Barnes, Kevin Calabrese and Charlie LaGreca wreaked havoc on the field, with Calabrese and LaGreca making several tackles in the backfield.  Safety Kevin Wilton made a fierce tackle on a Secaucus running back late in the game to help stop a fourth quarter Patriot drive. The Rutherford Senior Bulldogs (12-14 year olds) survive and advance into the second round of the MFL Playoffs after defeating the Harrison Blue Tide.  This game was a nail biter as both teams had numerous chances to move the ball down the field but came up short every time.  The game was tied 0-0 at halftime with the Bulldogs (8-1) receiving the second half kickoff.  Rutherford would move the ball deep into Blue Tide territory with several big runs by Jaxson Montoto.  The Bulldogs would eventually turn the ball over on downs and it was Harrison’s turn to try to take the lead. The Rutherford defense was swarming all night and came up with the biggest play of the game when Liam Lindsay returned a fumble sixty yards for a touchdown.  The extra point attempt was good by Montoto and it gave the Bulldogs an 8-0 lead.  This turned out to be the only touchdown of the night for both teams with Rutherford securing the game in victory formation with less than a minute to play. In a dominant display of teamwork and resilience, the Rutherford Pee Wee Bulldogs (8-9 year olds) defeated the Lyndhurst Golden Bears with a resounding 26-0 victory in North Arlington during the first round of the playoffs. Led by standout performances, particularly from quarterback Luca Ventura, the Bulldogs (9-0) set the tone early and never looked back. The game began with an explosive play by Luca Ventura, who scored on a QB sweep to put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard. Daviel Serra added the extra point. This initial momentum continued to build as Ventura kept finding success on the ground. He scored again on another quarterback sweep, although this time the extra point attempt fell short. The Bulldogs’ defense also proved to be a force to be reckoned with, as Michael Robertson's crucial fumble recovery halted a promising Lyndhurst drive, keeping the shutout alive. This turnover kept the Golden Bears scoreless and allowed Rutherford to retain control of the game’s tempo.  Ventura was not finished, however. He added two more touchdowns on QB sweeps. Mark Gordon did seal one of those extra points. Defending this week for the Bulldogs were Marc Gordon, Michael Robertson, Brandon Byrne, Archer Modica, Daviel Serra, Jackson Condon, Luke Ruffins, Luca Ventura, Jayson Cuce, Antonio Rodriguez, and Dean Della Fave. All three RJF&C Bulldog teams move onto the South Semi-Finals in Wallington.

The Mighty Mites (5-7 year olds) put together their finest game of the season this weekend dominating on offense and defense. The offense was led by Xavion Evans, John Rocco Della Fave, and Kaiser Day. Evans was unstoppable all afternoon scoring four touchdowns. Michael McCaugherty scored the final touchdown of the day outrunning the New Milford defense on a sweep to the right sideline. Billy Cunningham continues to put on a clinic at quarterback, controlling the game with clean exchanges, handoffs, and leading drives as the field general. The Defense was led by Joel Velazquez, Vincent Oszmanski and Kaiser Day. The line play was controlled all afternoon by Colton Caiola, Sean Ryan, Mason Amorim, Liam Innis, Finn Innis, Phoenix Blackwell, Tommy Rose, and Vincent Fuccilli. Vincent Oszmanski was a ball hawk on defense recovering two fumbles that would result in scoring drives for the Mites. The coaching staff is so proud of this team, excellent game all around by each and every Mite this weekend, great team effort. In a gritty showdown of skill, resilience, and big plays, the Rutherford Pee Wee Bulldogs (8-9 year olds) held their ground against the New Milford Green Knights. The action started early when Rutherford’s Luca Ventura electrified the field with an impressive punt return that set the Bulldogs (8-0) up at New Milford’s two-yard line. With the crowd roaring, running back Mark Gordon pushed his way through for the game’s first touchdown. The Bulldogs’ missed the extra-point attempt, keeping the score at 6-0.  New Milford was quick to answer, powering through Rutherford’s defense with a touchdown of their own. The Green Knights didn't stop there, finding the end zone again later in the half. After halftime, Rutherford knew they had to answer back. Mark Gordon delivered his second touchdown of the day. With yet another missed extra point, the game was deadlocked at 12-12.  The Bulldogs needed a spark, and Ventura delivered again, he raced down the sideline on a sweep for the go-ahead touchdown. Mark Gordon sealed the extra point.  As the clock wound down, the Bulldogs celebrated a hard-earned 19-12 victory, marking a close to an undefeated regular season.
Starting this week for the Bulldogs was Jameson Bohn, Brandon Byrne, Vincent Centrella, James DePutron, Jackson Condon, Michael Robertson, Antonio Rodriguez, Luca Ventura, Mark Gordon, Daviel Serra, and Archer Modica. On Saturday night the Rutherford Junior Bulldogs (10-11 year olds) fell to the New Milford Junior Knights 21-0.  On offense, running backs Luke Barnes, Kevin Calabrese and Kevin Wilton had several long runs.  Quarterback Wyatt Bohn added runs of his own. On defense, Kosta Makridakis made several tackles throughout the game while Kevin Calabrse, Charlie LaGreca, Luke Barnes, Kevin Wilton and Mark Goldsack added tackles of their own. Michael Gerbasio led the Bulldogs JV offense with a long run to end the game. The Rutherford Senior Bulldogs (12-14 year olds) stayed hot and ended their regular season on a six game winning streak as Southern Division Champions.  The Bulldogs welcomed the Green Knights into their house on Senior Night and wouldn’t disappoint.  New Milford received the opening kickoff and were stuffed in four plays leading to a turnover on downs.  Rutherford shared the ball on the opening drive with passes completed to Jaxson Montoto and Liam Lindsay as well as gaining yards on the ground from Tyler Griffin, Ryan Wilton, and Gavin Nimmo.  The Bulldogs (7-1) went on an eight play drive that was capped off with a Nimmo touchdown run to put the Bulldogs up 6-0.  Montoto’s extra point attempt was successful to make it an 8-0 game.  New Milford was able to put up a score of their own and tied the game at 8-8 at the start of the second quarter.  Rutherford came within inches of taking the lead on the last play of the half when Connor White connected with Manny Arguello on a twenty yard pass and catch.  The Bulldogs received the second half kickoff and went back to work.  Once again they were sharing the ball and were able to march down the field behind the blocking from Joey Urgola, Lucas Schmidt, Steven Negron, Owen Burbank, Keelan Cannon, and Matt Ventura.  Montoto finished off the drive with a two yard touchdown run to put the Bulldogs up 14-8.  Rutherford got stellar defensive play by Matt Ventura, Brendan O’Rourke, Mason Colon, and Jack Calamita to keep the game close.  The game would go back and forth for the rest of the half and ultimately came down to the Bulldogs making a goal line stand on fourth down with four seconds left on the clock.  The Bulldogs held their ground and forced a fumble that they recovered to ice the win.  The MFL Playoffs start Saturday in Lyndhurst & North Arlington.

The Rutherford Senior Bulldogs (12-14 year olds) rolled to their fifth straight victory on Saturday with a win over the Golden Bears and clinched the one seed in the Southern Division.  The Bulldogs started the game on defense and forced a turnover on downs deep inside their own territory.  Rutherford marched down the field behind the running of Jaxson Montoto, Ryan Wilton, Tyler Griffin, and Gavin Nimmo.  Griffin would put the first points on the board with a six yard touchdown run.  Montoto would make the extra point kick for his first of four successful attempts.  The Bulldogs kicked off and recovered the kick which led to their second score of the night.  Connor White found Liam Lindsay for a forty yard catch and run to put Rutherford up 14-0.  After forcing Lyndhurst into another turnover on downs the Bulldogs went back to pounding the ball down the field.  Opening holes for the backs were Lucas Schmidt, Owen Burbank, Keelan Cannon, Steven Negron, Matt Ventura, and Manny Arguello. Jaxson Montoto scored the last two touchdown on the night for the Bulldogs.  Jack Calamita intercepted a pass in the endzone just before the half to keep the Bears off the scoreboard.  Mason Colon and Frankie Wilton were also in on the action offensively in the second half.  The game was officially over at the start of the fourth quarter with the Bulldogs earning a 32-0 win. The RJF&C Juniors (10-11 year olds) running back Luke Barnes opened up the Junior game with a 35 yard long run on the Bulldog's first offensive play.  Barnes capped off the drive with a 5 yard touchdown.  Barnes would add another touchdown for Rutherford later in the game.  Running backs Kevin Wilton, Kevin Calabrese, and Charlie LaGreca each contributed heavily to the Bulldogs ground game with LaGreca and Calabrese each adding a score of their own.  Quarterback Wyatt Bohn connected with tight end Aidan Keely on two long passes, one for Rutherford touchdown.  Rutherford's defense and special teams dominated the night, not allowing a single point by Lyndhurst.  On special teams, Kevin Wilton and Charlie LaGreca each had onside kick recoveries.  Luke Barnes added a fumble recovery and Mark Goldsack added two tackles for losses.  The entire Bulldog defense stifled the Lyndhurst offense throughout the game, allowing minimal yards. The Bulldog's JV team continued the strong defensive play with a tackle for a loss by Dylan Lindov and a fumble recovery by Avery Medina. The Jr Bulldogs closed the contest with a 31-0 victory. In a one-sided contest, the Rutherford Pee Wee Bulldogs (7-0) cruised to victory over the Lyndhurst Golden Bears, demonstrating their dominance in both offensive and defensive phases of the game. The Bulldogs (8-9 year olds) wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in the first quarter. Quarterback Luca Ventura connected with Antonio Rodriguez on a beautiful touchdown pass.  Mark Gordon followed up with a successful extra point.  Mark Gordon continued to make his presence felt on offense, breaking free for a touchdown run off a perfectly executed off tackle blast. Momentum stayed firmly in Rutherford’s favor after Mark Gordon recovered an onside kick. Daviel Serra capitalized on this opportunity with a strong touchdown dive. Gregory Fletcher tacked on the extra point.  Rutherford’s defense also played a crucial role in the victory. Luca Ventura picked up a fumble and ran it back for another touchdown.  With such a commanding lead, the game ended after the first half, transitioning into a junior varsity contest. The Bulldogs left no doubt, delivering a complete performance to shut out the Golden Bears 26-0. Defending this week for the Peewees on was Archer Modica, Daviel Serra, Jackson Condon, Michael Robertson, Luke Ruffins, Luca Ventura, Jayson Cuce, Mark Gordon, Brandon Byrne, Antonio Rodriguez and Dean Della Fave. The Mighty Mites (6-7 year olds) continue to make big plays on offense and defense. The offense was led by Xavion Evans, John Rocco Della Fave, and Kaiser Day all helping to move the ball up and down the field. Della Fave opened the scoring with a sweep to the left side outrunning the defense. Evans had an electric sixty yard run up the middle to finish the scoring. Day came up big, sustaining drives all afternoon with key runs. Billy Cunningham was under center, and had clean exchanges and handoffs all afternoon, leading drives as the field general. The Defense was led by Joel Velazquez, Vincent Oszmanski and Marcello DeBari. The line play was controlled all afternoon by Colton Caiola, Sean Ryan, Mason Amorim, Liam Innis, Finn Innis, Phoenix Blackwell, Tommy Rose, and Vincent Fuccilli. The coaches are proud of this team, the Mites continue to improve each week. The Bulldogs host New Milford Saturday in the regular season finale.

The Rutherford Bulldog Mighty Mites (6-7 year olds) came out with a 14-7 victory over Wallington on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs won on a last second touchdown run by John Rocco Della Fave, it was his 2nd of the day. The offense sustained long drives all day with tough running from Della Fave and fellow running backs Xavion Evans and Kaiser Day. As always, the offense was commanded by quarterback Billy Cunningham and got a great push up front from their offensive line consisting of Joel Velazquez, Sean Ryan, Marcello DeBari, Liam Innis and Colton Caiola. Defensively the Bulldogs played their best game of the season to this point, consistently coming up with big tackles and creating stops throughout the contest. Vincent Fuccilli, Tommy Rose and Finn Innis all made big contributions to a defensive front that created constant pressure in the backfield throughout the day. Patrolling the secondary and coming up to fill any holes with aggressive tackling and pursuit were Michael McCaugherty and Vinny Oszmanski.  The Rutherford Peewee Bulldogs (8-9 year olds) started strong with an onside kick recovered by Daviel Serra, leading to Mark Gordon’s touchdown and Archer Modica’s extra point. Serra added another score with an up the gut TD, though the extra point was missed, giving the Bulldogs (6-0) a 13-0 halftime lead. In the second half, Modica scored again, but the extra point was missed. The game saw a brief pause when the ball was lost, but the Bulldogs maintained control to secure the win.  The final score was Rutherford 19 – Wallington 0. Starting this week for the Bulldogs was Jayson Cuce, Brandon Byrne, Vincent Centrella, James DePutron, Jackson Condon, Luke Ruffins, Antonio Rodriguez, Luca Ventura, Mark Gordon, Daviel Serra, and Archer Modica. The Rutherford Juniors (10-11 year olds) saw running back Luke Barnes open up the game scoring on a long run on the Bulldog's first offensive play of the game.  Kevin Calabrese added the extra point. Kevin Wilton added another touchdown on a long run for Rutherford with Charlie LaGreca adding the extra point.  The real story of the night was the Bulldog defense who forced three fumbles.  Kevin Calabrese and Michael Gerbasio each returned a fumble for a touchdown.  Luke Barnes and Kevin Wilton added the extra points, respectively.  The Bulldog's JV team, lead by quarterback Desmond Fabiano, added two scores of their own.  Fabiano opened up the second half with a long pass to tight end James Connallon which ultimately set up a Michael Gerbasio touchdown run.  Gerbasio added a second touchdown to close out the game. The Rutherford Senior Bulldogs (12-14 year olds) kept their winning streak alive with a 32-13 win over the Wallington Panthers.  Rutherford received the opening kickoff and chewed up the entire first quarter clock before taking the lead.  Gavin Nimmo punched in his first touchdown of the year in his first game back from injury.  He gave the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead and Jaxson Montoto converted the extra point attempt to put Rutherford up 8-0.  Rutherford kicked off and recovered the ball after it bounced off of one of the Panthers players.  After another nice clock killing drive, Connor White found Liam Lindsay for a perfectly placed forty yard reception that ended up in the endzone.  Montoto’s extra point attempt was good and it put the Bulldogs up 16-0.  Rutherford was able to put up two more touchdowns before half time on the hard running of Jaxson Montoto who would score both times and convert both extra point kicks. Opening the holes for the backs were Lucas Schmidt, Matt Ventura, Owen Burbank, Steven Negron, Manny Arguello, Keelan Cannon, Ryan Wilton and Tyler Griffin.  The Bulldog defense also played a big part in the win and were led by Brendan O’Rourke and Jack Calamita. All three Bulldog teams remain in 1^st place in the South.

The Bulldogs are on the road in Lyndhurst next Saturday.

The Mites (7 year olds) moved the ball on offense throughout their game on Saturday versus Elmwood Park. John Rocco Della Fave took the jet sweep handoff from Billy Cunningham on their first drive for a touchdown. The offense continued to drive the field led by Xavion Evans and Kaiser Day throughout the game. John Rocco Della Fave had an electric sweep that went for sixty five yards for his second touchdown of the game. The offensive line played tough all afternoon led by Marcello DeBari, Tiago Serra, Drew Bucey, Colton Caiola, Vincent Fuccilli, and Mason Amorim. The defense continued to improve and was led by Michael McCaugherty, Sean Ryan, Vincent Oszmanski, Tommy Rose. Marcello DeBari made a big tackle just before the end of the first half, assisted by Xavion Evans and Michael McCaugherty. The Mites continue to improve each week, the coaches could not be happier with their effort and teamwork. In a thrilling display of teamwork and grit, the Rutherford Pee Wee Bulldogs (5-0) blanked the Elmwood Park Bombers 21-0 in a game filled with explosive plays and lockdown defense. The action started early when Marc Gordon scored on an off-tackle blast.  Archer Modica followed up with the extra point.  Defensively, Rutherford put on a clinic. Michael Robertson forced a fumble which Antonio Rodriguez was quick to recover. Capitalizing on the momentum, Archer Modica found the end zone once more, and this time Luca Ventura tacked on the extra point. Rutherford’s (8-9 year olds) offensive machine kept rolling. Luca Ventura took matters into his own hands, darting around the edge on a quarterback sweep. The icing on the cake came with an impressive 5-yard out pass from Luca Ventura to Antonio Rodriguez. The defense, spearheaded by Marc Gordon, Michael Robertson, and Brandon Byrne, was relentless, suffocating Elmwood Park’s offense all game long. Archer Modica, Daviel Serra, Jackson Condon, James DePutron, Luca Ventura, Jayson Cuce, Antonio Rodriguez, and Dean Della Fave also stood tall, making key tackles and keeping the opposition scoreless. On Saturday night the Rutherford Junior Bulldogs (10-11 year olds) fell to the Elmwood Park Junior Bombers 20-13.  Quarterback Wyatt Bohn connected on a touchdown pass to Kevin Calabrese. Calabrese also added Rutherford's only other touchdown on a long run.  Later in the game, Bohn linked up with Luke Barnes on another long pass.  Bohn, along with running backs Kevin Wilton, Luke Barnes, and Charlie LaGreca each had long runs on the day. On defense, Cristian Acosta and Charlie LaGreca each had tackles in the backfield.  Kevin Calabrese added a sack and Luke Barnes had a takeaway.  Rylan Snyder recovered a fumble late in the game for the Bulldogs. The Rutherford Bulldog Seniors (12-14 year olds) pitched their second shutout of the season with a 22-0 win over the Bombers.  The Bulldogs received the opening kickoff and went to work.  Rutherford sustained a 10 play drive that was capped off with a Jaxson Montoto touchdown run.  The extra point try was wide right and the Bulldogs were up 6-0. This would be the last play of the first quarter.  Montoto would recover the onside kick for Rutherford and they were right back on offense.  The Bulldogs (4-1) kept the ball for the entirety of the second quarter with some tough running from all three of their backs as Tyler Griffin was able to punch one in with less than ten seconds to go in the half.  This put the Bulldogs up 12-0 and the extra point kick was successful to make the score 14-0.  The Bulldogs did not play one down on defense the entire first half as they were able to control the clock with their potent run game. Leading the way for the Bulldogs were Lucas Schmidt, Owen Burbank, Keelan Cannon, Steven Negron, Manny Arguello, Liam Lindsay, and Connor White.  Rutherford kicked off to start the second half and the Bombers finally had the ball on offense.  After a few penalties to put them in fourth and long, Keelan Cannon came up with a big stop in the backfield to force a turnover on downs.  Rutherford took over on offense and went on a final drive that would kill the clock once again.  They had the ball for the remainder of the third quarter and scored their final touchdown on the night when Matt Ventura barreled into the endzone from three yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter.  The Bulldogs were now up 20-0 and Montoto would go on to convert the extra point kick to make the final score 22-0.  The Bulldogs host Wallington this Saturday. 

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