HOPATCONG -- On Thursday night, Rutgers-bound Joe Martinek celebrated the Scarlet Knights upset of Louisville in Piscataway. On Friday night, Martinek had another reason to celebrate. Martinek began Hopatcong's attempt to repeat as Section 1, Group II champions by scoring five touchdowns in a 41-13 victory over Ramsey. The Chiefs will host the Tenafly-Kittatinny winner next week. Martinek rushed for 109 yards and four TDs on 19 carries. He also intercepted a pass and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown.
Martinek's five touchdowns were the most he has scored in a game since midget football, and gave him 26 for the season. The interception return for a touchdown was his first of the season. While Martinek's performance will stand out in the box score, it was the Chiefs defense that set the tone. Hopatcong forced five turnovers, recovering two fumbles, and intercepting three passes. Three of the turnovers led to Chiefs touchdowns. "We have eight seniors and a number of younger players who went to the playoffs last year and who are hungry to get back to where we were last year, and they raised their level of play tonight," Hopatcong coach Paul Reduzzi said. Added Martinek, "It's a game of momentum, and once we got it, there was no holding back. Group II is pretty hard, and the only way to win is to play hard." Zach Rey led the defense with nine tackles and one sack of Ramsey quarterback Jake Seibert. The lineman, who calls the defensive signals on the field for the Chiefs had his teammates in the right place at the right time. "Our players are well-schooled," Reduzzi said. "We watched a lot of film, and tonight we got a lot of pressure on their quarterback, and we got to the ball nicely." Added Rey, "The defense flowed to the ball well tonight and we got the job done." Cornerback A.J. Pagano intercepted one pass and was in on four tackles on defense. While Pagano's name will not show up in the box score, the 5-foot-6 running back-cornerback played an instrumental role on four of the Chiefs scores. Pagano's interception and 46-yard return set up Martinek's second touchdown on a six yard run that gave Hopatcong a 13-0 lead. Ramsey could not control Rey's kickoff, and Kyle Imroth recovered the ball for Hopatcong. Chiefs quarterback Nick DelCorpo would cap a four-play, 26-yard drive with a three-yard run to give Hopatcong a 20-0 lead. On Hopatcong's next offensive possession, a block by Pagano freed Martinek on a pass reception from DelCorpo that turned into a 52-yard play, moving the ball to the Ramey nine-yard line. Three plays later, Martinek scored on a two-yard run to give Hopatcong a 27-0 lead before halftime. In the third quarter, a 47-yard run by Pagano set up Martinek's fourth rushing touchdown. On Ramsey's next possession, Pagano deflected a Seibert pass into Martinek's hands, and he returned it 55 yards for Hopatcong's final score. "He (Pagano) makes an impact on the game in so many ways," Reduzzi said. "I have never had a guy his size do so many things to impact a game." Ramsey 0 0 0 13 - 13 Hopatcong 6 21 0 14 - 41 H- Joe Martinek 49 run (Kick failed). H- Martinek 6 run (Kyle Imroth kick) H- Nick DelCorpo 3 run (Imroth kick) H- Martinek 2 run (Imroth kick) R- Frank Bartuccelli 9 pass from Jake Seibert (Seibert kick) H- Martinek 5 run (Imroth kick) H- Martinek 55 interception return (Imroth kick). R- Joe Marraffino 25 pass from Jake Seibert (Kick blocked). Records: Hopatcong 9-1, Ramsey 5-4.