Hopatcong (5-1) - 28, Kittatinny (4-2) - 7

Joe Martinek is not one to procrastinate.

He settled on a college before his senior year, verbally accepting a football scholarship to Rutgers before embarking on his quest to lead Hopatcong to a second straight NJSIAA championship and become the state's all-time leading rusher.

As he continued to draw closer to the record this season, he was eager to set it as quickly as possible and put the focus back on his team's goal.

That was obvious by the way he ran last night.

Martinek had a 64-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage and already had rushed for 132 of the 134 yards he needed to break the record with 10 minutes remaining in the first half against Kittatinny. A 28-yard run around right end made him the state's all-time leading rusher.

He finished the 28-7 home victory over Kittatinny with 221 yards and three TDs on 23 carries, giving him 6,808 career yards. The record was formerly held by Ken Cattouse of Keyport, who rushed for 6,720 yards from 2000 through '03. Martinek has 1,2055 yards in six games this season for Hopatcong (5-1).

"I was glad to get it over with early in the game," he said. "That was real important to me. I thought about all the people around me that have been with me all these years because it is those people who mold you and make you who you are."

Hopatcong's homecoming crowd was buzzing with anticipation for a big night from the outset and Martinek didn't let them down. He took the opening play from scrimmage from his own 36, broke around left end and dashed 64 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead just 20 seconds into the contest.

Martinek's run served to heighten the crowd's enthusiasm for what was sure to come. On Hopatcong's second possession, Martinek carried for 17, 4, 4, 14, 3 and 6 yards to raise his game total to 111 and draw to within 22 of Cattouse.

That also put the ball on the Kittatinny 2-yard line, and 1-yard runs by fullback Carl Juskus and quarterback Nick DelCorpo gave Hopatcong a 14-0 lead.

Martinek broke the record on Hopatcong's next possession--and his mother showed where he got his quick reactions. There was a flag on the play during the 28-yard run that broke the record, but in her eagerness to celebrate, Roxanne Martinek didn't see it. She began to sprint onto the field to embrace her son and had to be stopped as the referee called a defensive facemask, securing the record and kicking off a wild celebration.

Martinek remained calm as he was mobbed by teammates.

"Joe was overwhelmed by the moment, so we took over for him," senior tackle Zack Rey said. "He's the No. 1 rusher in state history and is now a legend at Hopatcong forever."

Martinek went right back to work after the celebration, scoring his second touchdown of the game and 65th of his career three plays later on a 3-yard run to give his team a 21-0 lead.

Kittatinny made it 21-7 at halftime on Kyle Hayes' 30-yard TD reception from Anthony Cerbo. Martinek closed the scoring with a 2-yard TD run on Hopatcong's first possession of the second half.