Hopatcong High Football Season Ends With Loss to Hasbrouck Heights

The Hopatcong High Chiefs saw their state football championship hopes fade after losing the NJSIAA North 1, Group 2 quarterfinal to top seed Hasbrouck Heights Friday night by a score of 44-27, the New Jersey Herald reported.

The loss hit local fans especially hard because the game's first half was dominated by the eighth-seeded Chiefs, thanks to two touchdowns by Johann Lara, one by quarterback Ryan Clarke and another from running back Thomas Rieg. But the momentum flipped to the Aviators in the second half, as Hasbrouck Heights came back to score 31 unanswered points to earn the playoff win, the article said.  

The Chiefs end their season, the first under head coach Jim Venturino, with a record of 6-4. This was the third consecutive year in which Hopatcong's season ended with a first-round playoff loss, the article continued.