Game recap: Williams, Hamilton key Mounties past Eastside
Junior RB/LB Jordan Williams (28) had a career day on offense, and a solid game defensively, as Montclair dropped Paterson Eastside, 28-8.
PATERSON—Montclair received the opening kickoff from Paterson Eastside Saturday and proceeded to give the Ghosts a healthy dose of Jordan Williams. It didn’t take long for both sidelines to realize that the Silk City squad was due for a long day of trying to tackle the Mounties’ physical junior running back.
Williams, running as hard as he has all season and showing off his elite vision in finding running lanes, ran for 182 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries to lead Montclair High to a 28-8 win over Eastside at Bauerle Field in Paterson this past Saturday, Nov. 21.
The game turned out to be the 2020 season finale for the Mounties (4-4), who had their ninth and final game of the season (Nov. 25 at Elizabeth) postponed as a result of COVID-19 concerns at Elizabeth.
Senior QB Michael Robinson chipped in 82 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns for MHS, while junior QB Solomon Brennan completed three passes for 63 yards and a TD to senior wide receiver Justin Kirkley.
But it was Montclair’s defense that had its biggest day of the season, limiting Eastside to just 93 yards of offense (2.7 yards per play), nearly half of which came on one long pass play that set up the only touchdown of the day for the Ghosts (4-3).
Senior defensive tackle Abdullah Hamilton had his best game of the season, leading the team with five tackles, including a solo tackle for loss, and a combined sack with fellow DT Yabsira Yemane. Hamilton also batted down a key 3rd-down pass that halted a promising Eastside drive early in the third quarter.
Williams also chipped in with a pair of tackles, one of which was a sack that forced a fumble. Also playing well were Kirkley (4 tackles) and Eavrie Grant (4 tackles, 2 passes broken up).
Montclair got off to a quick start with a bruising 11-play, 66-yard, nearly-six-minute drive off the opening kickoff. Williams carried on seven of the 11 plays for 37 yards, but it was Robinson who found the end zone on an eight-yard keeper.
With a number of questionable calls halting Mountie drives, it took until late in the second period for MHS to add to its lead. Brennan took over at QB after Robinson briefly left the game with a cramp, and he promptly delivered a beautiful 23-yard TD pass over the top of the Eastside defense to Kirkley.
The Mounties led 14-0 at half, and looked as if they would cruise. Eastside finished the first two quarters with minus-6 total yards of offense, compared to 167 for Montclair.
The second half started much the same, with Williams grinding out big gains through the center of the Eastside defense. The junior’s 14-yard run to paydirt extended the lead to 21-0 with 7:15 to play in the third.
The Ghosts finally got out of the minus-yardage column on their next drive, converting a 4th-and-3 with a six-yard pass before their biggest play of the game, Wymeir Reed’s 43-yard toss to a wide-open Izier Keeling. Two plays later, Reed found Armon Kelley for a 6-yard scoring pass, and the Eastside QB also found Darren Porter in the end zone for 2 points, pulling the home team within 21-8.
Both teams drove into their opponents’ half of the field on their following drive before turning the ball over on downs, and Montclair finally put the hammer down midway through the fourth quarter. Brennan completed a key 12-yard pass on Robinson on 4th-and-8, and later in the drive Robinson bulled his way into the end zone from 3 yards out to close the scoring with 5:15 to play.