Its not how you start, its how you finish. No better way to describe the atmosphere Saturday night as our Madison Rec Varsity Dodgers faced their final challenge against a very talented Parsippany Hills team. One would think that the devastating loss in week one to Denville would relinquish their season to mediocrity, but nothing was further from the truth as Madison performed brilliantly in an impressive 42-24 victory.
The first half was a slugfest as Madison QB Ryan O’Rourke took charge immediately, racking up more real estate than a Gold club realtor with runs by Dante Izzo, Cade LaFerriere and Anthony Contessa. Nate McKenna scored first from the five for Madison, but ParHills bounced right back to make it 8-8. Contessa scored next after a big pass play to LaFerriere, and Dante Izzo took one in from the 18. ParHills stunned the crowd right before the half with a huge pass to the Madison 5, and the TD that followed closed the gap, making it 20-16 after two quarters.
The second half opened with Madison getting the ball, and Joaquin Izzos’ return set up a quick TD by Contessa from the 40. Back to back pass interference calls by Madison opened the door for Parsippany and they capitalized, making it 28-24. O’Rourke then threw a strike to LaFerriere who bolted 67 yards for a thrilling TD, making it 34-24 after three. Defensively Madison stayed strong throughout the game with a broken up pass by Ben Colao, timely tackles by Justin Slabaugh, Sean Mariani, Brayton Boyer, Vinny Finelli and Mayson Messuti. The turning point in the game was a fourth and long fake punt by Contessa, who rescued the Dodgers for a first down and set up McKennas 40 yard rumblestumble , ending it at 42-24 Madison and capping a tremendous season for the Rec Dodgers. No better way to end an awesome 7-2 season than a win at home, thanks mostly to the heart and dedication of Head Coach Scott Spelker and his famous staff. It is how you finish.
