Prus' Three Touchdowns Lift Warriors Over Passaic

Anthony Prus scored three touchdowns and Frank Urso added two, as the Watchung Hills High football team concluded its season with a 46-6 victory over visiting Passaic Friday night in a consolation game.

It was the second consecutive year that the Warriors finished their season with a consolation victory. Watchung Hills finished its season with a 2-8 record.

Andrew Keller and Tommy Giaimo also scored touchdowns as the Warriors, more than doubled their previous best offensive outing of the season.

IN SHORT

Four different runners had carries of at least 20 yards as the Warriors rushed for 332 yards. Prus led the way with 11 carries for 88 yards, while Giaimo (7-81), Keller (6-71) and Charlie Perruso (6-63) also contributed.

TOP WARRIOR

Two-way end Marc LeDrappier made big plays on both offense and defense in the first half when the game was still competitive. The junior had two sacks on defense, and on offense, he made a brilliant diving catch of a Giaimo pass for a 24-yard gain on the drive when Watchung Hills took the lead for good.

TOP PERFORMANCES

Offense - Prus had two 12-yard scoring runs and also an eight-yarder. In addition, he had a 31-yard run on which he eluded a half dozen defenders before fumbling at the one. Urso recovered the fumble and went into the end zone. Urso also scored on a 16-yard inside pitch from Giaimo. Prus and Urso tied for the team lead in touchdowns with five apiece. Giaimo scored on a 33-yard run and Keller had a 37-yard touchdown run. Prus finished his junior season with a team-leading 606 yards rushing. Urso, also a junior, had two catches for 15 yards to wind up with a team-leading 17 receptions.

Defense - Seniors Matt Nielsen, Chris George and Avery Montasseur all had one last highlight in the second half. Nielsen and George both had tackles for loss, while Montasseur had both a pass break-up in the end zone and an interception.

Special teams - Urso kicked two extra points and Andrew Gildenberg scored a two-point conversion on a pass from Tommy Giaimo.

TOUGH OPPONENT

Passaic quarterback Darian Giles provided whatever offense the Indians could muster, running for 51 yards. More importantly, he was the lone Passaic player to stick around long enough to shake hands with the opponent after the game.

THEY SAID IT

"This feels good. I'm happy for the kids, the seniors especially. They deserve this. They played well ... I thought last year's consolation win had a carryover effect into this year. We played well early but then ran into a few juggernauts. Next year, we will have a senior-dominated team and I'm really looking forward to seeing how we do. Going from junior year to senior year, there's usually a big jump. We played some good football this year. We just need to learn how to win. I think we'll get it done." - Watchung Hills coach Marc Crisafi.