Preview: Governor Livingston Highlanders vs. Bernards Mountaineers
Governor Livingston is 0-3 against Bernards since October of 2020 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. The Governor Livingston Highlanders will be playing in front of their home fans against the Bernards Mountaineers at 1:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
After only seven points in their last match, Governor Livingston made sure to put some points up on the board against South River on Saturday. Governor Livingston blew past South River 35-6 on the road. With Governor Livingston ahead 21-0 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Lucciano Santamaria was the offensive standout of the contest as he rushed for 70 yards and three touchdowns on only seven carries, and also threw for 80 yards and a touchdown. The team also got some help courtesy of Owen Chait, who rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Bernards put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their undefeated season alive. They put the hurt on New Providence with a sharp 38-14 win.
Bernards' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Logan Stevens led the charge by gaining 113 total yards and a touchdown. Another player making a difference was Patrick Carlisle, who rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown.
Governor Livingston's win was their fourth straight on the road, which bumped their overall record up to 6-2. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 0-7 South River and 0-7 Kennedy Memorial (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 15.6% over those games). As for Bernards, their win on Friday bumped their record up to 8-0.
Saturday's match might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Governor Livingston has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 208 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Bernards struggles in that department as they've been averaging 173 per game. It's looking like Saturday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Governor Livingston took a serious blow against Bernards when the teams last played back in October of 2022, falling 42-0. Thankfully for Governor Livingston, Nicholas Kouflie (who rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
