Northern Highlands has been on the road for two straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will take on The Wayne Hills Patriots at 6:15 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Northern Highlands' favor is that they have now posted big point totals in their last three matchups.
Last Thursday, everything came up roses for Northern Highlands on the road against Clifton as the team secured a 35-7 win. 35 seems to be a good number for Northern Highlands as the team scooped up a win with the same number of points in their previous game.
Nate Johnson was his usual excellent self, throwing for 194 yards and three touchdowns while completing 83.3% of his passes. Johnson is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last three games he's played. Matt Boydell was another key contributor, rushing for 57 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Wayne Hills' recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their fourth straight loss. They were outmatched by Passaic Valley on the road and fell 40-7. While losing is never fun, Wayne Hills can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey football rankings (they are ranked 229th, while Passaic Valley is ranked 106th).
Wayne Hills' defeat came about despite a quality game from Jonathan Mongelli, who rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries. Mongelli was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 69 yards.
Northern Highlands' victory was their seventh straight on the road (dating back to last season), which bumped their overall record up to 6-2. It's not like the team was facing easy opposition over that stretch either, as it included 8-3 Ramapo and 8-3 Ramapo (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 58% over those games). Wayne Hills has traveled a rocky road this season, as they've lost seven of their first eight contests, which leaves them at a 1-7 record this season.
Northern Highlands took their win against Wayne Hills in their previous meeting back in October of 2022 by a conclusive 27-7. Will Northern Highlands repeat their success, or does Wayne Hills have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
