Passaic Tech Shuts Out Unbeaten Elizabeth 35–0 to Reach a Seventh Straight Sectional Final

Elizabeth came into Friday night at 10-0 as the top seed in North 2 Group 5, a team with a two-way star in A'rique Fleming and plenty of reasons to believe it could host a sectional final. Passaic Tech spent the next two hours explaining why that was a lot to ask. The Bulldogs pitched a 35–0 shutout, ended the Minutemen's season, and moved on to their seventh consecutive sectional championship game.

The opening quarter belonged to the defenses, and for a moment Elizabeth looked like it might be able to hang. On the second play from scrimmage, Fleming ripped the ball free from Randy Lewis and Eric Cespedes jumped on it for the Minutemen. The drive stalled, but it was a reminder that Elizabeth had come to play. The first quarter ended scoreless, and the pressure of a one possession game was still very much in the air.

Early in the second quarter Elizabeth went for it on fourth and five from the Passaic Tech 32. Qua'Yon Williams made one defender miss, but Malachi McGregor grabbed him at the legs and the Bulldogs took over on downs. That was the beginning of the end. On a third down at the Elizabeth 39, quarterback Bryce Longo kept it on a designed run to the left and broke free, getting hauled down by Fleming after a gain of 20. Two plays later, Longo sold a fake so well that the entire Elizabeth defense went the other way, and he walked into the end zone from four yards out to make it 7–0 with 7:35 left in the half.

The next big play came from the defense. Fleming tried to fit a throw over the middle and Ian McDuffie stepped in front of it, took it 43 yards the other way, and the Bulldogs led 14–0. With 90 seconds left in the half, Longo ripped off another long run, then handed to Ahmad Williams, who cut back and dove into the end zone from ten yards out with 21 seconds left to make it 21–0. A special teams mistake gave Elizabeth one last chance to get on the board, but on the final play of the half Fleming heaved a pass to the end zone and Chris Davis came down with it for the second Passaic Tech interception of the half. The Bulldogs went to the locker room up three scores and had not given an inch.

Elizabeth's first drive of the second half showed some life, as Fleming scrambled for 22 yards, but the Minutemen could not turn it into points. A bubble screen to Nahjae Smith hit his hands and bounced loose, and Davis was there for the recovery. Three plays later, Randy Lewis took the handoff from the 23, found a hole, broke two tackles, and ran in for the touchdown to make it 28–0. It was Lewis's tenth rushing touchdown of the season.

The next Elizabeth possession ended in the kind of moment that defines a night. Fleming escaped pressure from Jayden Paulino but was hit by McDuffie as he threw on the run, and McGregor came down with the interception while somersaulting through the air, hanging on to the ball despite contact. Lewis then ran it right back at Elizabeth from the 19 and ran through defenders for his second touchdown in as many drives. The scoreboard read 35–0 with two minutes left in the third quarter, and it was never going to change.

Passaic Tech ran for 357 yards on 46 carries and finished with four rushing touchdowns. Lewis carried 14 times for 105 yards and two scores, Longo added 102 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries, and Williams had 83 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts. The Bulldogs threw only four passes and completed three. On defense they came away with three interceptions and a fumble recovery and held Elizabeth to 59 rushing yards and 110 passing yards. McDuffie led the group with ten tackles and the pick six, and Davis made two takeaways of his own.

For the Bulldogs, this is back to back 35–0 playoff wins and a run that has them looking every bit like the standard in Group 5. Their preparation was clear in how they attacked both the run and the pass. The focus now is simple. Passaic Tech improves to 8-3 and awaits the winner of East Orange and Phillipsburg in the sectional final, one win away from getting back to a state championship game. Elizabeth finishes its season at 10-1 and a very successful season, but on this night there was no answer for the Bulldogs.