November 8, 2009
Montalvo, Rivera pace Hoboken
Hoboken's Travis Rivera had 151 yards rushing and 45 yards receiving.
Click Here for more photos from Hoboken at Hudson Catholic.
By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director
JERSEY CITY – Last season with a crowded group at running back, carries for Hoboken’s Jason Montalvo and Travis Rivera were few and far between. Given the opportunity to shoulder the load this year, the duo has taken full advantage.
Montalvo and Rivera combined for more than 400 yards of total offense as the Red Wings rode the pair to a 32-24 victory over Hudson Catholic yesterday at Caven Point.
“(Montalvo) and (Rivera) are both very good backs,” Hudson Catholic coach Chris Demarest said. “Those are the kind of backs you need to be successful in the Wing-T. Hats off to them, they did a great job.”
“Travis did a lot of tough running on the inside and Jason was able to take the ball and when the blocking changes a little bit he was able to (shift it) to the outside a little bit,” Hoboken coach Lou Taglieri said. “That inside and outside combination was there for us.”
The speed of Montalvo and the power of Rivera proved to be the perfect formula for Hoboken (3-5), late in the game.
Montalvo snapped an 18-all tie when he scampered 22 yards for a touchdown to put the Red Wings back on top.
“This is my last game in this stadium and I had to go out with a bang,” Rivera said.
The Hawks’ Aaron Villette cut the lead to one after returning the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown, but Hoboken’s dynamic duo would not be denied on this day.
Facing a 3rd-and-25 at the Red Wing 22, Montalvo burst through the line on a counter for a 58-yard run.
“There was big hole,” Montalvo said. “I shed the tackle and I got to the outside.”
Rivera then delivered a big run of his own, taking the next play 20 yards for a touchdown with 4:47 left in the game. Montalvo and Rivera rushed for 88 and 62 yards respectively in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve just got to prevent the big plays,” Demarest said. “I think it was a game of big plays on both sides of the field and it seemed whoever made the last big play was going to win and it was them.”
Two late attempts by Hudson Catholic (2-6) to tie the game would fall short with Montalvo intercepting a Steven Soto pass at midfield as time expired.
Montalvo finished with 19 carries for 223 yards and two touchdowns. Rivera added two rushing scores of his own and had 151 yards on 24 carries. The senior back also hauled in three passes for 45 yards and made several key stops at linebacker. As a team, Hoboken rushed for 409 yards.
As impressive as Montalvo and Rivera were, the Red Wings were nearly done in by another running back – Hudson Catholic’s Oscar Torres.
The junior rushed for 97 yards on 22 carries and had 231 all-purpose yards. He touched the ball on 10 of the Hawks’ first 11 plays from scrimmage, a stretch that was capped off with a 1-yard score.
Torres was especially lethal in the open field, using his lateral quickness to shred Hoboken for a long run in the first half and an 82-yard kickoff return to open the second half.
“He knows where he’s going three or four seconds before he makes the (move),” Taglieri said. “He sees the field great. He has the ability to decelerate and accelerate so quickly.”
Torres’ return set up a 3-yard touchdown run by Villette on the next play to tie the game at 12.
Soto completed 7-of-13 passes for 119 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown pass to Will Bustillo to tie the game late in the third. Kadeem Johnson was Soto’s preferred target, catching four passes for 89 yards.
Hudson Catholic RB Oscar Torres had 90 rushing yards in the first half.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoboken (3-5) | 12 |
0 |
6 |
14 |
32 |
| Hudson Catholic (2-6) | 6 |
0 |
12 |
6 |
24 |
| Hob: Jason Montalvo, 48 run (kick failed) | |||||
| HC: Oscar Torres, 1 run (run failed) | |||||
| Hob: Travis Rivera 31 run (run failed) | |||||
| HC: Aaron Villette, 3 run (pass failed) | |||||
| Hob: Justin Arocho, 1 run (kick failed) | |||||
| HC: Will Bustillo, 15 pass from Steven Soto (pass failed) | |||||
| Hob: Montalvo, 22 run (Rivera kick) | |||||
| HC: Villette, 86 kickoff return (pass failed) | |||||
| Hob: Rivera, 20 run (Rivera kick) | |||||