PASCACK VALLEY—Forty-four members of the 2022 Pascack Hills High School Broncos were recognized at the Nov. 21 Borough Council meeting for their amazing 7-0 regular season. On hand: the mayors of Woodcliff Lake and Montvale.
Earlier in the season, the Pascack Hills football team was also named North Jersey Team of the Week after starting off the season with a 4-0 record, having beaten Teaneck, Fair Lawn, Indian Hills, and Dover.
Coach Evan Lampert praised the 2022 Broncos remarkable season. He told Pascack Press “The 2022 season was really special to be a part of. This team, especially the seniors, worked extremely hard for their success and really bought into the weight room in the off-season leading up to the season.”
He said, “They came together as a family and it really showed during practices and games. Multiple guys stepped up and led the way. They really helped build the foundation of where we want to go as a program. They were a very selfless group.”
And he said, “We wound up losing to Fort Lee in the divisional playoffs held at Pascack Hills. Fort Lee finished 8-1. I am so proud of this senior class and how much they sacrificed for each other throughout their four years here. They will always hold a special place at Pascack Hills and really helped set the culture of this program for the underclassmen,” said the varsity coach.
The team’s final record, 8-1, included a number of school records, including:
- The most shutouts ever in school history: 5.
- The most consecutive shutouts in a row: 5.
- The greatest margin of victory ever during a full season, beating teams by an average of 27 points each game.
- The highest scoring team ever to come through Pascack Hills: averaging 31 points per game
- The fewest total points ever given up during a season with 33, an average of 4 points per game
- The second team ever to go undefeated during the regular season.
- The third Hills varsity team to complete a 7-0 undefeated regular season.
- The fourth team ever to finish with at least eight wins — behind the 1968, ’78, and ’79 teams.
- Won the league title outright.
Each player received a certificate of appreciation recognizing their winning season.
“In recognition of your fine athletic achievements, personal sacrifice, dedication to team, loyalty, leadership, and going 7-0 in division games leading to the Broncos winning their division,” read the certificate, signed by Rendo and Ghassali.
The certificate also reads, “Congratulations on an amazing season and making the 2022 season one to remember.”
Ghassali told the 40-plus football players comprising the varsity team at the Nov. 21 ceremony: “I know your family is very proud of you, but I am here to tell you that we are all proud of you, and I watched you play against Fort Lee and saw the determination on your faces and knew I was watching champs.”
On Facebook, Rendo posted pictures of the ceremony, noting he was joined by Ghassalli in honoring the Pascack Hills Broncos football team “for their undefeated regular season! We congratulate head coach Evan Lampert and the Hills football team for this outstanding achievement! Congrats to all!”
Earlier in the season, Lampert told the Pascack Hills Trailblazer news site that the North Jersey Team of the Week award was made possible because of the program’s three core values: accountability, sacrifice, and focus.
“As a coach, I want everyone in the program to be accountable for their actions, on and off the field…I want the players to sacrifice for each other and do things that may be a little uncomfortable or hard for the better of the team. I also want them to focus every day on all aspects of their lives,” he said.
In addition to Lampert, six assistant coaches helped guide the Broncos 2022 team, including Matt Marini, Nick Evans, Nick Scerbo, Josh Wilson, Tyler Johnson, and Ricky Krautman.
2022 Broncos
Grade Name Jersey #
12 Daniel Sabio 1
12 Ben Klein 2
10 Connor Ohnikian 3
12 Chris Alvarez 4
10 Michael LaPera 5
10 Max Feinstein 9
9 Alex Lulla 10
10 Nathaniel Edelshain 11
10 Michael Weaver 12
12 Shaan Dalal 13
12 Amari Wade 14
9 Liam Cozza 15
12 Charles Saljanin 18
12 Aaron D’Alessandro 21
12 Dom Musco 22
9 Robert Malcolm 23
11 Jordan Morell 24
11 Cole Brenniser 25
10 Jake Bugni 27
12 Dylan Direse 28
9 Jacob Cherkas 32
9 Ryan Lafferty 40
12 Alejandro Camarena 44
9 Carson Boffa 45
9 Aaron Walker 50
10 Omer Sunar 53
10 Shane Buono 54
11 Devon Buonnano 55
11 Tyler Duffy 56
12 Nick Lulla 57
11 Noah Salgado 59
9 Andre Joukhadarian 68
12 Sean Murphy 69
12 Kylir Alexander 70
10 Josh Wright 71
12 Jimmy Medina 73
10 Dylan Funke 76
12 Marcos Ocelot 78
12 John Hallenbeck 81
9 Rian Murphy 82
12 Max Unger 84
10 Sam Lundgren 88
10 Brendan Singleton 97