Although Tenafly Football had a slow start to the season, they have turned the corner, winning three games in a row. The first win in the streak came against Fort Lee High School on October 11, with a score of 25-14. A week later, they added to their streak with a nail biting 17-16 victory over Dickinson High School at home. On Thursday, October 24, the team secured its fourth win of the season against Ferris High School.
In the beginning of the season, Tenafly Football was falling short of their goals. After losing their first two games by a combined score of 66-33, the team faced another setback with two more significant defeats, despite a promising victory against Bergen Tech. However, these early challenges served as a wake-up call. Tenafly regrouped and found their rhythm, starting with an impressive road win against one of the top teams in the division, Fort Lee High School. Just a week later, they celebrated a thrilling comeback victory on senior night against Dickinson, marking a turning point in their season. Last week, they continued their winning streak with another victory against Ferris High School.
In their most recent game, the Ferris Bulldogs shocked the Tenafly Tigers early on, with quarterback Ameen Jackson making a spectacular 54-yard rush to put the Bulldogs up 6-0 in the first quarter. However, Tenafly quickly regained control, advancing down the field with the help of a 35-yard pass to O’Shea Liles (’25), reaching the one-yard line. Troy Knause (’26) later threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Adam Dafinoiu (’28), giving Tenafly a 7-6 lead. Soon after, Tenafly’s defense stepped up, making a much needed defensive stop, and the Tigers made it all the way down the field, but only for the Bulldogs to make the offense stall. Ferris defense held up for three plays; as a result, Troy was forced to make a short field goal, which sent the team up 10-6. After another solid defense stop by Tenafly, Troy completed a 25 yard pass to O’Shea for another touchdown, sending the Tigers into halftime with a comfortable 17-6 lead.
As the two teams returned after halftime, Ferris failed to score on their opening drive of the second half, throwing an interception to O’Shea. Tenafly capitalized on the turnover, efficiently moving towards the red zone, where Brennan Smith (’28) scored, pushing the score to 24-6. The game looked about over, but Tenafly wasn’t finished. On one of the final Ferris offensive drives, they threw an interception, this time to Knause. The Tigers started to run the clock down while steadily advancing the ball. Smith scored his second touchdown of the game, extending the lead to 31-6. With Ferris unable to mount a comeback, Tenafly ran down the clock, sealing another victory and marking their fourth win of the season.
On the sidelines, Coach Esco noticed that specific players gave it their all. “Brennan [Smith] definitely impressed this game,” he said. “Obviously O’Shea and Troy made big plays for us as well, but I think Brennan stood out the most.” The team’s captain James Freiser (’25) added, “The team played well, we walked out with a win, so can’t be mad.”
“We’ve definitely been playing better than earlier in the year, but there’s still some things we need to tighten up before the last two games,” Coach Esco said. “Although if we can play like we have been for these two games, then we’ll have a good chance.”
This season, several players have made significant improvements, though there’s still room to grow and reach their full potential. As the season winds down, the team’s success will hinge on the determination and effort of each individual. Who is putting in the extra effort by running that additional mile? Who is hitting the gym instead of relaxing on the couch? Who is practicing their routes and tackles until they’re nearly flawless? Who is diligently analyzing game film? If every member commits to this level of hard work, they will enhance their chances for success in the upcoming games. Now, it’s a matter of waiting to see if their dedication pays off in the weeks ahead.
Tenafly has two more games to showcase how much they’ve improved since the first week. Now, they are facing their two toughest challenges of the season, playing Bergenfield on November 7 and the annual Thanksgiving game against Dumont, both at home. Tenafly will have to level up once again to win these two games.
Come support your Tigers in both events and witness the end of a season that started with a setback but might just end successfully.
