Old Tappan’s 12-1 2022 season concluded with a Group 3 State Championship victory. Their one loss last year? To Ramapo, who will host Old Tappan under the lights this Friday. This sets the stage for the Golden Knights’ most anticipated matchup of the season thus far when two 6-0 North Jersey football powerhouses, and rivals, face off. 

The Ramapo Raiders have had OT’s number, winning each of their last four meetings dating back to 2018. In 2022, not only did Ramapo spoil a perfect season, but they did so on the Golden Knights’ senior night. One year later, the script is flipped and Old Tappan has the chance to spoil the Raider’s senior night. “This game has been circled, highlighted, and underlined on all of our calendars.” said junior Alex Orecchio. 

Coach Brian Dunn is approaching this week just like he would any other week. “The preparation is the same. To say that we treat this [game] differently would be to say that we try harder or work harder depending on outside influences, and that is not what we want to be,” he said. 

Although Dunn tries to treat each game equally as important as the next, he says that “there are a handful of teams that we have had a number of very meaningful games with over the last 20-25 years. Ramapo is definitely one of them.”

“I think most of the team can agree that nothing would be better than beating those guys on their home turf during their senior night as they did last year to us.” said senior Jack Small. “The team is hungry to get out and show what [they] can do against a quality opponent.” They even have a little extra motivation as Small described it as “disrespectful that [the team] would be scheduled for someone’s senior night.” Typically–like what Ramapo did here–a team will slot in a game that they believe they will win for their senior night.

OT will be focusing on a few specific aspects in hopes of capturing their biggest win of the season. Orecchio says “stopping the pass” is the key to the game. “They have an elite quarterback and some very talented wide receivers. In their last few games, the majority of their total yards and touchdowns came from passes not runs.” 

Playing “together” and playing “tough” are also vital to taking down the Raiders, according to Small.

The team knows what they’re in for this Friday. “It’s revenge time,” said Orrechio. “I think it’s going to be a dogfight. High scoring and lively game until the clock hits 0’s.”