Montville football powers past River Dell to start playoff run

ORADELL - Montville repeatedly handed the ball to Clement Hofbauer, he endured hit after hit, and powered his way to yard after yard.Hofbauer rushed for a career-high 224 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Mustangs to a 23-13 victory over River Dell in a North 2, Group 3 sectional football quarterfinal Oct. 30."I felt a little sick at the start of the game, and then I threw up at halftime, and then I was good for the rest of the game and the hits didn't really bother me," he said.The 6-foot, 200-pound senior scored on first-half runs of 2 and 37 yards to help provide a 16-7 halftime lead. He scored on an 18-yarder in the fourth to provide Montville (7-3) with the 23-13 lead.River Dell (7-3) led 7-6 in the first quarter on junior quarterback Brooks Esler's 14-yard TD pass to senior Mike DeGroat and senior Jayden Kim's extra point.The Golden Hawks pulled within 16-13 in the third after junior Iain Rossig blocked a 36-yard field goal attempt and returned it 69 yards for the score.Check back for updates....This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Montville football powers past River Dell to start playoff run