Caldwell Gets 3 Touchdowns From Boland, Caps Undefeated Season

CALDWELL, NJ — The combination of a momentum-shifting two minutes and running back Harry Boland proved to be the right recipe for Caldwell High School’s latest run at perfection.

Boland ran for three touchdowns and Caldwell scored a pair of touchdowns in a critical second-quarter burst, which led to a 42-21 victory over Jefferson in the North Jersey Group 2 regional championship game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, which capped a 12-0 finish for the Chiefs.

It marked the third time Caldwell has finished unbeaten in a season after going unscathed in 1981 and 1991.

The game shifted dramatically in the second quarter with Caldwell clinging to a 6-0 lead. But a 43-yard interception return from Peter Murray and a Pat Capozzoli touchdown run on Caldwell’s ensuing offensive drive pushed the advantage to 20-0 and Caldwell never looked back.

"We were 1-8 when I was a sophomore and we were determined to change things. It took two years and a lot of hard work, but we wanted to be here and we got here,” Murray told reporters.

Jefferson got to within six points in the third quarter before Boland scored on a 43-yard Boland touchdown run and two-point conversion extended the lead back to 14 points. Boland and Capozzoli each scored in the fourth quarter to cap the victory and the perfect season.

Boland touched the ball just 12 times but covered 134 yards with nine rushing attempts and three catches while finding the end zone three times.

“I can’t control it. Everything I have goes out on that field. Whatever I need to do, I’ll do anything that I can to help this team win," Boland told reporters Saturday.

Turns out, he did plenty.

The Chiefs defense played a major role in the string of victories the unit allowed only 68 points all season and recorded five shutouts. Caldwell won five games by at least 22 points and came within a point of adding Jefferson to that list on Saturday.

"All season long, we took it one game and one opponent at a time," Caldwell coach Tom Lamont told reporters after Saturday’s victory. "We know what Jefferson is capable of and we knew they don't give up, so we were expecting something when we got up big early."