FRANKLIN LAKES − Charlie Wingfield missed a field goal at the end of regulation, but Ramapo scored in all three overtimes to secure a 27-25 win over Northern Highlands in triple overtime on Friday night.
“Once the game was over, I didn’t know what to think,” Wingfield said. “Emotions were just everywhere.”
Ramapo coach Nick Guttuso has experienced plenty of games in this rivalry over the years as both a player and an assistant coach. In his first season as the head coach, Friday might have been the wildest edition.
“I think that speaks to the kind of player Charlie is,” Guttuso said. “That’s a microcosm of our season right there. Things don’t go your way and come out and keep swinging.”
Tied 7-7 with 11 seconds left in regulation, Wingfield’s 29-yard field goal attempt bounced off the crossbar, sending the game to overtime.Wingfield earned instant redemption moments later, catching a 24-yard touchdown from Casey Grusser in the first overtime. He made the extra point for a 14-7 advantage. Chase Calarco answered for the Highlanders with a 7-yard touchdown run. Peter Vafiadis hit the extra point to extend the game to a second overtime.Vafiadis and Wingfield, who both missed fourth-quarter kicks that could have won the game, came through in the second overtime. Vafiadis kicked a 42-yard field goal for a 17-14 lead, then Wingfield kicked a 39-yarder to force a third and final overtime.
“This season, I have had some struggles with field goals,” Wingfield said after his career-long kick. “Getting that one was huge for my confidence.”Liam Heyward scored a Ramapo touchdown and the Raiders went for two, with Grusser finding Wingfield for a 25-17 lead. Calarco answered with a 7-yard touchdown run, but junior Harrison Kearney blew up Northern Highlands’ two-point conversion to end another wild game between the two rivals.
Both the Highlanders and Raiders were in need of a win in order to secure a home playoff game in North Group 4.
Northern Highlands entered the week ranked fifth in the UPR standings with Ramapo right behind them at sixth. The win puts Ramapo ahead of their rivals, but likely not much higher. The four teams ahead of them in the standings all won on Friday.
Ramapo will likely secure a No. 3 seed in a sectional tournament when brackets are finalized this weekend, while the fate of Northern Highlands is more uncertain. The Highlanders remain in the hunt for No. 4 seed and home playoff game.
On a field named for longtime Ramapo coach Drew Gibbs, his final freshman class celebrated its Senior Night on Friday. It ended with one of the more thrilling wins in Raiders history.
“He’s all over the field,” said Guttuso, a former player and assistant under Gibbs. “His hands are all over this thing. Every day, we try to live through the lessons and the blueprints that he gave. He lives on through us.”
For the sixth straight meeting, Northern Highlands and Ramapo finished a game with a winning margin of seven points or fewer. Half of those six games were sectional finals. Friday’s edition was the first to include overtime since an unforgettable sectional final in 2022 that included two stoppages from the lights going out. The lights stayed on in this game until they flickered in celebration for the Raiders.
Wingfield had a memorable Senior Night for Ramapo, all coming after missing a field goal at the end of regulation.
“I’m not gonna lie,” Wingfield said. “I was pretty upset. I knew that could have won us the game. But you have to have a short mind.”
In overtime, Wingfield scored in all three sessions with a touchdown in the first possession, a field goal in the second one and the game-deciding two-point conversion in the third overtime. Now, a Ramapo team that once began the season 0-3 has won five straight and is among the hottest teams in Group 4 entering the playoffs.
“Being 0-3 is never where you want to be, but we never gave up on each other and we have stuck together,” said Wingfield.
“We’ve had a brutal schedule and you’ve seen our kids get better every single week. It’s all you can ask for.” – Guttuso.
“If I jump up in the air again, I’ll probably cramp up. Just looking up in the stands, I was taking it all in at the end.” – Wingfield.
Ramapo (5-3) and Northern Highlands (4-4) await their seeding in the North Group 4 brackets, announced later this weekend.
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