LYNDHURST ‒ Pink was the winning color for the North.
Wearing bright pink cleats, Ridgewood kicker Matthew Schwindt made a 30-yard field goal with 1:44 left to lift the North to an exciting 20-17 win over the South in the 24th annual Bergen County All-Star Game Saturday night in Lyndhurst.
The rebroadcast of the game can be viewed at NorthJersey.com.
Schwindt, who committed to Wagner in February, made two field goals and two extra points in the win. It was his first time making a game-winning field goal.
“I had full support of my team, and I said they got this, when they get the ball down, just do my job,” said Schwindt, who was named Offensive Most Valuable Player in the contest.
“As soon as saw him, we didn’t see him kick. We heard him kick,” North coach Brooks Alexander said. “That’s when we said, if it comes down to it, we’ve got the kid, because his foot has a boom to it.”
The game was the last time on a high school football field for every player. As usual, it featured some extra physicality in the second half.
“I had a lot of fun,” Alexander said. “It was a little too chippy, definitely, but it was a good game, a fun game. Both teams played really hard. The South came out and played with a fire. They played hard.”
The South showed great resiliency. Trailing 17-0 midway through the third quarter, they erupted for 17 straight points to tie it, keyed by an interception from defensive MVP Mike Marchitelli (Wood-Ridge).
Despite only six practices and rosters of approximately 35 players, the game was extremely well-played and came down to a last-second pass by the South that was batted down.
The North now leads the all-time series against the South, 19-4-1. And it appeared no major injuries were suffered.
Schwindt made four field goals for Ridgewood in the 2023 season, but he has range of over 50 yards. Like many high school kickers, he was a soccer player originally.
“I played soccer until freshman year of high school, I always wanted to play football,” Schwindt said. “I was talking to my dad, ‘Can I play football?’ He said, ‘Sure, go ahead.’ I tried out, and I made it.”
As far as the pink cleats, Schwindt said he wore out an old pair this season and went to buy new ones.
“So, last season, my cleats fell apart, and I went to the store, and the only cleats they had were in pink,” he said. “But then it was breast cancer awareness month, and I wore them and that was that.”
The North only had one quarterback on the roster: Vance Mixon (Teaneck), who finished 13-of-22 for 148 yards and two touchdowns.
North wide receiver Joe Klein (Westwood) had five catches for 65 yards and a 25-yard touchdown reception. Klein has committed to SUNY-Cortland.
South quarterback James Masucci (Wood-Ridge) ran for 68 yards and a touchdown.
South running back Antonio Loyola (Wood-Ridge) had four catches for 44 yards.
