The Fort Lee Bridgemen(8-0) continued to roll along in the 2026 season, extending their undefeated streak to 19 games, which ranks second best in the state of New Jersey, in a convincing 30-7 win over the Bergenfield Bears(5-3) in the Ivy Division Playoff Semifinals at Fort Lee High School in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

Fort Lee’s CJ Senatore rushed for 124 yards on 24 carries and one rushing score, added a two-point conversion run, and threw a touchdown pass.

Bridgemen head coach Chuck Wingate on the win: “This means everything. We started this thing three years ago, and Mike Gerst was the head coach. He laid the foundation, and we have kept it rolling. We’re trying to make this into a prestigious program, so it’s one game at a time. We don’t look at the streak so much; it’s one day at a time.”

“It’s the city and community, and once you’ve got the community behind you, you really can’t lose. We earned this playoff home game and get to play on our field. I told the kids not to disrespect the opportunity. You’re playing in front of your friends, peers, and family, so go out there, make them proud, and put on a show, and we did a pretty good job.”

“The seniors bought into the system, hold the team accountable, and make us better. It’s all 13 seniors. They contribute on offense, defense, and special teams, and they’re a special group for sure.”

Before kickoff, the Super Football Conference Steve DiGregorio Young Man of the Year recipients were announced: James Maldonado from Bergenfield and CJ Senatore from Fort Lee.

CJ Senatore said he was grateful to be honored with the award because many of his teammates could have received it, and he was happy because it proved he is more than a player.

On Fort Lee’s second offensive possession of the game in the first quarter, it required just four plays to find the back of the end zone as quarterback Yigit Avyazoglu tossed a pass to wide receiver Johnnie McCann in the flat. McCann darted and wove through traffic, sprinted down the left side of the field, and into the house for the 63-yard touchdown, but the PAT attempt was no good, leaving the score at 6-0 with 2:37 left.

In the second quarter, Bergenfield had the ball at its own 32-yard line with less than six minutes left and found some consistency in the running and passing game, as quarterback Sotero Watley completed two passes to wide receiver Jeremy Duran.

The Bears faced a third down at the Bridgemen 25-yard line, then Watley handed the ball off to running back Jacob Gross. Gross shot out of a cannon, dialed up the speed, and bolted to the end zone for the score that put Bergenfield up 7-6 with 1:16 remaining.

Fort Lee got the ball back and was pushed to its own 25 after a holding penalty. Still, CJ Senatore, filling in for an injured Yigit Avyazoglu at quarterback, showcased his passing ability by connecting on a 25-yard pass to wide receiver Elijah George that moved the ball to midfield.

On first down, Senatore took the snap, dropped back in the pocket, and lofted a pass down the middle of the seam to a wide-open Mark Elia, who galloped to the end zone untouched for the electrifying score.

“We were in the timeout and already knew what we were going to run. When we lined up, I saw nobody over by Mark. I knew pre-snap that I was going to go straight to him, and Bergenfield had a three-high defense, so he was just wide open.”

The Bridgemen elected to go for the two-point conversion, which worked perfectly, with CJ Senatore lined up in the backfield taking the direct snap and barreling across the goal line and into the end zone to put Fort Lee up 14-7 at halftime.

“My offense is amazing, and we really push it in practice with the two-minute drills, getting on the ball fast, and executing our base plays as quickly as we can,” CJ Senatore said.

“In practice, I split the snaps at quarterback, so it’s really second nature. Having my brother Luke as quarterback last year made it pretty easy to transition into quarterbacking and all the things he taught me.”

Head Coach Chuck Wingate on the go-ahead touchdown late in the second quarter: “It was a good momentum swing for us, and CJ does it all with the run and pass, and he’ll fill the Gatorade cooler for us.”

“Mark’s a new guy for us and a sleeper, but a super athlete with great hands and physicality who can do it all for us. Coach Mike Messina dialed up a great play call, and we needed it. Before that, Elijah George got a huge 25-yard gain for us.”

Early in the third quarter, Fort Lee got a major break when a Bergenfield punt went sideways: the snap and subsequent ball vaulted over the punter’s head and into the end zone for a safety and a 16-7 lead.

The Bridgemen returned to offense after the free kick with 10:25 left and put together an outstanding 10-play, 48-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by CJ Senatore. The two-point conversion run failed, leaving the score at 22-6.

In the fourth quarter, the Fort Lee defense forced a pivotal turnover with an interception by Elijah George, then CJ Senatore ripped off a 32-yard run that pushed the ball all the way to the 'Bears' 20-yard line.

An eight-play drive ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Elijah George. Offensive lineman Robert Conte then finished it off in style, rumbling in for the two-point conversion that widened the gap to 30-7 with 5:22 remaining.

“We challenged our offensive line this week and had a few plays in our package, and it really starts up front with our center Colin Sze,” Head Coach Chuck Wingate said. “Robert is a senior, and he’s our right tackle, and he hasn’t missed a practice or a lift. We want to congratulate him, and he earned that two-point play there.”

CJ Senatore on the undefeated record and streak: “We probably don’t understand it right now because we’re in the moment, and every week the mindset is that we’re 0-0. We’re trying to get one win at a time and not worry about anything that happened last week or a year ago. Stay focused on the game ahead of us.

Coach Chuck Wingate is amazing and really cares about us, and you could tell from the moment you met him that he really cares about the job and the players he coaches.”

“It’s amazing walking into school and having some of the teachers I don’t even know wish us luck. The whole team wearing quarter zips and security guards wishing us well shows the whole town is behind us.”

Next up for the Bridgemen is the Ivy Tournament Championship game against the Pascack Hills Broncos(7-1) at Bruins Stadium in North Bergen, New Jersey, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. On October 2nd,Fort Lee narrowly defeated Pascack Hills 28-21. The Broncos won a thrilling double-overtime game over Millburn to advance to the title game.

“That’s a good team over there, and I don’t care if they’re banged up and lost two or three players and are deep at every single position. We’re going to get back in the lab and enjoy this one for 24 hours, and we’ve got to turn the page and clean this up because they’re going to give us everything they have.”