The New Milford Green Knights (6-2) extended their winning streak to three games with a 51-12 victory over the St. Mary Rutherford Gaels (3-5) at Tamblyn Field in Rutherford, New Jersey.

New Milford quarterback Max Kenny threw three touchdown passes, while running back Kobe St. Hilaire followed up his phenomenal performance against Hawthorne, where he set the program record for most rushing yards in a single game with 428 and four scores, by carrying the ball 17 times for 173 yards and one touchdown.

The Green Knights were off and running from the start, receiving the opening kickoff and stringing together an impressive 13-play drive that took more than eight minutes off the clock and ended with a three-yard touchdown run by Brady Gilchrist.

On St. Mary’s first offensive possession, a fumble on a running play led to a recovery by Brayden Wright at the Gaels' 27-yard line.

New Milford capitalized immediately as Max Kenny lobbed a pass over the top of the defense to a wide-open Daniel Maye, who then scampered to the end zone for a score that extended the Green Knights' advantage to 12-0 with three minutes remaining.

“I love it when Danny gets those touchdowns,” Max Kenny explained. “It just shows that we can beat teams in more than one way, and if they’re shutting down the running game, we’ll go over the top of them, and if they’re playing deep, we’ll run the ball.” “We have an answer for everything, and there are so many ways we can win a game.” “The offensive line is so gritty and wears people down.”

St. Mary gained some continuity on its second offensive series by running the ball effectively and carving out chunks of yardage on the ground, advancing into Knights territory. However, the New Milford defense dug in and forced a series of incomplete passes, leading to a turnover on downs.

The Knights offense needed just two plays to find the end zone in the second quarter as Kobe St. Hilaire took a handoff, darted through open space, and sprinted to the house for an electrifying 66-yard touchdown that widened the gap to 18-0.

With less than 11 minutes remaining, the Gaels offense built on its previous drive, mixing the passing and running game well, converting two critical fourth-down attempts, and pushing the ball deeper into New Milford territory.

Once again, the Knights' defense dug in, stopping a running play short of the first-down marker and ending a 10-play drive that chewed up seven minutes off the clock.

The well-rested Knights' offense showcased its smashmouth running game by repeatedly feeding the ball to Kobe St. Hilaire, with the offensive line paving the way and opening massive holes for him to run through and gain significant yardage.

New Milford had the ball at the St. Mary 33-yard line. On a flea-flicker, Kobe St. Hilaire threw it back to Max Kenny, who then hit a wide-open Zack Spencer for a touchdown that pushed the lead to 24-0.

The Knights were not finished scoring in the first half, as on the ensuing kickoff, a jolting hit by Spencer Litali on the Gaels returner led to Zack Spencer recovering the fumble and returning the ball to the St. Mary 14-yard line. 

New Milford seized the opportunity as quarterback Max Kenny took the snap, faked the handoff, rolled to his left, and lobbed a pass to Kyle Dunne, who plowed into the end zone for the 8-yard score that put the Knights up 30-0 at halftime.

“One of the best things about our offense is its versatility, and we can throw the ball then run all over the place against decent teams. Having Kobe (St. Hilaire) in the backfield gives us a sense of confidence,” Kyle Dunne noted.

“Our special teams, along with our defense, put us in a great position throughout the season, and recovering that fumble on the kickoff allowed us to get into the end zone. Max threw a perfect pass to me.”

The Knights showed no sign of slowing down in the second half, as their defense made its presence felt on a pass play by St. Mary, with Zack Spencer intercepting the ball and racing untouched down the right side of the field for a spectacular 72-yard pick-six. 

“The quarterback threw the ball, and I was in my zone with the out route,” Zack Spencer stated. “It was like a dream that my coach told me about before the game, and I knew I had to execute it and make it happen.” “I was running down the field, and my teammate Kenyon (Harrison) made a great block for me.”

The Gaels finally broke the scoreless streak on their ensuing drive, with quarterback Evan Colon churning across the goal line for a three-yard touchdown.

However, New Milford answered immediately after a kickoff return set it up at the 47-yard line.

On second down, Max Kenny took the snap and handed the ball off to Kyle Dunne, who powered through an open lane and bolted to the end zone for a magnificent 53-yard touchdown that expanded the lead to 44-6.

The Knights fired on all cylinders in the fourth quarter, with Brayden Wright taking a handoff and darting to the end zone for an amazing 55-yard touchdown and his first varsity score.

New Milford shifts its attention to the regular season and home finale against Pompton Lakes (5-3) on Friday, October 23, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. at New Milford High School (Monaghan Field), in what will be an emotional moment for the seniors.

“This season has been a lot different for me than for some of the guys, and I sat out a few games and put it into perspective, so I can’t take anything for granted,” Max Kenny said. “I have to cherish these moments because at any moment, it could be your last on the football field.”

“I love representing our town, and we have a good community with 500 to 600 kids in our school, and it brings everybody together at football games. I want people to be at our games, and the stands packed every single time.” 

Kyle Dunne on the impact of the seniors on the team: “They are some of the best people you want to be around, and they lead by example, do the right things on and off the field, and make up the majority of our team.” “As a result, we have this good record and natural-born leaders.”