On Friday, October 3, the Chiefs travelled to Cedar Grove for their matchup against the Panthers. Quarterback Adam Sepe led the team to a revenge victory following last year’s devastating 45-28 loss to Cedar Grove in October of 2024.
Kicker Matt Murtagh opened up the scoring with a 23-yard field goal in the first quarter to give the Chiefs an early 3-0 lead. The Chiefs defense then pitched a quick stop on the Panthers to regain possession entering the second quarter. The Chiefs then began pouring it on as running back Nicco Capaldo found the end zone for the first time in his junior season on a 25-yard rush. They topped that off with a Matt Murtagh extra point to go up 10-0 with 11:26 left in the opening half.
Sepe showcased his arm talent with an impressive 58-yard fling to wideout Kaelan Harper for their 3rd touchdown connection of the year so far. With the Chiefs already holding a comfortable 17-0 lead nearing the end of the first half, coach Todd Romano deployed the field goal unit, and Matt Murtagh lined up for another 23-yard field goal to put the Chiefs up 20-0. However, upon receiving the snap, holder Adam Sepe rolled out to his right to pass before finding receiver Nico Sozio in the left of the end zone to cap off his impressive 2 touchdown, 0 interception first half. Caldwell entered the half up 23 points, holding Cedar Grove off of the scoreboard for the first 2 quarters thanks to the Chiefs strong and effective pass defense, which held Panthers quarterback Pierce Asfalg to a season-low 113 passing yards.
The Panthers opened the second half scoring with a 33-yard rushing touchdown from running back Tom Cannataro with a little under 6 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter to cut Caldwell’s lead to 17. Scoring was sparse in the second half, as the next scoreboard update didn’t come until late in the 4th quarter when Sepe completed his hat-trick with a 3rd and final touchdown pass going to fellow Sophomore Dante Placenti with only 5:51 left on the clock. A late rushing touchdown from Asfalg brought the score to 29-14 with Caldwell still in the lead as time ran out.
Sepe’s 193 yard, 3 touchdown, 0 interception performance earned him a strong 117.17 passer rating, and his 49 yards rushing makes it 3 out of 5 games eclipsing the 40 yards rushing mark so far this season. Nicco “Agent 0” Capaldo showed out in his second game at the running back position, garnering a total of 114 yards and a touchdown on 13 rushing attempts, adding a 9 yard catch for good measure. Sepe’s most reliable target was senior Kaelan Harper, who posted an efficient 4 receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown through the air, followed by Santino Russo with a strong 4 receptions for 55 yards. Dante Placenti and Nico Sozio both brought in 2 receptions, and each finished the game with a touchdown from Sepe.
Along with the outstanding offense, the Chiefs defense looked strong as well. Edge rushers Russell Albert and Teagan McOmish both caused chaos in the Cedar Grove backfield, each putting up 2 sacks in the contest. Kicker and linebacker Matt Murtagh solidified his role as an efficient run stuffer, totaling 11 tackles.
As of writing, the Chiefs host the Shabazz Bulldogs next week in what should be a strong showcase of high-powered offense.
