By ERIC FISCHER

For the Herald

STANHOPE -- Lenape Valley remained unbeaten and clinched the first NJAC Freedom Division championship with a dominating 21-7 win over second-place Madison Saturday.

The final score was deceptive due to the Patriots' methodical offense. Senior running backs James LaBell (22 carries, 116 yards, 2 TDs) and Travis Ressa (9-for-85) chewed up both the Madison defense and the game clock while the Patriots' defense shut down almost everything Madison threw at it. Sophomore Brandon Smith chipped in with 34 yards and a touchdown.

Patriots coach Don Smolyn told his team to "enjoy this moment. This is it," as Lenape huddled to celebrate its win to the chant of, "There's no brake on the big red train."

"This season is a credit to our seniors, our assistant coaches, and the entire program," Smolyn said. "I was here when Lenape won the first SCIL title. To be the first team to win this division is very special. It's something that no one can ever take away from these guys. It goes into the trophy case, and it's theirs forever."

Pats quarterback Matt Campaglio provided a solid complement to Lenape's rushing attack. Although he only attempted five passes, Campaglio completed three for 74 yards with one of his incompletions hitting a wide-open Ressa in the chest.

As one-sided as the game was, Madison almost made a game of it midway through the fourth quarter as quarterback Matt McHale began finding success running draws up the middle. Any coach worth his headset will generally tell you that if your most effective play is a quarterback draw, you're in trouble. But McHale managed to get the Dodgers on the scoreboard in dramatic fashion, bowling over one Lenape defender and hurdling another on successive plays before scoring Madison's lone touchdown on a 4-yard keeper.

But Lenape responded as a great team does on its very next possession. LaBell and Ressa marched the ball 80 yards while taking nearly five minutes off the clock. LaBell punched into the end zone with 2:34 remaining. The Lenape defense smothered Madison's final drive to seal the victory.

"We had a similar situation last week," said LaBell. "We needed to control the ball and run down the clock and we did. We came out really pumped up in the first half and then we got a little tired in the third quarter. But we know our defense will always stay tough."

"Jim and I complement each other very well," said Ressa. "He pounds the ball inside and, if they overplay that, I take the corner. It's something we always look for, and our offensive line did a great job up front."

"The hardest thing to do is run the ball effectively when everyone knows you're going to run it," Smolyn said. "They had 10 guys on the line during that last drive."

Smolyn was equally pleased with his defense.

"We had a couple of seniors banged up this year, but now we're healthy. The squad that we put out there today has only allowed three touchdowns all season."

Lenape will finish the regular season on the road at Hanover Park.

"We want to finish what we started," Smolyn said. "We talked about going 9-0 at the beginning of the season. Hanover Park is a solid team, so we need to stay focused."

"We're not done yet," Ressa said.

Lenape Valley 21, Madison 7

M 0 0 0 7 -- 7

L 7 7 0 7 -- 21

LV -- James LaBell 2 run (Ryan Tablado kick)

LV -- Brandon Smith 2 run (Tablado kick)

M -- Matt McHale 4 run (Ed McAndrew kick)

LV -- LaBell 3 run (Tablado kick)