By Andy Loigu

Under first-year head coach Mike Arakelian, the Hackettstown Tigers have started out 2-0 in football this month.

With a full moon brightening the night at Morrison Field, they defeated North Warren 28-7 on Friday evening.

The lead stood at 14-7 after the visiting Patriots converted three fourth-down plays into first downs in the same drive and scored in the final minute of the first half.

Hackettstown’s defense shut down the Patriots in the second half.

After two games, Andrew Carida is averaging 71.5 yards per game on the ground and is the Tigers’ leading receiver averaging 76.5 yards per game catching passes from quarterback Jackson Burke. The team’s rushing leader is Burke, averaging 78.5 yards per game with his feet and following the blockers. Christian Bujno is also making a major contribution with 59.5 rushing yards per game.

Defensively, middle linebacker Jaiden Liferiedge is the leading Tiger tackler, with 12 stops per game.

This is Arakelian’s first head coaching job, after serving as an assistant coach for 11 years at Morris Catholic and for one year as a linebackers’ coach at Montclair State University. Now 33 years old, he remembers playing against Hackettstown when he was the quarterback, wearing number seven, for Whippany Park. He is a graduate of Springfield College in Massachusetts, where he played football and baseball.

His father, at Somerville, coached against several strong Hackettstown teams when the Pioneers and Tigers both were in the Skyland Conference for football.

Having lived in Liberty Township for several years, the Tigers’ new head coach said he appreciates the long tradition of success which brings Hackettstown much pride. He is happy to coach in Hackettstown, he remarked, because the town is community spirited and enthusiastically supports the local sports programs.

Blue Streak Hockey Wins Big In Opener

You can’t win them all if you don’t win the first one.

Sarah Salameh scored five goals to lead the Warren Hills field hockey team to a 9-0 shutout of visiting Montgomery in the Blue Streaks’ opener on Friday afternoon in Washington Township. She tied for the team’s scoring lead last season with 17 goals. She’s almost a third of the way to that total after just one game this fall.

The Blue Streaks also got scoring from Addie Conaboy (two goals) and scores off the sticks of Gianna Cioni and Hailey Hoffman. Goalkeeper Sydney White made three saves, as the Streaks maintained control at both ends of the field throughout the game.

Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.