The 2023 season was one to mark down in the record books. The Raiders finished with a 12-1 record, with their only loss being in the state championship. Ramapo went undefeated throughout the regular season with standout wins against Somers, Northern Highlands, and Old Tappan. It is safe to say that Ramapo exceeded expectations.
Ramapo pushed the pace this season, moving the ball quickly and efficiently. If you ever lost sight of the ball, all you had to do was look for Jack D’Avanzo. Playing Center and Nose Guard, every play started with D’Avanzo right on the football. The recipient of D’Avanzo’s snaps was 1st Team All-State QB, Landon Deprima, who led the Raider offense in their record-breaking season. In the first game of the season, Deprima completed 31 passes for 384 yards along with 6 passing TDs. Despite this performance, it all came down to his last throw, where Senior Gavin Taylor made a diving TD catch to win it for Ramapo. Deprima finished the season throwing for 3,088 yards and 42 TDs. Deprima’s only competition for the most electrifying player on the field was his own receiver, Zach Schnorrbusch. Schnorrbusch had an unreal season on paper. The Senior receiver had a triple crown season, setting the school season record for receptions (77), receiving yards (1244), and receiving TDs (18). Schnorrbusch also played cornerback, where he led the team with 5 interceptions. On the other side of the ball, Senior and Captain, James Magerko was everywhere. Magerko set the career tackle record with 262 tackles throughout his 3 years on the team. Rampo’s defense achieved four defensive shutouts during the season, a feat that has gone untouched since 2003. It has been 20 years since a team has done what the Raiders have done this past season! (highschoolsports.nj.com)
Head Coach Mike DeFazio only had great things to say about this season’s team: “We had a great group of kids that worked hard from last December, all the way through the summertime.” Senior Captain James Magerko admitted, “Going into the season with a lot of new starters, we did not have high expectations”. He continued, saying, “We exceeded expectations and I could not be prouder of the defense this year.”
This Raiders team conducted themselves in a positive manner from start to finish. The team operated at a cool, calm, and collected level the entire season. Ironically, being uncomfortable was where the team was most comfortable. This was most apparent when the Raiders trailed their rivals, Northern Highlands, 21-0 at halftime. The team did not give up in the face of adversity. They battled through and executed to the best of their abilities which resulted in a nail-biting 34-33 victory in Allendale. When asking Coach DeFazio how he felt about the game he stated, “This group competed until the end.”
Although they ended the season with a loss against Mainland, this year’s football team will certainly serve as inspiration for the continued growth and success of future Ramapo football teams.
