There were plenty of concerns for Bernards coach Jon Simoneau and his staff following last week’s close victory over Rutherford.

In addition to the junior quarterback’s season-high two interceptions, the Mountaineers were about to see a Wing-T offense for the first time all season. His squad also had the most points (33) for a team in two seasons.

“We won so much in a row, we overlooked our opponent, and last week we got out of bed and acted like we could beat a good team,” Simoneau said. “We wanted to be physical and use intellectual brutality in the game.”

The Bernards appeared to have made all the necessary revisions as the Pequannock offense averaged nearly 28 points per game in a 17-0 victory in the NJSIAA/Xfinity North Jersey Division 1, Group 2 playoffs on Friday in Bernardsville.

Second-seeded Bernards (11-0), who won their first sectional title last year against Lakeland in North 2, Group 2, hope to capture their second straight title when they face fifth-seeded Shabazz in the section final next weekend.

“This means a lot to our town,” linebacker Terrence Hanratty said. “People come out and they love it. We want to be Kings of the North.”

Sophomore quarterback Nolan Walsh bounced back from last week’s performance with a strong effort. He made quick decisions under some pressure, recording 124 passing yards and 51 rushing yards, but most importantly, he didn’t commit any turnovers. He completed 10 of 14 passes and added a 26-yard touchdown pass to Sean Arcelay to guide the offense.

“Everyone was telling me I should get rid of these tackles and move on,” Walsh said. “I would like to thank my coaches and teammates who supported me”

Pequannock (8-3) couldn’t overcome several costly miscues in the first half. The Panthers attempted a fake punt on 4th-and-10 but the play fell three yards short at their own 26-yard line.

Four plays later, the Mountaineers took advantage of the short field when Max Austin raced down the left side for a 5-yard touchdown pass with 6:17 remaining in the first half.

“Our special teams coordinator, Ryan McCullough, thought we could lead them into a bad decision and it worked out in our favor,” Simoneau said. “We bluffed and made it look like they could escape, and they did.”

Pequannock found its own 36 on its next possession, and Bernards defender Daniel Ferguson pounced on the loose ball. The turnover led to Noah Ochab’s 33-yard field goal for the Bernards to take a 10-0 halftime lead.

The Panthers were unable to get the ball through midfield throughout the contest. Unlike last week, when the Panthers made several big gains in the victory over Madison, Bernards was quick to take on ball carriers.

Junior linebacker Thomas Diemar was the main blocker for the Mountaineers. The junior linebacker pressured quarterback Alex DeLitizia, took a sack and completed a 6-yard tackle on Eddie Shalongo that ultimately led to Pequannock’s damaging fake punt in the second quarter.

“We left a lot of meat on the bone last week,” said Hanratty, whose unit had its third shutout of the season. “We locked up, read our keys well, and covered their traps pretty well.”

Teagun Hartnett contributed to the loss of Bernards, who allowed just 133 yards of total offense just a week after the Panthers racked up 349 yards against Madison.

“It was far from our most perfect game,” said Pequannock coach Mike Moschella, whose team ended its two-game winning streak. “It was hard because it snowballed and it was hard to recover from that.”

Bernards will host its second straight regional final against a Shabazz team that has won four straight games, including wins over Caldwell and Westwood. The Bulldogs last faced Bernards in the 2017 season opener and won the game 35-7.

“Shabazz is a very good tackle and very talented,” Simoneau said. “They opened late. Coach (Naz) Oliver is doing a good job. I hope home field advantage will be good for us.”

Todd Cohen can be reached at: [email protected]

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