Hopatcong moved into a half game lead in the race for the SCIL gridiron crown while Pope John and Vernon are tied for second. The Chiefs journey to Vernon on Saturday in a crucial clash while the Lions host winless Kittatinny. Hopatcong 35 - Jefferson 18 Hopatcong thumped Jefferson 35-18 as Joe Martinek picked up 228 yards on the ground in 22 attempts, scoring twice on runs of 36 and 70 yards. Ian Evans completed two of five aerial attempts but they were good for TD strikes of 15 yards to Jon Stolarz and 24-yards to Joe Anthes who scored the final six-pointer on an 18 yard run in the fourth quarter. Pope John 28 - Lenape 0 Jeremy Tucker scored three times on runs of 1, 95 and 79 yards to ignite Pope John to a 28-0 win over Lenape Valley. Tucker carried 33 times, rushing for 341 yards while Eugene McGuire bolted eight yards into the end zone on his only touch of the game. Newton 18 - Kittatinny 12 (OT) Newton recorded its third “W” in SCIL competition by edging Kittatinny 18-12 in overtime. Steve Zander keyed the victory when he plunged one-yard into the end zone in the third quarter to rally the Braves form 1 12-0 halftime deficit. He deadlocked the contest at 12-12 when he fielded a punt on Newton’s 10-yard line and raced 90 yards to paydirt with only 21 seconds remaining in the regulation clock. Scott Paul blasted one-yard into the end zone in overtime to lift the Braves to victory. Wallkill 17 - North Warren 0 Wallkill Valley blanked North Warren of the Skyland Conference 17-0 as the Rangers “D” limited the Patriots to a mere 62 yards of total offense. J.J. Conrad, who toted the pigskin 38 times, rushing for 194 yards, put the Rangers in the board in the second quarter when he bolted two yards into the end zone. Conrad was selected the Independent Schools’ Player of the Week by the Metropolitan New York Football Writers Association. Tyler Wenz booted the extra point and the split the uprights with a 22-yard field goal as the Rangers exited the field for the halftime break leading 10-0. Jeremy Singleton iced the victory when he recovered a fumble in the end zone in the fourth quarter. This week’s schedule Saturday (October 29) Hopatcong at Vernon 1 p.m. Jefferson at Sparta 1 p.m. Kittatinny at Pope John 1 p.m. Lenape Valley at High Point 1 p.m. Wallkill Valley at Newton 1 p.m. SCIL Standings 1 Hopatcong 6-1 2T Pope John 5-1 2T Vernon 5-1 4 Sparta 4-2 5 Lenape Valley 3-3 6 Newton 3-4 7T High Point 1-5 7T Jefferson 1-5 9 Kittatinny 0-6