The state playoffs don't start until November, but for the Montclair High School football team it really started on Saturday. With a four-game losing streak recently, the Mounties were facing a do or die on Saturday against Irvington if they wanted to be eligible for the postseason.

Montclair was 2-4 after the four-game losing streak and had to be at least .500 to be eligible for the Group 4 North 1 state tournament. This meant that they had to beat the Jaguars on Saturday and beat Westside next week to put their name in the hat.

Well, assignment number one was accomplished after the Mounties ran over Irvington to the tune of 50-27 as Montclair raised its record to 3-4.

"This was a playoff game and our whole team stepped it up," said junior quarterback Khalif Herbin.

The West Side Roughriders defeated Bloomfield, 39-7, on Saturday as the Roughriders also raised its record to 3-4.

"Whoever wins on Friday is in and the other goes home," said Montclair head coach John Fiore who will have to be on the road against the Roughriders. And for Montclair they did not have to come from behind like they did in the first two wins at the beginning of the season and the other four losses. "This is all new to this team, to put another team away," said Fiore who has a young team this season with only seven seniors on the roster.

On Saturday it again was the Herbin show as he collected five touchdowns, three on the ground, one touchdown catch, and one in the air. The junior would run for 166 yards while accumulate 348 total yards be it on the ground, receiving and passing.

"He's the best football player I've ever coached," said Fiore about Herbin. "People will argue with me, but he's the best player in the league, the county and the state of New Jersey."

Like they have done in the past season, Herbin is used in several different ways outside of quarterback including split end and punt returner and was gold on Saturday.

One of the negatives though from the game was the nine holding calls against Montclair that also led to three Mounties touchdowns being called back.

Fiore said that the team needs to work on that against West Side, but added about Saturday that "all winning is pretty."

On Saturday Montclair did not want there to be any question about who was going to win and get a shot at the state playoffs.

On the first play of scrimmage against the Jaguars, the back-up quarterback Nate Crutchfield was behind center with Herbin at wide receiver. Crutchfield hit Herbin at the line and the junior all-around star would go 58 yards for the touchdown with only 20 seconds off the clock. Scott Walker ran in the two-point conversion and it was already an 8-0 lead before the fans could find their seats.

And right after that quick strike, the Mounties came right back and an onside kick by kicker Mike Smith was recovered by Donte' Bellamy at the Irvington 49. But a Herbin nine-yard touchdown was called back after offsetting penalties—Irvington for a facemask and Montclair for holding.

The drive would die after that.

On the next drive there would be no penalties when Herbin kept the ball for an 11-yard touchdown run. Taylor Ullrich hit the point after for a 15-0 Mounties lead halfway through the first quarter.

Irvington actually did not get into Montclair territory for the first nine minutes of the game. After Irvington scored their first touchdown in the second quarter, Montclair pulled away with an Anthony Web 22-yard touchdown run, a Herbin 10-yard run, and a Herbin to Michael Smith 41-yard touchdown pass.

The Mounties were up 30-7 at halftime and there was no doubt that Montclair would get another shot to make the state playoffs.