Behind yet another huge rushing effort from Christian Correa, the New Milford football team moved into the second round of the state playoffs. Correa ran for 260 yards and three touchdowns as the Knights ran past Belvidere, 40-20.

The first half of this quarterfinal contest featured a back-and-forth offensive slugfest, with New Milford taking a 27-20 lead into the break. But the Knights' defense stiffened after halftime, blanking Belvidere to allow the hosts to pull away.

Correa, a senior running back, posted his seventh 200-plus yard game of the season. He now has 31 touchdowns, among the best totals in the state of New Jersey.

Even when used as a decoy, Correa had a big impact on the game. New Milford scored two touchdowns on play-action passes that froze the defense.

Quarterback Ryan Picinic threw for 114 yards and those two touchdowns for the second-seeded Knights. He also had a 62-yard rushing touchdown that opened the scoring for New Milford.

Rhys Farley and Nick Klein caught the touchdown passes for the Knights. Klein made two catches for 86 yards.

For Belvidere, quarterback Jake Thornton ran for 114 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Zack DeLuca added 89 rushing yards and one score for the County Seaters.

Belvidere, the seventh seed in the tough North 1, Group I bracket, falls to 7-2, and will finish its season with a Thanksgiving game against North Warren.

New Milford is now 7-2 as well. The Knights will host Becton in the semifinal round this coming weekend.

For sports video highlights of this New Jersey high school state playoff football game, click play in the box at left.