BERNARDSVILLE – Matt Tantleff scored three touchdowns and the defense held visiting Voorhees to a meager 56 rushing yards, as the Bernards Mountaineers whitewashed the Vikings 35-0 on Friday night at Olcott Field.

With five wins in eight games, Bernards coach Jon Simoneau feels his team has probably earned an NJSIAA playoff berth.

“The power points are there and we have a good chance of getting in,” he said. “We’ve played a tough schedule, we scheduled up. We like our chances.”

Bernards started the season a week earlier than most of the teams in the state, who will not play their eighth game until next week. The cutoff for the state tournament is a team’s first eight games.

The Mountaineers scored on their second possession and led 7-0 at the end of the first period. They stopped Voorhees on a fourth-and-nine play at the Bernards 37, and then marched 63 yards in four plays, with Tantleff turning the corner around left end and galloping to a 55-yard score.

Tantleff carried the ball 16 times for 141 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Running to the outside and cutting back whenever defenders over-pursued, Tantleff displayed bursts of speed when he headed up the field. His third touchdown came on a 33-yard interception return, giving the Mountaineers a 28-0 lead in the third period.

“With (running back) Marc Murphy, we have a nice inside and outside running game going,” Tantleff said.

Murphy carried the ball 22 times on Friday evening for 101 rushing yards and a touchdown, which put the finishing touches on the victory in the final period.

Quarterback Stephen Gribben threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Alex Mastronardi for the second Bernards score, giving the Mountaineers a 14-0 halftime lead. Gribben was 11-for-19 for 95 yards on the night, running a spread offense, often from the shotgun formation with four wide receivers in his sets.

“We have a balanced offense that can move up the field in lots of different ways,” Tantleff said. “Our play execution was sort of erratic early in the season, but we’ve had a good stretch of games, now, and things are clicking.”

He added that the Mountaineers’ sets have been getting “funky,” and the opponents have a lot to prepare for, “because we give them a variety of looks, to keep them guessing.” He said the coaches watch to make sure the play calls do not fall into predictable tendencies. Also, he said the seniors’ contributions to the team’s progress “has been significant. Everybody is on the same page. We’re all going after team goals rather than individual goals. We want to go out as winners.”

Voorhees marched from its own 41 to the Bernards 27 in the first period, but missed a field goal. Bernards advanced to the Voorhees 20, but the drive ended when junior cornerback John Roncoroni intercepted a pass in the end zone.

The Vikings moved the ball from their own 27 to midfield in the second period, but the drive stalled when Voorhees tried a double pass. Ethan Caldwell, a sophomore cornerback, was not fooled. He broke up the flea-flicker pass downfield.

Bernards recovered an onside kick to start the second half, but the drive was halted on an interception by Jake McCabe of the Vikings.

Voorhees quarterback George Eberle went 14-for-22 for 101 yards, but Bernards put the clamps on the Vikings’ running game.

“The defense has been impressive,” Simoneau said. “The seniors have been focused and dedicated, working hard in practice. The underclassmen have followed their lead. This is a great group of players to coach.”

After surrendering 144 points through its first three games, Bernards has allowed just 57 in its past five, four of those wins. Andrew Best led the way on Friday with 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and five tackles. Murphy had nine stops and Alex Mastronardi seven. Bernards finished with five tackles for loss.

On senior night, upon the final regular season home game on the schedule, the following senior Bernards players were honored: Timmy Lawlis, Ray Delk, James Zukowsky, Jonah Walsh, Brendan Ryan, Zack Lakatos, Dmitry Stomma, Bobby dePoortre, J.P. Heppes, Andrew Best, Chris Jones, Curt Gouldin, and Tantleff, Mastronardi, Murphy and Gribben.

Walsh was good on all five of his extra-point conversion kicks.

The Mountaineers now get a bye week and will prepare for a Nov. 4 contest at Pingry to complete the regular season.