Livingston senior running back Abel Paul rushed for 501 yards and five touchdowns on 47 carries, leading the Lancers to a 41-34 win over Bloomfield on Thursday, Oct. 22, at Foley Field.
The 501-yard performance was the highest single-game rushing total by any player in New Jersey this season, according to NJ.com. It topped the previous 2026 season-best set by New Milford's Kobe St. Hilaire on Oct. 9. NJ.com reported St. Hilaire's mark as 428 yards, while the West Essex Tribune put it at 426.
Paul's Oct. 22 outing fell short of his own career high. NJ.com's Super Football Conference Player of the Week feature noted Paul rushed for 522 yards and seven touchdowns in a win over Montclair last season.
The game was a back-and-forth affair. Paul scored four first-half touchdowns to stake Livingston to a 27-0 lead before Bloomfield rallied with five unanswered scores to take a 34-27 advantage in the third quarter, according to Jersey Sports Zone. Quarterback Troy Naylor connected with Shai Peled on a tying touchdown in the fourth quarter. Peled then recovered a pooch kick by Ryan Doherty in Bloomfield territory, and Paul sealed the win with a 38-yard touchdown run on the next play.
Paul also made three tackles on defense. For the season, he has accumulated 1,979 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns on 232 carries, according to NJ.com.
"All the stats are good and everything but nothing compares to the level of happiness I'm at that we got this win with how important this game was," Paul told NJ.com.
Livingston head coach Bob Breschard told NJ.com the result reflected the resilience of his senior class, crediting Naylor, Mason Gordon and Anthony Sosa alongside Paul.
The victory improved Livingston to 5-4 and all but locked up a berth in the North Jersey, Group 5 state playoffs. NJ.com's simulations gave the Lancers a greater than 99% chance to qualify for the NJSIAA Tournament.
Livingston hosts Hunterdon Central on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 6 p.m., according to MaxPreps.
