By Tom Szieber
Posted: Tuesday, December 8, 2015 8:45 am
Check out Brian Carr's photos from Old Tappan's win over Wayne Hills.
For the first time in its history, Shore locked up an undefeated season with a 56-28 victory over Palmyra in the Central, Group 1 title game. The Blue Devils did a lot right, but their physicality was clearly what won the day, as they outrushed the Chimeras, 535-38. Shore didn’t complete a single pass, but it didn’t need to, as the two-headed monster of Doug Goldsmith (257 yards, 5 TD) and Jack Britton (207 yards, 1 TD) simply overwhelmed the Palmyra defense. Palmyra quarterback Max Smyth did some damage through the air, but the Chimeras were just 2-of-10 on third down and couldn’t make up enough ground after falling behind 21-0 in the second quarter.
With presence of mind and nerves of steel, receiver Nicholas Pasquin hauled in the biggest catch of his life to give Raritan a 28-26 upset win over Lincoln in the Central, Group 2 finals. With his team trailing by five, Pasquin caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Marc Carnivale, pushing the Rockets -- who began the playoffs with a 3-5 record -- ahead and giving them their first sectional championship in 11 years. On a day that saw running back Derek Ernst carry the ball 35 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns, Lincoln seemed poised to win after rallying from a 15-point deficit to take the lead following a 50-yard touchdown pass from Zymire Gordon to wide out Jason Harrison. But Pasquin capped off a big day (6 catches, 87 yards) with the go-ahead score. It was an ending to the Rockets’ year that didn’t seem possible following their fifth-straight loss on Nov. 6. Pasquin’s touchdown denied the Lions their first championship since 1981.
Cedar Creek trailed by two touchdowns at halftime, but the Bo Melton show took center stage as the Pirates rallied to beat West Deptford, 28-27, for their first South, Group 2 crown. Melton had nearly cut the Eagles’ 14-0 lead in half on the final play of the second quarter, but he was tripped up at the West Deptford 1 after a 68-yard run. He proceeded to go bonkers after halftime, finishing the day with nine carries for 120 yards and a touchdown, eight catches for 71 yards and a 38-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Louie Pitale. He threw a game-tying two-point conversion in the fourth, as well. Pirates quarterback Jesse Milza was the recipient of said two-point play, adding to a day on which he threw for 189 yards and two scores while completing 15 of his 24 passing attempts.
St. Joseph of Hammonton overcame the perception that its 2015 squad wasn’t its old, dominant self, and also overcame an outstanding Hudson Catholic defense, winning the Non-Public, Group 2 final, 19-6. And unsurprisingly, it was the duo of Salaam and A’Laam Horne that spearheaded the effort. Salaam, the Wildcats’ quarterback, rushed for a 15-yard touchdown on Joe’s first possession, providing his team with a 6-0 lead that would last into the half. A’Laam, a running back/cornerback, rushed for a score from 22 yards out in the third. He proceeded to ice the contest on a 53-yard fumble return in the final period.
Rumson-Fair Haven rumbled to a third straight sectional title and a 21-0 victory over Red Bank in the Central, Group 3 final with an old school approach: a back-breaking run game and tough defense. Quarterback Michael O’Connor and running back Bryan Hess combined for 158 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, while the Bulldogs averaged nearly five yards per carry. Defensively, Red Bank could never get its offense off the ground, as the Rumson D would allow just 2.5 yards per play from scrimmage. Linebacker Mike Ruane (9 tackles) led the Bulldogs’ unrelenting defense, as the Bucs were just 3-of-15 on third and fourth downs.
It’s now four years, four championships for Delsea in South, Group 3. The Crusaders defeated Camden for the second time this season, 21-12, to take home yet another trophy, with running back Chris Bascomb catching a 24-yard touchdown pass in the second and running for an eight-yard score in the fourth. Make no mistake, though, the victory was a total team effort, particularly in the run game. Basomb, Rashaad Williams, Charles Walker and quarterback Quinn Collins all got their turn with the football, with Williams scoring once. The defeat denied the talent-loaded Panthers with their first sectional title since 1976.
Tight end Jedh Downey caught two touchdowns from two different teammates as Old Tappan finally ended a long championship drought, beating Wayne Hills, 17-0 in North 1, Group 4 for its first title since 1985. Downey’s first score came in the third on a 23-yard strike from do-it-all wide out Jordan Fuller -- who himself finished the day with 85 yards on the ground and one catch for six yards. His second was more conventional -- a 10-yard pass from quarterback Kevin Martinez. Defensive end John Piccinich led the way for the Golden Knights on the other side of the ball, picking up three sacks and helping Old Tappan avenge back-to-back finals losses to the Patriots in 2010 and 2011.
It didn’t seem likely when an injury-riddled Jackson squad was dealing with an October three-game skid, but the Jaguars closed the deal on a second consecutive Central, Group 4 championship with a win over Brick Memorial, 42-14. Running back Mike Gawlik carried the ball 32 times, rushing for 208 yards and three touchdowns, including two in the first half that put the Jags up 14-0 at the half. Gawlik also threw a touchdown to quarterback Kyle Johnson (who went 5-of-5 for 140 yards, himself). The win not only vindicated a Jackson season left for dead by many at midseason, but avenged the Mustangs’ 28-7 win in the teams’ first meeting on Oct. 16.
After back-to-back sectional finals losses to Shawnee, Timber Creek exorcised some December demons by taking down the Renegades, 28-24, in the South, Group 4 championship game. Sophomore quarterback Devin Leary came up big on the biggest stage, going 15-of-22 for 245 yards and two touchdowns. His touchdowns bookended the Chargers’ scoring, with the first being a 27-yard throw to Jason Butler in the first, and the latter going to Cameron Chambers from 44 yards out in the third. Leary also rushed for a one-yard TD. A 21-point second half wasn’t enough to push Shawnee ahead late, and the Renegades suffered their first loss since Sept 25.
After a 1-9 campaign just two seasons ago, Toms River North capped a dream year with a South, Group 5 championship, beating Williamstown, 14-7. In a hard-fought affair, the Mariners’ front five was at its best, as shown by the production by quarterback Mike Husni and running back Asante Moorer. Moorer rushed for 114 yards, while Husni picked up 104, and both reached the end zone. Husni scored from the Braves’ 6 to kick off the scoring in the second, while Moorer cashed in to close out the scoring in the fourth. Williamstown running back Joe Early made it a 7-7 game at the half on a 60-yard sprint to the end zone, but the Braves’s hopes of tying the game for a second time took a hit when Early left the game with an injury midway through through the fourth.
Running back Cole Rogers and quarterback Matt Mosquera ensured another solid offensive day for Middletown South, but it was the defensive effort by Dylan Rogers that will likely go down in Eagles lore after they beat Phillipsburg, 35-7, in the North 2, Group 4 final. The middle linebacker was all over the field, tallying 4.5 sacks and 14 tackles, as South hammered a Phillipsburg team whose only loss to a New Jersey opponent came in week 2 against North 2, Group 5 finalist Bridgewater-Raritan. Outside linebacker James McCarthy -- also a stud running back -- did his part, as well, picking off two Stateliner passes. It was, interestingly, the Eagles’ second-lowest scoring output of the year -- ahead of only their 21-3 win over Brick Memorial on Oct. 23.
Tom Szieber can be reached by emailing tom@gridironnewjersey.com.