Bombers, Rams continue runs at state titles
Prepare for sectional
JEFF HUNTLEY Sayreville’s Ben Isabella tries to break through the Edison defense during Saturday’s Group IV semifinal in Sayreville.
finals on Dec. 2
By Warren Rappleyea
Staff Writer
The Sayreville War Memorial High School football team is focused on one thing, its Dec. 2 NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV championship game against Hillsborough at Rutgers Stadium.
JEFF HUNTLEY Sayreville’s Brandon Hoyte carries an Edison defender on his back during Saturday’s Group IV semifinal game in Sayreville.
The stakes are high, a victory will give the Bombers their second title in four years, as well as a perfect 12-0 record for the season. Sayreville is seeded first, and Hillsborough, 8-2, is the sixth seed. And although the his team comes into the game as the favorite, Bombers Coach George Najjar knows that the Raiders, 8-2, are not your ordinary sixth seed.
"None of that matters," he said. "You have to win the game."
Hillsborough dominated Middletown North, and its wishbone attack led to a 38-0 victory, in the semifinal game to set up the meeting with Sayreville. The Raiders pounced on two early Lions’ errors and the score was 21-0 before the midway point in the first quarter.
Sayreville, too, has been dominating. In years past, the Bombers got by with grit, heart and execution. This time around, Najjar’s team can run the ball through opponents, much like Hillsborough can. And with Brandon Hoyte behind center, the Bombers can also go to the air when necessary.
In its semifinal game Saturday, the Bombers soared to a 28-0 triumph over Edison. Junior Jabbie’s 72-yard, second-quarter punt return put Sayreville ahead. On its next possession, the Bombers did what they do best — run the ball upfield, while the clock ticks away. With its veteran line of Ryan Charzewski, James Manion, Steve Osterberg, Bob Berardi, Mike Lee, center Frank Mastrangelo and tight end Jason Hromyak leading the way, Najjar’s club put together scoring drives of 13 and 12 plays, respectively, and the Bombers threw the ball only once. Ben Isabella paced the running game, which included nine different backs, with 56 yards.
Prior to the season, Najjar acknowledged his team’s superior size, but was concerned since several of his players line up on both sides of scrimmage. Not only have Sayreville’s starters held up, the coach has been able to work younger players into the lineup.
"This year, we’re a team that can run the ball straight at someone and see if they can stop us," Najjar said. "A team has to play to its strengths and we’ve taken advantage of our size."
In its quarterfinal game against Trenton, the teams played a hard-fought first half, and the Bombers emerged with a 7-6 advantage. Sayreville dominated the second half, however, maintaining possession for nearly 18 of the final 24 minutes. Jabbie and Mike Worthington scored touchdowns en route to a 21-6 success.
Splendid throughout the campaign, the Sayreville defense, which stymied Trenton in the early going, will face its sternest test in Hillsborough’s Danny Phillips and Steve Hess. Phillips ran for 162 yards in the Raiders’ 31-21 success against Piscataway in the CJ Group IV quarterfinal. Not to be outdone, Hess ran for 103 yards and three touchdowns in the Middletown North game. In addition, Caliph Santiago is also a threat.
The South River Rams were equally impressive Saturday, combining a stellar defensive effort with a high-powered offensive barrage in blanking Dunellen 28-0 in their Group I semifinal.
The Rams jumped on the Destroyers early after Dunellen’s Billy Pepe couldn’t handle the opening kickoff, giving the Rams the ball at the Dunellen 17. Five plays later, it was junior running back Zack Earvin who put the Rams on the board, running the ball into the end zone from two yards out.
And Earvin didn’t stop there, pounding the ball through the heart of the Dunellen defense on his way to 138 yards on 27 carries, and a pair of touchdowns.
But Earvin wasn’t the only offensive star of this game. Junior quarterback Mike Feaster was solid once again, completing 10 of 13 passes for 175 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His second quarter TD strike to Kevin Cole from 14 yards out gave the Rams a 14-0 advantage, and Coach Rich Marchesi’s team never looked back from there.
In the second half, the Rams got another touchdown from Earvin, this one from three yards out, and a 34-yard TD pass from Feaster to Charlie Krieger. But those scores were hardly needed, as the South River defense continually shut down the Destroyer offense, limiting Dunellen to a paltry 23 yards of total offense, three first downs, and not allowing them to get past midfield.
This win was just the kind of dominant effort Marchesi was hoping to get from his team, as it was his 100th career victory, against only 39 losses and two ties.
But the Rams will not be celebrating this win for too long, as a rematch of last year’s Group I final against two-time defending champions Keyport looms just a week and a half away.
The Dec. 2 matchup, which will be in Keyport, will be an enormous test for the Rams (8-2), as the unbeaten Red Raiders (9-0) look for their third consecutive Group I title, and their first undefeated season under head coach Mike Ciccotelli.
Keyport is coming off a 23-8 semifinal win over Colts Neck, and will look to send the Rams home one win shy of a state sectional title for the second year in a row.
— Doug McKenzie contributed to this story