The Eagles open up at home Friday (Sept. 7) against Middlesex.
By: Steve Feitl
While the South Hunterdon Regional High School football team lost to Lawrence by one point last Friday, there were enough positives to give Sam Jefferis’ squad hope heading into its season opener.
The Eagles open up at home this Friday against Middlesex. Game time is 7 p.m.
South Hunterdon was defeated, 7-6, by Lawrence in its final preseason scrimmage, which turned out to be quite the smash-mouth game of football.
The highlight for the Eagles was the play of its defense, which held the potent Lawrence offense off the scoreboard for all but one touchdown.
In doing so the Eagles held the Cardinals’ offensive star, junior Orlando Kane, to just 90 yards in the three-quarter scrimmage. Kane led the Colonial Valley Conference, of which LHS is a part, in rushing as a sophomore a year ago.
Late in the first half, the Eagle began to put the body on the quick-footed Cardinal. After he had broken four tackles on a previous play for a 16-yard scamper to the South Hunterdon 31-yard line, Kane was spanked hard on a sweep for a 2-yard loss. The Cardinals had to settle for a field-goal attempt, which was blocked.
The defense stiffened again on Lawrence’s first possession of the second half. Lawrence drove quickly into South Hunterdon territory and secured a first-and-goal at the 9-yard line. Twice on the ensuing series, the Cardinals ran Kane into the line and both times the Eagle defense stuffed the running back. Again, Lawrence was forced to settle for a field-goal attempt. This time, the Cardinal place-kicker missed the goal posts outright.
Meanwhile, the Eagle offense was effective at times in moving the ball, but was unable to convert for any points.
On South Hunterdon’s second possession of the game, Eagle senior quarterback Kevin Losch used some pinpoint passing to lead his team to the Lawrence 13-yard line. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the drive was stunted when the Cardinals recovered a fumble.
Midway through the second quarter, the Eagles threatened again. Losch hit Steve Nocar on the first play of the drive for a 13-yard reception, which put the ball on the Lawrence 45-yard line. Running back Chris Musselman took the ball up the middle for a 17-yard charge, giving the Eagles the ball on the Lawrence 28-yard line. But three incomplete passes in the next set of downs led to South Hunterdon coming away empty-handed once again.
In fact, the only points on the South Hunterdon side of things were supplied by the defense.
After Lawrence had posted a 7-0 lead two minutes into the second quarter, the Cardinals threatened once again on their next possession. Kane ran for a 36-yard touchdown that was called back for holding. Three plays later, Lawrence quarterback Charlie Park was picked off by Freddy Fennimore at the South Hunterdon 40-yard line. Fennimore ran it in untouched for the six points.

