By: Ken Weingartner
John Coppola was happy to see his South Brunswick High football team put a win on the board in its opening game of the 2001 campaign. But he sounded even more upbeat about something else he saw.
"I was really pleased with our mental approach and focus," Coppola said after the Vikings won 17-13 over Woodbridge last Friday. "Our intensity during the game was good. They had the right attitude. They came out ready to play, in that proper frame of mind."
Coppola said SB didn’t always come out that way in the past.
"I think they believe in themselves," he added. "We have a lot of guys contributing. It makes it a lot nicer when you get contributions from a lot of people. That was a big win for us. It’ll definitely boost our confidence."
South Brunswick is scheduled to host Edison tomorrow night. It will be Pop Warner Football Night, and the program’s players will be introduced at halftime, Coppola said.
It might be fitting, in a way, because one of the Vikings’ stars in the Woodbridge win got his start in the Pop Warner program.
Sophomore quarterback Brad Casalvieri threw for 130 and a touchdown to help lead SB. His 9-yard scoring toss to Bob Alessi early in the second quarter gave the Vikes a 14-7 lead they would never relinquish.
"I was a little nervous before the game, even though I told everyone I wasn’t," said Casalvieri, who completed 7 of 19 passes and was intercepted once. "But I’ve been playing football for six years. This was just another football game, only at a higher level."
The sophomore was sharp in the first half, guiding the Vikings on two touchdown drives after Woodbridge jumped to a 7-0 lead with 4:31 to go in the opening quarter.
South Brunswick answered with a 10-play, 43-yard march set up by Darryl Harris’ 45-yard kickoff return. Evan Mahoney’s 1-yard run capped the drive, which was kept alive by a third-down completion of nine yards from Casalvieri to Chadd Wood.
Wood played a pivotal role defensively just 20 seconds later. On the opening play of the second quarter, he intercepted a Barrons’ pass and returned it 40 yards to the Woodbridge 24.
"We came in underrated on defense," Wood said. "Our linebackers did a good job, our defensive line got a good push and our coverage was better than it’s been in practice. This is a big win for us. Woodbridge is a good team. This puts us on the map."
After Wood’s interception, Casalvieri connected with Steve Ferrara on a 25-yard toss to convert a third-and-13 play, then later hit Alessi for the go-ahead score.
"You can see he’s got good quarterback skills," Coppola said. "If we can protect for him, he’s going to give us a lift in the passing game. He’s very mature and has a good understanding of the position. He’s a leader."
The Barrons responded with a seven-play, 84-yard march that was highlighted by Travis Scott’s 76-yard run. On fourth-and-goal from the 8, Seifert threw a touchdown pass to Matt Kovacs to pull Woodbridge within 14-13. The point-after kick failed, however.
A 23-yard field goal by Ferrara with 5:54 to play was the only scoring in the second half. Woodbridge got into Vikings’ territory just once after intermission, advancing to the SB 47. The Barrons had just 25 yards in the second half, and turned over the ball twice.
South Brunswick had chances, but was unable to take advantage. Wood had an interception return for a touchdown nullified by a holding penalty and Casalvieri threw his only interception at the Woodbridge goal line. In addition, the Vikings missed a 31-yard field goal.
"We had our opportunities," Coppola said. "But we were able to overcome our mistakes and put enough points on the board to win."
Ferrara led the rushing attack with 58 yards on 14 carries.
Casalvieri said he was happy with his performance, but still had areas on which to improve.
"Scrambling and when to throw the ball away," said Casalvieri, who was sacked four times by Woodbridge. "Part of the (sacks) were my fault for not throwing the ball away."
Not only was Casalvieri willing to take blame, he was quick to hand out credit.
"Our offensive line did it all for us," he said. "The opened the holes, they created the time for me to throw. We couldn’t have done it without them."
Another sign of the "right attitude" that had Coppola smiling.
