By: Ken Weingartner
The football schedule says the state sectional playoffs begin the second weekend in November.
John Coppola says the playoffs start now for his South Brunswick High Vikings.
Coppola, whose team lost 49-7 to Old Bridge last week for its first setback in five outings this year, believes the Vikings need to win at least two of their next three games to qualify for the postseason in Central Jersey Group IV. All three contests are against squads equal or ahead of them in power points.
South Brunswick is tied with Sayreville, its foe Friday night, for fourth place in Central Jersey Group IV with 35 points. J.P. Stevens, the Vikings’ opponent Oct. 27, is first with 40 points, followed by Piscataway with 39, and Middletown North with 37. SB plays Piscataway Oct. 19.
Steinert is sixth with 34 points followed by Freehold Township (28), Hunterdon Central (27), West Windsor South (22), Old Bridge (20) and North Brunswick (20). The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs.
"We definitely want to make the playoffs," Coppola said. "We control our own destiny. Every game is a playoff game now. Our backs are to the wall. I think it will take at least six wins to qualify for the playoffs."
Coppola said the Vikings are in a similar position as Old Bridge, which last Friday built a 28-7 halftime lead and never looked back.
"They’re a good football team, no doubt about that," Coppola said. "This game scared me because if they lost another game they’d have no chance to make the playoffs. They’re definitely a playoff-caliber team. They lost some very close games. They were playing like there’s no tomorrow."
Tomorrow, there will be no tomorrow for the Vikings. South Brunswick will be looking to bounce back from a defeat that bruised more than egos. Steve Ferrara, the Vikings most versatile player and top offensive threat, suffered a concussion in the first quarter against Old Bridge. Offensive lineman Matt Sapiezynski also had a concussion.
In addition, tight end Joe Heiser struggled with back problems and the Vikings’ No. 2 and No. 3 tailbacks Darryl Harris and Joey Diaz didn’t even dress because of injuries. After Ferrara was injured, fullback Evan Mahoney had to move to tailback.
"We never seemed to get in sync," Coppola said. "It’s only one game, and we have to put it behind us. That wasn’t our true offensive team. We have to regroup. Hopefully, everyone will be healthy."
Of greater concern than the offense was the defense’s tendency to yield big plays. Among Old Bridge’s seven touchdowns were scoring plays of 75, 67, and 52 yards. The Knights also scored on an 80-yard kick return and a 72-yard interception return.
"We either not in the right position, or not making the right reads," Coppola said. "That’s definitely something we’re trying to correct this week."
Miscues will prove dangerous against Sayreville, which is 4-1. Its only defeat came against Piscataway.
"I think we match up better than against Old Bridge," Coppola said. "Sayreville has very good skill kids. They can break big plays at any time. We’ve got them pretty well scouted, but we’ve got to play every single down because they execute on every play.
"We have to be solid at the point of attack, but be aware of the threat of a bootleg or counter. Everyone can’t just run to the football, or where they think the football is going."
Coppola thinks his troops are ready to put together a solid effort Friday.
"We were pretty relaxed and loose on Monday," Coppola said. "Sometimes a lose can be good, in a way, but we have to make sure it doesn’t demoralize us too much. We’ve got to remember how we got to be 4-0. We’ve got to play football the way we know we can."
EXTRA POINT: Friday is Crossroads Football Night. Players and coaches wearing their Crossroads gear will be admitted free, and players and coaches will be introduced at halftime.
