Raiders catch a break and get by resilient Falcons
Vikings suffer first loss at the hands of Old Bridge
VERONICA YANKOWSKI North Brunswick’s Krimzon Marrero chases down Monroe’s Mario Zygadlo during the Raiders’ 14-13 win in North Brunswick Saturday night.
Going into the game, very few people expected much of a contest, with the exception of the entire Monroe High School football team.
The Falcons, who entered Saturday night’s contest with the North Brunswick Raiders at 0-4, and desperately seeking their first win of the year, have played well in every one of their games thus far. They just have nothing to show for it.
As for the Raiders, they successfully have bounced back from their opening-day loss to J.P. Stevens, running off three straight wins going into Saturday night’s homecoming game, and have resumed their winning ways, making a push for the top spot in the Greater Middlesex Conference’s White Division.
This had all the makings of another lopsided North Brunswick victory. But it certainly didn’t play out that way.
It took a botched PAT attempt with seven seconds left on the clock to give the Raiders their fourth straight win, and keep Monroe winless.
The scoring started in the first quarter, when North Brunswick quarterback Krimzon Marrero ran into the end zone from three yards out to give his team the lead. Their PAT kick was successful.
From there, the team’s defenses took over, and the teams traded possessions for the remainder of the first half.
In the third, North Brunswick padded their lead when Leon Milona found the end zone from 11 yards out. Again, the Raider PAT kick was successful, and the Raiders had a comfortable 14-0 lead.
But Monroe, like they have in just about all of their games this year under first-year head coach Jim Griffin, fought their way back.
In the fourth quarter, Monroe quarterback Eric Gaston got his team on the board when he found the end zone from 21 yards out.
The ensuing PAT kick was successful, and the Falcons found themselves seven points behind.
The game seemed destined for overtime when Gaston again found the end zone, this time from seven yards out, with only seven seconds left in the game. But a botched PAT preserved the win for North Brunswick, and made the Falcons’ long season seem a little bit longer.
It was another devastating loss for a team that is playing good football against some quality opponents. But they say that things like this balance out, which is what the Falcons are hoping for. They’re due for some good luck.
Monroe will try again for their first win of the year on Saturday, when they host a South Plainfield team coming off its first win of the year, a 27-18 win over J.F. Kennedy. Game time is 1 p.m.
Elsewhere on the local scene, the South Brunswick Vikings were knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten by another team who is better than its record indicates, the Old Bridge Knights.
Old Bridge dominated the Red Division-leading Vikings en route to a convincing 49-7 win in what was South Brunswick’s worst performance to date this year.
The Knights used several big plays to take the wind out of the Vikings’ sails, including five runs of 50-plus yards. They had a 28-7 lead at the half, thanks to the running of Brandon Nolen (12 rushes for 92 yards and two touchdowns), and the dominant play of the defense. When it was all said and done, the Knights had outgained the Vikings by an astonishing total of 258 yards to 82, and had given the surging Vikings a dose of reality after their flying start.
The 2-3 Knights will enjoy their bye week this week before trying to keep their playoff hopes alive on Oct. 19 against a solid Woodbridge team.
The Vikings will look to get their fifth win on Friday, when they host the powerful Sayreville Bombers. Sayreville is coming off a dominant 41-0 effort against Perth Amboy, and have their eyes on the division lead once again.
The 4-1 Bombers used a balanced offensive attack (five players scored touchdowns), and had a 21-point lead just 12 minutes into the game. Perth Amboy never recovered from Sayreville’s onslaught, and found themselves trailing 27-0 at the half. And you don’t come back from a deficit like that against a defense like Sayreville’s.
The Bombers appear to be fully recovered from their upset loss to Piscataway two weeks ago, and will look to re-establish themselves as the division’s top team on Friday. Game time in South Brunswick is 7 p.m.
And speaking of dominant offensive performances, the Zack Earvin/Mike Feaster show made its way to South Amboy on Saturday, where the South River Rams improved to 5-0 by dismantling Cardinal McCarrick 42-0.
Earvin, the GMC’s top rusher, ran for 224 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries (he also caught a 51-yard scoring strike), while Feaster, the GMC’s top-rated passer, added 128 yards in the air by going 6-14. Feaster also ran one in from seven yards out in the second quarter.
But it was the Rams’ offense line that stole the show in this game, opening holes that a guy like Earvin can walk through.
The Rams are off this week, but will look to make it 6-0 on Oct. 13 when they travel to Middlesex to face the struggling Blue Jays.
The Spotswood Chargers are another team that notched a win this past weekend, upending a good Dunellen team 18-13.
It was not as dominant a performance as we’ve been seeing from the Chargers this year, but a win is a win, and they’ll take every kind.
Kyle Harkins continued to post impressive numbers for the Chargers, rushing for 208 yards (his second straight 200+ yardage game) and a pair of touchdowns on 39 carries. Harkins also caught a 25-yard TD pass from Danny Osofsky in the first quarter.
But it was his final score of the day, a 33-yard scamper with 3:59 to play, that gave Spotswood the lead again, and helped get the win. A key interception from Kyle Ust sealed the win after Dunellen had marched into Spotswood territory, and appeared poised to steal one from the Chargers.
The win pushes Spotswood to 4-1, and within sight of division-leading South River. Next up is Cardinal McCarrick on Saturday in South Amboy. Game time is 1:30 p.m.
The East Brunswick Bears were not as fortunate last weekend, losing to Woodbridge, 35-14. The Bears fell behind early in this one, and were never able to catch up, falling to 0-5 on the year, and still in search of their first win. The Bears are off this week, but will use the time to prepare for a Edison team that is coming off a 42-14 thumping at the hands of Piscataway.