Monroe shocks Spotswood with an inspired 37-14 win
Four local teams
qualify for state playoffs
Earlier this season, the Spotswood High School football team was beaten handily by the South River Rams. Since that game, they have not been tested. And then along came the Monroe Falcons.
Monroe, playing their most spirited game of the year, knocked off the Chargers 37-14, after fallen teammate Sean Denehy, a junior who suffered a broken neck and bruised spinal cord in the Falcons’ first game of the year, led them onto the field to the thrills of the Homecoming Day crowd.
The excitement obviously carried over as the Falcons scored on their first four possessions to knock off their archrival Saturday.
James Boyd led the way for the Falcons, with 76 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, and Monroe won their fourth straight since opening the year at 0-5. Eric Gaston also had a pair of TDs for the Falcons.
Spotswood, who played without standout running back Kyle Harkins because of an injury, fell behind early, and looked out of sync for the entire second half, en route to just their second loss of the year.
Monroe got on the board first when Szczepan Kowaleski blasted a 31-yard field goal with 5:33 left in the first quarter. Three plays later, Keith Hackett returned an interception 34 yards to the Spotswood 1-yard line, setting up a Vinnie Rizzo 1-yard TD plunge.
The Falcons then blocked a Spotswood punt, which set up Boyd’s first TD from 21 yards out. Spotswood responded with a touchdown of their own, before Gaston found the end zone to make it 23-7. Spotswood got another TD before the half to make it 23-14 at the break.
But the second half was all Monroe, as they tacked on 14 points while holding the Chargers scoreless and forcing five turnovers.
Monroe sealed the emotional win when Gaston’s 2-yard TD run capped a sustained drive and gave Monroe the 30-14 lead.
The Falcons did not qualify for the state play-offs, but will host Ewing in a consolation game this Friday at 7 p.m. As for the Chargers, they received the No. 2 seed in CJ Group II (behind only South River), and will host No. 3 Shore Regional Nov. 17 at 1 p.m.
South River had the No. 1 seed in Group I locked up heading into Saturday’s game against unbeaten Carteret, but that didn’t stop the Rams from going all out to knock off one of the GMC’s top teams.
The Rams once again rode the legs of tailback Zack Earvin on what would become a record-breaking day for the speedster. Earvin rushed 16 times for 131 yards and a touchdown in leading the Rams (8-0) to a 27-6 win.
In the win, Earvin became the school’s all-time rushing leader, breaking Nelson Bonilla’s total of 5,054 yards from 1991-93. Earvin, who got a standing ovation from the home crowd, has become one of the GMC’s most dominant offensive forces. But he is not the only threat for the Rams. Quarterback Mike Feaster is the conference’s top-rated passer, and wide receiver Steve Maclosky is among the leaders in receiving, once again.
When you put the three of them alongside South River’s dominant offensive line, and consider that the Ram defense has been among the league’s stingiest, it’s easy to see why the Rams are the prohibitive favorite to walk away with the CJ Group I title.
The Rams received a first-round bye and will await the winner of Saturday’s Metuchen-Keyport contest.
The Sayreville Bombers also qualified for the state tournament; however, they received the No. 8 seed, meaning they will face the CJ Group IV’s No. 1 seed, J.P. Stevens Saturday at 1 p.m. The game represents a rematch of last Friday’s match-up, which was won by Stevens 35-14. The Bombers were thoroughly dominated by the Red Division champs, and will need to play their best all-around game of the year to top the Hawks the second time around.
The only other team to secure a state play-off game was the Old Bridge Knights, who will travel to Freehold Township tomorrow night to face the Patriots. Township has only lost once this year (to top-ranked Jackson), and has been impressive in securing its first play-off appearance ever.
The Knights have improved dramatically since the beginning of the season, and are coming off an impressive 35-7 win over Edison. Coach Bob DeMarco’s team was led by Brandon Nolen (194 yards rushing, four touchdowns), and a strong defensive effort in what was a must-win game.
Old Bridge could be a sleeper pick in the Group IV bracket, capable of knocking off any team if it brings its A game.
For the rest of the local teams, this weekend will mean consolation games. The South Brunswick Vikings will travel to Middletown to face a Middletown North team which started the year at 4-0 before losing its next five games. The Lions are led by junior tailback Billy Lyons, who has become one of the Shore Conference’s top rushers. However, an inconsistent offense and some poor defensive play kept North out of the play-off picture.
The North Brunswick Raiders will travel to Hillsborough tomorrow night to face the Raiders. The Raiders are another team that got off to a fast start only to falter later in the season. A win against Hillsborough could go a long way toward re-establishing the Raiders’ confidence prior to their Thanksgiving Day match-up with South Brunswick.
The East Brunswick Bears, fresh off their latest close defeat (a 34-28 overtime loss to Perth Amboy), will travel to Marlboro Saturday in search of that elusive first win of the year.
The Mustangs have one win on the year after beating Middletown North two weeks ago, but could be just the team to give the Bears their first win. Game time is 1 p.m.