Keyport gives South River scare before falling, 35-20
Rams move on to face Shore Regional for
CJ Group I title
JERRY WOLKOWITZ Keyport running back Ken Cattouse tries to break out of the grasps of South River’s Steve Maclosky during the Rams’ 35-20 CJ Group I semifinal win in South River on Saturday.
With grit and determination as its primary weapons, the Keyport High School football team traveled to South River on Saturday hoping to knock off the favored Rams in the opening round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Central Jersey Group I semifinals.
When Steve Greggins hit J.J. Beedle with a 46-yard touchdown pass and A.J. Youncofski added the extra point to give the Red Raiders a 7-0 second-quarter lead, South River fans had to shudder. It was just a year ago that the Rams went into Keyport and scored a huge upset to win the CJ Group I crown.
Keyport remembered it well, and coach Mike Ciccotelli reminded his team that the game is played between the lines. Coming into the contest, the Red Raiders already had three losses and had given up an uncharacteristic 153 points, yet they found a way to squeeze into the playoffs.
South River entered the contest looking every bit the juggernaut that rolled to an 8-0 mark, knowing full well what they did a year ago and determined not to let it happen to them.
JERRY WOLKOWITZ Keyport’s J.J. Beedle runs up field after hauling in a pass during the Red Raiders’ loss in South River on Saturday.
After a scoreless first period, the game turned into a slugfest in the second session. After Keyport’s initial score, the home team rebounded to tie things up. Steve Maclosky took the kickoff and went 40 yards to put his team well into Red Raiders territory. Maclosky then grabbed a pass from Mike Feaster for 30 yards and a TD.
The South River kickoff pinned Keyport deep in its own zone, and the tide appeared to be turning. The Red Raiders, however, responded by marching 98 yards, culminating with Jamie Gutridge’s 4-yard touchdown run, to regain the lead at 14-7. The Rams responded to cut the lead to one point, following a weak kickoff. Feaster concluded the 43-yard drive with a 5-yard run.
Once again the Red Raiders responded. Keyport marched deep into South River territory as time wound down in the half. But that’s where the tide finally turned. Feaster recovered a fumble at his own 18-yard line with just under two minutes on the clock. Unwilling to go into the half trailing by one, South River roared downfield in four plays, including a 36-yard pass to Maclosky. Zack Earvin, who rushed for 209 yards on the day, then hauled in a 25-yard pass to give his team the lead for good. The two-point conversion made it 21-14 when time ran out.
Keyport valiantly tried to come back, and on its first possession in the third quarter the Red Raiders made their way inside the 20, but the South River defense held and the Rams never looked back.
Gutridge led the Keyport attack with 99 yards in 22 carries, while fullback Ken Cattouse ran for 68 yards in 14 attempts.
Afterwards, Ciccotelli credited his players’ effort.
"We gave them all they could handle," he said. "They [South River] had to play their best to beat us, and they did. But we have a young team. We’ll be back."
The game marked the third straight year the two teams have met in CJ Group I play. The Red Raiders won 21-0 to win the title in 1999, while South River took the championship with a 40-14 win a year ago.
After three such games, fans of both teams may be hoping for another matchup next year.
"It could happen," Ciccotelli said.
The Red Raiders will now turn their attention to the Holmdel Hornets, who will host them in their annual Thanksgiving Day game tomorrow. This will be the final high school game for many players on both sides, so expect a high-spirited affair. Game time is 11 a.m. in Holmdel.