to 4-0 after
beating Howell
Lakewood improves
to 4-0 after
beating Howell
By tim morris
Staff Writer
The signs are there that the Lakewood Piners just might have what it takes to be a championship team.
The Piners rolled to their fourth straight win of the season Friday night in Howell, 39-10. However, the game was not quite as easy as the final score would indicate.
After stunning the Rebels with two long touchdown runs early in the second quarter, thanks to turnovers and penalties, the Piners found themselves locked in a struggle late in the third quarter holding on to a 14-10 lead on the road.
That’s when the Piners’ defense stepped in. An interception return to the one-yard line by defensive tackle Chad Wilson set up the touchdown that pushed the lead up to 21-10 and changed the tone of the game. Lakewood would put three more touchdowns in during the fourth quarter to put the game away 39-10.
Head coach Dave Oizerowitz liked what he saw.
"Tonight was a test of champions," said Oizerowitz. "We faced adversity and responded.
"To be a championship team you have to put teams away in the fourth quarter," he added. "We stepped up and did that tonight. It’s something we haven’t been doing."
The Piners’ size and speed made the game look like a mismatch in the first quarter as Denroy Anglin and Dwayne Jones made it look easy. They scored on 96- and 79-yard touchdown romps on the team’s first two possessions to open up that 14-0 lead.
Howell (2-2), however, would not roll over. The Rebels would bend a whole lot on defense to the tune of 414 yards rushing but would make a stand in the red zone.
As the Piners fumbled away opportunities or had penalties stall drives that kept them from putting Howell away, the Rebels climbed back into the game in the second quarter on quarterback Dan Irvin’s seven-yard scamper. That capped a sustained 69-yard drive and gave the Rebels confidence.
In the second half, Howell pulled even closer with place-kicker Dan Loughlin kicking a 30-yard field goal.
Howell stopped Lakewood on its next possession and got the ball back down 14-10 with momentum.
That all changed on one play when Wilson stepped into the flat and picked off an Irvin screen pass. He returned it to the one-yard line where quarterback Rob Rossano took it in from there.
Early in the fourth quarter, another pass in the flat was picked off, this one by linebacker Sydney Murray, who returned it 14 yards for a TD. Just like that, it was 33-10 Lakewood.
The fireworks weren’t over just yet. Robert Gill picked off a deflected pass and went 80 yards with it for the final score of the night.
"We made things happen tonight," said Oizerowitz. "We knew the screen pass was a big part of their offense and we had our players looking for it."
It was big night for Jones, who, in addition to his long TD run, picked up 222 yards on just 15 carries as he consistently powered his way through the Rebel defensive line. The 414 rushing yards gave complete control of the line-of-scrimmage to the visiting Piners.
Lakewood is now tied atop the Shore Conference Constitution Division with their old arch rivals, Toms River South. There is a lot of football to be played before the old rivals meet on Nov. 28 in Lakewood.
Oizerowitz, though, is convinced his team has what it takes to remain in the race.
"This is the hardest working team I’ve seen since I’ve been here," he said. "It started back in the summer and it shows every day in practice."
However, the Piner coach knows that his team must start cutting back on its mistakes.
"No one can stop us but ourselves," he said. "Penalties and turnovers keep us from scoring. We need to eliminate those mistakes."
The Piners will look to go to 5-0 on the season on Saturday when they host winless Middletown North in a division match-up. Game time is 3 p.m.
Howell, which was led by Terrence Tatum’s 70 yards rushing last Friday night, is home again this Friday night to Lacey Township (2-2). The kick-off time is at 7 p.m.