BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer
LAKEWOOD — Rupert Gill demonstrated his big play ability last Friday night as the Lakewood High School football team suffered a 47-21 setback against host Middletown North in a Shore Conference Constitution Division game.
Despite Middletown North’s sizable lead, Gill dug deep and produced three touchdowns to help the Piners earn a little bit of respect during a season that has been filled with disappointment.
Gill electrified spectators by scoring all three TDs in the fourth quarter. First, he ran a kickoff back 87 yards to give the Piners their first score of the evening.
Following a 24-yard TD run by Nick Dura, who finished the game with 280 yards and four scores, Gill took the ensuing kickoff and raced 87 yards to finally get Lakewood on the board.
“He is a big playmaker,” Lakewood second-year coach Donald Barnes said.
“He is capable of making a lot of things happen for us. He possesses great speed and that can put defenses back on their heels,” he said.
Gill, one of the top wideouts in the Shore Conference, also caught two touchdown passes. Lakewood sophomore quarterback Jerry Jones connected on scoring strikes of 90 and 75 yards for the Piners’ other two scores.
Overall, Gill caught six passes for 205 yards, while Jones completed 11 of 24 for 305 yards and no interceptions.
“We knew this was going to be a solid combination for us,” Barnes said.
“Rupert has soft hands and blazing speed. Jones has come along way as a quarterback. He is reading the field well and finding open receivers.”
Lakewood, which is off to an 0-4 start, hosts Toms River East 2 p.m. Saturday.
Warriors ready for return
Following a week off to recover from the bruises, the New Egypt High School football team prepares to travel to Florence Saturday (1:30 p.m.)
The Warriors are off to their best start in their brief history. New Egypt is 3-1 and the excitement surrounding the program is a nice sign of support coach Tom Farrell said.
“The student body, administration, parents and spectators have all been great,” Farrell said. “There is a lot of enthusiasm around the program this year. So far it has been a whole bunch of fun. But we still have a long way to go.”
Squaring off against one of the best teams in the Burlington County League in Florence is no easy task. The bye week came at the right time. New Egypt had a little more time to prepare.
“They are a quality football team, we know that,” Farrell said. “They’re big and strong and have a number of weapons that potentially can make the big play.”
Rams outlast Howell
Howell and Southern Regional hooked up in one of the most exciting games of the weekend if you like big plays. But in the end, it was a long, sustained drive in the fourth quarter that led to Southern’s 20-14 triumph.
With neither team moving the ball consistently on the other, the first touchdown of the game was a 62-yard punt return by Howell’s Ryan McGuinness. He was able to get through the first line of the Ram coverage and out-ran everyone else to the end zone. Joe Blood’s point after touchdown made it 7-0 with only 3.9 seconds left.
The Rams struck quickly twice in the second quarter to take a 14-7 lead. Quarterback Chuck Cometa found receiver Kurt Covine downfield in the end zone. Covine out-jumped his defender and came down with the ball in the end zone. Garrett Burgess supplied the PAT (point after touchdown) and the game was tied at 7-7.
It took just 1:01 for Southern to take the lead. On a backward pass by Howell quarterback Gus Borden, Josh Midili got his hand on the ball and deflected it backward. Because it was backward, the pass was considered a lateral and the ball was in play. Southern’s Lou Pecarelli came up with the loose ball and took it in for the score and a 14-7 margin.
Howell tied the game in the third quarter when McGuinness and Borden connected on a 77-yard scoring pass. Borden hit McGuinness near the 50-yard line and when the Ram defender slipped on the play, McGuinness was off to the races.
Southern, which had seen its offense held in check by Howell’s front seven, finally put together a drive at the right time. The Rams went 71 yards on 12 plays, taking six minutes off the clock in the fourth quarter. The power running of Frank Ritacco highlighted the game-wining drive. But it was Midili who took it in from 5 yards out for the TD with 5:58 left in the game. Howell blocked the kick, raising hopes that with one more big play, the Rebels could steal the win.
A 20-yard fourth down pass completion from Borden to Brian Smith in the last 2:00 gave Howell a chance. The Rebels would reach the Ram 29, but the drive would stop there and a quarterback sacks by first Drew Raub and then Pecarelli, sealed the win for Southern, which improved to 3-2 on the season.
Howell, slipped to 0-4 and will look for its first win of the season Saturday night when the Rebels visit Toms River North at 7 p.m.