Lupo’s career day carries Pirates

WW-P South wins football playoff opener

By: Bob Nuse
   In its last five trips to the state playoffs, the West Windsor-Plainsboro High South football team had been eliminated in the opening round.
   Ryan Lupo was determined to make sure that wouldn’t happen again.
   Lupo rushed for a career-high 258 yards on 26 carries and scored the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter as top-seeded WW-P South got past eighth-seeded Colts Neck, 24-21, Saturday in the opening round of the Central Jersey Group III playoffs.
   The win was just the second ever in the playoffs for the Pirates and their first since 1987, when they topped Matawan and reached the CJ III final against Franklin. With the win, the Pirates will now host fourth-seeded Nottingham in the CJ III semifinals on Saturday.
   "This was just an exciting game to be a part of," said South coach Todd Smith, whose team improved to 9-0 with the win. "It was back and forth and both teams made plays. We gave away some points with a couple mistakes we made, but I thought our kids responded. That’s the sign of a good team, to be able to respond to a test like this."
   The Pirates’ win on Saturday had a little bit of everything. Both teams played well, both made big plays when they needed them, and both had a chance to win late in the game.
   Each team scored on its first possession of the game, as the Pirates took the opening kickoff and drove right down the field, capping off a seven-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by Rob Morris. But Colts Neck answered right back on a 6-yard touchdown run by Ashton Jackson to tie the game, 7-7.
   The Pirates took a 10-7 lead with less than a minute left in the first quarter on a 24-yard field goal by Tom McKeever, then extended that lead to 17-7 on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Colin Dampier to Stuart Adams.
   But Colts Neck closed the gap to 17-14 with just over one minute left before halftime. The Cougars blocked a South punt and returned it to the 10-yard line. Two plays later, Jackson had his second touchdown of the game.
   The score stayed 17-14 until midway through the fourth quarter when Jackson returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown, his third of the game, to give the Cougars a 21-17 lead. But it took Lupo just two plays to give the Pirates back the lead. After the kickoff, he ran 12 yards, then 66 yards for a touchdown to give South back the lead.
   "Once they scored on that punt return, we just wanted to get back out there and move the ball down the field," said Lupo, whose 26 carries were a season high. "We knew we had to get into the end zone. I wanted to get into the end zone for those guys who were making the blocks all day on the line.
   "On the touchdown, they gave me a big hole and I just ran right at (Drew) Lachenmayer. He made a block and that opened a big hole for me. I saw a lot of green in front of me and I wasn’t going to let anyone catch me this time. On a run at the beginning of the game I got caught, but I wasn’t going to let anyone get me this time. I saw the pylon and knew I was going to get to the end zone. I just gave it everything I had."
   From that point the South defense held firm, and the Pirates had their first playoff win in 18 years.
   "We gave them a few points with mistakes on special teams," said senior lineman Adrien Schriefer. "But I thought we really stepped up and came through after we fell behind. On our team, we have so many good players. Ryan Lupo got going when we needed him and he came up with the big play at the right time. That was huge when he scored that touchdown right after they had taken the lead.
   "I never had any doubt that we would be able to come back and win. We’ve played the same way all season long. We took control of the line on offense and our backs were able to run the ball."
   The Pirates finished the game with 348 yards rushing, as E.J. Burgess added 77 yards to go along with Lupo’s big day. They also got that one touchdown pass from Dampier, who completed three passes for 58 yards, giving the Pirates over 400 yards in offense.
   "This was the biggest game of my high school career and it was great to be able to win it," Schriefer said. "I think all season long, each week we have gotten a little more confident. I don’t think we’re cocky or anything like that. We try to stay humble and just keep working hard and bring our best effort each week."
   The Pirates won this game in much the same manner they had won their first eight. The offense was led by its running game behind a talented offensive line, while the defense did its job once again.
   "We’re not going to get away from what we do," Smith said. "I thought we moved the ball well. It took the defense a little while to settle in, but once we did, I thought we did a nice job of stopping them as well.
   "I thought our offensive line played great today. Bill Enkhbayer and Derek Greczyn are two guys who we are able to move around and they both had real good games. They don’t get a lot of notice because we have Drew and Adrien, but they can play. And they did a real nice job. The line opened up some holes for Ryan and E.J. and they did the rest."
   Now the Pirates can go after another first in program history next week against Nottingham. They could get to 10 wins for the first time ever, and they could also get a second playoff win in a season for the first time.
   "This is a huge win for our program," Lupo said. "We can’t wait until next week to get out there and play again. It’s been a great season for us."
   One that just keeps getting better and better.