By: Kyle Moylan
Once upon an afternoon hardly dreary, Jason Gray pondered, neither weak or weary, over many plays to be of Robbinsville football lore. Not that they were napping, yet suddenly there came a tapping, as of someone not so gently rapping, rapping at Robbinsville’s end zone door. "’Tis some visitor," they muttered, "Tapping at our end zone door only this and nothing more."
Ah, distinctly remember, it was the 16th of September, and each separate Allentown gained yard wrought the ghost of a Robbinsville victory upon the floor. Eagerly the fans wished for it to be morrow praying not to face the sorrow sorrow for an opportunity heading out the door. For the rare and radiant chance to say they won their first home game for evermore.
Deep into that darkness peering, long the fans had to watch, fearing, doubting dreams no first-year team ever dreamed before. But the drive was broken. A sack by Desmond Kendall and Jelani Fenton made the words spoken, "One more." This was whispered and the fans shouted back "One more." A fourth-down stop. Merely this, and nothing more.
Then the air grew denser, a long pass one could sense there. Slapped down, down to the turf floor. "Thy football gods lent thee. A break here and there they sent thee. Always remember thy memories of this in the days of chore. Quoth the Robbinsville Ravens: "They are winless nevermore."
Playing a poetic 48 minutes that will feed memories for decades to come, the Robbinsville High School football team defeated Allentown, 16-13, in the first home varsity football game in its history this past Saturday.
"I look at this as a self-fulfilling prophecy," Robbinsville Ravens Coach Jason Gray said. "You can be the best looking person in the world, but if people keep telling you that you’re ugly, you’ll start to believe it. You need positive feedback. That’s why we kept telling the kids they could win. And they believed it."
Of course, there were a few blemishes on what ended up being a beautiful first-ever varsity win for Robbinsville.
With Robert Guiliano rushing 116 yards in the first quarter, Allentown held a 7-0 lead and was 15 yards away from adding to that advantage.
"At the beginning of the game last week (a 35-0 loss to Hopewell) we had some missed opportunities," Gray said. "We preached to the kids that if they could weather the storm out there in the early going, this (a win) could happen."
First, Allentown needed to be stopped. Shea Fahey did that with an interception at the Robbinsville 4-yard line.
Next, Robbinsville needed field position. Jelani Fenton provided that by blocking an Allentown punt with less than two minutes to play in the first half. Robbinsville recovered the ball at the Allentown 7.
"I just came right through, put my hands up and blocked it," Fenton said. "That was the break we needed."
Two plays later, Fahey carried the ball over from the 1. Even with the missed extra point, Robbinsville was down just 7-6 going into halftime and had all the momentum.
Robbinsville fed that momentum with a 14-play drive to start the third quarter. Derick Hughes finished off that drive with a 32-yard field goal. With 5:31 to play in the third quarter Robbinsville led 9-6, the first lead in its history.
The lead would get even bigger.
Again, Robbinsville had to weather the storm Gray talked about. Guiliano, who finished with 206 yards on 16 carries, helped Allentown bring the ball all the way to Robbinsville’s 15. On first down from there, however, Allentown fumbled a pitch and Mark Panes recovered.
"The football gods were with us today," Gray said.
So were some very good players. Fahey threw a short pass to Mark Magariello, who took the ball all the way to the Allentown 35. A run by Brian Alston advanced it 11 more yards, but the next three plays failed to gain an inch.
On fourth-and-10, Fahey rolled left, broke a tackle and found Magariello open in the end zone. With 10:52 to play, Robbinsville now led 16-7.
"You want to run time, but you just try not to look at the clock," Gray laughed. "As soon as you do, something bad happens."
Like the ensuing kickoff.
"It was supposed to be a squib," Gray noted of a ball that was kicked away and returned to the Robbinsville 15 by Allentown’s Doug Tisce. "Emotions got the best of us and the Allentown kid made a great play."
Allentown’s Brian MacNiven finished off what Tisce started with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Allentown followed up that score with a defensive stop. With 5:08 to play, Allentown started the decisive drive on its own 36.
A 21-yard run by Guiliano put the ball at the Robbinsville 43. Another long run by Greg Amatrudo put it at the 25.
"We could let them go down the field as far as they wanted, but they weren’t getting into the end zone," Fahey said. "They could get down to the 1, but we were going to stop them."
Allentown got as far as the 24 before it started to be pushed back. A penalty cost Allentown 10 yards. A sack by Fenton and Desmond Kendal on third down cost Allentown 18 yards more and any realistic chances of a victory.
"This was a game not a season," Gray said. "It was a big one, though. The thing is by the time we really get to think about what we accomplished, it will be time to get ready for West Windsor North (today’s opponent.)"
Back into the games, always turning, all the souls within them burning. Soon again there will be tapping, something louder than before. Let them see what foes are left, what challenges to explore. But first let them have their moment, for the previous suffering they did endure. ‘Tis was a win. A glorious win. Who could ask for more?

