Slezak helps carry BRHS to first win

By: Sean Moylan
   It doesn’t matter that it started the season 0-2, everybody still expected the Bordentown Regional High football team to defeat Trenton Catholic Academy this past Saturday in Hamilton, which it did, 35-20.
   Yet it was the "way" the Scotties played in the game which grabbed the attention of the Bordentown fans in attendance and made Larry Larned’s first varsity football win a most enjoyable one.
   Instead of going with just a single back, Bordentown’s offense attacked with both Josh Slezak and Darnell Ganges, who made it a very long day for TCA’s defense with their bruising runs. Slezak scored three touchdowns and ran for 248 yards on 19 carries while Ganges scored twice and rushed for 135 yards on 15 carries. Bordentown had 383 yards rushing (Nick Dekovitch ran for 25 yards on just five carries).
   "It was very exciting. I couldn’t have been more pleased. I really think we can build on this," said Larned, whose offensive line (tackle Eric Papp, guard Anthony Gadeki, center Kevin Ashe, guard Demetrice Sims and tackle Myron Pickett) pushed TCA back the entire contest. "With a two-back attack, we’ll be in good shape the rest of the season."
   Still, like in all of its previous games, Bordentown started slow versus TCA and surrendered an early touchdown to fall behind 7-0.
   "They scored on their first drive. We were asleep again early but we woke up," said Larned, whose club’s wake up alarm sounded the second Tim Gola found Ganges open for a 36-yard touchdown in the opening quarter.
   "It was a straight drop back pass and we hit Darnell (Ganges) on a post play. Timmy’s (Gola) game has really come together in the last two weeks and he’s taking what the defense is giving him."
   Following that first-quarter drive, the Scotties pulled ahead for good when Slezak plunged 2 yards into the end zone and Peter Pulhac added the extra point to give his team a 14-7 advantage.
   "We put a nice drive together of about 60 yards and Josh Slezak scored on a straight power run," added Larned.
   Bordentown rotated Ganges back in the lineup and all he did was score on a 17-yard run to increase the Scotties lead to 21-7. The Scotties could have had a complete blowout had it not been for the extraordinary play of Marcus Eaddy, who ran for 248 yards and scored all three of TCA’s touchdowns, including one just before intermission which cut Bordentown’s lead to just 8 points (21-13).
   But Slezak scored from 17 yards out with 25 seconds left in the third quarter and he added the finishing touches with an 80-yard touchdown and the subsequent 2-point conversion.
   "To be perfectly honest, we were trying to run out the clock, but Josh (Slezak) busted out and he took it for 80 yards to ‘The House’," said Larned.
   The only real negative was Gola (4-for-45 for 45 yards) was injured late in the game and had to be replaced by freshman Drew Pederson, who handled himself very well in a tough spot. Before he was injured Gola was also able to hook up with Pulhac, who had 3 PAT’s, for a pair of completions for 19-yards. No time table has been set as to when Gola will return to the lineup.
   On defense Bordentown was able to come at TCA with a lot of pressure as the Scotties stopped everything but Eaddy, who by all accounts, is a great player on a below average team.
   For the Scotties to be successful, Slezak and Ganges must develop into household names in Bordentown in the coming weeks. But after the TCA game, that’s a distinct possibility. Bordentown (1-2) is scheduled at Maple Shade on Friday.