Raiders drop another tough one

Turnovers costly in loss to Watchung Hills

By: Rudy Brandl
   Turnovers plagued the Hillsborough High football team again in last Friday night’s home game against Delaware Division rival Watchung Hills.
   The Raiders (1-3) played well enough to win for the third time in four games. They moved the ball, especially through the air, on offense, and played solid defense. The Raiders were in position to beat the Warriors and pick up a bunch of power points that would have catapulted them into the playoff mix in Central Jersey Group 4.
   Then, a crucial turnover stopped the Raiders dead in their tracks and gave the Warriors life. Watchung took advantage and held on for a 14-7 victory.
   "We were in there, but we’re still making too many mistakes," HHS head coach Vinnie Coviello said afterward. "We had two turnovers and they scored 14 points off those turnovers."
   Hillsborough’s second turnover came on the final play of the third period. The Raiders and Warriors were locked in a 7-7 defensive struggle but the home team enjoyed the edge in field position throughout most of the second half.
   That all changed when Watchung lineman Matt Netta intercepted a Ron Morton pass and returned it 20 yards to the Hillsborough 40-yard line. The Raiders went from starting a potential go-ahead drive on the Watchung 43 to playing defense in their own end.
   "The kid just stepped in front of him," Coviello said. "That changed the field position."
   And the momentum. The Raiders were in control of the game in the second half, which opened with a 10-play drive that took nearly half the time of the third quarter clock. After stopping the Warriors after just one first down, the Raiders moved all the way to the Watchung 12 but a sack and two incomplete passes turned the ball over.
   Hillsborough’s defense, which held the Warriors in check for the first three quarters, forced a punt and the Raiders were in business at the 43. Morton fired a pass over the middle on first down and was picked off.
   Watchung needed only five plays to move 40 yards for the go-ahead score. Quarterback Joe Giaimo found Jim Morrow open in the middle and fired a strike. Morrow spun off HHS defensive back Adam Mehltretter and sprinted into the end zone to complete a 15-yard scoring play.
   The Raiders started to move on the ground with Pete McGavisk picking up a first down to put the ball at their 39. The drive stalled when Morton’s pass intended for Jason Smartt was incomplete on third down. The Raiders punted with 7:29 to play and never regained possession.
   Watchung (3-2) ran out the clock with a monster 13-play drive that covered 61 yards. The visitors didn’t need to score but picked up four first downs to keep the chains moving and the clock ticking.
   "We got a little undisciplined toward the end," Coviello said. "Kids were trying to push. The Wing-T is about misdirection and we started taking chances. They took it to us. They’re a good ball club."
   The Raiders had three time-outs but didn’t use any of them. Watchung was driving deep in HHS territory and Coviello didn’t think it made sense to stop the clock.
   "They were doing a good job moving the ball on us and we didn’t have a good situation to call a time-out," he said.
   Hillsborough had three nice drives in the game, including the scoring drive that answered Watchung’s first touchdown in the second quarter. The Raiders moved 61 yards in 12 plays and used 5:26 to tie the game with 5:53 to play in the half.
   Justin Smith plunged in over the left side of the line from one yard out to cap the scoring drive. Morton made three key plays to keep the drive alive – an 11-yard pass to McGavisk, a 12-yard scramble down the left sideline and a 28-yard bomb to Smartt, who made a fantastic grab over a defender. Morton completed 9-of-20 passes for 117 yards.
   "We threw the ball pretty well," Coviello said. "We had a lot of man coverage and we threw to a bunch of different guys."
   Morton moved the Raiders down the field on the team’s first drive of the night, hitting McGavisk for 11 yards and Joe Banaciski for 27 to pick up first downs. The drive ended with a controversial fumble call after Morton hit McGavisk with a shovel pass at the Warrior 4-yard line. McGavisk didn’t have control of the ball and fumbled, but the HHS sideline felt it should have been ruled an incomplete pass. Some officials still need to be reminded that the shovel play is a forward pass, not a pitch or a run.
   "It happens," Coviello said. "Sometimes, I wonder if they know the rules of the game. Everyone makes mistakes."
   Unfortunately for the Raiders, two mistakes cost them this game and many power points.