All’s not so quiet on Mercer’s eastern front

Hightstown football players thrilled to talk about taking fifth (victory)

By: Kyle Moylan
   It wasn’t easy, but Tim Lawson finally found something he wanted to repeat from the 2-8 2005 season.
   With WestWindsor North facing a third-and-7 from its own 20 in the first quarter last Friday night, Lawson happily replayed an interception for a touchdown.
   "It’s a cornerback’s instincts," Lawson said. "You see slants all the time. They ran the same play against us last year. I did the same thing. It was the same everything."
   Lawson picked off the pass from West Windsor North’s quarterback Chris Petrone at the 26 and had a clear lane back the other way for Hightstown’s first touchdown in what ended up being a 41-6 one-sided win for the now 5-0 Rams.
   "You just don’t know what that’s (going 2-8) like," Lawson said. "We took a lot of heat for that season from everybody. To be able to bring it back the other way is wonderful."
   And this is clearly a case of everyone chipping in a little to bring about a big change in Hightstown’s fortunes.
   Mike Bernazal did his share by intercepting a pass from Petrone in the middle of the second quarter and returning the ball to the West Windsor North 49. Joe Medici and Joey Schettini then stepped up front and center and connected on a 32-yard pass play to the 17.
   Kenny Amponsa was next up. He carried the ball to the 1. Lawson then carried the ball in from the 1 to give Hightstown a 13-0 lead.
   The contributions didn’t stop there. Tommy Boyle recovered a fumbled punt at the West Windsor 15. According to Amponsa, the offense line then made it very easy for him to score from there.
   "The linemen have come out and done everything for us the first five weeks," Amponsa said.
   While the linemen create that initial hole, it’s usually a lot of Amponsa after that. On his first — and only — touch of the second half, Amponsa went around left end for a 50-yard score. He finished the game with 13 carries for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
   Down 27-0, West Windsor North gambled on its next possession, going for it on fourth-and-2 from the 38. Hightstown’s defense, however, came up with another big play, catching Patrick Wade in the backfield for a loss.
   Hightstown took over on downs and picked up six yards on three running plays before running a nice fake on fourth down. Medici kept the ball, rolled left and found Schettini open for a 31-yard score.
   In the fourth quarter, Steven Ladd added a 24-yard touchdown run. Matt Fried then capped off the Hightstown scoring with his fifth extra point of the game.
   "We’re 5-0 right now, but we can’t let our heads get too inflated or we will start losing," noted Hightstown Coach Ed Kopp, who will get his team ready for tonight’s Hall of Fame Game against West Windsor South 7 p.m. at home. "I don’t think that’s going to happen. We lost way too much last year. They know what’s it’s like and they didn’t like it."
   Somehow out of all the negativity — actually because of it — a positive season has emerged.
   "This isn’t just for us," Lawson said. "This is also for all those fans that showed they cared. A lot of fans stuck with us and that meant a lot.
   "We all felt bad about last season, but we turned it around. It’s just hard work paying off. That’s all I can say."