Peddie football’s first win is a decisive one

By: Sean Moylan
   Last week Geoffrey Harlan told his Peddie varsity football players that he believed in them.
   Then the Falcons went out and proved that they believed in themselves with a 36-0 home win over MAPL league rival Hill on Saturday.
   "Obviously, it was the best game of the season for Peddie football," said Harlan, whose Falcons had started the season with three consecutive losses. "It was an opportunity for us to show our (MAPL) conference that we can be a team to be reckoned with in the league."
   Harlan no longer has to wonder what "Brown can do for him," because he saw first-hand what his talented back could do this past Saturday. Matt Brown scored Peddie’s last four touchdowns, posted over 200 all-purpose yards and exhibited a versatility which made him look like Gale Sayers Jr.
   Even so, it was a victory sparked by a great defensive play as the Peddie defense came with pressure and forced Hill to snap a punt out of the back of the end zone for the only 2 points of the first quarter.
   "We worked very hard in the practices throughout the week leading up to the game," said Harlan. "Our players really responded well. We played very, very well defensively."
   Peddie moved the ball well in the opening quarter, but its offense couldn’t put any points on the board. But early in the second quarter David Kenney found Andre Ford open on a fade route and he connected with him for a 25-yard touchdown to give Peddie a 9-0 advantage following a Mike Nyman extra pointer.
   Peddie’s defense was so overpowering it may have already had enough points to secure a victory. But Brown wasn’t about to find out as he became a one-man wrecking crew bent on knocking down Hill the rest of the way. First Brown ran a punt back 65 yards for a touchdown. Then with 3:10 to go before the half, Peddie ran an inside zone play, which Brown broke to the outside for a 36-yard score. That put the Falcons in an unfamiliar position going into the intermission.
   "We were up 22-0 at halftime. We (the coaches) needed to jump on them a little just to settle them down, they were so excited," said Harlan.
   But there was no way to settle down Brown’s explosiveness on the field. Early in the third quarter Peddie ran an end-around play to Malcolm Evans (4 catches for 28 yards) which went for 17 yards. Then on a broken play, Kenney (9-for-11 for 123 yards passing) hit Brown with a 38-yard touchdown pass. Only a few minutes later, Brown blasted through the Hill defense for a 40-yard rushing touchdown. Mike Nyman then added the PAT to make the score 36-0 and third quarter hadn’t even ended.
   "He’s coming into his own," said Harlan of Brown. "We shut them down in the fourth quarter. It was great to see us take care of business."
   Jaashawn Jones, who had 11 carries for 56 yards, had a monster game at the defensive tackle position with two sacks and two tackles for losses. Harlan only recently moved Jones from linebacker to the defensive line. And the move has worked like a charm. Derek DeBellis (inside linebacker), Chris Douthett and Ted Plunkett, a physical outside linebacker, also played stellar defensive games.
   Moreover, Justin Sinclair had three receptions for 45 yards and had a key kickoff return in the contest. Although Brown was the obvious star of the game, Harlan was impressed with Kenney’s poise at quarterback and thinks he’s progressing nicely.
   "He (Kenney) played in two of our previous three games, but not as a starter," added Harlan. "It’s Parent’s Weekend and it’s an important day (Friday). Every one of our teams has a home game versus Lawrenceville. As we head into the Lawrenceville game (today) we will continue to start David (Kenney) in that position for us."
   Harlan knew how important it was for him, as a new head coach, to get that first win. But the win was just as important for the Peddie players. The Falcons are finally back in their conference and looking for many more such victories