South football wins third straight

Pirates top unbeaten Hightstown

By: Bob Nuse
   HIGHTSTOWN — Each week the West Windsor-Plainsboro High South football team seems to get better and better.
   The Pirates have certainly bounced back nicely from a two-game losing streak earlier this season. On Friday night, WW-P South made it three straight wins by topping previously-unbeaten Hightstown, 35-13. In the last three weeks, the Pirates have now outscored their opponents, 147-27.
   While the offense has been putting up impressive point totals, the defense has certainly settled in since allowing 41 points in a loss to Lawrence.
   "I think we just didn’t come to play that week," said junior linebacker J.B. Fitzgerald. "That just wasn’t us. That wasn’t the West Windsor South we are right now. I think the team we are right now is the team we are, just like last year. It always takes a little bit of an adjustment to get used to things and that might have been what we were trying to do. But we’re here now. That’s the important thing."
   South came out strong from the start against Hightstown, scoring on the first drive when Ryan Lupo went in from four yards out for his first of three touchdowns on the night. After Ian Simon recovered a Rams’ fumble a few minutes later, it took just four runs by Lupo to give the Pirates a 14-0 lead.
   South built the lead to 21-0 when Connor Farrell threw a touchdown pass to Rajesh Gadde late in the second quarter.
   Hightstown scored just before halftime to make it 21-6, then connected on a 44-yard pass in the third quarter after the Pirates’ failed on a fourth-and-one in their own territory. But Hightstown stayed close for mere moments, as Stuart Adams ran the ensuring kickoff back 77 yards for a touchdown, hurdling a couple of would-be tacklers along the way.
   "I owe one to Stu because we went for it on fourth down when we probably should have punted and Stu bailed me out there," South coach Todd Smith said. "He took care of me. That was a good play by them for the touchdown. But Stu is a game-breaker and you have to account for him. As his track coach I’m very proud of his hurdle form on the field."
   From that point on the South defense locked down the Hightstown offense. It was the third straight strong effort for the unit.
   "We’ve been working hard all week," said Fitzgerald, who plays inside linebacker and tight end for the Pirates. "Our scout team has been running their plays against us and we’ve just been working on it all the time. The coaches have been working us real hard and we just came out and showed up today."
   The linebacker play of the Pirates has been improving each week. With Fitzgerald and Adams returning, joined by newcomers Mike Garzone and Dan Fryer, they have unlimited potential.
   "Stu is just unbelievable," Fitzgerald said. "Mike Garzone came back from an injury and he’s been playing great. And Dan Fryer he’s a veteran all over the place. He’s great. We have a real good mixture of linebackers out there. I think our defense is back. We didn’t have the best performance in our second and third game, but I think we’re back now."
   Added Smith: "One of the major things is when we switched J.B. to inside linebacker. He’s one of our best athletes and we need our best athletes playing inside, so we put him there. There is no question our defense has been a different team since we put him there.
   "They have been working real hard and we made it a point of emphasis that they were going to help us win the game this week. It’s helped having Mike Garzone back. He came back against North and played at Ewing, so this is just his third game back. He had a lump on his back and the doctors couldn’t diagnose it. So they just kept him out until the swelling went down."
   The Pirates now face a key test Saturday when they host Notre Dame. A win put them right back into contention for a Central Jersey Group IV playoff berth.
   "After we went 1-2 it was tough," Fitzgerald said. "But the coaches preached to us that we had to bounce back. We just believed and dug deep. We did what we had to do."
   Having a more experienced Fitzgerald certainly helps. He was a key player as a two-way starter for the Pirates last year during their 10-1 season. He’s even better this year.
   "I think I’m getting a better feel of the game," Fitzgerald said. "This is my 10th year playing now, but you learn more and more each year and I’m still learning. I’m always trying to be a better player. Playing with Stu and the guys last year – Brian Morris and Derek Greczyn – they really showed us how middle linebackers should play."
   With the defense playing well and the offense clicking, the Pirates are looking more and more like the team that won their first nine games last year. On Friday, Lupo finished with 184 yards rushing on 26 carries to go over the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season.