He may be only 5 feet 8 inches but he looks like he can measure up to the challenge with a sharp gleam in his eyes and the broad smile of a winner.
And John Applegate brought that attitude and his athletic talents to the huddle as the sophomore matured quickly on only two days of practice to quarterback the Green Dragons to a 20-12 Shore Conference Constitution victory over Colts Neck. Applegate completed 13-of-18 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns, both to Kurt Loftus.
“I think he stepped up more than expected,” said running back Matt
Cuccinello. “He had a fantastic game.”
“Little Johnny Appleseed has planted the seeds and grown up quickly,” joked one jubilant assistant coach afterward as Brick Township raised its record to 5-3 and assured itself of a berth in the NJSIAA playoffs with a game expected to be at Sayreville on Friday night.
Regular quarterback Jordan Roshala sustained an ankle injury in practice on Wednesday and Applegate was pressed into the pregame preparation.
“We could’ve played Jordan if we had to but he would have been really limited running the ball,” said coach Warren Wolf. “He [Applegate] is mature as a sophomore. We could’ve gone with our other quarterback – Brennan Candito – but John was doing so well in practice.”
It’s the second time in a month Brick- Township decided on a replacement for a starter who turned out to make a gameclinching play. Kicker Ray Johnson stepped in when Jack Sisco was sick during a game week and, with only a few days of intense practice, kicked all three extra points, including the game-winner in a 21- 20 overtime victory over Southern. Johnson’s been kicking ever since.
Unlike Johnson, Wolf expects Roshala to regain his starting job this Friday night. “Oh, he’ll be back. He’s our guy,” said Wolf.
“I was definitely really nervous, especially around the first play,” said Applegate.
No one would think it. He hit nine of 10 passes in the first half out of the shotgun formation for 74 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown strike to
Loftus on third down and goal after Colts Neck struck first. He sealed the victory with a 17-yard hookup with Loftus on a corner pattern with 1:30 left.
“He’s very accurate,” said Loftus succinctly on more than one occasion.
“He places the ball perfectly.”
“He just has great hands catching the ball,” countered Applegate.
And there was good chemistry from the start.
“On the first touchdown, I kept running in the flat and saw him [rolling out] so I just went straight up where I’m supposed to and he got the ball to me,” said Loftus.
And he also punted the ball, just like Roshala had been doing. In fact, he turned what looked like a disaster on the first one that was errantly snapped into a 13-yard pickup by him running the ball and a first down that sustained the first scoring drive. Applegate fired completions to Loftus of seven and 29 yards, the latter spotting the ball on the 10-yard line to set up the TD pass. Mike Winters also had some nice receptions throughout the game.
A year ago, Applegate was quarterback for the freshman team that went 8-2. On the first day of practice for this season, Applegate broke his right thumb and when he came back six weeks later, he switched to wide receiver just to get an opportunity to use his speed to help the team. Once Roshala sustained his injury, Applegate came to the rescue.
But he did not have an easy time in the third quarter. On the first play of the second half, Applegate fumbled the ball away on the 36-yard line before
Brick’s defense held at the 7-yard line, with Joe Cusanelli tackling the ball carrier two yards behind the line to end the threat.
On the next series, Applegate calmly scooped up a bad snap from center and took the ball into the end zone for a safety. Even with bad field position on the ensuing kickoff, Brick’s defense again rose to the occasion and held Colts Neck to threeand out.
In fact, Cuccinello blocked a punt and recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown in the second quarter.
Essentially, Applegate moved the team when he had to, going 10 plays on each scoring series. Cuccinello also helped with a huge 28-yard run on third down and eight that put the ball on the Colts Neck 20-yard line. Four plays later, Applegate found Loftus for the insurance score.