South scores its second win of season

By John E. Powers, Sports Writer
   The football season suddenly is looking a bit brighter for the South Hunterdon Regional High School Eagles.
   South Hunterdon won for the second time in three weeks Friday night by beating Manville 14-7 at Ned Panfile Field.
   The Eagles did it with a dramatic nine-play, 98-yard drive that was capped by senior quarterback Brian Snell’s 8-yard pass to sophomore Ray Brown, followed by a 2-point conversion run by Snell.
   ”Brian did well,” said South Hunterdon coach Jim Meert. “He was throwing the ball. It was his best game, I thought. He had some runs, too. We’re trying to take advantage of his ability and trying to get Brian more involved.”
   The win gave the Eagles a 2-4 record. Now the Eagles will go for their second straight win when they play host to winless North Warren (0-6) Friday night. Game time is 7 p.m.
   The game was a bit different than last year when the Eagles won a 27-13 decision.
   ”This game was a thriller,” said head coach Jim Meert. ““That’s what we wanted for a long time. It kind of showed the kind of character our kids have. It was great. It was a justification of what we’re trying to teach our kids.”
   The character definitely came into play after the touchdown when Manville (2-5) rallied and moved down to the South Hunterdon 7-yard line.
   But South Hunterdon held, stopping the Mustangs and sealing the win when senior linebacker Chris Beekman intercepted a Brendan Nurnberger pass in the end zone.
   Meert said Beekman didn’t even practice last week after having been hurt during the 35-0 loss to Middlesex. Beekman sat out all week with a pinched nerve.
   ”Chris didn’t’ practice all week, but we were glad he did (play),” Meert said.
   Brown drew the Eagles within one in the first quarter on a 1-yard plunge following a Brandon Scesney interception and a 26-yard grab by Parker Jensen.
   The Eagles hung close, repelling several Mustang drives in their territory. Meert said lineman T.J. Sprague played well, and Scesney made what might have been a game-saving tackle.
   ”We were mature,” Meert said. “We’re gaining some maturity. We showed some competitive, and when our kids were challenged, they rose up. But it only becomes significant when you can do something after that.”
   That means Friday night against North Warren, a team that lost to Bernards 28-6 last Saturday night.
   ”They’re a physical team,” Meert said.
   Scesney ran for 80 yards on 16 carries against Manville while Brown picked up 37 on eight runs. Snell threw for 77 yards, completing passes to Brown, Jensen, Miller and Sam Franzini.