Mustangs make history with win at North Warren

Hopkins stars in shutout victory

by Shawn Tyrrell, Sports Writer
   BLAIRSTOWN – History was against the Manville High School football team when the Mustangs traveled on the road to face North Warren last Friday night.
   Manville had never beaten the Patriots in five tries, but the nice thing about history is that it can be changed. MHS did the little things it needed to and came away with a convincing 21-0 victory. The win pushed the Mustangs record to 3-5, while the loss left North Warren winless at 0-8.
   MHS head coach Brett Stibitz was upbeat about the victory.
   ”The kids did a good job,” Stibitz said afterward. “We are finally clicking in the eighth game of the season as we found an offense that can put points on the board, and a defense that can stop people.”
   Early on it looked as though North Warren was the better of the two teams as the Patriots took the opening kickoff and marched down the field and deep into MHS territory.
   The drive started at the North Warren 39-yard line and with a steady mix of the pass and run the Patriots advanced the ball to the Mustang 14-yard line. But a fumble by running back junior Kevin Van Laar ended the advancement when sophomore Mike Hopkins came up with the loose ball for Manville.
   The Mustangs could not manage and first down and following a great punt of 46 yards by Hopkins, again the North Warren offense went on the march. This time they moved the ball to the MHS 13, before the Manville defense toughened up.
   After a gain of one yard on first down, Billy Mazzucca, returning from a two game absence with a knee injury, sacked Patriot quarterback Kevin Kelly. On third down it was Mazzucca again. This time he stopped Van Laar after a one-yard gain and the Patriots attempted a field goal. The kick was blocked by the interior of the Manville defense and again North Warren was denied.
   ”We did a good job in these instances,” Stibitz said. “All evening we bent but didn’t break. The defense got tough when it needed to. Having a player like Mazzucca back was very beneficial to us.”
   The Manville offense finally broke through late in the first half with a drive that started at its own 35. Angelo Bell carried three straight times gaining 13 yards picking up the first down. Bell had a very solid game carrying the ball 12 times for 64 yards, but it was his 14-yard touchdown scamper with 1:20 to go in the first half that gave the Mustangs a 6-0 lead.
   The scoring run was set up by a sensational catch by Hopkins, who fully extended and hauled in a Brendan Nurnberger pass covering 34 yards. The kick after by Nurnberger went through the uprights and the first half came to a close with MHS ahead 7-0.
   The second half become a penalty-infested affair. The North Warren offense put the ball into Mustang territory at the 47 on a nifty 27-yard halfback option pass. But a clip and holding penalty put an end to the drive.
   Manville got the ball back after the punt and took advantage of two more North Warren penalties, one for pass interference the second for unsportsmanlike conduct. The latter pushed the ball to the Patriots 8-yard line and two plays later Hopkins went over the left side of the offense for a six-yard score. Manville went for two points after another unsportsmanlike call against North Warren gave the team a second shot as the initial point after was blocked. With a full house backfield, Bell went in untouched and MHS had a commanding 15-0 lead.
   From that point on, the Patriots never really threatened while the Mustangs added a touchdown on a 56-yard punt return by Hopkins with about a minute to go in the game to complete the scoring.
   Hopkins had a sensational evening, scoring two touchdowns, making several big catches, recovering a fumble and making one interception.
   ”This was a big win for us,” Hopkins said. “They were a big team but we made adjustments on both sides of the ball when we needed to. Also our defense stepped up and made some great plays, and we didn’t turn the ball over, which was key for us.”
   This was a huge win for a Manville team that played with a lot of poise and patience. Who knows what might have been had this team been able to score additional points against Newark Central and South Hunterdon, two very winnable games. The final two games of the season should be interesting to watch.
   ”We hope to use the momentum of this game to help carry us into the consolation game,” Stibitz said. “Since game one we have gotten better every week, and finally in the eighth game we put points on the board.”