Jackson Liberty High School running back Justin Billups (above) is brought down by a host of Jackson Memorial High School tacklers during the Nov. 23 game between the Lions and the Jaguars. Jackson Memorial won, 28-14, on its home field. Below, Jackson Liberty’s Steve Fedor (19) gets tangled up with Jackson Memorial’s Dallas Winston. PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff The Jackson Memorial High School football team capped its best season in recent years and thwarted Jackson Liberty High School’s bid for a non-losing season with a 28-14 victory on Nov. 23.
Jackson Memorial (8-2) bounced back from an opening-round loss to Sayreville War Memorial High School in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV state playoffs to defeat the Lions.
The Jaguars have won all four games that have been played by the two high schools in Jackson.
Jackson Liberty finished with a 4-6 record for the second straight year.
Both teams will have to fill holes left by graduating seniors who played key roles in 2011.
Jackson Memorial made its first state playoff appearance in six years, while Jackson Liberty lamented an opportunity for the postseason that narrowly slipped away.
“We are getting to a point where we will rely on the juniors on this team to get on the field. We have some high-quality kids,” said Jackson Memorial coach Walt Krystopik.
The Jaguars expect to return four offensive linemen and two defensive standouts, sophomore Ken Bradley at linebacker and junior Chris Sims in the secondary.
Each team will lose a 1,000-yard rusher. Brandon Winston had 1,121 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns for Jackson Memorial, and Justin Billups had 1,400 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns for Jackson Liberty.
Winston rushed for 124 yards and scored two touchdowns in the Thanksgiving game against Jackson Liberty. His second touchdown, a 60-yard run early in the second half, gave Jackson Memorial a 21-7 lead.
Jackson Liberty High School quarterback Tyler Wright gets crunched by a pair of Jackson Memorial High School defenders during the Nov. 23 game between the Lions and the Jaguars. Jackson Memorial won, 28-14, on its home field. ERIC SUCAR staff “That one killed us,” Jackson Liberty coach Tim Osborn said.
The Jaguars’ Johntel Thomas caught two touchdown passes from senior quarterback Jimmy Celidonio.
Dimitrie Christodoylakis, a senior who excelled on defense with nearly eight tackles a game, also carried the ball a bit, while Thomas, a senior, was a leading receiver.
Jackson Liberty’s John Morgan caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Wright, who later snuck into the end zone from a yard out to make the score 21-14, but the Lions would not get any closer.
“The game was a microcosm of the whole season. We played good for most of the game and then mistakes cost us sometimes,” Osborn said. “Three or four big plays [by opponents] cost us games.”
Although he will lose six starters on each side of the ball, particularly outstanding two-way lineman Remy Martin, Osborn believes he has some good prospects from the 7-2 junior varsity and 6-3 freshmen teams. He said Billups showed what hard work during the offseason can do for performance during the season. Jackson Memorial left guard Mike Lopez is the lone senior, while center Ben Collins, right guard Max Mondello, right tackle John Gaboff, left tackle Nick Trent andAnthony LoVacco, who rotated into the lineup, are expected back next season.
Wide receiver Dallas Winston, who played football for the first time, will graduate in June.
Defensively, James Blake, who saw some action on the line, and Justin Gullo, a sophomore who played cornerback, are expected back on defense.
James Cowen, Matt Moran, Roscoe Rogers and Lopez depart from the defensive line, and Keith Cornish and Christodoylakis will depart from the linebacking corps. The defensive backfield with BrandonWinston, Maurice Jackson, Ian Leary and Nick Petrizzo graduating also must rebuild.
Also departing is Colin McFarland, who became the regular kicker at mid-season, and Nick Quattrock is ready to move up as the junior varsity punter last season.
Krystopik has encouraged many of his football players to compete for the Jaguars’ wrestling team to stay in shape. As for Jackson Liberty, Wright graduates along with Morgan and Ahmed Shalabi and linemen Nick Tizo at center, Josh Gonzalez at right tackle and Martin at right guard.
“We’re not as athletic, but we have a lot of hard-working kids, and that’s what wins games,” Osborn said. “I like the kids coming back. They have a possibility of making a run for the playoffs again.”
Bob Davies, who played quarterback early in the season when Wright was hurt, will bring that experience into his senior season next fall. Jeremy Souza is back at fullback along with two starters on the left side of the line, Cory Foltzer at tackle and Chris Cruz at guard.
Six starters will graduate off the defense: Martin, Gonzalez, Tizo and Sean Gelshlacter on the line and Shalabi and Morgan in the secondary. Ahmad Foster at end and Souza and Mike Casado at linebacker are expected back next season.
The team will be looking for a punter next season with Martin graduating, but junior Mike Ostowski is expected back as the Lions’ place-kicker.