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SOUTH BRUNSWICK: Sayreville beats Vikings 28-14

By Ed Birch, Special Writer
   The South Brunswick Vikings lost 28-14 to the Sayreville Bombers Oct. 19 as the visitors outscored the Vikings 21-0 in an action filled fourth quarter.
   Both teams traded two possessions each until there was just 1:21 remaining in the opening quarter as quarterback T.J. Perkowski scored the Vikings opening touchdown on a one-yard plunge over center. Dylan Olsson made the point after kick to give the Vikings a 7-0 lead.
   Both teams traded touchdowns in the second quarter as Sayreville sophomore Myles Hartsfield returned an Olsson punt for 58 yards into the end zone. Isaiah Cureton provided a successful point after to knot the score at seven.
   With just one minute remaining in the half, SBHS junior Dahrae Ford gave the Vikings the lead with a one-yard leap over the Bombers line. The Vikings ran into the locker room with a 14-7 lead in front of the overflow crowd.
   The halftime break lasted for 45 minutes (about 20 minutes longer than usual) to allow for performances by the Vikings Cheerleaders and Marching Band, and the ceremony to honor the jersey retirement of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver and South Brunswick graduate Mohamed Sanu.
   ”The long break did not effect our team,” South Brunswick Head Coach Joe Goerge said. “We were well prepared that the school was going to honor Mo for putting our football program on the national map.”
   The Bombers and Vikings then traded four drives in the third quarter without either team scoring.
   However, the fourth quarter proved to be the reckoning for the Vikings.
   The Bombers were able to record three, unanswered, long scoring drives as sophomore running back Deion Miller ran 60 yards for the tying touchdown.
   The teams traded three possessions each until Sayreville senior Zeke Perkinson gave the Bombers the lead at 21-14 with a timely 41-yard rushing play with a few seconds more than the two minute warning left in the game.
   The Vikings appeared to have one final shot to tie the score until Sayreville senior Thomas Spiecker intercepted a desperation T.J. Perkowski pass at midfield and ran it back into the end zone, putting a damper on the evening, and giving the Bombers a 28-14 lead with just 1:35 to go in the contest.
   The Vikings defense held Sayreville for one last possession.
   A final Perkowski pass from his 35-yard line was intercepted by Sayreville junior Makik Pressley as Sayreville Head Coach George Najjar ordered his offense to run out the game time.
   ”We will really get ready during out upcoming bye week. We just gave up too many points late in the game,” Perkowski said. “At one point in the game, their defense really knocked me to the ground and for a few seconds, I did not really know what was going on.”
   Perkowski also mentioned that had trouble finding his favorite receiver down the field.
   ”I kept looking for T.J. (Taylor) downfield, and it seemed like their defense just always had Taylor covered and double covered,” Perkowski said.
   ”Keep your heads up. Success is measured inside, not by the outcome of any game,” Coach Goerge told the team following the game. “We played our butts off but they got a couple of big breaks at some key points. We played our best defense of the whole season in the first half and then they came alive. Good teams bounce back and we will work very hard to step up on our Vikings game.”
   The Vikings record now stands at 6-2, with division losses to traditional powerhouse opponents Piscataway and Sayreville.
   The Vikings now await results from the other teams in their division for their playoff pairings. The first round of the playoffs will be played at South Brunswick.
   The date and opponents are undetermined at this time. The next regularly scheduled game will be the traditional 10 a.m. Thanksgiving Day pairing at North Brunswick High School.