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SOUTH BRUNSWICK: Vikings trot to 34-7 victory over North Brunswick on Thanksgiving

By Ed Birch, Special Writer
   The South Brunswick Vikings easily rolled over the North Brunswick High School Raiders 34-7 in the traditional neighborhood rivalry game early Thanksgiving morning.
   The Vikings, who are also advancing to the semi-final round of the N.J.S.I.A.A. state playoffs, took total control of the contest after both teams traded opening possessions without scoring.
   Running back Donte Strickland opened up the morning’s scoring with a nine-yard run up the middle after quarterback T.J. Perkowski had thrown an eight-yard pass to Rutgers-bound wide receiver T.J. Taylor in front of the visitor’s bench.
   Starting the second quarter, Perkowski connected with senior running back Dion Hooper for a 12-yard pass completion to give the Vikings a 13-0 lead.
   Two minutes later, the Vikings continued their scoring attack as Perkowski connected with Taylor for a 26-yard scoring play followed by Hooper adding a five-yard plunge over center to send the Vikings to the locker room with a 27-0 halftime lead.
   The sellout crowd was treated with performances by the North Brunswick Raiders Marching Band and the South Brunswick award winning Vikings Band during the extended halftime break.
   The extended time also honored the graduating seniors from the host school who were members of the cheerleaders, marching band, and football teams.
   The motivation appeared to be very successful for the Raiders as they put a touchdown on the scoreboard in the opening seconds of the second half.
   Quarterback Tim Parson surprised the Vikings defense with an eight-yard off tackle score to bring the score up to 27-7.
   The first half success gave playoff bound Vikings Head Coach Joe Goerge an excellent opportunity to rest his starters and evaluate the talents of his reserve players and players who had been promoted from the junior varsity and freshman teams from the start of the season.
   With seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, quarterback Perkowski ran in the final Vikings score from three yards out.
   ”In all my years of coaching football, this is the first time that I have ever coached a game on Thanksgiving Day” Head Coach George said. “This is one great way to spend the holiday. We all have a lot to be thankful. Our community was very lucky that we came through Hurricane Sandy, our families have remained healthy, and we are still playing in the 2012 playoffs. Our season is far from over. We set our goals at the state championship level, and we are just two games away. We must continue to work hard and hit hard each and every play.”
   Coach Goerge made sure to personally hug every one of his players and coaches before the team boarded their buses for the return trip to the high school.
   The Vikings outran the Raiders 285-122 yards. Passing yardage was low due to the wind conditions as the Vikings gained 96 yards in the air compared to just 21 yards from North Brunswick. Total offense saw even a greater disparity as the Vikings accounted for 381 yards of total offense compared to just 143 yards for the hometown Raiders. Possession time was almost equal in the contest.
   Vikings rushing stars were Perkowski with 98 yards, and Ford with 86 yards. Jesse Tainow had 40 yards, Taylor had 34 yards and Hooper with 22 yards receiving for the Vikings.
   Dylan Olsson converted four of five point after touchdowns along with a 31-yard average punting performance.
   The team of co-captains Ken Drost, Alex Berkuta, and Matt Golden who accounted for 10.5 tackles, and assisted led the defense on three others.
   The team accepted the Mike Elko Trophy that is presented annually to the winning team on Thanksgiving Day.
   The Vikings now move on to the semi-final round of the playoffs tonight at 7 p.m. as they will face Old Bridge H.S. at South Brunswick. The winner of tonight’s contest will face the winner of the Manalapan Vs Hunterdon semi-final next Saturday, at a location and game time to be determined.