Vikings win state championship
By Ed Birch, Special Writer
The South Brunswick Vikings are state champions.
The football team won the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s State Championship in Central Group V, with a 33-22 crunching of the undefeated Manalapan High School Braves Saturday night at High Point Solutions Stadium on the Rutgers University Piscataway campus.
The team immediately hoisted first year Head Coach Joseph Goerge above their shoulders, and hugged each other before accepting the championship trophy from league officials.
After winning the coin toss, the South Brunswick captains trio of T.J. Perkowski, T.J. Taylor, and Ken Drost deferred possession at the start of the game, giving the ball to Manalapan.
Manalapan, 11-0 going into the game, got no where very fast as the Vikings defense held them to just four plays on the opening drive.
Immediate tackles by Alex Bercuta and T.J. Taylor along with Braves quarterback Michael Isabella’s first incomplete pass forced Manalapan to punt the ball away.
The Vikings defense would not allow the Braves a single first down in the quarter.
Vikings quarterback T.J. Perkowski started his opening drive on his own 39-yard line. After a long incomplete pass attempt to T.J. Taylor that ended up directly in front of District Superintendent Gary McCartney on the Vikings sideline, Perkowski handed the ball to power running back Donte Strickland who broke through the Braves defense for a 61-yard touchdown run.
After just one minute into the second quarter, Strcikland was able to secure a 68-yard completion from Perkowski for another score to put the Vikings up a quick 13-0.
Within three minutes, Braves quarterback Michael Isabella hit his featured received Anthony Firkser with a 43-yard touchdown, bringing the Braves crowd into the game.
With just five minutes to go in the half, the teams traded scoring drives as Vikings Ford ran a touchdown in from the 1-yard line.
Subsequent receptions by Saeed Blackwell and a Braves Mike Caggiano field goal brought the score at halftime to a 20-16 Vikings lead into the locker room.
Two more scoring runs of 29 yards and nine yards, along with the now steady kicking of Dylan Olsson brought the Vikings lead to 33-22.
The Braves scored their final points on a 43-yard pass play to Anthony Firkser.
With just 2:55 remaining in the contest, a Dahrae Ford 4-yard run on fourth down gave the team a needed first down with the Braves running out of timeouts.
”I knew that I had to run hard straight ahead” said running back Dahrae Ford after the game.
The first down allowed the Vikings to take control of the clock and take a knee to win the contest with less than 20 seconds left.
”I just knew that the was going to make the first down,” Perkowski said. “I told him that we needed one more first down to win.”
Final statistics revealed just how much the Vikings had dominated the game.
The Vikings had 17 first downs compared to just 11 for the Braves. The Vikings total offense was credited with 431 yards compared to 274 for the Braves.
The key figures were the successful conversion of both fourth down attempts by the Vikings.
Ford wound up with 130 rushing yards, while Taylor and Donte Strickland were credited with 76 and 68 total reception yards respectively.
Defensive standouts were the team of Alex Bercuta and Strickland with five tackles each. Dion Hooper and Rashaan Baker also came up with four unassisted tackles.
”I could not have done tonight’s game without everybody on this team pitching in” said Ford after the game.
”I knew this was going to be a battle in the early part of the game” said quarterback Perkowski, who is Rutgers bound for a baseball scholarship.
”This is some thrill to end my high school career at the same field that I will be starting my college career” said receiver T.J. Taylor. “This is the end result of the efforts that Coach Goerge and his staff have put this team to. We were really well-prepared for Manalapan.”
Head Coach Goerge told the team how proud he was “considering I was not named as this team’s mentor until June 21, 2012.”
Coach Goerge was appointed to the position, replacing Rick Mantz.
”Coach Mantz left me with a foundation,” Coach Goerge said. “My coaching staff and I only had to make some minor changes and we really took off. I know that some of the kids have been through three coaches in four years.”
Coach Goerge reminded his squad that the tremendous crowd from South Brunswick brought to the stadium as it cheered them to victory.
The team captains then led a charge of Vikings players into the stands to personally share the celebration with the cheering faithful.
In thinking of the future, Head Coach Goerge noted that the Freshman Squad completed an undefeated season in nine contests and outscored the opponents 335-54.
Immediately after the game, Mohammed Sanu, former South Brunswick Viking and now injured Cincinnati Bengals receiver in the NFL, sent a text congratulating the team.
”I am very proud and excited that you guys have won the state championship,” Sanu, who is recovering from surgery due to a stress fracture on his left foot, said in the text. “I wish that I could have been there to share this accomplishment with you.”
The victory marks the first state sectional finals appearance and championship for the team since the N.J.S.I.A.A. started keeping records in 1974.
”This is just one more honor for our high school community” said SBHS Principal Peter Varela. “I am proud of not only the football community, but for all of Vikings supporters for the fine behavior and loyalty that our fans showed at Rutgers.”

