North Brunswick Township High School’s Khamisi Glover, front, directs the ball to a teammate with his head as Spotswood High School’s Matteo Tavella looks on during the Sept. 24 match on Spotswood’s home pitch. The Raiders pulled out a 2-1 road win. STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ERIC SUCAR South Brunswick High School’s football team upped its record to 3-0 with a key Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Red Division win, while neighboring North Brunswick Township High School turned in a solid all-around effort to earn its first win.
In South Brunswick, the Vikings wore down Old Bridge High School (2-1) and went on to a 34-14 triumph heading into another big Red Division game on Oct. 2 at Sayreville War Memorial High School. South Brunswick controlled the line of scrimmage and benefited from three turnovers — a pair of interceptions and a fumble.
Coach Joe George’s team scored on its third play from scrimmage when Dontae Strickland ran for a 57-yard touchdown. The score remained 7-0 in favor of the hosts into the second quarter, when Knights quarterback Mike Gargano scored on an 8-yard run. Strickland struck again on a 53-yard scoring run to make it 14-7 at the break. The senior back totaled 169 yards on eight carries for the evening.
Vikings quarterback Amir Johnson capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive with an 11- yard run to make it 21-7. After Gargano scored again, South Brunswick came right back. Johnson got his second touchdown on a 1-yard run. Fullback Matt Golden, who ran for 85 yards overall, completed the scoring with a 20-yard run. Golden also connected on 4-of-5 PAT attempts. Johnson and Phil Campbell both ended up with 61 rushing yards.
“Our line did a great job opening up holes and getting our runners in one-on-one situations early, and then keeping our long drives moving in the second half,” Goerge said. “Defensively, we forced them into two turnovers in the red zone and held a good team to 14 points.”
The win sets up a second successive big game against a division opponent. Sayreville is 2-1 overall and 2-0 in divisional play. The Bombers were beaten on Sept. 27 by Manalapan High School, 64-28, in a Shore Conference crossover game. Manalapan scored 28 unanswered points in the third and fourth quarters to pull away. The Braves also held Myles Hartsfield to 19 rushing yards. Hartsfield, however, caught three touchdown passes from sophomore signal-caller Jayson DeMild.
“We want to limit their ability to make big plays,” Goerge said. “We need to make them work for their yards. Everyone knows what Hartsfield can do, but Sayreville has other weapons as well.”
In North Brunswick, the Raiders (1-2), who had played reasonably well in defeats to Sayreville and Old Bridge, downed East Brunswick High School, 40-13.
After Max Emmanuel, who ran for 86 yards overall, opened the scoring for the hosts on a short run, the Bears answered right back to make it 7-6. It was all South Brunswick from there.
Kevin Poindexter turned in an outstanding effort behind center, completing 10-of- 12 passes for 177 yards and four touchdowns. Tight end Joe Castellanos caught touchdown passes of 19 and 29 yards, and Rex Thomas took a kickoff back for 92 yards and a touchdown.
On the other side, the Raiders’ defense shut down East Brunswick’s running game, allowing just 30 yards on the ground. Lineman Zack Rowell seemed to be everywhere. The junior racked up 12 tackles, five of them resulting in lost yardage for the Bears.
“I was very happy with the balance we showed offensively,” North Brunswick coach Mark Zielinski said. “We had 185 yards rushing and 177 passing. Our offense is coming along. They’ve moved the ball well over the last six quarters we’ve played.”
Next up for the Raiders is a trip to Monroe Township High School (2-1) on Oct. 3. The Falcons needed a blocked PAT to escape with a 28-27 win against J.P. Stevens High School (0-3) on Sept. 27.
“It was good to see some smiles. Our kids have been working hard and they deserved the win,” Zielinski said. “All our guys needed was some confidence. It will be good to see how we react going into a game following a win.”
Soccer
North Brunswick’s girls soccer team upped its record to 3-3-2 with a 3-2 overtime victory against Colonia High School. Julie Youngman netted the game winner in overtime. Tatum Altman had a goal and two assists, and freshman Christy Perez also scored for the Raiders, who have won three of their last four matches.
North Brunswick’s boys soccer team has bounced back from an 0-8 start to win two in a row. Lucas Gomes and Khamisi Glover scored, while goalkeeper John Mueller turned aside nine shots, in a 2-1 win against Spotswood High School on Sept. 24. On Sept. 27, the Raiders squeezed past J.P. Stevens, 4-3, in overtime on Jordan Luthers’ game-winner. Gomes and Brandon Mattis also scored.
South Brunswick’s girls soccer team upped its record to 9-0 with a pair of victories. On Sept. 27, the Lady Vikings came back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to edge East Brunswick, 2-1. Katrina Morales and Francesca Dimitrakis both scored, and Sydney Schneider made nine saves. Dimitrakis scored two and Schneider kept a clean sheet on Sept. 24 in a 2-0 decision against Robbinsville High School.
South Brunswick’s boys won twice on the soccer pitch last week. Miles Anglin and Sean Louhisdon scored in a 2-0 win over North Brunswick on Sept. 23, as Jake Foeldes made six saves for the shutout. On Sept. 27, the Vikings got goals from Harrison Kudwitt and Keiler Knapp in a 2-1 victory over East Brunswick. Arvind Swaminathan made seven saves in goal.
Girls volleyball
In girls volleyball, North Brunswick downed Cherokee High School and Hudson Catholic Regional High School by 2-1 scores on Sept. 23. Cassie Luken picked up four aces and added nine kills, two assists, four digs and a block against Cherokee. Nnenna Ibe’s 13 kills and two blocks led the way in the Hudson Catholic match.
The previous day it was Zoey Woody pacing a 2-0 win over Edison High School with five aces, 11 assists, three digs and two kills. The Raiders are now 7-2 on the year.
South Brunswick improved to 7-1 with a 2-0 win against East Brunswick on Sept. 23, nicely bouncing back after suffering a loss to Old Bridge. Julia Burzynski had 12 kills and six digs, and Sarah Weeden added six kills and five digs in the win.