Patrizio helps HHS football stay unbeaten
By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
It’s proving to take a lot to stop Andrew Patrizio and the Hillsborough High School football team that are off to their best start in 10 years.
The Raiders senior tight end and linebacker broke his finger against Franklin in the first game of the year, but he came back later that night to catch a touchdown pass. Patrizio hasn’t missed any time, and with the cast on his hand a little smaller and his fingers more flexible, he caught three passes for 53 yards and aided the defense in a 34-27 win over Bridgewater-Raritan last Thursday. The Raiders are 4-0 for the first time since 2004.
”It’s huge,” Patrizio said. “We were confident coming into the game. We didn’t think they were better than us. We played a little flat early on. They hung with us.
”It’s important going into Phillipsburg 4-0 instead of 3-1. We can beat them, but we need everything we can get going into Phillipsburg. We need all the momentum behind us.”
Momentum was with Bridgewater early. They used some razzle dazzle with a double reverse pass for a 66-yard touchdown to open the game, but it didn’t put Hillsborough on its heels. The Raiders answered right back with a 1-yard touchdown run by Mike DiAlfonso after Patrizio caught a 25-yard pass to set up the score.
Patrizio was thrilled to be a part of the offensive action again. He played the second game of the year with a cast so big that the Raiders couldn’t throw to him, then he was adjusting to a smaller cast that gave him more flexibility but he still was not thrown to in Hillsborough’s win over Hunterdon Central. Raiders quarterback Ed Trimpert found his big tight end in key spots against Bridgewater.
”When I broke my hand, they were thinking about moving me to tackle,” Patrizio said. “I would have done that no problem. I was only going to be blocking anyway. It felt good to catch passes tonight.”
Hillsborough trailed, 7-6, after missing the two-point conversion. After stopping Bridgewater, Hillsborough took its first lead when Isaac Reaves scored from 1-yard out and Zach Eilbacher converted the extra point.
Bridgewater took the lead again early in the second quarter, 14-13, but again Hillsborough responded to the challenge. Minutes before halftime, Trimpert scored on a 3-yard run and the Raiders held a 20-17 lead at halftime after a Bridgewater field goal. Another Bridgewater field goal tied it, 20-20, before Trimpert gave the Raiders the lead for good on a 1-yard run.
”It shows what I hoped all along, a focus in the kids we’ve got,” said Raiders head coach Kevin Carty Jr. of the rally. “They scored on the first play of the game on a reverse pass. There were a couple tough situations when they came back and tied it, and we answered. It wasn’t the same guys. It was different guys making plays.”
The key play of the game came after Trimpert’s second touchdown run. With the Raiders leading, 27-20, Jared Senerchia recovered a fumble from Bridgewater, and the Hillsborough offense converted it into points immediately with Trimpert hitting Senerchia for 25 yards and Scot Levonaitis for 22 yards. DiAlfonso scored his second rushing touchdown of the game for a 34-20 lead that Bridgewater could only close to a touchdown deficit by game’s end.
”Overall, we’re the best team,” Patrizio said. “Our players, our offensive line, had more heart than they did, marching down the field. We moved the ball pretty easily. Our offensive line kept going out there. Our defense would give up big plays, but I think we had more heart than they did and were in better condition.”
Trimpert finished 17-for-30 for 253 yards. He ran for a pair of scores. Levonaitis led his receiving corps with 5 catches for 89 yards, and he rushed once for 20 yards. Reaves rushed for 71 yards on 12 carries and DiAlfonos had 27 yards on 10 tough carries. Senerchia caught four balls for 45 yards, and Dillon Zimmerman had three catches for 37 yards. Kyle Kauffman had a late interception to help preserve Hillsborough’s lead.
”I think we had more guys that could make big plays, clutch plays at clutch times,” Carty said. “They had some too, but we had more of them. We had a variety of guys that did things. And turnovers made a difference. They turned it over twice, and we didn’t turn it over.”
Bridgewater was the first team this season to challenge Hillsborough start to finish. The Raiders had pulled away in their first three games for more convincing wins.
”Our starters hadn’t played an entire game the whole year,” Patrizio said. “We were beating people so bad that we were getting taken out in the third quarter. Bridgewater threw the ball a lot. It took a while to get used to it. We had to adjust. It was a bit of a wake-up call. We let Bridgewater hang with us. I think we needed it, especially this week before Phillipsburg.”
Phillipsburg and Hillsborough enter Friday’s game both unbeaten at 4-0. While Phillipsburg is accustomed to these sorts of starts, the Raiders are new at dealing with this sort of success at the start of the season and they want to prove that their start is no fluke.
”I think we come out, we set the tone on the first play of the game, show we’re not afraid and we’re not backing down,” Patrizio said. “We’re going to fight for four quarter. I don’t think they’re very worried about us. Historically they don’t have a reason to be. If we come out and smack them in the mouth, they’re going to realize it’s going to take 48 minutes for the winner to come out.”
The timing with an extra few days of preparation and rest is good for the Raiders as they look to build on the momentum from the win over Bridgewater.
”This was our most physical game,” Carty said. “I don’t think we have any serious injuries. It’s like we played a football game. I think it’s good we have the weekend to rest a bit. Then we can focus on Phillipsburg for Friday night. It’s the best way to play them. We’re both undefeated.”
Hillsborough showed it could handle some adversity against Bridgewater and make the plays to pull away. Patrizio felt it was more of a complete win.
”Tonight, I think it was the whole team won,” he said. “Neither side of the ball played exceptionally well to give them enough credit. Besides the kickoff return last week, they (Hunterdon Central) didn’t score on us. When our defense stops them, that gives the offense more and more opportunities to keep scoring. Tonight, it was pretty evenly distributed on both sides of the ball.”
Patrizio is contributing on both sides of the ball again. He was the fifth linebacker last year in a four-man rotation until an injury forced him to move up to start at defensive end for the final six games of the season. He has been starting at outside linebacker all season for the Raiders in addition to providing strong play on offense.
”He’s always been a good player,” Carty said. “He lives in the weight room. He’s always out running or doing something. We have a very hard working group of guys. He’s probably one of the most. He and John Macdonald, they’re best friends. All they do is lift weights and go out running and throwing afterward. They’re the ones that never ever miss.”
Patrizio has come back even faster and stronger for his final year of scholastic football. He came into the year expecting plenty of himself, and he’s been happy to fill a role on offense and defense.
”Last year, I didn’t start on defense until the third or fourth game when all the injuries happened,” Patrizio said. “It was pretty tough going both ways the first time. I love playing defense. It’s no problem being out there, both ways the entire game. Last year, I experienced a lot of playing both ways. You just can’t stop until the time runs out.”
Patrizio is being pursued as a potential H-back/fullback type on offense or linebacker on defense by several Football Subdivision Championship teams. He will be willing to play anywhere, but is hoping to play defense at the next level. He gets a chance to be an “imposing” runner when he catches the ball according to Carty, a big weapon at the end of a top-notch offensive line.
”It’s better than we’ve been in a long time,” Patrizio said of the offensive line. “You can have an offensive line that’s big and strong and you can have an offensive line that’s smart. I think we’re both. When you have both, you’re dangerous.”
As Andrew Patrizio heals, he figures to be an even bigger part of the offense, and a key part of a Hillsborough team that is trying to add to its best start in a decade.