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HILLSBOROUGH: Melillo, Raiders pull away for win

By Justin Feil, Packet Media Group
Ryan Melillo knew that the Hillsborough High School football team needed some momentum and the senior was happy to provide it.
Melillo blocked a punt that teammate Tyler Boatwright fell on in the end zone to snap a scoreless tie and propel the Raiders to a 42-0 win over Hunterdon Central on Friday.
“We almost had it the first two punts,” Melillo said. “We were feeling it. I went in there and I almost caught it. I see my buddy Tyler Boatwright laying on the ball. That was a great way to start the scoring and get the game swinging our way.
“We drove down and stopped them a few times, then we got the points and stopped them again, and that was like, let’s go now. The game just kind of went. No one worried about a single play. It was grind, grind, grind, and all of a sudden we were up three or four touchdowns.”
Melillo added a rushing touchdown on a 44-yard burst in the second quarter, Jackson Parham caught a pair of touchdown passes, Matt Moore added a touchdown plunge and Dave Amankwaa returned an interception 80 yards for another huge momentum play as the Raiders picked up their first win of the season.
“We came in there 0-2 with a young team trying to figure this out,” Melillo said. “We had a good week of practice, but we were unsure if we could pull it out. Come the third quarter, when we were up 28-0, everyone was ecstatic.”
The Raiders are hoping the momentum carries them into Friday’s home game against Bridgewater-Raritan. Hillsborough handled their rivals last year, and knows it will be another tough contest. But there has been more lift in their step this week after their first win.
“Even (Monday), just talking in practice and going through films, everyone seems to be way more excited for practice,” Melillo said. “Maybe they’re 0-2 but Central is always a good team. And we’re going to play Bridgewater, who’s really good, but it’s always a battle. We’re going into this week thinking that we can beat Bridgewater and start going on a run.”
There is plenty to build on after the win over Central. Al Fisher was 11 for 19 for 179 yards and two scoring strikes to Parham. Parham finished with seven catches for 73 yards. Melillo had a pair of catches that totaled 51 yards. Kyle Kauffman caught two passes for 46 yards and Zach Williams had a 21-yard reception. Melillo led the ground attack with 94 yards on just 11 carries, Kauffman had seven carries for 25 yards, Matt Hendrix rushed three times for 23 yards, Joe Schultz had 19 yards on the ground, Fisher added 13 yards rushing and DeAndre Curtis had a 12-yard carry.
“They kept getting the ball in good position,” said Hillsborough head coach Kevin Carty Jr. “We had a lot more chances.”
Those chances could be chalked up to the defense and special teams. More impressive possibly than the offense was the Raiders defense that had given up some big points in the first two weeks. They pitched a shutout against Central and scored a touchdown themselves on the interception return.
“Our guys played really well,” Carty said. “I think it was a good matchup for us defensively. Our defense was set up well to stop some of the things they were doing. Our defense played really well. We have some young guys that we were waiting to get better. They’re talented.”
It may have taken them two games, but they started to look more experienced in the win. Hunterdon Central had trouble doing much of anything on offense.
“I think we were pretty physical,” Carty said. “They couldn’t run for many yards. They’re a spread team that’s based on balance. They weren’t able to run or throw well. We did a good job of taking both of those things away. We did a good job of putting pressure on the quarterback.
“Our guys really covered their guys well. I’m not shocked they did it. Some of the guys got comfortable with what they’re doing and it was really good.”
Melillo has been focused on defense for the last two years. He started at cornerback since he was a sophomore, and this year he has added the feature running back spot to his duties.
“Back before I started playing corner in high school, running back was always my preferred position,” Melillo said. “I came in and started corner and got to love that. With two young guys that can play corner, I can help on offense. I focus on both. I’m definitely enjoying that and putting work in that.”
He’s also enjoying being a bigger part of the punt return and punt block. Melillo usually returns punts, but he was up on the line to try to block one against Central.
“Last year, we had Jared Senerchia doing it,” Melillo said. “That was staple of our defense. Our defensive coach loved what that was doing for us and how it was changing games for us. We went in with the same mentality and it just wasn’t happening. If he sees a weak spot on the punt, we spend time putting something together. That’s a big play. To block a punt, it’s a killer. It changes the momentum of the game.
“Last year, I was a part of it. We had Senerchia and some other big seniors to do it. Depending on the week, we have more than one guy that could block it. I was more of a distraction. I’ve rushed things, I’ve rushed extra points. This is the first week where I was the main guy.”
Melillo was happy that the Raiders finally came up with a punt block, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Hillsborough was coming off a couple promising drives that finished frustratingly without points.
“We went down and didn’t score, and you could tell it didn’t bother us too much, but after we kept not getting it in, we started to feel it,” Melillo said.
Added Carty: “We were moving it, but we kind of were getting frustrated. We were thinking if we didn’t get something soon, it could go bad again.”
Melillo helped swing the momentum totally to Hillsborough when he did his job.
“He’s playing more of an offensive role this year,” Carty said. “He’s been our leading returner and went up and blocked a punt. It’s definitely the first time this season we’ve had him there. He’s fast and he’s long. Those are two good advantages for that and he’s pretty instinctive. Those things help.”
Melillo is one of the seniors trying to help bring along his younger teammates. He has noticed their growth through the first weeks of the season.
“I remember coming in the first couple days, my class felt there was something missing because the seniors were such good leaders and beasts last year,” Melillo said. “Everyone took up the roles and we started seeing the talent in the young guys. We had some hope. We had a good week of practice and could tell guys had experience and figured out what their mistakes were. You saw them come into their own and owning their spot and taking hold of it. When it came to the game, everyone thought, I can play it comfortably, I can play it well.”
Melillo is back to being the feature back he was when he started playing football, and he can also help defensively as the most experienced player in the secondary.
“Especially at corner, there are plays you just know now,” he said. “There are routes you’ve seen countless times. You’re comfortable out there. You’re not worried.”
Melillo is looking for the Raiders to continue to surge as the season continues. He is trying to do his part to set the tone.
“Now that I’m a senior, I’m playing both ways,” he said. “If I twist my knee a little, if something bothers me a little, I can’t take a play off. I’m a veteran on the defense. All the seniors, we had to step up and deal with whatever comes and go above and beyond. Every single rep has to be hard.”
Melillo knows that the Raiders won’t have trouble getting excited to play Bridgewater. It’s a rivalry game, and now the Hillsborough team has a sense of how good it feels to see their hard work rewarded with a win.
“It definitely helps, especially after some of the inexperience we have,” Carty said. “The emotion is good. We have such a huge game. The energy will be good. I think everyone will be as ready as they can.” 