Old Bridge High School quarterback Jake Esposito, left, is under pressure as he looks to make a pass against South Brunswick High School during the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group V championship playoff game Dec. 5 at Rutgers University’s High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway. The Knights fell to the Vikings, 42-0. STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ERIC SUCAR The Old Bridge High School football team’s season came to a disappointing end Dec. 5 with a one-sided loss to South Brunswick High School in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group V championship playoff game at High Point Solutions Stadium at Rutgers University.
Nevertheless, coach Anthony Lanzafama’s Knights accomplished quite a bit. It was the fourth consecutive winning season for Old Bridge, which plays in the highly competitive Greater Middlesex Conference’s (GMC) Red Division.
In the championship game, however, top-seeded South Brunswick proved too much. The Knights dropped a 20-9 squeaker to the Vikings during the regular season, but South Brunswick seemed in total control this time. It was the 11th straight win for the Vikings (11-1). Old Bridge (8-4) found itself down, 21- 0, at the half, as the Vikings defense limited the Knights to just three first downs. South Brunswick gradually pulled away after the break and won, 42-0.
“It was a tough way to end a good season, but you have to give South Brunswick credit,” Lanzafama said. “Our guys showed plenty of poise and confidence this year, and they got better as the season went along. They handled a lot of adversity on the field and still won games.”
The Knights showed their mettle in coming from behind to defeat both Sayreville War Memorial High School and Edison High School in regular-season matchups. In its playoff opener, also against Edison (4-6), third-seeded Old Bridge lost a 19-point lead but recovered to win a wild 38-35 game. In the semifinals, Lanzafama’s team dominated second-seeded New Brunswick High School (9-2) en route to a 26-12 win. In that game, Old Bridge jumped to a 14-0 lead and watched the Zebras cut it to 14-12 in a 45-second span right before the half. The Knights then dominated the second half to secure their trip to the finals.
In addition, the Knights won their annual “Battle of Route 18” Thanksgiving Day clash with East Brunswick High School, 20-7.
Along the way, the Knights were developing sophomore quarterback Artur Sitkowski, who has already drawn interest from several colleges. Sitkowski seemed to improve with each game and completed 95 of 185 passes for 1,436 yards and 16 touchdowns on the year. Two of Sitkowski’s top targets will be back next fall as well. Junior Jake Kudros caught eight passes for just under 300 yards and three touchdowns, and sophomore Anthony Imbimbo hauled in 12 passes for 420 yards and five touchdowns.
In the backfield, irrepressible junior Nick Sodano is coming off an outstanding campaign. The workhorse back carried the ball 176 times and gained 983 yards. He also scored 11 touchdowns — five in his team’s playoff win against Edison.
While the Knights will have to replace much of the offensive and defensive lines, two-way guard T.J. Townsend returns. Linebackers Terrell Braxton, Nick DeMeglio, Michael Abarno and Tyler Haughney will be back, as will Sodano, Kudros and Paul Ferrali in the secondary.