By Jimmy Allinder
It’s just one win, but the 48-7 victory by the East Brunswick High School football team over Monroe Township High School Sept. 23 just might be the victory that puts the Bears on the path to a winning season.
East Brunswick came into the game 0-2 and faced a team that had been a genuine thorn in its side. The last time the Bears defeated Monroe was by a score of 23-21 in 2009, when they won the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group IV championship.
Propelled by an opportunistic offense featuring Kyle Wiggins, who scored four touchdowns, and a stiff defense that allowed Monroe to score once — on a long touchdown pass as time expired — East Brunswick prevailed in convincing fashion.
Head coach Bob Molarz has maintained the program’s goal is to establish credibility, and the margin of victory over the Falcons certainly helped the Bears’ case. Since Molarz has taken over as coach, the Bears have not finished with a winning record but came close in 2014 when they ended at 4-6.
The performance against Monroe notwithstanding, the Bears still have an arduous, but realistic, task of reaching the elusive .500 mark this season and edging into the Central Jersey, Group V playoffs. Following a week off, they are on the road Oct. 8 to face Marlboro High School (1-2), a Shore Conference opponent in a game already turning out to be pivotal.
That’s because the next game Oct. 14 is against always powerful South Brunswick High School, which sports an uncharacteristic 1-2 record.
Meanwhile, Spotswood High School upped its record to 3-0 with a workmanlike, 14-0 victory over Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Blue Division foe Middlesex High School Sept. 24. The Chargers opened the season with a 31-6 win at South River High School (0-3) and defeated Holmdel High School of the Shore Conference, 27-13.
The wins against the Rams and Blue Jays were especially important because Spotswood will play six division games, which means even one loss could jeopardize the Chargers’ chances of capturing a program-first third consecutive Blue Division crown.
In the victory over Middlesex, a key contributor was senior wideout and defensive back Ryan Szatkowski, who starred on both offense and defense. The senior added to his team leadership in touchdown catches (two) by snaring a pass from quarterback Nick Mohr (23-of-35 on the season for 333 and five touchdowns) from 13 yards out. Szatkowski has seven receptions, which also leads the Chargers. He capped the afternoon by intercepting a pass to snuff out a Middlesex scoring drive.
Spotswood visits Dunellen High School Sept. 30 and returns home Oct. 8 against Highland Park High School. Spotswood then heads outside the division again to host Shore Conference foe Point Pleasant Beach High School Oct. 15; stays home Oct. 22 to meet the Blue Division’s newest member, Bishop George Ahr High School (2-1); and then travels to Raritan High School Oct. 28 for its eighth game. After those games, the Chargers will have a good idea where they stand in the division race and whether they qualify for the Central Jersey, Group II sectional.
The winner of the regular-season game between the Chargers and Metuchen High School (1-1) Nov. 5 could determine the division championship just like it has the past two seasons.