By Wayne Witkowski
When well-regarded junior halfback Connor Welsh suffered an arm injury early in the second game of the season, some felt it was the end of the season for Middletown High School North’s football team.
Welsh came off a solid season last year for the Lions, who were 7-4, and the feeling was that he could balance out their offense with sharp-throwing fourth-year starting quarterback Donald Glenn.
Middletown North went on lose that second game of the season to Red Bank Catholic High School, 30-27, on a last-minute field goal, but coach Steve Bush rallied his team from there to three straight victories, including a dramatic 21-20 victory Oct. 14 over previously unbeaten Wall High School to improve to 4-1.
In that game, Wall’s Eddie Scott ran 1 yard for a touchdown. But the snap was off line and the kick attempt for the tie went low and off the chest of Austin Dewise.
“It was too low. It wouldn’t have made it,” Bush said of the low kick.
Glenn threw for all three touchdowns — the last two to Brandon Kube covering 40 and 23 yards for the final score off a long drive. Joe Cavanagh kicked the deciding extra point.
Glenn hooked up with Marc Cerbo on a 64-yard scoring play early in the game.
“We felt we needed to run against their kids for what they showed us,” Bush said. “It’s that and try to run the ball well, which we felt we did, even though we had 40 yards.”
Glenn has nine touchdown passes and 951 yards in the air this season.
“We’ve played pretty well,” Bush said. “We’ve more than settled in with Dwight Wilkerson and Connor Robbins running the ball.”
Bush said he is not certain when Welsh will return, if at all, for this season.
In the meantime, Wilkerson has proven himself a solid all-purpose player with 494 yards rushing on 54 carries and seven touchdowns along with 15 receptions for 195 yards and another score. Only Kube has more catches with 20 for 371 yards and four touchdowns.
Kube hauled in six passes for 146 yards against Wall. He also sparked the defense against Wall at safety with Dewise at end and Brock Zenker at outside linebacker.
They’ve helped the Lions hold the No. 1 seed in NJSIAA North Jersey, Section II, Group IV.
But it may be tough for Middletown North to muster its forces enough when it hosts Manasquan High School (4-1) at 7 p.m. Oct. 21 and later renews its Thanksgiving tradition by hosting unbeaten crosstown rival Middletown High School South, which was No. 1 in the state last season and has looked sharp again when it needs to this year.
The Eagles ride atop the Shore Conference B North Division with a 4-0 record (5-0 overall) and had a bye weekend after Samson Dube’s kick return and short touchdown run keynoted a 35-7 victory over Long Branch High School Oct. 7. Middletown South hosts unbeaten Shore Conference A South Division leader Toms River High School North at 7 p.m. Oct. 21.
Manasquan at 2-1 in B North, Wall and Middletown North each have one loss in the division race.
“Manasquan is a big physical team,” Bush said of coaching against his former team. “We have to run the ball well and control the clock. They play good defense running to the ball. We have to be physical and stop their run game and execute well.”
After that game, the Lions travel to Long Branch Oct. 28 and Ocean Township High School Nov. 4.