By Wayne Witkowski
A trick play helped New Egypt High School’s football team take an early 10-0 lead before Haddon Heights High School rallied in the second half for a 28-25 nondivision victory Oct. 28.
Wide receiver Neal Flogel completed an option pass to quarterback Kyle Frimel, who finished off a 40-yard scoring play. It was the first time New Egypt ran that play this season. The two-point conversion run was stopped short. Flogel later kicked a 19-yard field goal. Jordan Bendick ran 8 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter and Flogel caught the two-yard conversion pass, as New Egypt led, 17-6, at halftime.
But Haddon Heights scored 22 unanswered points in the second half. Ronald Braham, who scored the first touchdown from a yard out, ran 4 and 90 yards for touchdowns in the third quarter and Matt DiOrio connected with Jared Latane on a 12-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
New Egypt rallied back, as Jake Kear caught a 1-yard touchdown pass and the two-point conversion pass from Frimel with 3:15 left. New Egypt stopped Haddon Heights on its next possession, but Frimel was intercepted on the first play when New Egypt got the ball back on its own 20-yard line with time running down.
“We played hard, but it was not our best tackling game. We had a lot of misses and didn’t tackle well,” coach Steve Fence said, as both teams went to 5-2. “We had a couple of [dropped passes]. But I was pleased with our effort and that we didn’t give up.”
Fence admitted the missed tackles is a little cause for concern, as his team prepares for its West Jersey Football League battle of unbeatens Nov. 4 at home against Florence Township Memorial High School (3-4) for the Freedom Division championship. New Egypt is 4-0 in the division and Florence is 3-0.
Fence feels his team can bounce back from the loss and comes off the Haddon Heights game with no serious injuries that would keep anyone off the field against Florence.
New Egypt last won a division championship in 2011.
“We have to get back to basics in tackling, but I totally feel we can do that,” Fence said. “We’ll focus on our goal of winning the division. We have to stop the run and move the ball on them. Time of possession is important.”
With a berth assured in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group I playoffs that begin Nov. 11, New Egypt is looking for a victory in its state cutoff game to earn one of the top seeds and assure home field for the opener — and perhaps even the semifinals if the Warriors advance.
“This game will determine that,” Fence said of the Florence game. “Right now, we’re looking at being seeded anywhere from No. 3 to No. 6.”
New Egypt closes its regular-season schedule in its Thanksgiving Day rivalry against Bordentown Regional High School at 10 a.m. Nov. 24.