By Warren Rappleyea
South Brunswick High School’s football team ended its season on a high note with a 19-0 victory over rival North Brunswick Township High School on Thanksgiving Day.
In the final game for its 18 seniors, South Brunswick went up, 7-0, in the first quarter, as quarterback Josh Liao scored on a 35-yard run. He then hooked up with Dylan Kriz for an 8-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.
Later in the quarter, South Brunswick revisited the play it used to defeat Sayreville War Memorial High School, 26-20, in the regular season. It worked again, as Liao gave the ball to Jaylan Lawson, who found an open Justin Shorter for a 59-yard scoring pass.
The win improved the Vikings to 8-3 on the year and came on the heels of a disappointing 34-20 defeat to top-seeded and undefeated Manalapan High School in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group V semifinals Nov. 18. South Brunswick qualified for the postseason for the fifth straight year and, with a host of players returning, are well-positioned for the future.
The fifth-seeded Vikings acquitted themselves well against Manalapan. After three quarters, the score was just 20-13 in favor of the Braves. After Manalapan scored again, South Brunswick showed its resilience by cutting the lead to 27-20.
Liao embodied his team’s never-say-die attitude by running for 148 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 23 carries. He also completed 11 of 25 passes for 162 yards and another touchdown — a 75-yarder to Shorter.
“We lost to a very good team,” South Brunswick coach Joe Goerge said. “We made it harder on ourselves with a couple of turnovers. It’s tough to play from behind, but our guys gave it all they had.”
South Brunswick lost two of its first three games before coming back to win six straight games, including a 23-21 success against fourth-seeded Freehold Township High School in the state sectional quarterfinals.
Many key juniors will be back. Shorter led the Vikings with 45 catches for 718 yards and six touchdowns. Felix Quinones caught 24 passes for 395 yards and four touchdowns. Lawson ran for 421 yards on 70 carries, while Kriz picked up 263 yards and a touchdown on 42 attempts. Sophomore Thomas-Joe Kamara showed promise as well. Linebacker Xavier Cargile, who is also an offensive lineman, led the team with 60 tackles, while Kriz made 47 tackles and Kamara had 38 tackles.
While plenty of pieces remain, several keys players will graduate, including Liao. He stepped in at quarterback midway through his sophomore campaign and made an immediate impact. Last season, he helped lead the Vikings to the Central Jersey, Group V title.
This time around, Liao did a lot of heavy lifting. On the year, he completed 111 of 117 passes for 1,425 yards and 14 touchdowns, with just six interceptions. He also ran for 612 yards on 146 tries for another 12 touchdowns.
“Josh was our leader,” Goerge said. “He was always calm, and he learned from experience. He got better and better with every game, and his ability to throw really helped our running game. The other thing about Josh was he took care of the ball. [He had] very few turnovers.”
Other key seniors include Center A.D. Sharma, tackle Collin Seavers and two-way lineman Darius Tisdale, who recorded 47 tackles and 6.5 sacks. Linebacker Marcus Cerminaro, who was in on 46 tackles, will be missed as well. Nose tackle Andre Eldridge returns. Anthony Blakey pulled in 26 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns and was a dangerous kick and punt returner. He also made 34 tackles as a cornerback.
“That’s the way high school football works,” Goerge said. “Good programs develop players who are ready to step in. We have a lot of guys who will get their chance next season.”
North Brunswick, which has a lineup dominated by underclassmen, ends the season at 1-9. The Raiders were much more competitive in the second half of the year, downing Perth Amboy High School, 13-6, and dropping close games to John F. Kennedy Memorial High School, 14-7, and Franklin High School, 26-25, in double overtime.