By Warren Rappleyea
Old Bridge High School’s football team seized the moment in its NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group V matchup with Hillsborough High School Nov. 11. The third-seeded Knights built up a comfortable lead en route to a 34-21 victory.
The win sets up a semifinals meeting at second-seeded Piscataway Township High School Nov. 19. Old Bridge bested the Chiefs, 24-20, with a dramatic come-from-behind win in a regular-season contest Oct. 14.
Against sixth-seeded Hillsborough (6-4), the Knights relied heavily on running back Nick Sodano, who dominated the ground game. The senior carried the ball 34 times, amassed 284 yards and scored three touchdowns. On a chilly, wind-swept evening, Sodano’s strong showing enabled to Knights to forego their usual passing attack and, for the most part, stick to the run.
Old Bridge entered the match having lost its previous two games, including a loss to Sayreville that cost the Knights the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Red Division crown. Coach Anthony Lanzafama’s team came prepared to play.
“We’d been a bit inconsistent with our execution, and we really stressed that we have to play the same way for all four quarters,” Lanzafama said. “The guys responded. They know what they have to do.”
On the Knights’ first possession, Sodano broke free for a 63-yard gain that led to Anthony Imbimbo’s 1-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 lead. After forcing a punt, Old Bridge scored again with Sodano finishing off a 68-yard drive with a 6-yard scoring run.
Before the quarter ended, the visitors got on the board. The second quarter, however, belonged to the Knights. Sodano scored his second touchdown on a 13-yard run, and Artur Sitkowski’s 1-yard quarterback keeper made it 28-7 at intermission.
“Coming back after they scored was important,” Lanzafama said. “We took away their momentum.”
The early lead forced the Raiders to go to the air. Although Hillsborough quarterback Justin Brown had some success, completing 18 of 28 passes for 220 yards, he was intercepted by Tyler Haughney and T.J. Angstadt.
Hillsborough cut the lead to 14 points on Tyler Boatwright’s 75-yard run in the third quarter. Old Bridge answered at the beginning of the fourth quarter, as Sodano scored again — this time on a 5-yard run — to put the game out of reach.
Sodano surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on the season and is up to 1,115 yards this year. He has run for more than 100 yards six times this fall.
Piscataway (7-2) enters the Central Jersey, Group V semifinal after eliminating seventh-seeded Hunterdon Central Regional High School (6-4) Nov. 12. The Chiefs won the GMC Red Division as a result of Old Bridge’s loss to Sayreville.
Piscataway’s other loss came against undefeated Manalapan High School, 21-10, Oct. 21. The top-seeded Braves will meet South Brunswick High School in the other semifinal game.
“They’re a big-play team so we have to contain that,” Lanzafama said of Piscataway. “It’s a good rivalry, and it’s always a tough game when we play them.”