By Wayne Witkowski
Middletown High School North’s football team has thrived on the passing connection of quarterback Donald Glenn to receiver Brandon Kube — a collaboration that produced more than 1,000 yards for each the past two seasons.
After a solid start in the first half when Middletown North took a 14-0 lead, Glenn could not throw much to Kube or anybody else on the Lions as they fell to Sayreville War Memorial High School, 41-14, in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section II, Group IV championship game Dec. 3 at Rutgers University’s High Point Solutions Stadium.
Instead, the duo hooked up only once in the second half for 16 yards, while four Middletown North turnovers and Sayreville’s recovery of its onside kickoff ushered in 34 unanswered points for the Bombers, who won their first state title since 2012.
Middletown North (9-3) sought its first state title in 20 years and had won 13 state titles in its 100-year history.
One of Glenn’s two interceptions in the second half was returned 41 yards for a go-ahead touchdown by Brandon Cenci for a 20-14 lead.
“They came out ready. We turned the ball over to much,” Glenn said.
Glenn threw for 191 yards to finish his senior season with 2,634 yards and close his career with 7,467 yards and 71 touchdowns.
Connor Welsh, whose return from a healed broken hand had lit a new spark for Middletown North a month ago, was held to 44 yards. Sayreville (10-2) had a 266-83 edge in yardage.
Sayreville’s Jaquae Roberts, who has played defensive end as well as a bit at running back, used his bulk to run over Lions defenders for 159 yards and two touchdowns. He had only 441 rushing yards entering the game.
“That’s the most turnovers we’ve had in a game all year,” Middletown North coach Steve Bush said. “We had to take care of the ball and we didn’t. That was the biggest factor.”
What also was a huge factor was the surge by both Sayreville lines.
“Our defensive line knew that they had to get to him [Glenn],” Sayreville quarterback Jayson DeMild said.
Sayreville’s offensive line blew gaping holes, first on the right side and then on its left, to give Roberts an opening for him to get a full head of steam.
In a game of two starkly contrasting halves, Middletown North asserted itself in the first half, as Glenn threw for 155 yards. He had only 36 yards in the second half, when Middletown North had only 62 offensive yards.
Glenn completed 10 of his first 12 passes while pulling away from would-be tacklers in the pocket, including a 19-yard scoring strike to Kube on the game’s opening series. Welsh slipped through a defender while running 17 yards for a touchdown on the next series to grow Middletown North’s lead to 14-0.
But the pressure took its toll. Glenn’s passes often were off the mark from there and a few other hurried ones were dropped. He completed only two of the next 12 passes in the half and was 17-of-38 for the game.
Kube was held to six catches for 57 yards.
Shortly after DeMild ran 2 yards for a touchdown to cut Middletown North’s lead to 14-7, Middletown North kicker Joe Cavanagh, who came into the game having converted eight of nine field-goal attempts, missed a 30-yard field-goal try with just under five minutes left in the half.
“We knew [Glenn] was very dangerous when he gets outside the pocket, so we wanted to keep him in there. And when we got the interception, the momentum shifted,” Sayreville coach Chris Beagan said.
Sayreville put the game away with three touchdowns over the final nine minutes, while Middletown North ran only six plays in the final quarter — due largely to its turnovers.
After an interception runback, Sayreville recovered an onside kick at Middletown North’s 41-yard line and DeMild scored 12 plays later on a 2-yard run for a 27-14 lead with 9:06 left.
Roberts broke a 22-yard touchdown run with 4:01 left, moments after Sayreville recovered a Welsh fumble. Ciyro McMoore ran 35 yards for the final touchdown with 1:08 remaining against a fatigued, overworked defense.