Middlesex County felt the sting of defeat in Snapple Bowl XXIV, but for a few players, the game offered much more than the final score.
Union County scored two late touchdowns and rallied for a 27-14 victory over Middlesex County in the annual all-star game between recent high school graduates from each county that was played on July 20 at Kean University in Union.
In keeping with Snapple Bowl tradition, two organizations, the Children’s Specialized Hospital of Mountainside and the Lakeview School for Cerebral Palsy in Edison, will receive proceeds raised at the game. The Lakeview School is a program of the New Jersey Institute for Disabilities.
The victory by Union County cut the all-time series lead by Middlesex County to 14-10.
Two touchdowns in the final 1:50 of the game allowed Union County to erase a 14-13 deficit.
Despite the setback, Middlesex County’s Andrew Brazicki of Bishop George Ahr High School was happy to be a participant.
“It was a great time,” Brazicki, a running back, said. “There was a lot of energy in tonight’s game. It was amazing.”
Brazicki did his part running the ball. He broke off a few big runs, including a gain of 8 yards when he plowed over a Union County linebacker.
Brazicki’s running back mate, Michael Liberti of Sayreville War Memorial High School, scored the first touchdown for Middlesex County, while he also produced some impressive runs throughout the second half.
He, too, looked beyond the score of the game.
“Football is all about love and respect,” Liberti said. “It was fun to play football again. We played Union, and yeah, we talked a lot [of trash talk], but we have a lot of respect for those guys and they have a lot of respect for us. That’s what this game is all about.”
Quarterback Tyler Layton of Colonia High School put the game in perspective.
“My biggest takeaway [from this game] is that we have to all be grateful for what we have in life,” Layton said. “As we learned from the Children’s [Specialized] Hospital, not everyone is as fortunate as you are.”
Union County had built a 13-0 lead while Middlesex County could not muster any offense, advancing into the red zone just once before finally breaking through early in the fourth quarter.
“We were just like, ‘This is it. We have to stay tough. It’s going to be hard from here out, but we have to stick with it,’ ” Brazicki said.
The first touchdown was set up when a short Middlesex County punt bounced off a Union County player for a fumble near midfield with 3:17 left to play in the third quarter. Middlesex County then drove to the end zone and cracked the goal line when Liberti scored from a yard out.
Middlesex County again cashed in on a turnover when Jalen Harris of Carteret High School grabbed an interception. Middlesex County took possession on the Union County 40-yard line, and then it scored when Layton connected with DeShai Smith of South Plainfield High School on a hitch-and-go pattern for a 25-yard touchdown. The conversion kick gave Middlesex County a 14-13 lead with 5:09 left to play.
On the ensuing series, Union County faced a third down and long. But quarterback Brian Oblachinski of Cranford High School came through when he rolled and delivered a critical pass over the middle of the field to keep the drive alive for Union County.
A reception hauled in by Union County receiver Justin Beckett of Union High School set up a short touchdown run. Beckett caught the conversion pass and Union County moved to a 21-14 lead with 1:50 to play.
An interception by Union County on the next series set up another 1-yard scoring run that sealed the victory and provided the final score of 27-14.
Middlesex County’s MVP award went to Smith, the South Plainfield receiver who grabbed three receptions, including his touchdown and another catch that set up Liberti’s touchdown.
This game capped the first season that Smith played high school football, and Layton was impressed.
“Our chemistry was amazing,” Layton said. “It was like he knew when I was going to throw the ball to him before I even threw it, so we had a great thing going, and it led to us putting some points on the board in the second half.”