Justin Shorter will be called upon to continue providing the heroics for the South Brunswick High School football team.
His first order of business was to steer the Vikings past rival North Brunswick Township High School in the Thanksgiving series that was played on the evening of Nov. 22 in South Brunswick. The Vikings entered their holiday clash against North Brunswick with a 9-1 record.
Then, Shorter, who is bound for Penn State University next season, and the Vikings will zero in on mighty Manalapan High School in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 5 sectional playoff championship game. The finals for all sections will be played from Nov. 30 through Dec. 3.
Shorter, who stars at receiver and in the secondary, was his usual self in the semifinals when he sparked South Brunswick’s 21-10 victory over Old Bridge High School on Nov. 17 in South Brunswick.
Old Bridge struck first when senior back Chancellor Cooper ran into the end zone from 2 yards out in the second quarter. However, South Brunswick responded quickly behind Shorter.
On the first play of the ensuing series, Shorter took in a direct snap and then dashed 65 yards to the end zone. The conversion kick knotted the game at 7-7.
Old Bridge held a 10-7 lead at halftime on a 35-yard field goal by Calogero Caruso, but it was all South Brunswick after that.
Back Thomas Joe-Kamara burst 6 yards to a touchdown and Evan Sooby delivered on the second of his three extra-point kicks to give the Vikings the lead for good at 14-10 in the third quarter.
Old Bridge kept fighting in its upset bid. The Knights drove behind quarterback Anthony Imbimbo, but with about 1:30 left in the final quarter, Shorter intercepted a pass and took the pick 60 yards to the end zone to ice the game.
South Brunswick’s victory set up a confrontation with unbeaten Manalapan (11-0) in the championship game.
The matchup in the semifinals between South Brunswick and Old Bridge was much different than when the two teams met on Sept. 8 in Old Bridge. On that day, South Brunswick opened its season by coasting to a 35-6 victory.
“They did a great job stopping the run tonight,” Shorter said moments after the playoff game ended “You can tell this team has just gotten better and better as the weeks went on, so we already knew we would have to step up and finish.”
South Brunswick’s coach, Joe Goerge, also saw a much-improved Old Bridge team this time around.
“They’ve been playing really well,” he said. “They moved [Cooper] to fullback, and he’s been an outstanding runner. The quarterback, [Imbimbo], who was already a hell of a player, just started running the ball more, which made him that much more dangerous. They lost a couple of tough ones to us and Manalapan in the beginning of the season. They rallied off six [wins] in a row, and now they’re here in the semifinals.
“It reminds me of 2012, our first year here, when we played them in the playoffs and we barely won, 14-10. [Old Bridge head coach] Anthony [Lanzafama] does a great job there. Those kids are very well-coached, and I just think this was a great high school football game.”
Goerge also shared his praise of Shorter, who plays on offense, defense and special teams, but also who stepped in and played quarterback in the game after starter Felix Quinones left the game with an elbow injury.
“He was even greater than usual tonight,” the coach said. “Just when you think, ‘Oh, we won’t be able to get him the ball, we can’t throw him the ball,’ [assistant coach] Jay [Goerge], my son, decided to put him in the wild cat. We’ve implemented it a little bit but not that much because Felix was playing so well. But now, here you go, you put him in and let him make plays.
“But that’s the type of kid he is. I’ve been coaching a long time. You don’t get many kids like him. Tonight, you can tell, he just had that extra burst. Nobody was catching him tonight.”
Shorter is excited for the challenge of facing Manalapan, but he knows it’s going to take everything the Vikings have to beat the powerful Braves.
Manalapan advanced to the finals with a 63-22 victory over Freehold Township in the semifinals on Nov. 17 in Manalapan. The Braves seek to win the sectional playoffs one year after falling to Piscataway Township High School in the title game.
“We’re just going to keep working hard,” Shorter said. “During the practices leading up to it, we just got to keep on working harder and harder.”
“First of all, I’m not even going to look at them until after we face North Brunswick,” Goerge said about Manalapan. “But no question, they’re a tough team. They might be the best public school in the state right now. I know all of those guys. We’ve played them a lot. They’re a great team. But hey, we’re in the finals. That’s all you can ask for.”
For Old Bridge, the loss dropped the Knights to 7-3 on the season. They will bid to end their season with a victory when they make the trip up Route 18 to play rival East Brunswick High School in the annual Thanksgiving Day showdown on Nov. 23. The game will kick off at 10 a.m. in East Brunswick.
An emotional Lanzafama talked about how he was moved by the play of his Knights.
“I’m really proud,” he said. “I just told them how proud I was of them [and how] proud I was of how far they’ve come together as a team. From the first loss to South Brunswick to now, it’s just a testament to their work ethic, their commitment and their heart.”
“I’m so proud of everybody,” Cooper said. “Everyone went out there and gave it 100 percent. We’ve been working together for years, through Pop Warner. I hate for the outcome to end this way because it’s tough. We have our heads down now, but I know next year, they are going to come back and get that win.”