FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — Extend the streak to five in a row. That was the goal for Coach Cory Davies and his Freehold Township High School football players when the hosted rival Howell High School on the evening of Sept. 16.
The Patriots bounced back from a loss to Marlboro High School a week earlier and defeated the Rebels for the fifth year in a row, 26-13.
“It’s always good when we beat Howell,” said Davies, who previously coached at Howell. “I think we played extremely well. We played well on offense and defense. Howell is a pretty good football team. For us to play the way we did against them was a big-time performance for us.”
Junior quarterback Mark Augello produced three touchdowns in the first half as the Patriots built a 19-7 lead at the break.
On the game’s first possession, Augello capped a 13-play, 67-yard drive when he hit Shawn Corchado on a sprint-out for a six-yard scoring pass. The extra point gave the Patriots a 7-0 lead.
Freehold Twp takes the opening possession 67 yards in 13 plays for a TD to go up 7-0. Mark Augello with a 6-yard TD pass to Shawn Corchado on the sprint out. CC: @central_jersey @FTHSfootball @TownshipScores #NJFootball 🏈 pic.twitter.com/5DveTjHAog
— Steven Bassin (@SBassin_Sports) September 16, 2022
After the Rebels tied the score, 7-7, on a two-yard run by Brandon Wright with 9:51 to play in the second quarter, Augello drove the Patriots down the field and tossed his second touchdown pass.
Howell answers with 9:51 to go in the 2nd Q to tie the game at 7-7. Brandon Wright plows in for a 2-yard TD for the Rebels! CC: @central_jersey @HHSRebelSports @BravermanHHS @HowellRebellion #NJFootball 🏈 pic.twitter.com/YTErXbvJ63
— Steven Bassin (@SBassin_Sports) September 16, 2022
On third down from the Howell 30, Augello rolled to his right and found running back Chase Enlow on a wheel route along the sideline for a 30-yard score as Freehold Township took a 13-7 lead with 7:27 to play in the second quarter.
The Patriots’ final drive of the half covered 10 plays. On fourth and two from the Howell 16, Augello completed a four-yard pass to Corchado that put the ball at the 12.
On first down, Augello ran up the middle and scored his first rushing touchdown of the season. Freehold Township led, 19-7, with 1:14 to play in the half.
Augello has accounted for five touchdowns in 2022.
TOUCHDOWN PATRIOTS: After completing a 4 yard pass to Corchado to keep the drive alive, Mark Augello runs in for a 12 yard TD. 2 point conversion is no good. 19-7, Freehold Twp (@FTHSfootball) with 1:14 to go in the half. CC: @central_jersey @TownshipScores #NJFootball 🏈 pic.twitter.com/pxqgSeuMXf
— Steven Bassin (@SBassin_Sports) September 16, 2022
“It is always great to help a team bounce back after a loss and get on the right page,” Augello said after the win. “I did everything possible to help get the team in the end zone and put points on the board.”
With 5:27 to play in the third quarter, Enlow rumbled in from the 1 as the Patriots extended the lead to 26-7. In each of the team’s two victories this season, Enlow has tallied two touchdowns.
Touchdown #2 on the night for RB Chase Enlow on a 1-yard score. Extra point is good! Freehold Twp (@FTHSfootball) lead Howell 26-7 with 5:27 to go in the 3rd Q. CC: @TownshipScores @central_jersey #NJFootball 🏈 pic.twitter.com/pFNAkhqjaM
— Steven Bassin (@SBassin_Sports) September 17, 2022
“I just do what I have to do to help the team win,” Enlow said. “It feels good to help out my team.”
On defense, the Patriots came up with three turnovers in the second half to halt any chance of a Howell comeback.
Juniors Nick Carnevale and GianPaul Cortes each had an interception, while Bobby Loff forced and recovered a fumble.
Freehold Township (2-2) will visit Colts Neck (2-1) on Sept. 24. Colts Neck and Marlboro lead the Shore Conference Constitution Division standings.
The Patriots, who recorded their first division victory with the win over Howell, are tied with Jackson Memorial for third place in the division.
Davies knew the Patriots would have a challenging start to the season with games against Manalapan, Barnegat, Marlboro, Howell and Colts Neck.
Davies is pleased with his players and believes they have improved and learned a lot during the first month, especially from their losses against Manalapan and Marlboro.
“I think (those losses) made us better. We are a very young team. We still have a lot of work to do. We are hoping to get a little bit better each week,” the coach said.
Howell (1-2) saw Wright score both touchdowns against the Patriots. The junior tailback has four touchdowns this season, prompting Coach Bill Hill to say, “He’s a great back.”
Following the loss to Freehold Township, Hill told his players they cannot dwell on the loss and need to keep playing as the season rolls on.
The second-year coach and Howell alum believes the Rebels can have a winning season and bounce back from consecutive losses to Jackson Memorial and Freehold Township.
“It’s still early in the season,” Hill said. “We struggled (against Freehold Township) with our match-ups against them in the passing game. This was a tough match-up for us. We need to keep playing the rest of the season.”
The Rebels will host Marlboro on Sept. 23.