BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Staff Writer
Defending Jersey Shore Junior Pop Warner Football League Midget Division champion Brick Dragons clinched a spot in the league playoffs, but may find it hard to win the division regular season championship.
The Dragons clinched their playoff spot with a 24-6 victory over Middletown behind Joe Federaro’s three touchdowns last weekend, while top contender Toms River Angels lost their game and were eliminated from the postseason. But the division race is a different story.
The 7-1 Dragons close their regular season schedule this weekend in an inter-divisional game at Jackson, which also is 7-1. Lacey, which is 7-1 and tied with the Dragons for first place, handed the Dragons their only loss and must lose to a struggling Howell team this weekend and the Dragons must win their game to win the division title.
Against Middletown, the Dragons jumped out to a 12-0 first-quarter lead as Federaro ran 30 yards for a touchdown off right tackle, and Bill Miller bolted 15 yards up the middle for another. Federaro’s 25-yard scoring scamper in the third quarter hiked the lead to 18-0 before Middletown struck later in the quarter. But Federaro put the Dragons back in command in the final quarter from his defensive end spot as he stripped the ballcarrier and ran 60 yards for the touchdown.
It was one of three fumble recoveries made by the Dragons, the others coming from Kevin Trolan and Karl Rex. Miller at linebacker and Pedro Serrano at safety also played well on defense. A strong offensive line of guards Raymond Dell and Ryan Sibola, tackles Rex and Douglas Sibola and center David Brennan paved the way for Federaro, Miller and Chris Palazzo, who also ran well, and quarterback Serrano.
“I think they all played well,” said Dragons Midgets coach Dave Morra. “The offensive line blocked well. We’re getting better each week.”
The victory was part of a sweep of the four Dragons travel teams on Pop Warner Parents weekend. The Junior Midgets won, 12-0, and the Pee Wees kept their playoff hopes alive with a 13-6 victory over Middletown. The Junior Pee Wees prevailed, 14-0.
Winners of five straight games, the Dragon Pee Wees at 5-2 are in a three-way tie with the Toms River Indians and Toms River Angels for second place. If that holds up after this weekend’s games, all three teams will get together next Wednesday in a knockout round under the Cornell rule, in which a team gets possession on the opponent’s 10-yard line. The third team of that group would play that winner.
The Dragons have the toughest opponent this Sunday at 1:30 p.m. when they play at 3-4 Jackson. The Indians play 1-6 Middletown and the Angels take on struggling Manalapan.
Despite Middletown’s record, Dragons
Pee Wee coach Al Melchionna said his team “got all we could handle, but we have a never-give-up attitude. If we make a bad play, we shake it off,” he said. “We’re becoming more confident in ourselves every game.”
Ben Wright threw a pair of touchdown passes to his running backs, the first one a 10-yarder to Sean Greenwood in the first quarter, with Brad Batzel running in the extra point. Joe Spinella, who had a good day running the ball, caught a 12-yard scoring strike in the third quarter to cap a 10-play, 65-yard drive. Middletown scored in the first quarter on a long run with a Dragons’ fumble.
Defensively, cornerbacks Adam Boyle and Greenwood, tackle Zach Kahl and end John Pett led the charge as Middletown’s offense never mounted a serious threat.
Joe Bench ran 17 yards and Tom Winters burst three yards for touchdowns in the first half as the Brick Dragons Pee Wees beat Middletown, 14-0. Brandon Kiesler played smoothly at quarterback while Bench at linebacker and Winters at end led the defense for the Dragon Pee Wees (4-3), who have won four of their last five games.
Dragons survive tough one
in Hudson County League action
Jessie Kikkert recovered a fumble and ran it 43 yards to the seven-yard line, and quarterback Steve Zrowka then hit Anthony Piezzo with a touchdown pass midway through the third quarter to lift the Brick Dragons’ heavyweight team to a 13-6 Hudson County Youth Football League victory over West New York last weekend.
“It wasn’t our best game, but we got the job done,” said head coach Steve Nash as the Dragons improved to 4-0 after a bye weekend.
Rodrick Tillery and Bill Nash hit West New York’s quarterback to jar the ball loose to Kikkert. Mike Kiley ran in the conversion. Tillery and J.T. Nash had sacks to blunt a West New York drive to Brick’s 35-yard line in the fourth quarter.
The much bigger West New York team took a 6-0 lead in the second quarter before Kiley tied the score with a six-yard touchdown run with two minutes left in the first half. Zrowka picked up the ball after a bad snap from center and ran 29 yards to highlight the long drive.
The Dragons travel to 3-1-1 North Bergen on Saturday for an 8 p.m. kickoff.