All season long, the Long Branch High School football team, the selfproclaimed “Road Warriors,” has been beating teams with the big play.
With a bevy of big-play weapons on offense, complemented perfectly by a powerful, athletic defense, the Green Wave emerged as one of the very best teams in the state, even if the state polls didn’t affirm that status.
That’s why no one should be surprised that Long Branch gave sixth-ranked Moorestown all it could handle before eventually falling in Sunday’s Central Jersey Group III final at Rutgers Stadium, 20-6.
Coming in against a Moorestown team that was brimming with confidence after beating four-time defending state champion Middletown South, 38-7, in the semifinals, the Green Wave was facing some unfamiliar questions, as prognosticators wondered if head coach Dan George’s team could match up with the physical Quakers.
Early on, Long Branch looked to be in trouble, as Moorestown’s Mikey Reynolds returned the opening kick-off 90 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown. Just like that, 17 seconds into the game, Long Branch was trailing 7-0 to a team that has barely hiccuped in burying teams throughout the season.
Rather than get rattled, however, the Green Wave settled in, putting together several scoring opportunities against a Quaker defense that has been among the stingiest in the state.
Following an interception from senior Donte Gilliard, Long Branch reached the Moorestown 17-yard line with a 26-yard completion from senior Isaiah Hall to Shawn Brown. However, two plays later, Moorestown returned the favor, as Bryan Burnham, the Quakers’ big play specialist, picked off a Hall pass to end the threat.
Led by senior running back Travis Patterson’s efforts, Long Branch drove deep into Moorestown territory later in the first half, driving 69 yards in 13-plays. However, that drive stalled as well when Hall was forced out of bounds for a loss on fourth-and-9 play.
The second half started with a threeand out from Long Branch, setting up Moorestown’s second score when quarterback Shane Collier hit Burnham for a 53- yard touchdown pass down the left side. With the missed PAT, it was 13-0. Moorestown then made it 20-0 in the fourth when Collier found the end zone from a yard out to start the fourth quarter.
Long Branch got its only score on the following possession, when Patterson capped a seven-play, 67-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown.
With the win, Moorestown completed its impressive run through three Shore Conference powers in the state playoffs, as the Quakers beat Wall Township, Middletown South and Long Branch by a combined score of 100-26 to collect their third sectional crown, and first since 2000.
As for Long Branch, the loss marked the end of the Wave’s fourth straight season away from home. In fact, the seniors on this squad played their entire high school careers without the benefit of a home game as the school’s campus was renovated.
While they never used it as an excuse, the Green Wave was certainly affected by their lack of a home field. The Long Branch faithful always travels well, and this team most certainly deserved their support.
Even in defeat, at the hands of the state’s very best teams, Long Branch gave their road-weary fans plenty to be proud of both this season, and throughout the last 43 games.