Ari Nwobi tucked the game ball under his arm after receiving it from coach Tim Osborn. He earned it as the defensive player of the game for the Jackson Liberty High School football team after the Lions’ 13-6 Shore Conference C Central Division victory over Monsignor Donovan High School in Toms River on Oct. 1.
“He [Nwobi] has only been playing for two years,” said Osborn, adding that Nwobi was part of a defensive charge that held down a Monsignor Donovan option offense that had been scoring about 30 points a game.
“We showed the rest of the Shore Conference what we can do; this shows we can play defense,” said Nwobi, who was joined by another player who had little past history of playing on the defensive line before Oct. 1 — Tyler Souza.
Souza, a veteran offensive lineman, made his first start on defense, and the two players held the Griffins’ offense without a first down until late in the first half, while Jackson Liberty scored its two touchdowns to forge a 13-0 lead.
“We do a lot of conditioning; it was just [a question of me] getting used to it,” Souza said of his starting assignment on defense. “They have been working me in slowly on defense, getting me more reps. But I’ve been playing all four years on offense with a lot of these guys on the offensive line, so we all know each other.”
After falling victim to another option team in their 2010 season opener (JFKIselin), the Lions earned an A-plus for a lesson learned as they kept Monsignor Donovan’s offense off the field.
With Kristian Ruiz compiling his second 100-yard rushing game of the season (18- 116), Jackson Liberty’s offense did a capable job of keep-away with the football to even its record at 2-2.
Ruiz was also one of the defensive catalysts.
“Everything was the same as it was against JFK,” Ruiz said of Jackson Liberty’s defensive schemes and assignments. “The defense needed to crash down, the linebackers had to come in and the cornerbacks had to pinch in.”
“We were much more disciplined on defense, especially at defensive end, which is key against the option,” said Osborn, in comparing the victory over Monsignor Donovan to the loss against JFK-Iselin. “The last time, the guys didn’t do their assignments [on defense].”
As a result of the Lions’ inspired defensive effort, Monsignor Donovan did not score until the final minute of the game in a drive helped by three penalties flagged against the Lions inside the 20.
After the Griffins scored to close within one touchdown, the Lions recovered the ensuing onside kickoff and ran out the clock.
Early in the game, Ruiz ran 60 yards before getting hit and fumbling at the Griffins’ goal line. Teammate John Morgan fell on the loose ball in the end zone for the touchdown. The PAT attempt was no good. Justin Billups ran four yards for a touchdown on the next series, and Tyler Wright was true on the PAT.
On the next series, Billups was stopped short on fourth and two on the Monsignor Donovan 26. Jackson Liberty had an incomplete pass on fourth and eight at the Griffins’ 31 in the second quarter.
Monsignor Donovan was short on a 45- yard field goal attempt at the end of the first half and was backed up in bad field position for most of the game.
“That was big,” said Osborn. “We punted the ball well all night and kept them in a hole, so they kept going three and out.”
And the Lions’ defensive linemen kept up the pressure.
“They [the Griffins] were missing assignments and were frustrated and showing us they were frustrated,” said Souza.
Next up for the Lions is a home game on Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. against Lakewood, coached by former Brick Township High School coach Warren Wolf. Osborn was an assistant coach for 15 of Wolf’s 51 seasons at Brick Township.
“We need to work on defense, and penalties killed us,” Osborn said as his team completed the most difficult part of the 2010 schedule with its hopes still alive for a state playoff berth and the C Central title.