BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer
CHRIS KELLY staff Howell’s Anthony Reda makes a touchdown-saving play after chasing down Marlboro’s Chris Kaufman during their teams’ game in Marlboro on Saturday. The Howell High School football team went into last Saturday’s game with an opportunity to accomplish a couple of things.
First and foremost, the Rebels were hoping to notch their first win against a Marlboro team that has struggled for most of the year, but has begun to improve its play of late.
Secondly, the Rebels hoped to spoil the Mustangs’ homecoming festivities with an upset.
But in the end, John Fiore’s Mustangs continued their steady progress. Their 29-15 win over Howell gave the ’Stangs their second win of the year (more than the previous two seasons) and their first American Division win in two years. It was also homecoming and the Mustangs gave their home fans a lot to cheer about.
“It was a solid effort,” said Fiore, whose club improved to 2-5 with the bye week this weekend. “I’m happy as heck for them.”
It was a halfback option pass from Chris Kauffman to Jared Dubin that turned the game around in the second quarter after both offenses had struggled, to put it politely.
Field position was the name of the game in the first half, with Marlboro enjoying it and Howell not.
After the opening kick-off, Howell got the ball on its 14-yard line and proceeded to fumble on the second play form scrimmage. Marlboro’s Jared Blumetti fell on the loose ball, and Marlboro was in business on the Howell 15.
Three smashes into the line by Kauffman netted 5 yards, and on fourth down the Mustangs went for it with Rob Boyce just overthrowing the dangerous Rodney Salomon in the corner on the end zone.
Howell got the ball back, but was on the 10-yard line. It was three plays and punt for the Rebels, who were without starting quarterback Gus Borden, on the sidelines with his left wrist in a cast. He broke it during the team’s loss to Toms River North the previous week and said he will be out two to three more weeks.
The offensive malaise continued into the second quarter until Boyce hooked up with Kauffman on a slant pattern out of the backfield. Kauffman caught the ball in stride and was off to the races. He would be chased down by a determined Anthony Reda, who in tackling Kauffman from behind, jarred the ball loose and recovered it.
However, the play covered 58 yards and Howell had the ball on its own 10-yard line when disaster struck — the Rebels fumbled the ball and Justin Braz recovered it for Mustangs.
Marlboro had a golden opportunity to strike for six, but the Rebel defense, led by Ryan McGuinnis and Jesse Borrelli held the Mustangs on downs. The final two plays (quarterback sneaks by Boyce) were stopped short of the end zone.
Howell had taken back the momentum, but on the first play from inside the one, Jordan Giallanzo tackled the Rebels John Bunnicont in the end zone for a two-point safety. With 5:45 left in the first half, someone had finally scored, and Marlboro, playing before a homecoming crowd, led 2-0.
Howell kicked off to the Mustangs and that’s when Fiore reached into his bag of tricks, calling for the halfback option with the ball on the Howell 34.
Kauffman, a lefty, ran to his right, selling the play as a sweep. He stopped, planted his feet and lofted a pass downfield to Dubin, who caught the ball in the end zone for the first touchdown of the game and an 8-0 Marlboro lead.
“That play got us going,” noted Fiore. “We had shot ourselves in the foot up to that point.”
Kauffman would take control the game in the second half with his bruising running. He would pick up 88 yards rushing as Marlboro was able to hold off a second half rally by the Rebels.
“It was a team effort,” said Kauffman. “The blocking was there all game. They [offensive line] did it.”
Kauffman capped a sustained 80-yard drive at the start of the second half with a 16-yard scoring run that pushed the lead up to 15-0 with Brandon Weiner’s point after touchdown.
Howell, though, struck back quickly with Brian Smith, one of the most dangerous returners in the Shore, taking the kick-off back 83 yards for a touchdown. Bunnicont ran the ball in from the two for the two-point conversion that pulled Howell within 15-8.
Marlboro answered on its next drive when Boyce finding Salomon on the sideline for a 24-yard scoring strike and a 21-8 lead.
Howell came right back, marching 57 yards for a touchdown as quarterback Sean O’Reilly, a sophomore, making his first-ever start, was displaying confidence with each snap. A 20-yard hookup with Smith and a 17-yard run by Bunnicont took the ball down to the two, where Eric Feehan ran it in for six. Joe Blood’s PAT made it 21-15 Marlboro with 1:30 left in the third quarter.
Marlboro put the ball in the hands of Kauffman to move the chains and run down the clock. The Mustang did it well.
Late in the fourth quarter, Howell was forced to gamble from its own 12-yard line with 2:24 remaining and just one time-out. Knowing that the Rebels were unlikely to stop Kauffman from picking up a first down if they punted, the Rebels went for it on fourth-and-16 (a sack by Bryan had put the Rebels in that position). An incomplete pass ended the Rebels hopes of getting their first win of the season.
Marlboro finished the scoring off with Braz punching it in from 2 yards out and Boyce hitting Giallanzo with a pass for the two-point conversion.
Howell (0-6) will host undefeated Jackson (6-0) Friday. Kickoff is 7 p.m.