BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer
Experts say the mark of a good football team is one that can come away with a victory even when it doesn’t play well. Some how the players dig deep and find a way to win.
Despite being plagued with penalties and mental mistakes, the New Egypt High School football still managed to hang a 27-0 shutout on Maple Shade last Saturday. Warriors coach Tom Farrell wasn’t thrilled with his team’s performance.
“We really played a sloppy game,” Farrell said. “We didn’t play that well. But we still came away with the win and that is a positive. But we can’t expect to make the kinds of mistakes we made today the next couple of weeks. We’ll be going up against a couple of very tough football teams, who will take advantage.”
At 4-2 overall, New Egypt has a legitimate chance to qualify for the state playoffs. However, the Warriors will need to win at least one of the next two games in order to be considered.
New Egypt hosts Delran 7 p.m. Friday. The following week, the Warriors travel to Bishop Eustace. Both games are out of conference contests.
“These are two Group II schools that are big and physical,” Farrell said.
“We have our playoff destiny in our hands. We know what we have to do. We need to go out and win both of these games. If we can accomplish that, we have a good shot at the states.”
In the win over Maple Shade, New Egypt missed a pair of field goals, dropped TD passes, missed extra points, had other touchdowns called back because of penalties, and failed to score points twice when it was inside their opponents 10-yard line. And they still scored 27 points.
“You can’t have that happen,” Farrell said. “That is just a lack of concentration and execution.”
On the bright side, running back Lee Hopkins gained 212 yards and scored a pair of TDs on 22 carries. Quarterback Mike Wendel rushed for 63 yards and scored two TDs, while connecting on five-of-nine passes for another 50 yards.
“Wendel probably had his best game of the season,” Farrell said. “He did a great job of running the option. He made solid decisions.”
The Warriors’ defense was sparked by linebackers Dan Henninger and Donny Bunce. Henninger made 12 tackles, including three sacks and intercepted a pass. Bunce had two picks to go along with five tackles.
“Defensively we were pretty good,” Farrell said. “Those two guys were all over the field. They delivered big plays all game. They’ve both been doing a great job all season.”
Farrell said the best part of the game was the ride home. The bus was somber, as players reflected on their performance.
“Usually we have a very noisy ride,” Farrell said. “But this time it was quiet. I think the players thought about how they played. I think that is a good thing. I think they realize they are a better football team than they showed out there. We’re hoping that we come out and have more intensity and make less mistakes this week.”