By Warren Rappleyea
Looking back on this season, South Brunswick High School’s football fans may well look back at a sensational trick play Oct. 21 before a large Homecoming crowd as a turning point in the Vikings’ season.
With less than four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and South Brunswick tied with visiting Sayreville War Memorial High School, quarterback Josh Liao took the snap as he always does. He quickly flipped the ball to wide receiver Jaylan Lawson who turned and heaved it down field to a streaking Justin Shorter for a 56-yard touchdown pass that brought the Ridge Road crowd to its feet and gave the Vikings the lead.
“My son, [assistant coach Jason Goerge], actually made the call,” South Brunswick coach Joe Goerge said. “I thought it was the right time. We were a little bit juiced because we just made a big stop and they might have been a little down after not getting a first down. We’ve been practicing that play every day. The kids would always say, ‘Coach, are we ever going to use it.’ It’s the kind of play you can really only use once. The practice paid off; they executed it perfectly. Jaylan couldn’t have made a better throw.”
It appeared the resilient Bombers had answered right back, however. Jacari Carter brought the ensuing kickoff back for what appeared to be a touchdown, briefly hushing the crowd. However, Sayreville was penalized for a block in the back, which negated the pay.
Afterwards the Vikings defense was able to force a turnover on downs when Sayreville quarterback Jayson DeMild was brought down just shy of the first down mark. South Brunswick then ran out the clock to win for the third straight time and raise its record to 4-2.
The night ended much better than it started out for the Vikings. Sayreville took the opening kickoff and marched downfield. Michael Liberti’s 8-yard run completed the drive to give the Bombers a 7-0 lead.
Liao connected with Anthony Blakey for a 7-yard touchdown that completed a 13-play drive early in the second quarter. The senior signal-caller later scored on a 3-yard run to put his team up 13-7 at halftime. Liao, who was named Homecoming King, was under pressure most of the evening but still managed to complete 12 of 17 passes for 156 yards. He also ran for 60 yards.
The teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter, with Liao scoring again for South Brunswick. Sayreville tied things up on a 4-yard run by Liberti a minute into the final quarter. Both teams then turned the ball over on downs — setting the stage for Lawson’s big throw.
“That was one tough football game between two very good high school teams,” Goerge said. “Neither team wanted to give an inch, and the game just went back and forth. It was a fun game to play in and a fun game to watch. Of course, it’s always a little more fun when you win.”
The victory gives South Brunswick 78.5 power points, which puts the Vikings sixth in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group V playoff race. The best seven of a team’s first eight games are counted. The Vikings have a game in hand over four teams that are ahead of them in the standings. The top eight teams will qualify.
Next up for South Brunswick is a visit from Brick Memorial High School in a Shore Conference-Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) crossover game Oct. 28. The Mustangs (1-6) fell to Southern Regional Regional, 34-27, in their last outing.