Day One at Rutgers: Games 1 and 2
With four games, I will break this into parts. Games one and two will be in this article and games three and four coming next.
Haddonfield 28 Point Pleasant Boro 27
The first quarter was all Point Boro, who had the ball for all but two seconds of the first 10:15 and built a 14-0 lead with two seconds coming on an onside kick. The Panthers stayed mostly to the ground with their option offense and had touchdowns from Charlie Vitale and Connor Cilento.
The first five possessions of the game ended in touchdowns: Point Boro on three drives and Haddonfield on two, as Point Boro couldn’t stop them, either. Haddonfield was able to stop Point Boro and took a knee to end the half with Point Boro up, 21-13.
Haddonfield came out with the ball, staying on the ground except for one pass. The runs were a steady diet of Bobby Hahn and quarterback Carson Wolff, with Hahn scoring on a 2-yard run between the tackles. The two-point conversion was successful and the score was tied at 21.
Haddonfield went ahead with five minutes left when Wolff went 14 yards in the keeper, bouncing off a defender. Point Boro went down the field with a first-and-goal and scored on a 1-yard run by Tyler Gordon. The extra point was wide left and Haddonfield was the winner with six seconds left.
Hats off to Haddonfield for coming back. It did not look good for them. But there was no panic in them and they were able to score and get back in the game. It will be a painful defeat for Point Boro, losing a 14-0 lead after a dominant first quarter, followed by missing the extra point at the end.
Hillsborough 28 Kingsway 7
Kingsway drove down the field for a first-and-goal on the 8-yard line, courtesy of a Nate Meiers-to-Darrell Brown pass covering 32 yards. But the Hillsborough defense made their stand with Kingsway turning it over on downs. Hilsborough moved down the field with Tyler Michinard scoring a 7-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead.
Meiers found Jake Mason for 27 yards, advancing to the 50, but the Dragons again turned it over on downs. The rest of the half was all Hillsborough with two James Mazuera-to-Thomas Amankwaa touchdown passes, the first being 42 yards and second 53.
Kingsway opened the second half with a 25-yard touchdown by Meiers. Hillsborough came back with a 1-yard sneak by Mazuera, a score set up on a 36-yard run by Michinard, making it 28-7.
Hillsborough was in control of the game once they stopped Kingsway’s initial drive. Amankwaa was dominant in the second quarter and appeared to hurt his ankle or foot. Hillsborough adjusted with a touchdown drive in the third quarter. Kingsway deserves credit for playing hard and not quitting. Hillsborough was better, but the Dragons won respect from those who never saw them before.