Chargers' early success a pleasant surprise
Spotswood tops JFK to claim division lead
BY DOUG McKENZIE
Staff Writer

CHRIS KELLY staff Spotswood quarterback Zack Becker hands the ball off to Ray Reyes during the Chargers' win over JFK on Friday in Spotswood.

Not much was expected of the Spotswood High School football team this season.

That comes with the territory when you're coming off a 0-10 season.

However, with 10 starters back on both sides of the ball, including some upperclassmen who have taken the team's work ethic to the next level, the Chargers are one of the best stories in the Greater Middlesex Conference thus far.

With Friday's 20-12 win over previously unbeaten JFK, the Chargers are 3-0 on the young season, and sitting atop the Blue Division. So far they've beaten Dunellen, Bishop Ahr and the Mustangs, with a key matchup with South River (2-1) looming on Saturday in Spotswood.

Against JFK, Spotswood needed to play well in all phases of the game, and did just that. Trailing 12-7 to open the third quarter, sophomore tailback Joe Petosa took the second-half kickoff and raced 85 yards for the score, giving the Chargers the 13-12 lead. From there, the Spotswood defense began to assert itself, causing a JFK fumble deep in Mustang territory, setting up Spotswood's final score - a pretty fade pass from quarterback Zack Becker to T.J. Snook.

Up 20-12, Spotswood's defense held on, twice halting JFK drives, to secure the win, and gave head coach Ron Raymond's Chargers the early lead in the division.

The Chargers' emergence as the Blue Division's top team comes as a surprise to many - just not the Chargers themselves.

Following last year's season, the Spotswood players rededicated themselves to reviving the program, and getting back to the state tournament - a place they've been to five of the past nine years.

"The kids put in a lot of hard work over the summer, including seven hours a week with a trainer, above and beyond our usual practices, scrimmages and drills," Raymond said. "They're very dedicated and we're all looking to turn the corner."

It's hard to argue with the results thus far, but as the players will tell you themselves, the Chargers haven't won anything yet.

This week's game with South River is an important one on several levels. First off, the Rams represent one of Spotswood's biggest rivals, regardless of the sport. There is never a lack of energy when these two teams take the field, and with the top spot in the division on the line on Saturday, you can expect both teams to play with fire.

South River is coming off a huge win of its own, handing Monroe its first loss, 29-28 in overtime last Thursday.

The two teams played to a 21-21 tie through regulation, setting up the extra period, where Monroe scored on its possession when Ryan Cushman hit Thomas Denehy in the back corner of the end zone to take the 28-21 lead.

But South River, like it had all game, stormed back, scoring on its possession when Steven Moore raced 24 yards to reach the 1-yard line, where Markeith Dobbins took it from there, plunging into the end zone for the TD. Down one, playing on his home field in front of a raucous crowd, South River head coach Rich Marchesi decided to go for the win rather than the tie, and kept his offense on the field for the two-point conversion attempt.

Once again it was Dobbins who got the call, and the senior responded by running a keeper to the left side, giving the Rams the one-point win.

South River showed its mettle in this one, coming back from a 21-7 deficit in the fourth quarter on a 24-yard leaping TD pass from Dobbins to Brandon Hodges and a four-yard QB keeper from Dobbins, tying the score. The second score was set up by a Monroe fumble, which was recovered by Robert Benson on the Ram 28.

Throughout the comeback, Dobbins was impressive, calmly completing passes to a variety of receivers and methodically marching his team down the field on both scoring drives. Overall, Dobbins was 12-for-17 for 160 yards on the night.

Monroe was led by Ryan Meserol, who ran for 162 yards on 29 carries on the night, including a 3-yard run in the third that made the score 14-7. Justin Doslik added a 1-yard run later in the third, which made the game 21-7, setting the scene for South River's dramatic comeback.

Monroe, who fell to 2-1 with the loss, will be looking to stay in the Blue Division title chase on Saturday when they host a JFK team still stinging from their loss to Spotswood on Friday.

JFK head coach Joe Kirk called the Spotswood game a lost opportunity more than anything else.

"We had the lead but failed to hold it," he said. "We have a tough schedule this year and every game is important. Losing this game hurt."

Monroe was likely feeling the same way last Thursday night.

Both of these teams need a win on Saturday. Game time is 1 p.m. in Monroe.

The rest of the local teams posted wins last weekend to keep themselves in the title picture in the GMC Red Division race.

While Piscataway and Sayreville are the early leaders, both Old Bridge and East Brunswick are right there as well, with 1-0 marks in the division.

Sayreville improved to 3-0 on the season with a 17-14 win over a feisty J.P. Stevens team. With the Bombers holding onto a 17-14 lead late in the game, Stevens recovered a fumble, putting the pressure on the Bomber defense to protect the lead. Fortunately, Sayreville's defense had been doing that the entire half, as neither team was able to put any points on the board in the second half.

In the end, the Bomber defense was too much for the Hawks to overcome, as they forced J.P. Stevens to turn the ball over on downs, sealing the win.

Reinaldo Rodriguez opened the scoring for Sayreville, taking a reverse and running 64 yards for the touchdown just two minutes into the game. After Stevens tied the game on a Greg Sica 15-yard scoring run, Sayreville's Michael Knight put the Bombers back on top with a 24-yard run of his own. Stevens came back to tie it once again on a Sean Sullivan 4-yard TD run with 8:32 left in the first half, before Sayreville's Bobby Woods kicked the decisive field goal (a 22-yarder) with just under six minutes to play.

Sayreville will need another strong defensive effort tomorrow night when they host a Woodbridge Barrons team hungry for a win.

The Barrons (1-2) come in off a tough 13-6 loss to East Brunswick last week. The Bears, like Sayreville, had to rely on their defense late to protect a lead.

Up 13-6 with just over two minutes to play, the Bears had Woodbridge knocking on the door, with a first-and-10 at the Bear 23-yard line. However, EB's middle linebacker Sergio Garcia ended the suspense when he pounced on a fumbled snap, securing the win for the Bears.

East Brunswick was dominated in the first half, as the Barrons' Garret Mozolic carved up their defense for 130 of his 146 yards rushing, including a 33-yard first-quarter run that gave the Barrons the early lead. But East Brunswick got on the board on the ensuing kickoff when Bobby Tocco raced all the way to the Woodbridge 7-yard line, setting up Randall Nixon's 1-yard scoring run on fourth down.

Down 7-6 at the half, the Bears took the lead in the third quarter when Garcia took a screen pass from Nixon on third-and-3 and raced 67 yards for the score. That left it up to the Bears defense, and they did not disappoint.

Tomorrow night, the Bears will need a much more complete effort, as they host the top-ranked Piscataway Chiefs. The Chiefs have been nothing short of dominant thus far, but if the Bears have any hopes of winning the Red Division title, they need a win tomorrow night. Game time is 7 p.m.

Old Bridge survived a bit of a scare from Edison, rallying late to pull away with the 35-21 win.

Tied after three quarters, the Knights put the game out of reach with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, one a 66-yard run by Eddie Ebewo and the other a 9-yard run by quarterback Ed Buccior.

Buccior played well all night for the Knights, throwing for a pair of touchdowns as well. However, like East Brunswick, Old Bridge will likely need a stronger effort tomorrow night when they host J.P. Stevens. The Hawks proved themselves to be a dangerous team against Sayreville, and would like nothing more than to close the deal against Old Bridge. Game time is 7 p.m.