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SPORTS

New Brunswick defeats Freehold Township in NJSIAA Central Group V

Andy Mendlowitz
Correspondent
Football

NEW BRUNSWICK—Down by a touchdown, the Freehold Township football team needed to drive 76 yards with just over a minute left. Quarterback Jack O’Brien and the Patriots’ high-powered passing game got to New Brunswick’s 5-yard line.

But the Zebras’ Curtis Revan recovered a fumble with two seconds remaining as New Brunswick held on to win 21-14 in a NJSIAA Central Group V First Round game Friday at Memorial Stadium.

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The second-seeded Zebras (9-1) advance to play No. 3 Old Bridge in next week’s semifinal. But first, the first-round contest was a rematch of New Brunswick’s 38-28 win on Oct. 23, in which the Zebras led 28-14 at halftime. Friday was a lower scoring affair. While each team has an explosive offense, it was the defense taking over on the windy night. New Brunswick led 14-7 at halftime in an evenly played first half.

“It’s tough beating teams twice,” New Brunswick head coach Don Sofilkanich said. “He’s a good coach. I just knew it would be one of those type of games. … We grew up a little tonight. We played some tough defense. That’s a sign of character and championships.”

Both teams showed character in the final five minutes. Up 21-7, New Brunswick had a first-and-goal from Freehold Township’s 7-yard. The Patriots’ Tyler Von Nessen recovered a fumble on the 5-yard line to keep it a two-possession game. The seventh-seeded Patriots (4-6) drove 95 yards in nine plays, aided by two rushes from O’Brien that equaled 46 yards and a 26-yard pass to Adrian Rybaltowski.

Freehold capped the drive on an 11-yard touchdown pass from O’Brien to Rybaltowski with 2:00 left in the game to cut the deficit to 21-14. After New Brunswick punted, the Patriots got the ball on New Brunswick’s 24-yard line with 1:06 remaining. O’Brien threw two long passes to Nick Galanti that equaled 49 yards. A defensive holding penalty moved the ball to New Brunswick’s 5-yard line, but Revan came up with the fumble on the handoff.

Late in the third quarter, New Brunswick’s Kadas Reams had an interception in the red zone off a deflection that killed a Freehold Township drive.

“The d-line came up big at the end,” New Brunswick linebacker and running back Samad Davila said. “The offensive and defensive lines played great tonight. When they play great, the whole team plays great.”

Freehold Township head coach Cory Davies had upbeat words for his team as he addressed them after the game.

“I said to them, that at the beginning of the year I didn’t know if we would have that much heart to do that,” Davies said of his team’s final two drives. “I’m really proud of them that they were able to do that and try to score at the end like that.”

For all the defense, it was an explosive offense play that gave New Brunswick breathing room. With the Zebras up 14-7 early in the second half, Maurice Ffrench fielded a punt inside the 10-yard line. The 6-foot, 180-pound senior avoided two defenders and took off down the left sideline. The 91-yard touchdown with 7:47 left in the third quarter gave New Brunswick the 21-7 lead. That’s what Ffrench does.

“Maurice Ffrench is just so good,” Davies said. “I think our kids thought he was never going to pick it up. It bounced twice and then he picked it up and ran with it. I think our guys just kind of slowed up and thought there was no way he was going to take it. But that’s why he’s going to the University of Pittsburgh.”

But first, he’s going to the semifinals.

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP (4-6) 7-0-0-7-14

NEW BRUNSWICK (9-1) 7-7-7-0-21

SCORING SUMMARY

FT - Lotti 5 run (Galanti kick)

NB – Davila 46 run (Garcia kick)

NB - Jeffrey 1 run (Garcia kick)

NB - Ffrench 91 punt return (Garcia kick)

FT - Rybaltowski 11 pass from O’Brien (Galante kick)