Spotswood-Middlesex football: Conner McCloskey lifts Spotswood football to overtime win

MIDDLESEX – After missing a potential game-winning field goal as time expired at the end of regulation, Spotswood High School placekicker Conner McCloskey was told he would get a chance at redemption.

"One of our coaches (Dan White) came up to me," McCloskey explained. "He said, 'You are going to get a second shot, don't worry. You are going to make it. And he was right.' "

McCloskey's 35-yard field goal, which came on the fourth play from scrimmage after Middlesex lost a fumble in overtime, lifted the Chargers to a dramatic 17-14 victory and put them in position to possibly clinch at least a share of the Greater Middlesex Conference Blue Division title.

Spotswood (5-3 overall, 4-0 division) can win the division championship outright with a victory over Metuchen on Saturday.

If the Chargers lose, they would need Dunellen (7-1, 3-1) to defeat Middlesex and Metuchen (5-2, 2-1) to beat Highland Park in their respective regular-season finales to share the division crown with the Destroyers and Bulldogs.

Metuchen can capture the division title outright with two wins and a Dunellen loss to Middlesex. Spotswood has not won a division title in 14 years.

"We want an outright title," Cammarano said, "so we are looking forward to next week."

Chase Fee rushed a career-high 36 times for 191 yards and two touchdowns as Spotswood ran the senior back predominantly off right tackle, a play which the Blue Jays had difficulty stopping.

"I picked out the rushing end and I followed my blockers through the hole," Fee said. "We were able to get two blockers through, so I had plenty of linemen to follow. They did a terrific job today despite the (sloppy field) conditions and they gave me room to score."

Trailing 14-7 with 6:50 remaining and with starting quarterback A.J. Abate getting knocked out of the game for the second straight week – this time after enduring defensive end Neftali Aguirre's sack early in the fourth quarter – the Blue Jays caught a break.

Following a bad snap on a punt that resulted in a 12-yard loss, Middlesex took over at the Spotswood 22. Fullback Matt Hode carried five times on a six-play drive for 21 yards including a 1-yard touchdown run with 3:45 left. Backup placekicker Ryan Coke, who was filling in for Abate, converted the important PAT to forge a 14-14 deadlock.

Spotswood took a 14-7 lead on the opening series of the second half as Fee accounted for all 66 yards of a seven-play drive including his 22-yard touchdown run off right tackle on which he made a nifty cut on the muddy field once in the second level.

"It's a base play," Cammarano explained. "There's a point in the game where you've got to give your ball to your big back. A lot of times we run by committee, but today we said we are going to give it to Chase. It doesn't matter his size (5-foot-8, 160). He plays big."

Fee capped a seven-play, 53-yard drive with a 10-yard run off right tackle to give the Chargers a 7-0 lead with 33 seconds left in the opening half (he lost a fumble which Coke recovered at the Middlesex 3 yard line on the previous series).

Middlesex, which ran 17 consecutive plays on the ground in the opening half for a total of just 43 yards, answered Fee's touchdown in dramatic fashion. Abate responded with a 36-yard completion to Keyshawn Wilson and a 34-yard scoring strike to Dennis Broadnax to even the contest at 7-7 just 19 seconds later.

"Keyshawn and Dennis are two playmakers and I have to do a better job of getting them the ball more," Middlesex coach P.J. Jankowicz said. "We just needed a spark. I didn't feel like sitting on it because they had the momentum. I wanted to get the kids a little excited and get the juices flowing again."

A steady rain contributed to a soggy field, but Jankowicz refused to use the weather as an excuse for his team's inability to run effectively. Spotswood rotated four interior linemen, all of who, especially Lou Vacca, proved difficult to block, allowing Aguirre to inflict damage in the backfield.

"I don't think it was as much field conditions as it was they've got guys inside that are tough to block," Jankowicz said. "We were able to do some things formation wise to put ourselves in better position (after intermission)."

After Middlesex knotted the game at 14-14, the Chargers went three-and-out and were forced to punt from their 13 yard line. The Blue Jays, however, fumbled away the punt and Brad Bacchetti recovered at the Spotswood 25 with 2:02 remaining.

Six consecutive rushes from Fee and a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for a late hit out of bounds on one set up a third-and-17 from the Middlesex 30. Quarterback Ryan Smolin connected with Mason White for a first down at the sticks – his only completion of the afternoon – to keep alive the drive and set up McCloskey for a 32-yard field goal attempt. His kick had plenty of distance but sailed wide left.

Middlesex, which was limited to three first downs in the opening half, had a little more success rushing after intermission, accumulating five first downs and 65 yards on the ground. Spotswood had to respect the pass when Abate completed a 25-yard bomb to Wilson late in the third quarter.

"They've got a really tough offense," Aguirre said of Middlesex's option. "We were really worried about the option and the midline and we paid attention to the pass, just not as much as to the run."

The most valuable player in the second half for the Blue Jays proved to be freshman Thomas Rau, whose job was to use a towel to dry off the pigskin, sprinting on and off the field with a clean ball after each Middlesex offensive play. The maneuver seemed to assist Middlesex's ground game.

"If you want to win the black and blue division," Cammarano said, "you've got to be able to run the ball."

SPOTSWOOD (5-3) 0 7 7 0 3 -- 17

MIDDLESEX (6-2) 0 7 0 7 0 -- 14

Passing: S - Smolin 1-3-17-0; M - Abate 3-3-95-0, Cresitello 0-2-0-0. Rushing: S - Fee 36-191, Long 14-37, Smolin 3-minus 23, Szatkowski 1-minus 12; M - Abate 12-28, Wilson 6-25, Hode 15-52, Coke 1-minus 2, Cresitello 1-2. Receiving: M - Wilson 2-61, Brodnax 1-34.