Football: Point Pleasant Beach holds off Spotswood

Spotswood didn’t have another comeback in them.

The Chargers trailed by five points in the fourth quarter, but Point Pleasant Beach had a key defensive stop and scored twice en route to a 31-12 win in a GMC/Shore Conference crossover Saturday at Spotswood.

Following a safety toward the end of the third quarter, Spotswood trailed 17-12. The Chargers drove to midfield on the ensuing possession. The Garnet Gulls, however, held on a fourth-and-one. On the next drive, Jack Baker bolted for a 42-yard touchdown run on a trap for a 24-12 lead with 11:12 left in the game to hand Spotswood its first loss of the season.

“Definitely a swing of momentum,” Spotswood coach Andy Cammarano said. “We couldn’t do it. We couldn’t get the job done on defense, at all. Offensively they did a great job on deep tackling. And we didn’t tackle well. And that made the difference.”

Point Beach (4-2) sealed the win on a 30-yard touchdown run by quarterback Luke Frauenheim with 3:18 left for a 31-12 lead.

In the first half, the Garnet Gulls took their first lead of the game on a 70-yard touchdown pass from Frauenheim to Connor Kells with 4:41 remaining in the second quarter. That gave them a 14-10 advantage.

Spotswood (5-1) took a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard keeper from quarterback Nick Mohr with 4:55 left in the first quarter.

Each team showcased its kicker. Spotswood’s Ryan Szatkowski booted a 34-yard field goal, while Point Beach’s Sean Gould booted a 37-yarder.

Last week, Spotswood rallied for a 42-35 win over Highland Park, in which they trailed 28-14 early in the second half. Saturday, it was not to be.

“In a short game, you only get so many possessions,” Cammarano said. “And you got to make the most of them. We didn’t.”