Bridgewater-Raritan football completes undefeated season

ELIZABETH -- For the second week in a row, the Bridgewater-Raritan High School football team sputtered in the second half against a Union County powerhouse.

Unlike last week, when the Panthers were able to coast to a double-digit victory over Union, Bridgewater-Raritan’s lead dwindled to three points and its 27-21 victory wasn’t secure until it safely recovered an Elizabeth onside kick attempt with 20 seconds remaining.

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Thursday’s victory enabled Bridgewater-Raritan (9-0), No. 2 in the Courier News Top 10, to complete an undefeated regular season for the second year in a row.

Bridgewater-Raritan scored twice in the final minute and a half of the second quarter to forge a 17-0 halftime advantage, but nearly gave back all of that in a disastrous third quarter in which its four possessions ended with an interception, a fumble and two blocked punts.

Elizabeth capitalized by scoring twice, once after gaining possession at the five after the fumble, the second on a 15-yard of a blocked punt, to narrow the deficit to 17-14 with 4:45 left in the third quarter.

The Panthers turned to David Usewick, whose 1-yard run with 10 minutes remaining nudged the lead back to double digits. Usewick carried 16 times for 68 yards in the fourth quarter without a fumble to finish with a game-high 103 yards on 25 rushes.

The Panthers were clinging to a 3-0 edge with a minute and a half left in the first half, when a shotgun snap sailed over the head of quarterback Nick Attanasio. Attanasio was able to pick up the ball on a bounce and calmly took off to his left and outran the defense for an 18-yard touchdown.

Bridgewater-Raritan’s defense held Elizabeth to a three-and-out on the ensuing possession and Attanasio’s 32-yard punt return gave the Panthers the ball at the Minutemen’s 9, after a personal foul penalty. Two plays later Attanasio hooked up with a Brandon Myers on a fade to the right corner of the end zone with 12 seconds remaining, and Bridgewater-Raritan enjoyed a 17-0 cushion at the break.

The teams exchanged long drives that consumed the entire first quarter, but only the Panthers came away with anything to show for it.

Elizabeth took the opening kickoff and promptly marched from its 20 to the Bridgewater-Raritan 16, where Ricky Tate picked off a Minutemen pass at the goal line. Bridgewater-Raritan drove from its 25 to the Elizabeth 21, where Justin Davidovicz drilled a 38-yard field goal.

Davidovicz added a 36-yard field goal with with 30 seconds to play to increase the margin to 27-14, before Elizabeth’s Jahmin Muse returned the ensuing kick 95 yards to create the final margin.

BRIDGEWATER-RARITAN (9-0) 3-14-0-10-27

ELIZABETH (4-5) 0-0-14-21

SCORING SUMMARY

BR - Davidovicz FG 38

BR - Attanasio 18 run (Davidovicz kick)

BR - Myers 8 pass from Attanasio (Davidovicz kick)

E - Valdez 5 run (Buitrago kick)

E - Rodriguez 15 punt return (Buitrago kick)

BR - Usewick 1 run (Davidovicz kick)

BR - Davidovicz FG 36

E - Muse 95 kick return (Buitrago kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing - BR: Usewick 25-103, Attanasio 12-89, Alesandro 8-30, Bellaran 7-20; E: Muse 16-38, Valdez 8-31, Michel 1-10, Wactor 2-2, Harmon 3-minus 1.

Passing - BR: Attanasio 6-14-1-46; E: Muse 3-9-1-62, Taylor 0-1-1-0.

Receiving - BR: Usewick 2-27, Myers 2-12, Kelton 1-6, Tate 1-1; E: McCrary 1-38, Harmon 1-13, McDaniel 1-11.