Despite playing without star QB, Woodbridge football rallies for win

Quassim Glover, one of the Greater Middlesex Conference’s leading receivers, was thrust into the role of quarterback with a season-ending injury to starter Donovan Tabon, who was unable to play in the Woodbridge High School football team’s 28-14 victory over North Brunswick on Friday night.

With the win, Woodbridge unofficially secured the No. 7 seed for the North 2 Group IV playoffs and will play a first-round game at Middletown North next weekend.

The NJSIAA will announce official playoff pairings on Sunday. The eight teams with the most power points in each section at the conclusion of this weekend’s action will qualify for the playoffs, which commence with first-round games next weekend at the site of the higher seed.

Glover completed a scoring strike to Darin Tabon to help the Barrons (5-4) take a 14-7 lead. Keshaun Henry scored earlier on a 50-yard screen pass to help Woodbridge erase a 7-0 deficit.

After the Raiders (1-7) forged a 14-14 tie, Chance Modica returned a fumble for a touchdown with 3:49 remaining in the third quarter, giving the Barrons a 21-14 lead they would not relinquish.

Messiah Daniels closed out the scoring for Woodbridge on the receiving end of a 60-yard bubble screen from Henry.

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“It’s very bad,” Woodbridge head coach Kevin Coleman said of the Barrons having to enter the playoffs without the services of Donovan Tabon, who has a separated shoulder. “He was just getting very good. He makes us more dynamic.”

The Barrons could have padded their lead but failed to post any points after driving to the North Brunswick 1 yard line, from where Woodbridge had a first-and-goal.

“We didn’t have a great outing (offensively), but we came away with the win,” Coleman said, noting the Raiders were well-prepared and physical. “I wanted us to be a little more sharp coming out of (the regular-season finale).”