Sodano leads Old Bridge football over Hillsborough in Central Group V

OLD BRIDGE — Perhaps Nick Sodano didn’t quite run like the wind, but he did his share of rustling through the line and ripping off scampers. The Old Bridge High School tailback rushed for 284 yards on 34 carries as the Knights beat Hillsborough 34-21 in a NJSIAA Central V quarterfinal.

On a windy Friday evening, Old Bridge stuck to the ground instead of airing it out with highly recruited quarterback Artur Sitkowski. Even Hillsborough coach Kevin Carty Jr. said that he was expecting the Knights to throw more. But No. 3 Old Bridge had just seven pass attempts. Smart move. The sixth-seeded Raiders had trouble stopping Sodano, who just wouldn’t go down at times with nine double-digit runs.

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The Knights next meet the winner of Saturday’s No. 7 Hunterdon Central at No. 2 Piscataway quarterfinal. Old Bridge officials believed that Sodano broke the school’s single-game rushing record of 265 yards set by John Barrett in the late 1990s. Sodano also surpassed 1,000 yards for the season. As the players were heading to the locker room, teammates walked over to congratulate Sodano but he was in no mood to talk milestones or accept glory.

“It was all my o-line,” the senior said. “Obviously it means something but it’s the guys in the trenches doing it all for me. I had so many gaps today it was unreal. … It was a great win. The whole team played great. It was do or die today and the offensive line played outstanding. I had gaps everywhere. It was pick or choose.”

Sodano rushed for three touchdowns and Anthony Imbimbo and Sitkowski each had 1-yard scoring runs. Hillsborough, meanwhile, took to the air as Matt Moore threw a 14-yard touchdown to Justin Brown and was 18-of-38 for 221 yards. Tyler Boatwright rushed for 134 yards on 20 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown.

Hillsborough’s Carty Jr. said “he’s been like that all year. We kind of knew that about him. In person, maybe you underestimate how much he would do that. But he was very difficult for us to get down.

“They ran the ball very well against us, and just put us playing from behind from the start," Carty Jr. added. "We just couldn’t make enough plays to catch back up. We fought until the end, but every time we got a little closer they made a play to keep us from doing so. It’s to their credit. They came out and played tough.”

Old Bridge’s Tyler Haughney had an interception in the end zone toward the end of the first half; TJ Angstadt added a third quarter pick and Paul Ferrali and Alston Amegbenyo had tackles that ended drives.

In the Greater Middlesex Conference/Mid-State 38 matchup, the wind was apparent from the beginning. As the Knights took the field, the cheerleaders had trouble holding on to and then harnessing the purple and white banners for the players to run through. The American flag also danced during the anthem.

When the 5-foot-8, 180-pound Sodano touched the ball, he boogied as well. On the first play, he bounced off a tackler and busted a 63-yard run to Hillsborough’s 13-yard line. On fourth-and-three, Sitkowski picked up a first down with a 4-yard gain. On the next play, Imbimo scored the 1-yard touchdown off a pitch. Jon Sammarco’s extra point made it 7-0 with 8:45 left in the first quarter.

After a Hillsborough punt, Old Bridge had a 67-yard scoring drive on seven plays capped by a 6-yard Sodano touchdown with 3:58 remaining in the first quarter for a 14-0 Knights lead. On the drive, Sodano picked up 66 yards on five carries.

The Raiders continued the scoring fest on the next possession with a 50-yard drive on seven plays. Moore moved the ball with a 15-yard pass to Luke Jansen. The 5-foot-11, 150-pound junior quarterback threw the 14-yard touchdown to Brown with 1:30 left in the first quarter to cut the deficit to 14-7.

That was the closest that Hillsborough got. At the half, Old Bridge led 27-7 and had 35 team rushes and two pass attempts. Sodano had 224 yard on 22 carries at that point.

In the second half, Hillsborough kept fighting and scored a touchdown in the final minute, but by then, the game was out of reach.

“There are a lot of things that we are encouraged about,” Carty Jr. said. “But it’s not the end that we wanted.”

HILLSBOROUGH (6-4) 7-0-7-7-21

OLD BRIDGE (5-3-1) 14-13-7-0-34

OB – Imbimbo 1 run (Sammarco kick)

OB – Sodano 6 run (Sammarco kick)

H – Brown 14 pass from Moore (McGowan kick)

OB – Sodano 13 run (kick failed)

OB – Sitkowski 1 run (Sammarco kick)

H – Boatwright 75 run (kick good)

OB – Sodano 4 run (Sammarco kick)

H – Alboum 13 run (kick good)