South Brunswick beats North Brunswick for seventh straight time

“I have to get one with Josh, too,” said South Brunswick junior Jaylan Lawson, as he noticed teammates, one by one, sauntering over to quarterback Josh Liao to pose for pictures.

There were plenty of snaps following the Vikings 19-0 win over North Brunswick in the annual Thanksgiving Day game. South Brunswick received the Mike Elko Memorial Trophy and cut North Brunswick’s all-time series lead to 23-18-1 with its seventh straight win over the Raiders.

Players posed in groups, but several gravitated to Liao. The senior started the past 2 1/2 seasons as the Vikings went 30-5 with two state championship appearances at Rutgers. The team had stars like Phil Campbell, now playing at Pittsburgh. But Liao has been a steadying presence, throwing for over 2,700 combined yards over the past two seasons, and he’s rushed for 500-plus this fall. The glue of the team returned the love to his teammates and the 16 other seniors.

“Probably eight, nine of us have been playing since we were in seventh grade,” he said. “And just walking with these guys every year, knowing that hey, these guys got my back. They all got my back every year we’re playing. It’s been great.”

Unlike like last season when they won the NJSIAA Central Group V title, South Brunswick (8-3) doesn’t have another game The Vikings lost to top-seeded Manalapan 34-20 on Nov. 18 in the sectional semifinal.

Liao said it was tough having to go back to practice after that defeat.

“I was beating myself up for not being able to win the last game, the state semifinal game,” he said. “But I was thinking all the things that happened in my career. All the great things that happened. How many games we won. Like some guys would kill for that, and I had an opportunity to do that. Thank god, and I couldn’t ask for anything more from my coaches, from my teammates. I love everyone here. It’s been great.”

The game itself wasn’t a thing of beauty at times. South Brunswick led 19-0 at halftime, and there was no scoring in a chippy second half. It included a handful of personal foul penalties, and the Vikings had two touchdowns in a row negated because of penalties.

In the first half, South Brunswick scored on a 36-yard run from Liao up the middle and an 8-yard pass from Liao to running back Dylan Kriz. The Vikings displayed some trickery, as well, with Lawson getting the handoff and throwing a 59-yard touchdown to Justin Shorter. Defensively, Thomas Joe-Kamara had an interception and Xavier Cargile had a sack on fourth down.

North Brunswick (1-9) showed heart and hope for the future. Sophomore quarterback Christian Petrillo rushed for 78 yards on 17 carries. In the third quarter, sophomore Aaron Ahr put pressure on Liao and David Strzeminski came up with the interception.

But the Thanksgiving, again, belonged to the Vikings.

“Now, I know there’s no more next one,” Liao said. “But I know that we finished out. We gave all our effort. Played hard and I’m proud of my teammates. I’m proud of our team this year, everything that we did. It’s fantastic. I love my brothers. Thank god for everything. It’s very amazing.”

SOUTH BRUNSWICK (8-3) 7-12-0-0-19

NORTH BRUNSWICK (1-9) 0-0-0-0-0

SCORING SUMMARY

SB – Liao 36 run (Fisher kick)

SB – Kriz 22 pass from Liao (kick failed)

SB – Shorter 59 pass from Lawson (kick failed)