Football: Eberle, Voorhees roll to victory over Rahway

RAHWAY — The Rahway High School football team found that the surest way to slow down quarterback George Eberle and the explosive Voorhees offense was simply to keep it off the field.

That strategy worked for a half Thursday evening before the Vikings made the most of its possessions and erupted for 31 second-half points to claim a 38-21 victory.

Eberle powered the outcome by completing 9-of-19 passes for 262 yards and four touchdowns, running for a 43-yard fourth-quarter touchdown that afforded Voorhees a two touchdown advantage, and capped the scoring with his fifth field goal of the season, a 35-yarder on a blustery night.

The junior quarterback was 4-for-9 for 209 yards in the second half, connecting with John Rocoroni for touchdown passes of 29, 85 and 43 yards.

“In they first half they had the ball for, I don’t know how many minutes,” Eberle said. “In the second half we controlled the ball and gained momentum.”

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The score was deadlocked at 7-7 at halftime, with all of the points coming in a hectic 12-second span on the game clock.

Eberle capped the Vikings' first possession, a brisk 53-yard, five-play salvo, with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Scott Fernandes. Rahway answered on its first play from scrimmage as Ja’Kir Robinson hooked up with Keyshawn Cummings deep down the left sideline for an 80-yard strike that evened the score.

Voorhees (3-1) had the ball for barely four minutes during the second quarter as Rahway played keep away, and neither side threatened to score.

Rahway (2-2) took its lone lead early in the third quarter, after Cummings picked off an Eberle pass, then took a lateral from Robinson and rumbled 26 yards to the 4-yard line. Two plays later Da’Shon Moore made a diving grab at the near right corner of the end zone to give the Indians a short-lived 14-7 advantage.

That lead lasted exactly 1:24 as Eberle found Will Rodenberger for a 51-yard gain down the middle of the field, then connected with Rocoroni for a 38-yard score on the ensuing play.

“Our offense just needed a spark and that didn’t come until the third quarter,” said Eberle, citing the toss to Rodenberger as the incendiary moment. “I felt like we were off from there after he caught that ball.”

Eberle and Rocoroni delivered happy endings to Voorhees next two drives as well with touchdowns of 29 and 85 yards to extend the margin to 28-14.

Robinson (18-for-38, 216 yards) found a leaping Jerrish Halsey in the end zone for a 4-yard score that narrowed the gap to 28-21 with 9:38 to play.

That’s when Eberle gave his arm a rest and put his legs to work, breaking the game open after shedding two tackles at the line of scrimmage for the 43-yard keeper that extended the lead to 35-21 with 5:19 to play. 

VOORHEES (3-1)  7-0-21-10-38

RAHWAY (2-2)  7-0-7-7-21

SCORING SUMMARY

V-Fernandes 6 pass from Eberle (Eberle kick)

R-Cummings 80 pass from Robinson (Cardoza-Chicas kick)

R-Moore 7 pass from Robinson (Cardoza-Chicas kick)

V-Rocoroni 38 pass from Eberle (Eberle kick)

V-Rocoroni 29 pass from Eberle (Eberle kick)

V-Rocoroni 85 pass from Eberle (Eberle kick)

R-Halsey 4 pass from Robinson (Cardoza-Chicas kick)

V-Eberle 43 run (Eberle kick)

V-Eberle FG 35

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS 

Rushing - V: Eberle 6-105, Tong 15-52, Cummings 1-26, Rocoroni 2-12, Marturano 1-8, Fernandes 1-3; R: Pendleton 14-71, Moore: 15-68, Coleman 3-12, Robinson 3-10, Torres 3-10,    

Passing - V: Eberle 11-20-2-262, Tong 0-1-0-0; R: Robinson 18-38-1-216.

Receiving - V: Rocoroni 6-180, Rodenberger 3-72, Fernandes 1-6, Rapach 1-4; R: Cummings 6-127, Halsey 6-47, Moore 5-30, Hall 1-12.