Football: North Hunterdon off to best start in decades
CLINTON - What’s gotten the North Hunterdon High School football team out to its best start to a season since 1986? The kind of balanced attack it showed in Thursday night’s 27-7 triumph over Immaculata.
Though North Hunterdon was intercepted four times and was a -2 in takeaways, the Lions won comfortably because of the strong running of senior running back Luke Wain and senior quarterback Matt Busher, and the play of the offensive and defensive lines. North Hunterdon is 4-0 for the first time since the 1986 team opened 5-0.
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The Lions also took a major step in capturing their first division title since 1993. North Hunterdon, which sealed a share of the Mid-State 37 Conference Raritan Division, can take it outright with a win Oct. 14 at Scotch Plains-Fanwood.
Much is to be done between now and then, said North Hunterdon coach Jared Mazzetta. The Lions need sharpening as they approach the meat of the schedule, including a game with Bridgewater-Raritan, the visit to Scotch Plains and then Hillsborough and Phillipsburg. Two-time defending Delaware Division champ Bridgewater-Raritan (3-1) visits Clinton next Friday, and the Lions are eager to play a two-time North 2 Group V finalist on homecoming night.
“We are looking forward to the challenge,” Mazzetta said.
Mazzetta pointed out that a negative in turnover ratio usually means a loss. Not so this time.
“Our defense played lights out again,” Mazzetta said. “Last week we shut out Watchung Hills (23-0) and Immaculata didn’t score until there were three minutes (3:59) to go, so we had seven quarters of shutout football, which was nice for us to do. I think we did a great job of playing up front on both sides of the ball.”
The work of right tackle Jimmy Tordick, right guard Nick Paulter, center Jack Stotthoff, left guard Joe Abbas, left tackle Sean Siebert and backs Eric Dehkes and Noah Quental was much appreciated by Wain, who carried 28 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns.
“It’s fun playing with that offensive line,” Wain said. “We are one big unit and when things get chippy like that we lean on each other. We keep each other out of trouble. We just drove down the field 98 yards on that last drive. It was a great time.
“(Senior quarterback Matt Busher) had a bad game, we are all gonna have bad games, like last week the defense picked the offense up and tonight the running game picked Matt up, that’s what great teams do, and we still took it to them. It’s a great team, I’m telling you we are going places.”
Busher threw for 198 yards and touchdown passes to Griffin Honthy and Luke Ingenito. Busher also ran for 64 yards on eight carries. His four interceptions weren’t as big a subject, considering the margin of victory. Mazzetta said Busher had four interceptions all of last season.
Mazzetta called Busher a “great” quarterback and the team’s leader. He said Busher attempted to make completions in tight coverage where in the past he’d usually keep it and run.
“We made a few mistakes throwing the ball, but we controlled the line of scrimmage and in the second half when the defense forced a fumble we drove the ball 98 yards to seal the win, which was a real nice drive in a very physical game,” Mazzetta said.
Immaculata scored late when Nate Barnett hit tight end Stephen Dwyer, who raced to the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown with 3:59 left in the fourth. But it was far from enough for the Spartans (2-2, 1-2).
The Lions opened the game by forcing a three-and-out, then went 66 yards in six plays to take a 6-0 lead on Busher’s 26-yard TD pass to Luke Igenito. Senior Kyle Hensler, who had eight tackles and fumble recovery, then hit the ensuing play hard at the Spartans’ front line with Anthony Masters recovering. Not long after, Busher connected with Honthy from 18 yards out for a 13-0 lead with 5:25 left first quarter.
“We had a nice kick that just happened to bounce off someone’s leg, bounced and went our way and that’s how it works sometimes, you get those lucky bounces. It happened to get to us and to go up 13-0 within the first six or seven minutes of the game is always a plus,” Mazzetta said. “We leaned on the defense a little bit after the offense made some mistakes and the defense picked us up.”
Wain made it 20-0 on a short run with 2:56 before halftime.
NOTES: Barnett was 15-for-26 for 170 yards and a touchdown. Shahkyle Matthews caught four passes for 55 yards, Noah Stansbury had three for 51 and Dwyer three for 48 and the TD. Immaculata has another road division game at Warren Hills on Friday night.