FOOTBALL: Puccio boots Watchung Hills past Plainfield in overtime

PLAINFIELD – It’s been a frustrating season for the Watchung Hills High School football team. An 0-5 start, despite being in several games, is enough to beat a team down, and the Warriors had every reason in the world to mentally check out and just play out the string.

Saturday at Plainfield, the Watchung Hills did anything but that, even late in the game with the chips heavily stacked against it.

The Warriors surrendered a three-point lead with 42 seconds remaining in regulation, but never flinched, getting a game-tying field goal from senior kicker Brian Puccio as time expired and then the game-winner in overtime — his third successful boot of the game in as many tries — and Watchung Hills finally reached the win column, topping the Cardinals 9-6 at Hub Stine Field.

“A lot of people don’t watch our games because our record isn’t good, but our kids fight,” said Watchung Hills coach Rich Seubert, whose team improved to 1-5. “If you ask opposing coaches, we fight hard. We make mistakes as coaches and players, but we’re getting better. And as long as the kids fight, this program will come around. Our conference is the toughest in the state week in and week out, and as long as my boys fight and work hard and play together as a team we’re good.”

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Both teams’ fight were at maximum effort as Plainfield (0-6) was also looking for its first victory. After a scoreless opening half, Watchung Hills broke through first, getting a 33-yard field goal from Puccio with 8:19 left in the third quarter.

It looked as if that would be all the scoring for the afternoon — Plainfield had missed a 22-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds of the first half. Watchung Hills had the ball with just under 2:00 left in Plainfield territory, but a would-be first down pass was dropped on a 4th-and-5 from the Cardinals’ 41-yard line giving the Cardinals great field position. Seubert said he forwent the punt because if it bounced into the end zone the difference would have been less than a 20-yard net and he trusted his defense, which had played superbly all afternoon.

Plainfield had its last-gasp opportunity and cashed in, as backup quarterback Jamir Esaw — a sophomore filling in after starter Leonte Langston went out with a rib injury early in the fourth quarter — led the charge, rushing for 18 yards on the drive and completing a 27-yard pass to Haleem Woods to get his team into scoring range. The sophomore then hit Allen Boone with a quick pass over the middle from the 6-yard line, and the senior surged ahead, stretching over the goal line for the touchdown to make it 6-3 Plainfield with 42 seconds remaining.

But the penalty bug that plagued both teams all game reared its head again, as Plainfield was flagged for a personal foul on the failed 2-point conversion attempt, moving the Cardinals back 15 yards on the kickoff, and after Zahvea Thorne returned the kick 24 yards to the Plainfield 49, Watchung Hills was in business.

Freshman quarterback Chad Martini, making is first varsity start, moved his team into field-goal range, and after a couple of running plays got it even closer and Puccio buried a 33-yard attempt to tie it as time expired.

“We needed to get into field goal range and I trusted my quarterback, I trusted my receivers and trusted everyone on that offense to get into range,” Puccio said. “We didn’t expect them (Plainfield) to be that tough. But when they showed how tough they were, we knew it would be a game of a couple of points.”

In overtime, after Plainfield’s drive stalled at the 23-yard line, another ill-timed personal foul penalty on Plainfield gave Watchung Hills the ball at the 12 1/2 –yard line, and after two fruitless runs, Puccio nailed the 29-yard game-winner.

“I just see the ball going through the uprights, that’s all you can think about, not that, oh, man, I’ve got to make it to win,” said Puccio, whose 3-for-3 kicking day was even more impressive considering the game was played on grass. “So I was thinking, 30-something yarder? Alright. Let me make it. I already saw it going through before I kicked it.”

“Puccio, I’ll give him to about the 23, 24-yard line and I know he’s good,” Seubert said.

Both defenses shone, as Watchung Hills posted four sacks, including three by Cross Zampetti, and grabbed three interceptions, holding Plainfield to 50 yards rushing and just 115 through the air. The Cardinals nabbed three picks and recovered a fumble, also doing a good job to limit Watchung Hills, especially early.

“It’s a tough one. A very, very tough one,” Plainfield coach Corey Tucker said. “The guys played tough, they fought through a lot of different adversity like injuries. But they showed some grit in some tough moments and we can build on that.”

“They didn’t give up,” Seubert said of his team, a club that got 106 rushing yards from Caleb Parker. “We might not be the biggest, but they dug deep and found a way to get it done. They’ve played hard all year.”

Simeon Pincus can be reached at SPincus@GannettNJ.com. Follow him on Twitter @SimeonPincus and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SimeonPincusCN

WATCHUNG HILLS (1-5) 0-0-3-3-3 -- 9
PLAINFIELD (0-6) 0-0-0-6-0 -- 6
SCORING PLAYS:
WH – Puccio 33 field goal
P – Boone 6 pass from Esaw (pass failed)
WH – Puccio 33 field goal
WH – Puccio 29 field goal
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:
RUSHING: WH—Parker 23-106, Thorne 7-35, Ja. Taub 9-22, Martini 1-(-2), Marinello 2-6, Badger 1-5; P—Langston 2-15, Haye 5-5, Spencer 4-13, Esaw 7-27.
PASSING: WH—Martini 9-22-0-3-56; P—Langston 5-14-0-2-70, Esaw 3-9-1-1-45.
RECEIVING: WH—Thorne 3-26, Poggi 4-28, Badger 1-(-3), Ja. Taub 1-5; P—Woods 2-39, Boone 2-18, Mullings 3-21, Cagle 1-37.