GMC Football: South Brunswick pulls out win over Sayreville
SAYREVILLE — Justin Shorter as the next Tom Brady? Or perhaps the next great Penn State quarterback like a Todd Blackledge or a Kerry Collins?
Probably not, as the South Brunswick High School senior has committed to the Nittany Lions as a receiver, and for good reason. But Vikings coach Joe Goerge joked he tried to get Shorter to play quarterback in the preseason, “but things are working out real good.”
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Yes, they are. Friday, he showed his versatility in South Brunswick’s 27-14 win over Sayreville. Shorter threw a 17-yard touchdown pass out of the wildcat to Abidi Hussain, caught a 56-yard score from starting QB Felix Quinones and hauled in a 60-yard pass that set up a score.
It was a marquee matchup between two of the best Middlesex County teams that lived up to the expectations. South Brunswick was ranked No. 2 in the Home News Tribune Top 10, while Sayreville was ranked at No. 5.
The crisp game had plenty of hard hitting with few sustained drives, and was tied at 7-7 at the intermission. With the game knotted at 14-14 early in the fourth quarter, South Brunswick scored twice in a two-minute span to break it open and help its Greater Middlesex Conference Red Division title chances.
“The biggest thing was our defense tonight – kept us in this ball game all night long,” Goerge said. “They did just an outstanding job. I think they were relentless. Their effort – it was a great win. One of the better wins.”
South Brunswick linebacker Dylan Kriz had two sacks and several big tackles, while fellow linebacker Xavier Cargile also led a team charge.
It was the quarterback Quinones who started the floodgates—when he was in at defensive back. Midway through the fourth quarter, the senior snagged an interception near his team’s 20-yard line with Sayreville driving and returned it to the 44-yard line. On the next play, Quinones threw the 56-yard touchdown to Shorter down the left sideline. Shorter reached for the ball while in coverage for the score with just over five minutes left in the game.
On the next possession, Sayreville couldn’t get a punt attempt off on a high snap as South Brunswick took over on the Bombers’ 28-yard line. On the next play, Jaylan Lawson ran it in for a 28-yard touchdown with 3:42 remaining to give South Brunswick a 27-14 lead.
And just like that, South Brunswick broke open the defense-filled, low-scoring classic.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Shorter was a big part as defenses always key on him. As he noted, “Let’s say I’ll be covered – that would just open up other players for them to be open too, so it’s a great team effort.”
As Quinones said, “That kid’s a legend. I love playing with him. I’ve known him since I was little and it feels great to see him excel at what he can do. I’ve known him for so long and he works every day. Every single day he works so hard.”
In the first half, it was big scoring plays that made the difference. South Brunswick struck first when Quinones threw a 60-yarder to Shorter, who caught the ball in stride downfield and got tackled at Sayreville’s 2-yard line near the end of the first quarter.
After the game, Goerge shared a laugh with Shorter when he said, “Just don’t know why he didn’t get in on the first one. What was the deal on that one?”
Shorter could just smile. But no worries. Two plays later, Thomas Joe-Kamara punched it in from 2-yards out for the 7-0 lead with 9 seconds into the second quarter. Evan Scooby kicked the extra point.
In the second quarter, Sayreville quarterback Mark Whitford connected on a 22-yard pass to Cameron Davis to the Bombers’ 17-yard line. Following a penalty, Whitford threw an 18-yard touchdown to Davis again, who jumped up in coverage to haul in the touchdown pass with 4:18 left in the half.
In the end, it was a night for South Brunswick, which won last season’s meeting 26-20.
There won’t be a rematch as both teams prepare for their likely playoff run that begins in three weeks. Sayreville is in the NJSIAA Group 2 North IV section, while South Brunswick is in Central V.
“They’re a tough team,” Quinones said. “But we were tough. Our coaching staff put us in the best position. We couldn’t have done it without the whole 40 guys out there. We were tough and we were relentless, but we got a long season left. We got to keep working hard and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
SOUTH BRUNSWICK (5-1) 0-7-7-13 – 27
SAYREVILLE (4-3) 0-7-7-0 – 14
SB – Joe-Kamara 2 run (Scooby kick)
S – Davis 18 pass from Whitford (Milewski kick)
SB – Hussain 17 pass from Shorter (Scooby kick)
S – Holmes 30 run (Milewski kick)
SB – Shorter 56 pass from Quinones (kick failed)
SB – Lawson 28 run (Scooby kick)