SAYREVILLE, NJ—GMC Hoops took in some High School Football on Friday night, when it traveled out to Bomber Stadium at Sayreville War Memorial High School to watch the hometown Sayreville Bombers, which entered the 2007 Central Jersey Group IV Tournament as the third seed with an 7-2 overall mark. The only two losses suffered by the Bombers were at the hands of Piscataway and Edison. On October 5th, Sayreville hosted the Chiefs in what was supposed to be a showdown of the two top teams in the GMC Red. The game wasn’t even close as Piscataway rolled to a convincing 42-7 victory. The following week, the Bombers stumbled on the road at Edison, 15-12. Sayreville is also trying to reverse a recent string of state playoff failures. Although the Bombers won a state sectional title in 1997 in addition to back to back GMC Red Championships in 1992 and 1993 as well as two White Division titles from 1996 and 1998, the school has faltered in state tourney play in each of the last eight years.
Besides losing to Scotch Plains in a thrilling North Jersey Section 2 Group IV semifinals in the 2003 season, Sayreville has only managed to reach the semifinal round of the Central Jersey Group IV State Tournament three times since 1999 with no Championship Game appearances. The Bombers lost to Piscataway in the Semifinals back in 1999 by a score of 21-20, dropped another close decision to Hunterdon Central back in 2002 (14-10), and was pounded in their last semifinal game in 2004 to Jackson Township (38-7). In other years, Sayreville has not even gotten out of the first round with losses to J.P. Stevens in 2001 (14-7), Howell in 2005 (32-31), and Brick Memorial in 2006 (35-9). The Bombers will have their work cut out for them with a matchup against either seventh seeded Jackson Township of Ocean County, or second seeded West Windsor-Plainsboro South in the semifinals with a victory over Brick.
Speaking of Brick, the Bombers have had their share of troubles against the teams from the Shore Conference in State Tournament play during this eight year stretch. Entering play on Friday night, Sayreville has lost to a team from either the American or the Constitution Division of the Shore in each of the past three years of state tourney play. On this night though, Sayreville would turn the tables thanks to the help of a Brick Township squad that always seemed to find a way to shoot itself in the foot with either penalties, turnovers, or some other mistake to halt a drive and prevent a score. Brick could only manage to be as close as eight points early in the second and third quarters, but couldn’t get any closer. Meanwhile, the Bombers collected for turnovers including three interceptions in the fourth quarter, and two touchdowns apiece by Matt Gruytch and Rashiem Clark to pull out a 34-15 victory over the Green Dragons to advance.
Due to some heavy Friday night traffic not only on 287 and 440 South, but also locally in Sayreville itself on Ernston and Washington Roads, GMC Hoops wasn’t able to arrive at the game until the 8:38 mark of the second quarter with Sayreville already on top, 14-6. The Bombers scored all of their first 14 points in the opening frame as Javon Hodges scored on a five yard run early on after a fumble recovery by defensive back, LaVone Graham, who also stars in the backcourt on the Sayreville Bomber Basketball team during the Winter. Then, after Brick Township punted on its next offensive series, Sayreville took the ball, and marched 66 yards in 13 plays capped by a one yard plunge by Gruytch with 1:11 left in the period according to an article in today’s Home News-Tribune. The key play on the drive was a 37 yard pass by Quarterback, Chris McLafferty, who was a reserve on last year’s Boys Basketball team, to Michael Leonard. The Green Dragons opened up the scoring early in the second with a touchdown, but missed the extra point conversion, and the score stood at 14-6. However, on the next possession, Sayreville went in for the score on another Gruytch run about 1:12 after our arrival at the football field to make the score, 21-6 in favor of the Bombers with 7:26 to go in the first half.
On a much more fall like night than its has been for much of this football season, Brick then took the ensuing kickoff, and couldn’t do much with it as Sayreville wound up with the ball again at the Green Dragon 38 yard line. However, the Bombers couldn’t cash in on the great field position, and were forced to punt. Darrell Stephenson punted the ball deep into Brick Township territory, and the Shore Conference school from Ocean County wound up starting its next possession on about their own 12 yard line. After some initial struggle, Brick’s Quarterback, John Applewhite, who was rushed out of the pocket all night by the likes of Sayreville’s big defensive lineman Augustine Sesay and linebacker Frank Velardi, connected on a pass up the right side to Kurt Lofkus near Sayreville’s sideline, and after another passing play and a couple running plays, Brick Township was up near midfield and still driving. In a drive that took at least five minutes, the Green Dragons managed to get fairly far into Sayreville territory thanks in part to a questionable pass interference call inside the Bomber 20 that allowed Brick to get 15 more yards to inside the Sayreville 35.
However, in a repeating theme of this game, Brick could not finish the job as its offense started to go in the other direction, and the Green Dragons ended the first half empty handed with Sayreville going into its locker room ahead by a 21-6 count. In the second half, the Bombers were awarded possession, and got the ball on the 28 yard line after the kickoff. The first Bomber drive of the second half didn’t produce much at all in the way of results as Sayreville was three and out after only gaining three yards. Then, on the subsequent punt, the Green Dragons got to punter Darrell Stevenson for a block, and recovered on the Bomber 20 yard line with 10:21 left in the third. Within several plays, Brick Township was in the end zone as William Carabello took several Sayreville defenders with him for the score, and after the extra point was made, Brick had trimmed the deficit again to eight, 21-13 with 8:58 left in the third. Appearing to have all the momentum, and awakening its supporters, who took the trip up Route 9 North to see the contest, Brick gave all of it back to Sayreville thanks to a low line drive kick that was fielded by another varsity hoops player, Ray Rodriguez, who ran the ball back to nearly the 50 yard line.
Rodriguez’s run put the Bombers in great position, and after an eight yard run by Clark to the right side on the first play from scrimmage, the senior running back and defensive back, who also played as a reserve on Sayreville’s Boys Basketball team as well as competed on the JV squad, which earned a fourth seed in last season’s East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament, scampered 42 yards down the right side for a touchdown. Stevenson failed to knock home the extra point with a kick that was wide right, but the Bombers were back up by two touchdowns with 7:59 left in the third. On Brick’s next possession, the Green Dragons used up about 6:53, but again couldn’t score. Brick Township got the ball in decent field position, and drove down to around the Sayreville 35, but got backed up to the 45 yard line, went for it on fourth down, and was snuffed out by the Bomber defense with less than a minute to go. Sayreville went in reverse for a bit with two procedural or false start penalties, but after having a 1st and 20 at their own 35, Clark, who had 65 yards on just three carries in the third, made another nice run of 15 yards to midfield as the quarter ended.
With a second and five to start the fourth, Sayreville was stopped for a loss of several yards, and then gained some of that back to have a 4th and 6 at about the 47 yard line when Stevenson shanked a punt to his right out of bounds at the 32 yard line of Brick. The Green Dragons then drove to midfield, and on a pass to the right side, a Brick receiver had the ball wrestled away by Javon Hodges with 7:15 left in the game. Sayreville ended up not being able to convert, and after another punt by Stevenson that had a kind bounce to inside Brick’s 20 yard line, the Green Dragons tried once again to get themselves going offensively. Once more the Ocean County school drove the ball well as it got into Sayreville territory. Near the 40 yard line, Applewhite threw a pass again to the right side near the Brick sideline, and it was intercepted by Clark on about the 35 yard line. Clark then went all the way to the other side of the field, found a crease, and ran the distance for a 65 yard touchdown with under three minutes remaining. Stevenson tacked on the extra point, and the Bombers led 34-13. With the game out of reach, Brick tried to make things respectable with another nice drive, but again couldn’t score.
With the ball inside or near the Sayreville thirty yard line, and time running out, the Green Dragons were compelled to throw a deep pass into the end zone on the right side, and it was picked off by Rodriguez with 1:25 left. The Bombers then tried to run the clock out, but couldn’t get far as their offense was stuck in reverse. Finally, on fourth down, Sayreville’s quarterback, Chris McLafferty, made a smart play by avoiding another potential blocked punt for a score as he ran into his own end zone to take a safety with 56 seconds left. And, that is how the game ended with Sayreville coming away with a 34-15 win. With the victory, the Bombers moved up to 8-2 on the season, and advanced to play in the semifinals for the fifth time in the last eight years next Saturday. Meanwhile, Brick Township finishes its season at 5-4.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sayreville (8-2) | 14 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 34 |
| Brick Township (5-4) | 0 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 15 |