PISCATAWAY, NJ–On Saturday, GMC Hoops continued its football coverage with another state playoff game involving GMC teams. This time, the contest involved two teams from the Greater Middlesex Conference as Woodbridge journeyed to Piscataway High School to take on the undefeated Red Division Champs and top seeded Chiefs in an opening round game in the North Jersey Section 2 Group IV bracket. Besides a small flicker of hope midway through the fourth quarter, this game belonged to the Chiefs, which defeated Woodbridge in the second game of the season, 45-6. Behind senior tailback Barry Garrard’s 22 carry for 98 yard effort and two touchdowns, and James White’s coast to coast return of an interception for another touchdown in addition to 10 tackles from Rutgers bound defensive end, Marvin Booker, Piscataway jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead, and went on to advance to a semifinal matchup against Westfield next week with a 27-7 victory over the Barrons.
Woodbridge, which lost three straight after winning its opener over Passaic Tech, turned things around with three straight victories before losing to South Brunswick last week. The Barrons had to make adjustments after losing quarterback Anthony Viola to a season ending injury earlier in the season. Going to basketball standout, Anthony Graham, who began the year at wide receiver, Woodbridge, which had not been outscored by more than two touchdowns in all of its other games besides the first loss to P-Way this season, managed to become playoff eligible as the eighth seed. The Barrons had five of its eight previous games decided by six points or less including an overtime win over Edison on October 5, 2007. Meanwhile, Piscataway has been dominant this season. After losing to Linden in the opening round of last year’s state tournament, the Chiefs have returned this year with a disciplined focus and determined not to overlook any opponent. That strategy has paid off as Piscataway has rolled in its first eight games outscoring teams by a combined total of 294 to 99, or an average of about 37 to 12. The closest an opponent came to even entertaining the possibility of tying or beating P-Way was when South Brunswick lost to the Chiefs, 28-18 on September 20, 2007.
Both teams have had rich histories and tradition while winning their share of sectional and division championships. Woodbridge has won nine state sectional titles and 12 conference or division titles. The last time the Barrons won a state sectional championship was in 1997 while they’ve posted titles in the Greater Middlesex Conference back in 1986 and 1992. In addition, the Barrons have made playoff berths in 2001, 2003, and 2004. Two of those last three playoff seasons have ended at the hands of the Chiefs, which defeated the Barrons by a score of 24-0 in round one of the 2001 playoffs, and 20-7 in the semifinal round of the 2003 playoffs. Meanwhile, Piscataway has always been a power in Central Jersey and Middlesex County. Going back to the days of the old mid-state conference, the Chiefs had teams that were always feared and respected. Since 1998, Piscataway has made ten straight state playoff appearances with finals appearances in 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 with sectional championships coming in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Changing sections didn’t make a difference either. As a matter of fact, the Chiefs have been more successful in North Jersey Section 2 Group IV than in Central Jersey Group IV. While in the Central Jersey bracket, Piscataway only won one sectional title in three finals appearances as supposed to two championships in three title games in North Jersey Section 2.
In front of a surprisingly sparse crowd for both sides, the Chiefs took the opening kickoff and reversed to Garrard on about the ten yard line, and then the diminutive tailback and returner scooted along the sideline for 37 yards according to the broadcast on WCTC to set up Piscataway with good field position on their opening drive. By the time GMC Hoops arrived, P-Way was on the ten yard line with a 4th Down and 7 situation in front of them with 9:10 to go in the first quarter. After calling timeout, the Chiefs quarterback, Rashon Cooper, found Justin Blake on the right side for a touchdown to put Piscataway ahead, 7-0. On Woodbridge’s next possession, the Chiefs almost had a chance to get a quick score as Syracuse bound, and basketball standout, J.D. Griggs came around the right side to sack Anthony Graham, who fumbled, but it was recovered by the Barrons inside their own 10 yard line. Graham then punted the ball to Piscataway, which was set up nicely on the Woodbridge 36 yard line with about 6:30 to go in the first quarter. Cooper then passed to his right, and found Griggs coming off the line for a ten yard gain in front of the Piscataway sideline. On the next play, Cooper passed left, and found Coleman Peteet for a gain of about seven more yards to the Woodbridge 19 yard line. Shortly afterward, Garrard, who became Piscataway’s all time leading rusher, and tied the school record for most career touchdowns in this game, took a handoff and dashed up the middle while breaking and eluding tackles to find the end zone for a touchdown with 3:34 remaining in the first.
The score remained 14-0 in favor of the Chiefs going into the second quarter when Woodbridge got the ball at about midfield. At that point, Barrons coach, Brian Russo, went with a change at quarterback as Nick Stallone was sent in while Graham went out to his old position at wide receiver. The two immediately attempted to hook up for a big play as Stallone showed good arm strength on a throw deep to Graham at about the Piscataway 20 yard line. The Chiefs had two defenders in the vicinity of Graham and the ball, but made contact with the Barron flanker while not turning around to see where the ball was. The officials then assessed a pass interference penalty, and Woodbridge moved into P-Way territory at around the 35 yard line. The backfield combination of Deshawn Knight and Christian Mangine got steady work in this contest, and on this drive helped the Barrons move closer with a seven yard run to the Chief 28 yard line, and then Mangine ran for six more yards to the P-Way 21. However, like Brick Memorial did against Sayreville the night before in the Central Jersey Group IV playoffs, the Barrons shot themselves in the foot with a turnover that was recovered at about the 17 yard line by another Chief basketball standout, James White with 7:30 to go in the half.
Not doing much in the ensuing possession, Piscataway went three and out, and was forced to punt. The Barrons were ready, and went all out for the block, which worked as they recovered the blocked punt at about the Piscataway 16 yard line with 5:16 to go in the half. Woodbridge then ran the ball for a first down at about the Chief six yard line, and then stalled. Backed up a couple yards two plays later, WHS was confronted with a third down and goal at the Piscatway 8 yard line. Stallone then tried to look for Graham, through his way into a swarm of black jerseys. A Piscataway defender deflected the ball into the air, and White, known for his defense during last year’s Championship run, grabbed it for an interception, and ran up field along the Woodbridge sideline uncontested for a 100 yard touchdown that really served as the backbreaking play of the game. White’s play was a 14 point turnaround that prevented the score from becoming 14-7 while making it a commanding 21-0 Chief lead with 3:44 to go before intermission.
The Chiefs didn’t appear to be through either. After the Barrons went three and out on their next possession, Graham punted away from Garrard to Peteet, and Peteet made him pay for that by taking the ball at his own 43 yard line and scampering some 23 yards to the Woodbridge 34. Cooper then passed to Peteet on the first offensive play of the drive to get the ball down to around the Barron ten yard line. Fortunately for Woodbridge, the deficit didn’t get any larger as the Chiefs soon turned the ball over on the 16 with 1:22 left in the half, and the scoreboard read Piscataway 21-0 at halftime. Neither team would score in the third, but there was some news still in that period as Garrard got a handoff and ran the ball some twenty yards up the Piscataway sideline to about the Woodbridge 35 yard line to set the school rushing record previously held by Tyshnn Jackson of 2,123 yards back in 1999. Garrard ended the game with 2,175 yards, and has two more contests to pad that number even more.
In the fourth quarter, Woodbridge finally showed some life by not only forcing a Piscataway turnover, but also turning that into some points with a touchdown a short time later. With 8:45 to go in the game, the Barrons recovered a Chief fumble, and within several plays handed off to Deshawn Knight for a touchdown run that closed the gap to 21-7 with just 6:54 left. Behind by two scores, and running out of time, Woodbridge went for the onsides kick and judging by the enthusiasm in the Barron crowd, you would have thought the Barrons had successfully recovered. However, the officials ruled that a Woodbridge player had illegally touched the ball, and Piscataway was awarded possession at the 39 yard line with 6:53 remaining. The Chiefs then took time off the clock by handing the ball off to Justin Tillman for a ten yard gain, and got a five yard face mask penalty tacked on to give the Chiefs the ball near the Woodbridge 23. Tillman got the ball again, and ran it to the Woodbridge ten. Piscataway got stalled a bit for a loss of a couple yards, but then Garrard equaled the school record for touchdowns set by former Rutgers standout Devraun Thompson in 2003 with 32 on a 10 yard run into the right corner of the Woodbridge end zone for a 27-7 lead with 4:07 to play.
Although the Chiefs would miss the extra point, they came away with the victory. In two games this season, Piscataway outscored Woodbridge by a 72-13 margin. The Chiefs advance to the semifinal round, where it will face off against Watchung Conference member, Westfield at home next Saturday. The fourth seeded Blue Devils advanced by virtue of its 21-8 defeat of the Bayonne Bees from Hudson County on their first round game. The winner of that game will go on to face the victor of the game played next Friday night between Franklin and Hunterdon Central. The third seeded Warriors from Somerset, and an annual Thanksgiving Day rival of the Chiefs punched their ticket to the semis with a solid 26-7 win over perennial football power Phillpsburg of Warren County. Meanwhile, second seeded Hunterdon Central advanced thanks to a shutout, 20-0 victory over Elizabeth. If Franklin and Piscataway both win next week, the two teams will be set for meetings on back to back weeks with the Thanksgiving Day traditional game as well as the sectional final the following weekend.
Other GMC Results From State Tourney Play
Twenty-five years ago this fall, one of the last great South Plainfield teams put together a special season. In the 1982 football season, South Plainfield began the year by knocking off long time nemesis from the Mid-State Conference, Somerville, 18-0. The Tigers then followed that up with two more shutout wins, and ended up 8-3 with only losses to Bridgewater-Raritan West, Piscataway (38-6), and Wall Township (21-0). The loss to Wall was in the 1982 Central Jersey Group III Championship game. South Plainfield got to its matchup with the Crimson Knights that year by defeating Manasquan in the semifinals a week before Thanksgiving, but were no match for a Wall program that was at its height as a football power. Perhaps some of the magic of the 25th anniversary of that season rubbed off on Head Coach Phlip McGuane and this year’s edition of the Tigers, which battled to get into the states with a come from behind 24-22 victory over Monroe several weeks ago.
Coming in at 5-3 and the eighth seed in a very competitive North Jersey Section 2 Group III field that consists of top seeded Irvington, Morristown, New Brunswick, Scotch Plains, and Colonia, the Tigers had their work cut out for them against an Irvington team that dispatched South Plainfield easily, 49-14 in the semifinal round of the 2006 tourney en route to a finals loss to New Brunswick at Rutgers. However, battle tested by recent close contest in the GMC White Division, South Plainfield controlled possession and the clock while keeping Irvington’s potent offense on the sideline. Troy Russell, a former player on the South Plainfield basketball team and current standouts Bennie Gibson and Mike Burton sparked the Tigers to a stunning, 18-12 overtime victory over the Blue Knights in Irvington on Saturday afternoon. Russell, who ran for 72 yards in the second half, kicked a 26 yard field goal to tie the game at 12-12 with 4:44 left in regulation to cap a clutch 15 play, 89 yard drive according to the Newark Star-Ledger.
Then, in overtime, South Plainfield, which outgained Irvington by nearly a 4 to 1 margin in the second half, pulled off the huge upset when Burton connected with Gibson, who had 71 yards rushing in the second half, on a five yard pass for the victory. In other action, top seeded South River rolled past New Egypt of Ocean County, 28-8 in the Central Jersey Group I playoffs, Highland Park stunned perennial powerhouse, Florence, 20-17 in the same bracket, and Monroe upended Freehold Boro in Central Jersey Group III, 24-7. The only losers on Saturday were both in North Jersey Section 2 Group III as Colonia dropped a 19-13 decision at Scotch Plains while defending sectional champion, New Brunswick was defeated by Morristown, 36-20.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piscataway (9-0) | 14 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 27 |
| Woodbridge (4-5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |