Chiefs Dominate In All Phases To Rout Panthers, 49-0
PISCATAWAY, NJ–Right from the opening kickoff, the third seeded Piscataway Chiefs went after the seventh seeded Bridgewater-Raritan Panthers. Initially, the Panthers were able to withstand the pressure in all phases of the game by the Chiefs, but eventually Piscataway gained more and more momentum, and began to break the game open late in the first half for a 49-0 victory in the North Jersey Section 2 Group V semifinals at Dominic A. Ciardi Field on Saturday afternoon. The victory puts the Chiefs in a sectional final for the third straight year as they will face Elizabeth in a rematch of last year’s N2 Group IV Championship at Kean University next Friday night.
Senior quarterback and Rutgers bound Nadir Barnwell led the way with a rushing and passing touchdown while Cameron Nash added two scores. Kyle LaPorte added a touchdown reception as well as a couple nice punt returns. Kevin Butler, who sealed the win over Franklin on Thanksgiving with a 50 yard run early in the fourth quarter, rumbled 94 yards for a touchdown at the end of the third quarter that made the score, 35-0. Tyrell Judson, who had a fumble recovery just moments before after a strip by Barnwell, had a 51 yard scamper for a score in the middle of the fourth quarter for a 42-0 lead. Then, reserve running back Elijah Pearson, took it to the house from 37 yards out with 2:39 remaining to close out the scoring.
On the defensive side, the Chiefs recorded four turnovers including interceptions by Barnwell and Judson while Marcus Roundtree, Denzel Lockhart, and Elorn Lumor all recorded sacks. According to the Star-Ledger, Bridgewater-Raritan, which upset second seeded Ridge on the road in the opening round two weeks ago, was limited to just 96 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, Piscataway compiled 473 total yards including 401 on the ground. Nash had 100 yards on 17 carries, Butler had 102 yards on two carries, Judson ran for 87 yards on 8 carries, and Barnwell, who also completed 4 of 11 passes for 72 yards, ran for 52 yards on four carries. The Chiefs, which have limited opponents to an average of 9.3 points per game this season, recorded their third shutout of the season.
Piscataway started out fast with a fumble recovery on the opening kickoff at the Bridgewater-Raritan 45 yard line. However, the Chiefs were unable to capitalize thanks to some penalties, and eventually punted. Weathering the initial onslaught by the Chiefs, the Panthers were able to ring up some first downs on offense thanks to the passing of quarterback Donnie Stills. However, Judson came up with an interception at the Piscataway 40 yard line, and returned it to the Bridgewater-Raritan 40 yard line at about the 6:20 mark of the first period. The Chiefs then gave the Panthers a steady diet of their running game of Nash, Butler, and Judson. The drive of 4:28 was capped by a two yard run by Nash at the 1:52 mark of the first for a 7-0 lead.
Nash would add another touchdown run of one yard early in the second for a 14-0 lead. The score remained that way for a while until near the end of the first half when Barnwell intercepted a Stiles pass at the 2:51 mark to start a Chief drive that would be capped by two runs by Barnwell including an 18 yard scramble for a touchdown with 19 seconds to go in the first half for a 21-0 lead at the intermission. The Chiefs, which registered nine plays for losses on defense, were imposing their will on Bridgewater, an old rival from the Mid-State Conference. The score remained that way until late in the third when the Chiefs got two touchdowns in the final 3:17 including their only passing touchdown of the game on a 39 yard strike from Barnwell to LaPorte, and then Butler’s 94 yard gallop in the waning moments of the stanza.
Playing without several key players, especially on the defensive side, Piscataway needed and got contributions from others. P-Way looked more sharp then it did in its 47-14 win over South Brunswick earlier this season. While Elizabeth, which defeated Franklin (24-7) in the other semifinal, has been getting all the attention this season, the Chiefs have quietly been playing better on the defensive side of the ball, and with some starters healing, they could be hitting their stride just at the right time. It was the third straight week that Piscataway played and defeated a team from the Mid-State 38. The Chiefs shut out Watchung Hills in the opening round of the playoffs two weeks ago (21-0), and shut down Eddie Lee and the high powered offense of Franklin on Thanksgiving (21-12).
P-Way is also 3-1 in games covered by GMC Gridiron this season with the only loss coming to Sayreville (14-7) at home on October 12th. With the victory, Piscataway improved to 8-2-1 on the season while Bridgewater-Raritan completed its season at 5-6. The Chiefs will play Elizabeth on Friday night, December 7th at 7:00 PM at Kean University. These two teams played a thriller in the North Jersey Section 2 Group IV final last year with the Chiefs winning in the final minute, 41-34 on a run by Tevin Shaw.