Piscataway Defense Shuts Down Lee and Franklin, 21-12
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, NJ–Thanksgiving football in Central Jersey wouldn’t be the same without two old rivals Piscataway and Franklin going at it. Â These two teams have been battling each other on the gridiron for the better part of the last 50 years with the exception of a few seasons after the Chiefs left the Mid-State Conference in the late 1980s. Â This year’s game was no different. Â Although it was more of a defensive struggle, both teams had their share of big plays when it mattered. Â Fortunately, for P-Way followers, the Chiefs had more of them.
After giving up a long Franklin touchdown drive that combined the no huddle offense with a good dose of running backs Eddie Lee and Tyler Gray, the Chiefs were only leading 14-12 heading into the fourth quarter. Â Kevin Butler helped put the game away for the Chiefs with a 50 yard touchdown run that made it a two score lead that the Warriors weren’t able to overcome. Â Butler ended up with 85 yards on four carries while Cameron Nash led the Chiefs in rushing with 90 yards on 19 carries as well as a touchdown as Piscataway won 21-12 to extend its lead in the Thanksgiving series to 24-21-3.
Nadir Barnwell completed 5 of 9 passes for 68 yards including a 12 yard first quarter touchdown to David Claybrook that gave the Chiefs a 7-0 lead with 5:18 to go in the opening period. Â P-Way had converted a fourth down on the previous play with 5:45 to go in the period. Â Piscataway’s advantage would narrow moments later though as Eddie Lee, coming off a five touchdown and 343 yard performance in a 38-14 victory over Union in the opening round of the North Jersey Section 2 Group V state playoffs five days ago, took the ensuing kickoff, and ran it back 87 yards for a touchdown. Â Franklin wasn’t able to score on the two point conversion attempt so P-Way still led 7-6 with 5:08 to go in the first period.
The Warriors got even more momentum when the Chiefs tried to fake a punt near midfield on its ensuing drive, and was stopped with 4:12 to go in the period. Â Lee, who seemed to be hitting his stride after the kickoff return, reeled off about a 20 yard gain to the Piscataway 38 yard line with a little over three minutes to go in the period. Â It would be the only offensive bright spot that Franklin had in the first half. Â P-Way’s defense then tackled Lee for losses on the next two plays, and shut down the Warriors for the rest of the half. Â Franklin would only have 13 yards of total offense in the first two quarters. Â Meanwhile, the refurbished Chiefs backfield of Nash, Butler, Tyrell Judson, and Dajan Foat, helped put together a half ending drive for a score.
Judson helped spur the drive with a couple nice runs while Nash capped it with a one yard run through the Franklin defense into the end zone for a score at the 0:48 second mark. Â Chris Mosier, who was a perfect 3 of 3 in extra points, which ended up being a huge difference in the game, made the point after for a 14-6 lead at the intermission. Â Both teams seemed to struggle getting into a good rhythm in the first half, there were numerous penalties that disrupted the flow of the game. Â Franklin seemed to be on its way to getting itself going in the right direction in the third quarter with a time consuming drive that consisted of 16 plays of almost all runs along with a no huddle that kept the stingy Chief defense on the field, and wore it down.
Lee capped the drive with a short touchdown run from the left side, but the Warriors were unable to convert the two point conversion that would have tied the game as a pass was dropped in the end zone. Â However, the Chiefs were able to prevail as Butler ran through the middle near midfield, got daylight, and jaunted up the left side of the field for a crucial early fourth quarter touchdown that made the score 21-12. Â The combination of missed two point conversions by Franklin and P-Way’s made extra points, put more pressure on a Warriors team that was struggling to make plays offensively. Â The Chiefs were able to take advantage, and win the game by nine.
With the victory, Piscataway improved to 7-2-1 on the season while Franklin slipped to 6-4. Â The Chiefs and Warriors could be facing each other again in the North Jersey Section 2 Group V Championship if Franklin defeated second ranked Elizabeth and P-Way defeats seventh seeded Bridgewater-Raritan in the semifinals on November 30th.