GMC Gridiron–Game Analysis–Woodbridge @ Sayreville–Central Jersey Group IV Playoffs–Opening Round–November 17, 2012

Methodical Bombers Give Storm Weary Town Plenty To Cheer About In 31-6 Playoff Win

PARLIN, NJ–Much has been made of the impact Hurricane Sandy has had on the Jersey Shore, especially the barrier islands of Ocean County where towns such as Seaside Heights were ravaged by the historic storm surge from the megastorm.  Areas in Monmouth County such as Belmar and Union City were also hit hard.  However, Middlesex County coastal communities such as Sayreville bared the brunt of the storm as well.

Residents have been helped a bit by the Sayreville Bombers football team on and off the field.  Led by assistant coach and former boys hoops coach, Shawn Currie, the Bomber players have been assisting the community in the cleanup process in the wake of the storm.  Then, the Bomber team took the field on Saturday night and gave its community something to be proud of, and most importantly, a brief respite from the current chaos in many of the residents lives.  

Taking on a familiar foe in the opening round of the Central Jersey Group IV playoffs, the top seeded and undefeated Sayreville Bombers grinded their way to a 10-0 halftime lead, and then broke the game open with two touchdowns in the third quarter, and another midway through the fourth to take a 31-0 lead en route to a 31-6 victory over the eighth Woodbridge Barrons.  Sayreville didn’t win this game in a flashy way.  Instead, the Bombers won it in its methodical, blue collar style that typifies the community they represent.

Led by a balanced running attack from three different running backs, and a stout defense, the Bombers never gave Woodbridge much of a chance in the second half.   According to the Star-Ledger, Sayreville compiled 325 total yards including 283 on the ground led by Myles Hartsfield, who had 93 yards rushing on 7 carries including a 44 yard TD to wrap up the win in the fourth quarter.   Deon Miller rushed for 61 yards on five carries for two TDs including a 34 yard jaunt in the third quarter to open the second half scoring.

Not to be left out, Zeke Perkinson, who scampered for a 20 yard TD that made the score 24-0 midway through the third, ended up with 68 yards on 11 carries.  Isaiah Cureton engineered the attack with his running, passing, and leadership while Jon Bracero made several key catches during scoring drives, and Joe Velez barreled his way to some yards in the second half.  Perkinson and Malik Pressley came up with two huge plays on defense to help set up the second third quarter touchdown.

First, Perkinson blitzed QB James Rueb on first down for a sack at the 9:46 mark, and then after the Barrons managed to get a first down earlier at the 8:22 mark, Pressley intercepted an errant throw by a pressured Rueb with 6:12 to go in the third.  Prior to that key defensive stop by the Bombers, Sayreville came out swinging to open the 2nd half as Hartsfield took the opening kickoff, and run the ball back to near midfield.  Then, on a 3rd and 9 play, Cureton hooked up with Bracero for a Sayreville first down at the Woodbridge 34 with 10:24 left in the third.  One play later, Miller ran the ball in for a touchdown, and a 17-0 lead at the 10:00 mark.

Woodbridge, a former GMC Red Division opponent of Sayreville’s, tried to get back into the game again after the two TDs by the Bombers broke open what had been a tight game.  The Barrons went on a 11 play, 52 yard drive that spanned 6:24 from the end of the third into the early portion of the fourth.  On the drive, Rueb, who completed  7 of 12 passes for a 154 yards, or 69 percent of Woodbridge’s total offense, made plays with his arm and his legs as he threw a 12 yard pass to Mika Graham for a first down at the 2:45 mark of the third, and then put the Barrons in scoring range with an 18 yard run on a 3rd and 6 play to the Sayreville 26 with just 13 seconds gone by in the fourth.

However, the Bombers didn’t crack on defense as they stopped Woodbridge running back Duquan Bailey for a loss on a 4th down and 3 play at the Sayreville 23 with 9:09 left.  Sayreville then took the ball, and put together a quick drive of five plays and 77 yards in just 1:53 to put the icing on the win.  The Bombers Wing-T attack broke off several big running plays including an 11 yard gain by Perkinson on first down at the 8:40 mark, a nine yard run by Velez, and an eight yard run by Hartsfield before he later scampered another 43 yards for the touchdown, and a 31-0 lead with 7:16 to go.  Woodbridge finally got on the board with a scoring drive that went 7 plays for 73 yards in 3:57 capped by a 12 yard pass by Rueb to Mika Graham with 3:12 remaining.

Key plays on the drive was a 12 yard run by Rueb on a 3rd down and 11 at the Woodbridge 26, and a 45 yard pass from Rueb to Robert Martinez that put the Barrons in business at the Sayreville 13 yard line with a little over four minutes remaining.  With the victory, Sayreville advanced to the semifinal round to play another Woodbridge Township team in fourth seeded Colonia, which defeated fifth seeded Jackson Liberty earlier in the day.  The Bombers, which are seeking their first undefeated season since 1949, improved to 10-0 while Woodbridge ended their season at 6-4.