Hello again everyone. In addition to the highlights from the Stonehill and Queens College game in the NYIT Classic on Friday, GMC Hoops took in some more football action on Saturday afternoon as it journeyed out to Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School to check out his alma mater, and Cinderella story, Tigers take on the fourth seeded Raiders in the semifinal round of the 2007 North Jersey Section 2 Group III State Playoffs. Arriving with just a few minutes left in the half, the web site showed up right after South Plainfield got on the board with a field goal by Troy Russell for a 3-0 lead. The Raiders then took the ensuing kickoff, and got a big passing play to set up a subsequent touchdown pass for a 7-3 halftime lead.
South Plainfield, which last appeared in a Championship Game back in 1988 when Leroy Williams and Rodney Harrison spearheaded the Tiger wishbone attack under the coaching direction of Jim Griffin, who is now an assistant principal at Monroe High School. The eighth seeded Tigers, which won their first round game over top seeded Irvington on the road in overtime, 18-12, scored the next 13 points as Kyle McMahon took a handoff up the gut for a 75 yard touchdown run at the 10:59 mark of the third for a 9-7 advantage, and then Russell got a great jump into the Raider backfield, and got his hands on the handoff for a forced fumble that he recovered, and returned it 26 yards for another score at the 10:23 mark of the fourth for a 16-7 lead.
Scotch Plains then took the ensuing kickoff inside South Plainfield territory thanks to a runback by Kameron Williams, and subsquently scored on a 22 yard touchdown pass by Mike Chervenyak to J.J. D’Agostaro that was on a 4th Down and 9 play with 8:07 to go. However, Scotch Plains couldn’t get over the hump as the Tiger defense registered a deflection, two sacks, and an interception on the final Raider drive of the game to preserve the 16-14 win, and earn a date against Newark West-Side in the North Jersey Section 2 Group III Championship in two weeks. Take a look below at the video highlights.