By Warren Rappleyea
The football teams at Sayreville War Memorial High School and Old Bridge High School both upped their records to 2-0 in Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Red Division play with victories Sept. 16.
Sayreville
Coach Chris Beagan’s Bombers showed their character at Edison High School after the home team seized the early momentum. Quarterback Jayson DeMild showed plenty of poise, overcame a pair of interceptions and came up with the big play. Sophomore safety Jacari Carter’s unwillingness to quit on a play saved a touchdown and led to his team taking the lead in the third quarter.
“Jayson has really grown up as a quarterback,” the coach said. “He was just hitting his stride when he was injured last year. During the spring, he just worked and worked to learn our offense better, and he excelled in the seven-on-seven. He came into this season ready to go.”
The much-improved Eagles, who came off a 40-14 opening-night win against Monroe Township High School, delighted the home crowd and immediately put Sayreville on its heels with a 70-yard scoring pass in the first quarter.
Before the quarter ended, however, the Bombers scored, as DeMild hooked up with 6-foot-7 tight end Jahsim Floyd for a 35-yard scoring pass. The host team did a good job of limiting Sayreville’s ground game in the first half, and the Eagles went into intermission with a 13-6 lead thanks to a spectacular 85-yard touchdown run by Sincere Williams.
DeMild, who completed 16 of 24 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns, connected with Floyd for a 32-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter, cutting Edison’s lead to one point.
The Eagles got the ball back and appeared ready to answer right back when Nick Yanik caught a Justin Turner pass over the middle and headed toward the end zone. Carter turned on the turbo and raced after the Edison player, finally pulling Yanik down and dislodging the ball just shy of the goal line. The ball bounced harmlessly out of the end zone for a touchback.
“That’s the way Jacari plays; he practices like that, too. He gives 100 percent in everything he does,” Beagan said. “He played quite a bit as a freshman, and that can be a tough situation, but he instantly earned the respect of his teammates with his work ethic and attitude.”
Sayreville got the ball back at its own 20-yard line, and DeMild found an open Andrew Wille on a sideline pattern. The Bombers’ receiver made the catch, turned upfield and outpaced Edison’s defender for a touchdown.
The Bombers led 18-13 at that point, and the score would remain that way until the final gun, as Sayreville’s defense got the job done.
“With the exception of the big plays, our defense played pretty well,” Beagan said. “We need to work on a few things and execute a little better. I’d also like our guys to be a little more physical.”
Sayreville returns home Sept. 23 to host New Brunswick High School (0-2). The Zebras are coming off a 21-7 loss to South Brunswick High School.
Old Bridge
Old Bridge, meanwhile, bounced back from a 14-6 halftime deficit to down Monroe, 35-14. The Knights capitalized on several Monroe turnovers to pile up 22 points in the third quarter.
Nick Sodano, who ran for 118 yards on the night, scored on runs of 19 and 18 yards, and Jared Meyer added a touchdown on a 12-yard run. Mayer caught a short touchdown pass from Artur Sitkowski earlier in the game. Sodano crossed the goal line again in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring.
The Old Bridge defense recovered two fumbles, and Sodano and Julian Rivera intercepted passes. Rivera also recovered one of the fumbles, with Alston Amegbenyo pouncing on the other loose ball.
Sitkowski ended the evening 9-of-17 passing for 100 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The junior signal-caller also ran for 34 yards.
Next up for the Knights is a Shore Conference crossover encounter against Manalapan High School (2-0) Sept. 23 at Lombardi Field. The Braves have handily defeated both Marlboro High School and Southern Regional High School.
