https://linebet-bangladesh.com/en/mobile
Home Examiner Examiner Sports

Dominant gridiron win moves Redbirds closer to division title

By Wayne Witkowski

Allentown High School’s football team is in the driver’s seat in the West Jersey Football League Patriot Division, coming off a jaw-dropping 62-26 thrashing of Pemberton Township High School at home Oct. 7.

For the third time in coach Jay Graber’s tenure, Allentown put up staggering numbers against an opponent on the scoreboard and in stat lines, like quarterback Jordan Winston rushing for 281 yards, which included one play when he juked past one defender a la Barry Sanders, all in the first half. Joe Bellotti caught three of Winston’s passes for 163 of the quarterback’s 228 yards in the air. Add Joe Mannino’s 91 yards before the break, and Allentown had 517 of its 681 yards in just 24 minutes of game time, as Allentown led, 46-20, at halftime.

“We felt we could expose their defense,” said Bellotti, whose only other touchdown reception before the Pemberton game was in a scrimmage.

“He did a great job of getting open,” Winston said.

“Joe played a great all-around game (including defense). We did not pass it much this year, but we felt we had a good week of practice,” Graber said. “[Winston] worked very hard in practice and has a good arm. We put together a pass game plan for all of our receivers, and [Bellotti] happened to be open. We just take what the defense gives us.”

If not for a running clock in the fourth quarter when Allentown’s subs continued to move the ball behind sophomore Rahsaan Emory, who rushed for 58 yards in the second half, the score would’ve been even higher.

Statistically, the division race still is not settled, but Allentown appears well on its way to claiming the crown. Allentown is 4-2 overall and 3-0 in the division entering a bye week. Pemberton is 2-1 in the division and 3-2 overall.

Allentown has regular-season games left against division foe Steinert High School (2-2 overall, 2-1 division) on the road Oct. 22 and Princeton High School (1-4 overall, 0-3 division) Nov. 4. In between is a game at home Oct. 28 against Trenton Central High School.

Earlier in the season, Allentown beat its only other close rival in the division, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North (3-2 overall, 2-1 division). A year ago, Allentown beat West Windsor-Plainsboro North, 81-56, in another scoring deluge.
Allentown also beat Trenton, 77-44, in 2010.

“It shows what we’re capable of doing,” said Winston, who outplayed well-regarded Pemberton quarterback Joe Benson.

The game came down to Allentown’s pass coverage being stronger than Pemberton’s. Nearly every receiver Benson threw to was covered closely by at least one defender. Even his 13-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Clifton in the first quarter that pulled Pemberton to 13-8 was tipped by Allentown defender X’zavier Harris before it was caught.

Graber also will have to address penalties that wiped out three Allentown touchdowns, although the Redbirds eventually scored on all three of those possessions and on all nine series they ran.

If anybody had a quiet night, it was Allentown’s freshman punter, Chris McCrae, who never took the field for that purpose — although he kicked seven of 10 extra points. He’ll continue to work on his kicking, which could become a bigger factor with the state playoffs looming.

Until Allentown closed the first half with two touchdowns, it clung to a two-touchdown cushion.

Winston hooked up with a wide-open Bellotti downfield for a 40-yard touchdown pass play to open the scoring. Ricky Mottram cut around the right end for a 14-yard run as the first-quarter lead grew to 14-0. After Pemberton scored on a drive helped by a 27-yard pass play — in which the Pemberton receiver narrowly outfought Harris for the ball — and a conversion pass that cut Allentown’s lead to 14-8, Mannino scored his first of two touchdowns on a 22-yard run. Mannino ran 2 yards up the middle for his other score on the next series — a 10-play, 75-yard drive — to make it 26-8.

Pemberton ran back the ensuing kickoff 76 yards down the left sidelines to get back in the game with 5:57 left in the half, but the comeback didn’t last long. Bellotti again got open on a 67-yard pass from Winston and scored to increase Allentown’s lead to 33-14.

Pemberton again answered with a 9-yard touchdown run by Ja’quay Redding in a nine-play, 79-yard drive. It was helped by a pass interference penalty that negated an Allentown interception by Ryan Huth, who pulled down a pass tipped high in the air.

Aydon Chavis returned the ensuing kickoff 47 yards and Winston ran 25 yards for the score moments later. It came after a penalty had nullified Winston’s 39-yard, tackle-breaking run down the right sideline. Bellotti caught a 56-yard pass right before halftime for the 46-20 lead.

After Chavis had a 41-yard punt runback early in the third quarter negated by another penalty, he ran 26 yards on the next play for a score. Allentown stopped Pemberton on its 39-yard line, and Winston connected with Harris moments later on a 57-yard scoring strike. Kavon Johnson ran 3 yards later in the game to cap a well-executed 12-play, 77-yard march by Allentown’s reserves.

Mottram, who has been among the team’s leaders in tackles the past two seasons, Chavis and Cameron Capone helped bolster the defense.

Exit mobile version