By Wayne Witkowski
Kurt Frimel was on the New Egypt High School football team the only time the Warriors beat Florence Township Memorial High School in 17 meetings before this season — a 21-14 victory in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group I playoffs in 2012.
A year earlier, the Warriors won their only division championship.
Both of those benchmarks again were achieved Nov. 4 with another Frimel on the roster: younger brother Kyle, who is the Warriors’ senior quarterback.
In a gritty battle of unbeatens in the West Jersey Football League, the younger Frimel threw one touchdown pass and completed pass for 75 yards to set up another score when the Warriors beat Florence, 19-13, to improve to 6-2 on the season.
The victory moved New Egypt into the No. 4 seed for the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group I playoffs and only its second home game in the playoffs. The Warriors play No. 5-seed Asbury Park High School (5-3) at 7 p.m. Nov. 11. The winner takes on the winner of eight-seeded Keansburg High School (2-7) against No. 1-seed Shore Regional High School (5-3) the following weekend.
“[Asbury Park is] very fast,” New Egypt coach Steve Fence said. “We need to contain their outside game and play mistake-free football against them.”
Fence had been wary that the game would be on the Bishops’ artificially surfaced field that was suited to their team speed. But a combination of circumstances led to a switch of seeds for the two teams.
New Egypt players could appreciate reducing mistakes, as they saw Florence hurt itself with errors and costly penalties at key times.
Noah Viera, who ran 1 yard over the right side of the line for the first score before New Egypt pulled away to a 19-0 lead, pounced on a free ball that Florence fumbled away at New Egypt’s 39-yard line with 2:21 left. Three plays later on third-and-6, Jordan Bendick hit a hole in the line off a counter reverse and found open space on the left side of the field for a 16-yard run that locked up the victory. It was New Egypt’s only first down of the second half.
“This is exactly what I dream of,” said Viera, who was among the players honored at halftime for Senior Night.
As the game ended and Florence fell to 3-5, the players again charged the student section of the bleachers and jumped up against the high fence in a sort of group Lambeau Leap — something they’ve done after every victory.
“We have a new coach and wanted to start something new this year,” said wide receiver Jake Kear, who caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Frimel for the 19-0 lead.
“This is one of the best feelings,” Frimel said. “Last year, we were up, 14-7, at halftime and they won. This time, we were up, 19-7, and felt that this could be the year.”
New Egypt had modest statistics for a team that won the game: 45 yards rushing to Florence’s 206 yards, and the Warriors passed for 125 yards. Instead, the Warriors stood their ground on defense, as they bent but didn’t break and capitalized on opportunities while Florence self-destructed with penalties, bungled plays and perhaps had too much confidence for its own good as its coaches visibly anticipated the Flashes would rally back — all the way until the late game fumble.
“We took advantage of everything we got,” said Neal Flogel, who also caught a 28-yard pass on the opening touchdown drive when Viera scored.
Viera called it a great group effort, as he gave homage to his offensive line.
“I felt like I gave it my all,” said Bendick, who played a solid two-way game. “Everybody came together, working as hard as we can.”
But it didn’t come easily, although there was some luck involved, like when Florence missed a 25-yard field goal with 8:48 left in the half and New Egypt clinging to its 7-0 lead. On the next play, Frimel threw 40 yards downfield to Flogel, who caught the ball at the 35-yard line, dodged a defender and was tackled at Florence’s 5-yard line. Bobby Farrand scored from a yard out on his only carry of the game. The snap was too low to get off an extra-point kick.
Florence was unable to move the ball on its next series. Then the team had its only bad snap all year on a punt, as New Egypt took possession at the Flashes’ 6-yard line for Kear’s touchdown catch.
Florence capitalized on a break as well later in the second quarter when Frimel was hit dropping back to throw and Florence recovered the fumble.
After a tackle behind the line and an unsportsmanlike 15-yard penalty put Florence in a second-and-30 situation, quarterback Cameron Phillips completed a 10-yard pass and then ran 20 yards off a play-action down the left side of the field for the touchdown with 1:01 left in the half. Phillips kicked the extra point to make it 19-7 at halftime.
Momentum appeared to swing to Florence, which had great field position throughout the second half and scored on its opening series when Mark Pacini followed his 19-yard run moments later with a 29-yard touchdown run. The extra-point kick failed. Pacini rushed for 142 yards.
But New Egypt was not about to give away its two-touchdown lead at halftime like it did a week earlier in a 28-25 loss to Haddon Heights High School.
“We talked about that at halftime,” Fence said. “In the second half, we made adjustments and talked about how everyone was so emotional and not to make mistakes.”
Florence marched 44 yards for its final threat, only to fumble the ball away to Viera on its eighth play of the series.
