Jackson Liberty High School opened its doors in 2006.
In 10 prior football games against rival Jackson Memorial High School, the Lions were 0-10.
And the last six meetings were not even close. Jackson Memorial won those six matchups by a combined score of 216-22.
The results were all engraved on the Donald F. Connor Trophy, too, the trophy awarded to the winner of this annual rivalry game between the two Jackson high schools.
So, the Lions have been reminded of this history each year.
But on Oct. 12 at Jackson Liberty, the Lions beat the Jaguars for the first time in 11 meetings, 14-0.
The Connor Trophy, named for the former Jackson Memorial athletic director, finally belonged to the younger high school in the area.
Jackson Liberty coach Jim Sharples has been with the Lions for all of the previous 10 games as well as the meeting on Oct. 12.
After the victory, he was walking around the edge of the celebrating players and students near midfield. Besides the occasional high five from a student, Sharples was staring away from the mosh pit, into the night sky.
“I can’t put it into words. We were close a few times. We weren’t close a few times,” Sharples said. “It’s the greatest feeling. I’m so happy for the kids. They worked so hard.”
Jackson Liberty improved to 2-4 with the victory. Its defense paced its other victory, a 21-0 decision over Matawan Regional High School on Sept. 21.
To take down previously undefeated Jackson Memorial on Oct. 12, the Lions needed another dominant defensive effort, and they got it. The Jaguars only drove into the red zone one time, which came in the first half.
The Lions ended that drive when Joe DeVito jumped an out route, picked the ball off and ran it back 90 yards into the end zone. DeVito’s interception return touchdown put Jackson Liberty up by two scores.
“I read the play perfectly and just made a play on the ball,” DeVito said. “I saw daylight and I was just gone.”
Jackson Liberty did not do much against Jackson Memorial’s stingy defense, but it did enough. In the first quarter, the Lions dialed up a creative play in the red zone.
Quarterback Evan Catron flipped the ball left to a receiver on a reverse play. Then, that receiver flipped the ball to another receiver, Jake Bosco. The junior hustled around the left edge and saw open field in front of him, about six yards from the end zone.
Bosco sprinted to the pylon and scored standing up. After not scoring against Jackson Memorial in their 2017 meeting, the Lions had an early lead. It was exactly what they needed.
“It originally wasn’t made for me to run. It was made for my quarterback and running back to be open down the field,” Bosco said. “But I didn’t see them, so I kept on running when I saw the corner. I just took it.”
And the Lions just took the Donald F. Connor Trophy on Oct. 12. Once they had it in their possession, they were going to savor it. Jackson Memorial players held the trophy aloft as they mingled with their classmates on the field after the game.
Then, for no reason other than pure joy, they raced to the end zone, passed the trophy around and pumped it in the air some more.
“This means so much to me, so much for this school, it’s amazing,” Catron said. “This is all I’ve been thinking about since last year, when we lost 10-0 (to Jackson Memorial).”
“This means everything to me,” said Jackson Liberty linebacker Shane Simonson. “I’ve been playing since I was six years old and every single year, it’s always Memorial, Memorial, Memorial.”
Jackson Memorial still may be the story as the season goes on. The Jaguars’ loss to their rival may have dropped them to 5-1, but they remain in first place in the Shore Conference Constitution Division with a 5-0 league record.
The loss also did not expose some glaring flaw. Jackson Memorial still played excellent defense, allowing just one touchdown. The Jaguars are still allowing just 7.6 points per game, and their defense could take them far in 2018.
But they will need to play better offense moving forward. The Jaguars struggled to run the ball, dropped a pass in the end zone and committed two turnovers on Oct. 12.
They will look to get back on track at home against Brick Township High School on Oct. 19. That one will kick off at 7 p.m.
Jackson Liberty will play at Toms River High School South on Oct. 20. Kickoff for that game is also set for 7 p.m.
“Now we need to keep moving forward,” Sharples said. “This game will hopefully help us get toward the playoffs. That’s what we’re looking forward to.”
