Bombers hope to make their top seed stand up
South River, Monroe also looking to advance
BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA
Staff Writer

The Sayreville High School football team heads into its NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV match-up with Brick Memorial as the favorite, and coach George Najjar expects a focused effort from his team.

Brick Memorial comes in as the final seed after a 34-0 victory over Middletown North last Friday. That was not quite enough, though, because the Mustangs needed a Linden victory over Old Bridge to qualify. Linden obliged with a 31-14 win.

On Saturday, meanwhile, the top-seeded Bombers squeaked out a 12-7 win against a Colonia team that owns a 1-6 record. Sayreville found itself down 7-6 at halftime and the Bombers had to play solid defense after regaining the lead in the second half to preserve the win.

Najjar's team entered the contest at Colonia having already qualified for the playoffs, which may have accounted for the unexpectedly close game.

"We didn't play as well as I would have liked," Najjar said. "Colonia is a very physical team and they came to play. Our guys weren't prepared for that, and it showed. You have to give Colonia credit, but our guys were not as focused as they should have been. That will have to change this week."

The Bombers got on the board first thanks to Adam Curry's 8-yard TD run in the second quarter. Colonia came right back and took the lead before the half.

Sayreville went ahead in the third when quarterback Mark Margres connected with Lavone Graham for a 23-yard touchdown.

Brick, meanwhile, dominated winless Middletown North. The Mustangs' top back, Vinnie Falkiewicz, ran for 198 yards in 24 carries to pace the victory.

"Brick Memorial is a formidable foe," Najjar said. "Falkiewicz is an excellent runner and he's really the center of their offense. We'll need to find a way to stop him. They're also a good defensive team. They do a nice job getting to the football and they don't give you a lot of space."

Najjar noted that the Bombers are healthy as they prepare for the playoff opener. The two teams last met in the 2004 playoffs when a late touchdown propelled Sayreville to victory.

"Our guys know that they have to be prepared," the coach said. "Brick Memorial is a very good team. They've played a tough schedule and they find ways to win. We have to be ready."

"It's a whole new season; we're excited," said Brick Memorial head coach Fred Sprengel, whose team makes its fourth straight state playoff appearance with a 5-3 record.

Last year's Mustangs squad reached the state finals for the second time in three years before losing on the final play to Jackson.

And Sprengel knows full well about teams starting a "new" season, from his state championship team that also was 5-3 at the cutoff.

Sprengel said the Mustangs will not change much defensively as they prepare for Sayreville's Delaware wing-T offense, the first time they've played against that scheme this season.

"We have to shut down their passing game, but we can't give up anything to their ground game," said Sprengel. "They have very athletic kids. They're in the playoffs every year."

Rams top seed in CJ Group I

South River entered Saturday's game against Middlesex knowing they had the top seed in their section locked up.

That became official when three-time defending section champion Florence saw its 43-game winning streak come to an end the night before.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays needed a win to qualify for the playoffs, and figured to be the hungrier team.

But the Rams showed no mercy on Saturday in South River, routing Middlesex 40-6 to enter the postseason on a positive note - brimming with confidence as they get set to take on eighth-seeded Manville in the first round on Saturday in South River.

Florence's shocking loss on Friday opened up the CJ Group I bracket a bit. While the Flashes are likely still the team to beat, they finally showed some vulnerability, giving some of the other contenders - like South River, Metuchen, Bound Brook and Highland Park - reason to believe a state championship is within their reach.

But first things first. Head coach Rich Marchesi's squad needs a win over 6-2 Manville on Saturday before they can start thinking about a title.

Monroe a sleeper pick in CJ III

The good news for the Monroe High School football team is that they are 8-1 and poised to make their first postseason appearance in school history.

The bad news is they are playing in one of the toughest brackets in the state - Central Jersey Group III.

The Falcons, who improved their school record mark to 8-1 on Saturday with a tough 27-21 win over Montgomery, will face a 6-2 Hamilton West team on Saturday in the first round of the playoffs. The winner will likely get top-seeded Lawrence (9-0) in the second round, provided the Cardinals can get past a 5-3 Moorestown team on Saturday.

The CJ bracket is loaded from top to bottom. The second seed, Middletown South (7-1), who faces Hightstown (6-3) in its opener Friday night, is looking for a fourth straight state sectional title, and is coming off its first loss in 43 games. That loss came to the defending CJ Group III champion Ocean Township two weeks ago.

The Spartans (7-1) are hosting a 7-1 Monmouth Regional team that is also in the state playoffs for the first time. However, Monmouth, like Monroe, is a senior-laden team that is a dangerous newcomer to the state playoffs, especially with the way senior quarterback Tom D'Ambrisi has played this season.

As for the Falcons, they enter Saturday's game with Hamilton West anxious to prove they are not content with just making it to the postseason. Monroe has been winning tough games all year, and has proved to be a resilient bunch.

Just take Saturday's win over Montgomery, for example. After jumping out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead on a pair of Ryan Messeroll touchdown runs, Monroe entered the half up 21-7 after senior quarterback Ryan Cushman answered a Montgomery TD with a 14-yard scoring pass to Nile Clements just before the half.

Montgomery got within 21-14 in the third, before Monroe added another score, a 51-yard pass from Cushman (8-for-14 for 179 yards) to David Gregor. The Falcons then tried a two-point conversion, which failed, leaving the score at 27-14.

After Montgomery scored again to get within 27-21, the Cougars seemed poised to steal the win after driving down the field in the closing minutes. However, defensive back T.J. Denehy sealed the win for Monroe by picking off a pass in the end zone.

With the win, Monroe likely avoided having to face either Lawrence or Middletown South in the first round, though matching up with Hamilton West instead is not much of a reward. The Falcons have their work cut out for them in this bracket, starting with Saturday's game against an experienced Hornets squad.

Monroe is certainly happy to finally be in the postseason. Now they hope to stay there for at least another week.

- Doug McKenzie contributed to this story