Rams give Flashes all they can handle in defeat
BY DOUG McKENZIE
Staff Writer

The South River High School football team has nothing left to prove to anyone.

Not after the performance they put on in the Central Jersey Group I championship game on Friday at Rutgers Stadium.

Facing the three-time defending champion Florence Flashes, who entered the game as the heavy favorite, head coach Rich Marchesi's Rams put forth a championship effort before losing a hard-fought 17-6 contest.

In defeat, the Rams did quite a few things that few thought they could, including putting together a strong offensive attack against one of the state's elite defensive units. South River got 121 yards on 25 carries from junior tailback Jarvis Crandell, marking the first time anyone has broken the 100-yard mark against the Flashes this year. In fact, Florence (11-1) entered the game allowing just over 34 rushing yards a game, but could do little to slow Crandell for much of the day.

Early on, Crandell helped the Rams take the lead, driving 80 yards before quarterback Markeith Dobbins (7-for-16 for 68 yards) ran into the end zone from three yards out. During the drive, Crandell broke off a 34-yard run, hauled in a 25-yard pass from Dobbins, and took a screen pass and raced 14 yards on third-and-nine.

Florence, however, responded immediately, as Tim Bihlear raced 71 yards for a TD on their first play from scrimmage. With the PAT, Florence took a 7-6 lead.

Florence then took advantage of a South River mistake when Crandell was sacked after a high snap on a punt on his own 8-yard line, setting up a Florence 22-yard field goal. Up 10-6 at the half, Florence added another TD in the third quarter when Bihlear made an acrobatic catch in the end zone. Up 17-6, the Florence defense did the rest, protecting the lead, and giving the Flashes their fourth straight title.

While the Rams were beaten by their own mistakes as much as they were by the Flashes, they also proved to everyone - including themselves - that they were truly capable of playing with one of the state's top teams. And with nearly 85 percent of the team returning next season, Marchesi was confident in promising a return trip to Rutgers Stadium next year, where they'll hope to finish the job.

PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff (Clockwise from top left) South River tailback Jarvis Crandell finds some running room against a vaunted Florence defense during Friday's Central Jersey Group I championship game at Rutgers Stadium, Piscataway. The South River coaches can't hide their disappointment as time expires in Florence's 17-6 win. Above, Tyler Christiana comes up a few inches short on a fake punt attempt, while at left, quarterback Markeith Dobbins lets fly with a pass attempt with the Florence defense closing in.

Florence has been the section's team to beat since moving up from South Jersey Group in 2003. They're 47-1 during that time, and are without question the section's top program. But it wasn't that long ago that South River held that distinction, having won nine sectional titles in 16 finals appearances since 1975.

And based on their performance on Friday in Piscataway, the Rams look like they're ready to regain the moniker as the team to beat in CJ Group I.

The Rams did more than just play mighty Florence tough in a game that many didn't expect to be close. They proved that the gap between the two teams is closing.

Next year can't come soon enough for South River football.