Cushman, Middlesex sharp in Snapple Bowl
Win knots series at 7-7
BY DOUG McKENZIE
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY SCOTT PILLING staff Above, Monroe's T.J. Denehy drags some defenders to gain some yardage for the Middlesex team during the July 19 Snapple Bowl in Union County. At left, Sayreville's Mark Margres looks to pass downfield amid an oncoming pass rush.

UNION - Don't tell the players that the Snapple Bowl is just another all-star game.

When the top graduating seniors from Middlesex and Union County get together to battle for bragging rights each year, there is most certainly a sense of purpose on the field.

First and foremost, the players are glad to be doing their part to help raise funds for the Lakeview School for Cerebral Palsy in Edison ad Children's Specialized Hospital of Mountainside - a pair of charities that have now received over $200,000 in contributions since the inception of the Snapple Bowl in 1994.

But once the whistle blows, all of the goodwill seems to take a backseat, as many of Central New Jersey's top gridiron stars of the last four years revert to the form and competitive nature that has earned them their well-deserved accolades.

And it doesn't take long before the heat of this rivalry starts to show itself. In Thursday night's affair, Union County was called for a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties early on - calls that helped Middlesex take a 3-0 lead on a Mark Petrone (North Brunswick) 25-yard field goal, and only illustrated the passion that the players were showing in what is an exhibition football game in name only.

Union was able to take the lead early in the second quarter, capping a 11-play, 71-yard drive with a Chris D'Andrea 20-yard touchdown run on a counter with 11:42 left in the first half. With their newfound lead, Union hoped to hold on and add to its 7-6 series lead in the annual game.

But Middlesex had enough offense to overcome the deficit. In his team's final drive of the first half, Middlesex quarterback Ryan Cushman, a Monroe High School grad who was the county's offensive player of the year, completed 5-of-7 passes for 57 yards, capping the drive with a beautifully thrown post pattern to fellow Monroe alum T.J. Denehy.

The only thing that slowed Cushman and Co. during that drive was a power outage at Kean University's Cougar Stadium, forcing the two teams to the locker room with just over a minute to play in the second quarter. Once play resumed, however, Cushman picked up right were he left off, hitting his future East Stroudsburg University teammate for the 13-yard scoring play, and giving his team a 9-7 lead.

Union County got the lead back in third quarter on a 37-yard field goal, but once again, Middlesex was up to the challenge. Early in the third quarter, with Middlesex trailing, 10-9, the defense pinned Union deep in its own territory, forcing a short punt. Cushman then calmly marched his team 33 yards for a score and ensuing two-point conversion, giving his team the 17-10 edge.

The big play of the drive was a 15-yard completion to former New Brunswick star Aireil Adams, who was the game's MVP by virtue of his brilliant play as both a receiver and kick returner. That completion set up a first-and-goal, and on fourth down, after Sayreville's Mark Margres replaced Cushman under center, Margres plunged his way into the end zone. Cushman then hit Metuchen's Joe DiMeglio for the PAT.

Meanwhile, the Middlesex defense once again did its part to secure the win. Union County seemed poised to tie the game after recovering a fumble at midfield with 5:34 to play, and quickly making its way inside the Middlesex 20-yard line. However, Kirkland Davidson, who transferred to Highland Park after playing two years at Union High School, and who had already broken up a potential touchdown pass in the first half, preserved the victory with his second interception of the game, picking off a Ryan Burnett pass with just 1:36 to play.

After Union got the ball back in the waning seconds, J.P. Stevens' J.R. Padilla got an interception of his own, returning it 40 yards to the Union 5-yard line to seal the game.

With the series now tied 7-7, next year's matchup will have a little added juice to it. While the event's founder, East Brunswick High School head football coach Marcus Borden, will spend the next year thinking of ways to create an even grander event, and in turn raise even more money, one thing he need not worry about is creating hype for the game itself.