JacksonShawnee

PISCATAWAY -- A defense that had pitched five consecutive shutouts during the season was on the ropes early and had to recover. An offense that had been nurtured by senior quarterback Gary Edwards had to survive without Edwards, wiped out by a second-quarter injury.

Jackson, No. 2 in the Gannett New Jersey rankings, capped its undefeated season with a 21-14 overtime victory over Shawnee yesterday in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV title game at Rutgers. Junior Nick Castellano scored on a one-yard run on the opening possession of overtime, and the game ended with senior Mark Rodriguez batting away a fourth-and-21 pass in the end zone.

This was not a run-of-the-mill victory by Jackson. But the Jaguars (12-0) have never looked like a run-of-the-mill football team ever since training for this season commenced in the summer.

"It was just a crazy game, with us having to play catch-up when we didn't expect to," said Castellano, who rushed for 121 yards. "That I got the chance to get the ball into the end zone on the big play at Rutgers is the greatest feeling."

Shawnee (9-3) scored on a game-opening kickoff return of 94 yards by Adam Francks, then answered a Jackson touchdown with another big play -- an 80-yard scoring pass from Bill Kurtz to Dan Korzek.

That gave the Renegades a 14-7 lead on the strength of one play from scrimmage.

Joe Serratelli, a junior linebacker/running back who gained 115 yards, said, "It was probably the worst half of football we've played on defense. Maybe the worst game. Usually nobody gets past the 30-yard line against us."

But the Jackson defense tightened as two additions to the lineup played major roles. Junior Arthur Martin, who moved in at linebacker as Jackson switched from a 4-3 formation to a 4-4 when Edwards left with a sprained left ankle, and defensive back Jeremy Edwards (who started in place of Rich Wilton) helped shut down Shawnee the rest of the way. The Renegades were held to six first downs in all.

"It hurt most that I couldn't play," said Edwards, who was replaced at quarterback by Nick Anzalone. "All I could do was cheer. I told them to pick it up."

His teammates did just that.

Jackson, which scored its first touchdown on a one-yard run by Edwards, tied the game at 14 on Serratelli's four-yard run that capped a seven-play drive in the second quarter. Jackson continued controlling the ball and the clock. A drive of 16 plays and 8:47 in the third quarter ended in a blocked field goal but Jackson held a 67-39 edge in plays from scrimmage. And the Jaguars' defense responded the one last time it was tested: on a fake goal from the 4, Billy Amaroso contained ball-carrier Tom O'Connor, who had taken a shovel pitch from the holder, and Rodriguez made the tackle.

On its overtime possession from the Shawnee 25, four different Jaguars had their numbers called in the eight-play drive. Castellano's winning touchdown came on a run toward the right, on a snap six inches from the end zone.

Wild ride ends in redemption for Rodriguez

Published in the Asbury Park Press 12/03/00

By SCOTT STUMP

PISCATAWAY

Senior Mark Rodriguez's hands told the whole story for Jackson yesterday.

One minute they were pounding his chest and pointing to the crowd after a touchdown-saving (and, in hindsight, game-saving) tackle on a fake field goal in the fourth quarter.

Shortly after, they were pounding the turf as Rodriguez fumbled a punt and Shawnee recovered at the Shawnee 32-yard line with 1:28 left in the game.

Finally, they shot into the air and batted away Shawnee's last attempt on fourth down in overtime to seal the Jaguars' first NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV title, a 21-14 win over the Renegades (9-3) at Rutgers Stadium.

"I knew what I did on the punt was a big mistake," Rodriguez said. "But with the way the defense was playing, I knew we were going to stop them and send it into overtime."

The Jaguars (12-0) may have won yesterday's game with the same stifling defense as they played in a majority of their wins, but it wasn't with the same personnel.

Rodriguez was just one of the players who elevated his game after senior quarterback/defensive back Gary Edwards left the game for good after suffering a high-ankle sprain with 2:03 left in the first quarter.

"We changed our form of defense to put another linebacker in," Rodriguez said. "We just had to come in and do the job to make Jackson history."

With Edwards out, the Jaguars switched to a 4-4 set from a 4-3 and brought in junior Arthur Martin from their seemingly bottomless well of talented linebackers that include the ferocious group of Nick Castellano, Joe Serratelli and Marcus Clayton.

Martin terrorized Shawnee quarterback Bill Kurtz, sacking him once by himself and combining with Marcus McKenzie for another. He also hit Chris Turse for a loss in the first half and his pressure forced Kurtz to throw the ball away on second down on the Renegades' overtime possession.

"After Gary went out, I got the opportunity to show what I can do," Martin said. "The defense has been stepping it up all season, and we just got it done."

The Jaguars held Shawnee to 187 total yards, 80 of which came on one play as the Renegades stunned Jackson early. Adam Francks returned the opening kickoff 94 yards and then Kurtz hit Dan Kozek for an 80-yard TD on Shawnee's first play from scrimmage for a stunning 14-7 lead with 7:39 left in the first quarter.

"We just got caught," Jackson defensive coordinator Mike Smith said. "They really settled down after that. I switched us to the 4-4 after Gary went out because our best athletes are our linebackers. I can't tell you how great a game Arthur Martin played."

Despite losing four fumbles on offense, the Jaguars were able to stay in it as a result of big plays by the linebackers. Perhaps the biggest was made by Rodriguez.

On fourth-and-goal from the Jackson 4 early in the fourth quarter, Shawnee inexplicably eschewed a short field goal for a fake. Holder Nick Sorino took the snap, stood up and shoveled a pass to Tom O'Connor, who took off for the left flat and the end zone.

At that point it was just O'Connor and Rodriguez one-on-one with a state title on the line. Rodriguez made a great open-field tackle to deflate Shawnee and leave O'Connor pounding the ground.

"I stayed on my side of the field and it was me and him," Rodriguez said. "I had to make the big tackle."

Plays like that complemented Jackson's grind-it-out offense, which made sure Shawnee only ran 23 plays in the second half and overtime combined.

The Jaguars' last stand came in overtime, after Castellano's TD had given them the lead. Rodriguez broke up a fourth-down pass in the end zone intended for Dan McDonald on Shawnee's possession to send the Jackson faithful into delirium.

Covered in a blanket and standing on crutches on the sidelines, Edwards, who scored the Jaguars' first TD of the game, was not forgotten as the crowd chanted "Gary! Gary!" to let him know he was as much of a part of it as anyone. That chant quickly morphed into "Reggie! Reggie!" for first-year coach Reggie Lawrence.

"These kids have just taken this season one game at a time," Smith said. "On the blackboard they wrote, '11-0 and one to go.' "

There is no more need for slogans on blackboards because for Rodriguez, Martin and Co., the championship trophy is where they have been saying it would be from the beginning -- right in their hands.

Scott Stump is an Asbury Park Press staff writer.