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Graham: Going to see South? Better
plan on staying late
Published in the Asbury Park Press 10/07/00
HAZLET -- The Team That Owns Overtime did it again last night.
"We've got to stop doing this," a hoarse Middletown South
coach Steve Antonucci told his Eagles in a brief postgame huddle.
Really? Why ruin a good thing?
For the third week in a row, undefeated Middletown South prevailed in
overtime last night, 14-7 over Raritan, after never having played extra
minutes in Antonucci's first two years as coach.
Here's a team that's obviously making up for lost time. And tempting
fate in the process.
"This is getting old," said South senior nose tackle Joe
Reilly. "We've got to start getting better, working harder in
practice. This is really getting old."
Presumably Antonucci and South rooters may be the ones aging
quickest.
It was Reilly who brought last night's game to a sudden conclusion.
The Eagles, who hadn't scored since their first possession, took the
lead on their first crack in overtime. Raritan seemed to be roaring
back.
A pass interference penalty gave Raritan a first down at the
Middletown 13. But then South defender Sean Boyle tipped a pass, and the
6-1, 225-pound Reilly looked up. There was the football. He grabbed it,
lumbered a few steps, and fell to the ground. No doubt in relief.
"Someone was blocking me (on the play)," he said. "I
heard a tip, looked up, saw the ball, caught it. That was the
game."
"That route was open, it was there," said Raritan coach Bob
Generelli. "They made a phenomenal play. The defensive lineman got
his hands up and their backer hustled to the ball."
While expressing pride in his own gutty group, Generelli said he
tipped his hat to Middletown South.
"That says a little something about a team that can do it three
weeks in a row in overtime. I felt like we had the momentum (at the end
of regulation)."
Despite creating a wave of second half Middletown South turnovers,
Raritan appeared headed for a 7-0 setback until it marched 67 yards in
31 seconds and tied the game with 1:07 left on Jason England's extra
point.
In 1996 Generelli's Rockets topped the Eagles in overtime, disdaining
the placekick and pulling out an 8-7 win when Bob Devlin ran in the
two-point conversion.
"We were going for one (this time)," he said last night.
"Our kicking game is a little stronger than it was in '96. That was
kind of a feeling -- to go for two. You know how you feel it?"
Middletown South quarterback Nick Ernst said the Eagles, who could
have been feeling snakebit after last night's Raritan touchdown, refused
to rattle. "We're the definition of a team," he said. "We
just never give up. We're all best friends. We're never going to give up
on each other."
So let's check the schedule. Middletown South's next game is Friday
night at home against Long Branch.
It'll probably be cold. In The Swamp, it'll probably be wet.
And if I was considering attending the game, I'd plan on staying
late.
Tony Graham is an Asbury Park Press staff writer.
from the Asbury Park Press
Published on October 7, 2000 |
