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Herring gives Matawan reason to
celebrate
Published in the Asbury Park Press 10/22/00
By JOHN BUSH
STAFF WRITER
WALL -- Senior Chris Herring finally had something to celebrate,
excessively or otherwise.
Herring's interception with 1:03 left in the fourth quarter sealed
Matawan's 20-18 nondivisional victory yesterday over Wall. It was the
first loss this season for the Crimson Knights (6-1), who entered the
game as the Shore's ninth-ranked team.
"We're a long way away from where we want to be," said
Matawan coach Joe Martucci, whose team improved to 4-3. "But,
hopefully, this will open the door for us and maybe get us into the
(state playoffs)."
"We got off a slow start, but now we're trying to finish up
strong," Herring said.
Not only did Herring's interception clinch the game for Matawan, he
also put the Huskies ahead for good, capping an 80-yard drive by
catching a 29-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Glennis Lester to
give Matawan a 20-18 lead with 2:43 left in the third quarter.
"Chris is my prime guy," said Lester, who threw three
touchdown passes in the game. "The key was the fake to (running
back) Kevin Davis. Their cornerbacks bit on the fake, and I knew that if
I got the ball in the air, Chris would go and get it."
Herring, though, was penalized for excessive celebration after the
touchdown, and Matawan was forced to try a two-point conversion from
Wall's 18 instead of attempting the extra point. The Huskies came up
well short on a pass play, and the score stayed at 20-18.
"(Herring) did something he wasn't supposed to and it could've
cost us the game," Lester said. "But we kept playing defense
and held them."
While Wall tailback John Colangelo rushed for 187 yards and two
touchdowns, the Huskies' defense forced four turnovers. Three of the
turnovers came in the second half, including a fumble by Colangelo near
the goal line that was recovered by linebacker Pat Hoelz and kept the
Crimson Knights from scoring.
Wall took the lead after Colangelo returned a punt 16 yards to the
Huskies' 22. Colangelo fumbled again on his way to an 18-yard touchdown,
but the ball bounced back to him just before he reached the end zone as
the Knights went ahead, 16-14. When holder Lawrence DeBello bobbled the
snap on the ensuing extra-point try, DeBello ran for the right corner of
the end zone and scored a two-point conversion to give Wall an 18-14
lead.
Matawan answered with Herring's touchdown, but Wall had two more
chances to regain the lead. Each time, the Huskies came up with an
interception. The first was by linebacker Robert Burseth, whose
interception came on a fourth-and-5 play from the Huskies' 25 with 7:08
left.
Wall's final possession was hampered by a holding and a clipping
penalty, and when quarterback Chris Maleo was forced to go deep on
fourth-and-29, Herring made an interception at the Matawan 40. Once
again, Herring was penalized for excessive celebration after the play,
but this time the Huskies had the game in hand.
"We got a couple of penalties in the last few minutes, but the
defense rose to the occasion," Martucci said. "Hopefully, the
defense can come of age."
from the Asbury Park Press
Published on October 22, 2000 |
