State Football Playoffs: Brick Advances Easily, Faces Jackson Memorial Again

(PHOTO; Brick’s Jasir Taylor gets into the end zone for the Dragons’ third touchdown against Princeton on Friday night. Credit: Karen Wall)

Athletes live for rematches. So when the Brick football team hosts Jackson Memorial next Friday in the second round of the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV playoffs, the Dragons better be ready for a tough battle.

Brick, the second seed, easily handled seventh-seeded Princeton High School Friday night in the opening round of Central Jersey Group IV, as quarterback Carmen Sclafani ran for two touchdowns and passed for two more in a 48-12 victory over the Little Tigers (8-2).

Running back Jay Obenauer added two more for the Dragons, who were without Ray Fattaruso over what school officials told the Shore Sports Network was a personal issue. Fattaruso is expected to be back next Friday, however, when the Dragons have to deal with the Jaguars, who will be looking to avenge their only loss of the season. Jackson, the third seed, beat Middletown North 45-7 Friday night.

The first meeting between Brick and Jackon Memorial was a wild affair, according to media reports from that night, with the Dragons winning in overtime, 30-24. The Jaguars have been on a roll since then, and sprung the biggest upset of the season when they knocked off Red Bank Catholic last weekend, 33-27, ending the Caseys’ 40-game Shore Conference winning streak.

Brick (9-1) stumbled the week after beating Jackson, falling to then-winless Wall 28-27. But Brick has easily handled every challenge since then.

Including Princeton Friday night.

The Dragons held the Little Tigers in check until well into the second quarter, when Princeton used a halfback option to move the ball into Brick’s red zone for the first time all game. Tigers quarterback Jay Beamer finished the drive with a keeper play from the 1 for a touchdown that made it 21-6.

But like a cat playing with a mouse, the Dragons responded with two more touchdowns, including a 64-yard bomb from Sclafani to Ja’Quez Johnson, to go ahead 35-6 at halftime.

The Brick defense did its share as well, with Tom Leech and Joe Phillips grabbing interceptions in the middle two quarters and Shaun Smith ending Princeton’s last possession by grabbing an interception of his own.

See photos from the game on the Brick Patch Facebook page, here.