This past Friday night a packed house at John Basilone Memorial Field saw something new from their 2013 Panther Football Team. After an impressive air attack in Hillsborough, BR came in to the game with Franklin expected to continue the Michael Fair air assault.
But, no. On a warm t-shirt and shorts October night, under the lights, Bridgewater Raritan decided to take a different approach. An old school "smash mouth-in your face" approach.
The Panthers went to the ground attack and senior running back Matthew Eichhorn had the best game of his high school career so far. Eichhorn rushed for 156 yards and four TD's. Fullback Jack Fanning also joined the rushing party with a TD of his own.
But a team doesn't score 5 TD's rushing and gain over 200 yards without stellar line play. That's exactly what they got from captain Kyle Kiernan, Matt Bloom, Kevin Berheiko, Dan DeMaio, Andrew DeMaio and Tight End Mike Celli. They all combined to push Franklin's defense all over the field all night long.
The defense was also enjoying a banner night, holding Franklin to just 6 points. Billy Barber had a fumble recovery, Keith Schroeder had an interception and the weekly consistent tandem of Chris Carter, Jack Fanning, Nate Muniz, Dan Renna and Hanks Flanagan all helped greatly to contribute to a total shut down of the Franklin offense.
The final score was 34-6. This Friday, right here in Bridgewater it's a major showdown with an undefeated Philipsburg team. There is no doubt that the student cheering section and 12th man, Zoo Crew will be in full throat. They have been an entertaining and spirited support system for the boys all season long. The Band has also been fantastic, getting the crowd excited and this past halftime show was one of the best ever.
The game Friday night is a crucial contest that will have major bearing on the season for the boys of BR. After showing their powerful passing capabilities and their ability to pound on the ground, it may just take yet something new again to make sure they come out on top.
