Gridiron Classic Reunites Raritan's Ernst and Petruzzi For One Last Game

Photo above: Raritan head coach Anthony Petruzzi and star running back Derek Ernst

HAZLET – The low point of the 2015 season for Raritan High School’s star running back, Derek Ernst, came on senior night in his final home game of his high school career. With a playoff spot in jeopardy, the Rockets lost that game 30-21 to Monmouth Regional for their fifth loss in a row.

“That was a game we needed, knew we could win and we let it slip through our hands,” said Ernst, who will be running the ball for the Monmouth County senior all-stars in Thursday’s 39th Gridiron Classic. “And losing on senior night in my last home game was probably the lowest point of my career.”

The Rockets started out the season with three impressive wins outscoring Manasquan, Matawan and Freehold by a combined score of 100-17 before losing to undefeated Red Bank Regional 30-14 in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated. That loss sent the Rockets into an unexpected five-game tail spin – a stretch that included four playoff teams including sectional finalist St. John Vianney and Red Bank Regional and state champion Rumson-Fair Haven.

“During the losing streak the team stayed pretty much even keeled,” said Raritan High School and Monmouth County senior all-stars head coach Anthony Petruzzi. “We went against some teams that we were on the losing side of but they were competitive games. We gave teams that may have been a little better than us - like Saint John Vianney - everything we had and we were building confidence throughout. It was kind of at a turning point after the Monmouth Regional loss when we got into the playoffs and had another shot Point Boro and guys were bent on making the most of this opportunity.”

Despite the loss to Falcons, the Rockets had accumulated enough power points through strength of schedule and quality wins to qualify for the post-season even with a sub .500 record. The Rockets played one of the most difficult schedules in the Shore Conference that included six playoff teams with a combined record of 53-13. They lost to Rumson by one point and put up the most points on St. John Vianney and Rumson than any other team in the Shore Conference.

“After qualifying we went into the playoffs with the attitude that we were 0-0 and starting from there,” Ernst said. “Once we knew we were going to be in the playoffs we knew we had to switch our ways and grind that much harder. We were definitely given new life.”

Ernst saw playing time at safety his sophomore year before bursting on the scene as a junior in 2014 when senior running back Richie Salerno was injured late in the first half of the season opener against Manasquan.

Taking over for Salerno in the second half, Ernst rushed for close to 200 yards in leading the Rockets to a 41-34 upset win over the favored Warriors and he hasn’t looked back since. He was a Coaches All-Division selection that season and named second team All-Shore after rushing for 1,505 yards and 24 touchdowns while leading the Rockets to their first playoff berth since 2009.

“Since his freshman year Derek has gone through a complete transformation through hard work in the weight room,” Petruzzi said. “He worked his body, got his speed up and become a student of the game. He got himself on the field his sophomore year as a defensive player then junior year was the year he broke out and never looked back. Two years back-to-back he’s been the most dominant back in the Shore and it’s been special to coach him. Because of his work ethic he has the ability to lead others; he’s a gym rat who’s always doing the extra rep, always in there doing the extra sprint.”

So after enduring a demoralizing five-game skid, the Rockets still snuck into the playoffs for the second straight season. As the sixth-seed, the Rockets were matched up against No.3 seed Point Pleasant Boro - a team they had already lost to 33-27 in a game that could’ve gone either way - in the CJGII quarterfinals.

In a hard-fought defensive battle, Ernst was the game’s leading rusher with 106 yards on 27 carries as the Rockets upset the Panthers 17-7 in Pt. Pleasant advancing to the semifinals at second-seeded Delaware Valley.

“We knew in game one against Pt. Boro we could’ve came out of that game with a win so we had confidence that we could beat them,” Ernst said. “We just needed to execute the plays and we would be all right. Once we got into the playoffs this team had a whole new confidence to them; we were ecstatic after the win but now we wanted another one.”

“They weren’t coming home to Hazlet without a win,” Petruzzi said. “After the win they realized every loss that we had could be avenged in this playoff run and that some of teams we played during the season were of higher caliber then teams we were going to be playing in the playoffs thanks to the tough A Central and our Shore Conference schedule.”

Ernst then made sure they got that next win rushing for three first-half touchdowns including a 76-yard touchdown burst up the middle as the Rockets took a 28-0 halftime lead en route to a 42-13 waxing of Delaware Valley and a trip to the finals. Ernst was unstoppable in the game running over one would be tackler after another while torching the Delaware Valley defense for 219 yards on just 25 carries.

The Rockets were on a roll now and prepared to take on No. 1 seed and undefeated Lincoln in the final.

“We all felt we got to that game for a reason,” Ernst said. “We knew we could do it we just needed to watch a lot of film and play smart football.”

“There was never a situation where the team stopped believing in themselves,” Petruzzi said. “They never stopped believing in each other. It was just a situation where we ran into some very tough opponents and we didn’t do enough little things right to get the wins. That was the difference in the playoffs; we started to do those little things right.”

In the final, Ernst scored on an eight-yard run in the first quarter and a 34-yarder in the third quarter to give the Rockets a 14-6 lead before Nick Pasquin’s 35-yard pick six pushed the lead to 21-6 late in the third quarter.

However, Lincoln rattled off three quick unanswered touchdowns to take a 26-21 lead over the reeling Rockets with 4:16 remaining in the game. But after trading possessions, the Rockets forced a Lion punt and Lincoln punter Ethan Zayas fumbled the snap and fell on it handing the Rockets the ball at the Lion 41 yard-line with 1:56 left in the game.

“We never lost confidence knowing there was a lot of game left,” Ernst said. “We just had the attitude of ‘let’s do it.’”

A bubble screen to Pasquin set Raritan up at the 12 yard-line with 52 seconds left. Three plays later it was 4th-and-9 from the 11 yard-line with 16 seconds left. That’s when junior quarterback Marc Carnivale hit Pasquin over the back shoulder with pass and the senior wideout spun over the goal line for the winning score with 10 seconds showing on the game clock.

“When Pasquin made the catch it was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had,” Ernst said. “I was in shock; we were going crazy on the field.”

Ernst finished with 144 yards on the ground on a game-high 35 carries and two touchdowns giving him 461-yards rushing and five touchdowns in the Rockets three-game playoff run.

“I wanted to carry this team in the playoffs,” Ernst said. “To show them that I was here to play with the hope that others saw what I was doing and came to support.”

“Derek put the team on his shoulders in the playoffs as he had all season,” Petruzzi said. “But we had a lot of standout performances in the playoffs. With our offensive line giving body shots we started and finished with our running game and Derek was our running game.”

It was Raritan’s second state sectional title in program history and first since 2004 when Derek’s older brother David - a current Raritan assistant coach – was a lineman on the team.

Ernst finished his landmark senior season leading the Shore Conference in rushing with 1,777 yards while scoring 23 touchdowns and was named first team All-Shore by both the Asbury Park Press and Shore Sports Network. He was also an All-Class A Central selection by the coaches for the second straight year and will be heading to Merrimack College in early August for preseason football camp to start his career playing for the Warriors in the Northeast-10 Conference.

“I’m so excited, I was waiting for a while to commit to Merrimack,” Ernst said. “Everything that needed to happen to go to that school happened. I love coach Curran, the whole coaching staff, the players and the community there; it’s like here, I feel like home. The Northeast-10 is a competitive conference and I can’t wait to get going.”

In a twist of fate, after dejectedly walking off the Rockets home field eight months ago for what he thought was his final time, Ernst is back with his coach practicing on that same field with the other members of the Monmouth County all-stars.

“It’s pretty awesome; I thought that was my last time ever playing on that field on senior night,” said Ernst. “Playing in this game with all these great players is awesome, especially with coach Petruzzi who has probably made the biggest impact on my career as far anyone.

“And it’s one more chance to be with my teammates Jordan (Smith), Pasquin, Mason Sheehan and Sean Ennis. It’s just great to be able to play with them on last time.”

“It’s great to coach Derek, all these guys again,” Petruzzi said. “Ennis, Jordan, Mason and Nick, it’s been awesome. The seniors that got us here, five of them are now representing us in the game and doing all the little things that we need them to do. It’s nice seeing them not only stand out amongst all-stars but be able to do all the things we need leaders to do.”

The 2016 U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic between the Monmouth and Ocean County senior all-stars will take place this Thursday, June 30 at Central Regional’s Joseph J. Boyd Memorial Field with a scheduled 7:00 p.m. kickoff.

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