Long Branch Outlasts Middletown North In Overtime Thriller

Photos courtesy of Tom Smith: "The Stop", #3 Jermaine Corbett, #13 Juwan Wilkins, #32 Laqym Morris, #25 Jah'Kwan Gordan, #10 Marc Dennis and #6 Pasa Fields

MIDDLETOWN – In a game projected to be an offensive shootout that suddenly turned into a defensive battle, No. 7 Long Branch had to fight for its life before finally turning away a desperate Middletown North squad 28-21 in overtime Friday night in Middletown.

The two teams combined to put up 35 first-half points with Long Branch taking a 21-14 lead with just 37.8 seconds left in the half.

But in the second half, a late fourth quarter Sean Glenn 20-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Aidan Campbell knotting the game at 21-21 with 1:27 remaining in regulation were the only points scored before the Green Wave added a touchdown in overtime for the win.

The Lions (3-4), who were badly in need of a win for power points, won the coin toss and deferred giving the ball to Long Branch at the 25-yard line to begin overtime.

“We knew this was the second best team on our schedule regardless of their record,” Long Branch head coach Dan George said of the Lions. “We’ve seen them play, we’ve scouted every game. We were concerned with them right from the beginning the way they played against everybody.

“I know this sounds cliché but that’s winning on the road in the B North,” George added. “We knew this was going to be difficult and it made it more difficult when they got upset last week and they’re playing for their playoff lives. We knew this was a very important win for them and we had to match their energy and intensity because we knew what we were going to get but I don’t think either of us scripted it (the game) that way.”

Facing a fourth-and-3 from the 18-yard line on the initial possession of overtime, Long Branch elected to go for a first down rather than attempt a field goal. Senior quarterback Juwan Wilkins – who went 4-of-6 for 26 yards including a touchdown in overtime - then hit senior widout Pasa Fields for four yards and a first down at the 14-yard line.

Following an incompletion on first down Wilkins then completed a 9-yard pass to junior wide receiver Matt Clark before finding Clark again, this time for a 5-yard touchdown on third-and-one. Paul Montague’ extra point then made it 28-21.

An incompletion on third down on the Lions ensuing possession of overtime set up a fourth-and-6 from the 21 but Glenn’s pass to Campbell picked up eight yards and a first down after a great second effort by Campbell to get extra yardage.

A 3-yard run by senior running back Connor Welsh and 6-yard completion to Campbell gave the Lions a third-and-1 from the 4-yard line but junior Connor Robbins was stopped for no gain on third down and on fourth down Robbins dive over the top of the pile came up inches short after a measurement and Long Branch (6-1) escaped with an electrifying 28-21 win.

The victory keeps Long Branch one game back of Red Bank Catholic for a share of the Class B North title with the Wave at 5-1 in the division and the Caseys 5-0 with one division game left against a red hot Manasquan (5-2, 2-2) team that’s won four in a row.

Long Branch has recorded back-to-back wins since losing to RBC, 42-28, at Rutgers two weeks ago in game closer than the score indicated.

Long Branch went 64 yards on 12 plays in six minutes on its first possession of the game. Wilkins went 4-for-4 for 55 yards on the drive including 14-yard pass to senior Kaymar Mimes that gave the Wave a second-and-goal from the 1-yard line before senior fullback Laqym Morris bulled his way in from the one for a 7-0 lead.

Campbell returned the ensuing kickoff 46 yards to the Long Branch 44-yard line for the Lions before consecutive carries of seven and nine yards by Welch set up a first-and-10 from the 28. Welch then took a Glenn handoff around right end before cutting back inside before racing 28 yards for the score to tie the game 7-7 after Joey Cavanagh’s extra-point kick.

Welch carried the ball 26 times for 230 yards and a touchdown. He’s tireless runner with great vision that can cut on the dime or run you over.

“He’s run wild against everyone with the exception of last week,” Goerge said of Welch. “He’s a turf runner that loves his jump cuts, loves his back cuts. He does everything well. He plays defense well, he plays offense, and he went out as a receiver. He’s a big-time back in a big-time league.”

A 7-yard sack on Long Branch’ ensuing possession led to a punt before North took the lead with 8:28 left in the second quarter driving 62-yards in just six plays to go up 14-7. Welsh had runs of eight and 16 yards before Glenn found Campbell on swing pass in the right flats for a 19-yard touchdown.

The Lions Patrick Connolly then recovered an onside-kick at the Long Branch 39-yard line but after picking up seven yards on first down Welch coughed up the ball giving right back to Long Branch.

The two team exchanged punts before the Green Wave tied the game 14-14 with 4:39 left in the first half going 54 yards in just three plays. Looking at a second-and-10 from the Lions 42 sophomore running back Jermaine Corbett – who finished with 97 yards from scrimmage - took a Wilkins screen pass and raced all the way into the end zone for the score.

Following the kickoff, Middletown North took over at their own 33-yard line. Two runs by Welch netted 10 yards and a 6-yard jet sweep by Campbell set up a second-and-four from the Long Branch 49.

However, with the Lions driving for a potential go-ahead score with under three minutes left in the half, junior Marc Dennis picked off Glenn at around the 35 before returning it to the Lions 42-yard line.

“We knew that whenever they had a chance for a big first down they wanted to go through the air a lot on play action,” Dennis said of the play. “So in practice coach told me to take my reads and fly after everything in front of me. He ran a dig right in front of my face and I went up and caught it.

“The guys up front helped us tremendously. Like in overtime on the goal line on fourth-and-one they just maned up and answered.”

Dennis, in his first year as a defensive starter, had a dominate performance both in pass defense and helping out stopping the run.

“He just gets better every game,” George said of Dennis, who’s made the transition from quarterback to defensive back this season. “He’s playing at such a high level. He calls every coverage for us on every play and now he’s really starting to understand because this is his first year ever playing defense, he’s always been an offensive guy. We feel really good about him and he continues to get better.”

Five plays later, Wilkins found Mimes on a 10-yard slant in the end zone for the touchdown and just like that the Green Wave had all the momentum and a 21-14 lead with 37.8 seconds left in the first half.

On third-and-one preceeding Mimes touchdown, Morris broke an 11-yard run to the 10-yard line setting up the score.

Wilkins finished 19-of-31 passing for 212 yards and three touchdown.

Taking over at their own 31 following the kickoff the Lions weren’t about to lie down though.

On first down they faked a kneel-down play with Campbell taking the ball 23 yards to the Long Branch 46. A Glenn to Campbell pass completion netted 13 more yards but an 11-yard sack by Jah’Kwan Gordon pushed the ball back to the 44. Welsh then put a scare into the Long Branch faithful racing all the way down to the 5-yard line before getting tackled as time ran out on the half.

Cavanagh’s squibbed the second-half kick to about the 30 where Bill Levey almost broke it but a shoe-string tackle brought him down at the Lions 48-yard line.

Four plays later on fourth-and-4 from the 42, Wilkins pass to Mimes fell incomplete.

With 10:37 left in the game, Middletown North drove to the Wave 42-yard line but on fourth-and-12 Fields intercepted Glenn at the 12-yard line with 6:35 left in the game.

Long Branch went nowhere and was forced to punt with North taking over at their own 45. A 20-yard screen pass to Welch on second-and-8 from the 40 gave the Lions a first down at the Long Branch 20. Then following a Welch run for no gain Glenn found Campbell who ran from 20-yards out for the tying the score forcing overtime.

“I said it last year, we’re Group IV now and when you’re playing Group IV this is what you battle,” George said. “We’re in an athletic, physical conference and their in our section with a lot of big, strong Group IV’s, with a lot of kids, and it had taken us a little time to adjust to it. It’s different.”

“Waking up every day in the summer (for workouts) at 6:30 in the morning let us know we just really wanted this,” Dennis said of his team commitment. “And that’s what we had to do to get it done. Now we come into a hostile environment and we just showed we’re really a family and that we’re really serious this year.”

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