Rogers' 64-Yard Late 4th Quarter TD, Gutsy Fake Punt Call Clinch Win For Middletown South

Photo above courtesy of Ken Cook: Cole Rogers leaves a trail of Lion defenders behind en route to game winning touchdown.

MIDDLETOWN - Cole Rogers took a handoff from junior quarterback/kicker Matt Mosquera around right end for a go-ahead 64-yard touchdown run breaking a 13-13 tie with 6:13 left in the game. Then a gutsy fake punt call with under three minutes to play by Eagle head coach Steve Antonucci preserved a 20-13 win for the Eagles against crosstown rival Middletown North Thursday at Arnold Truex Memorial Field.

It was the Eagles (9-2, 5-1) 14th straight win over Middletown North in the Thanksgiving Day game series extending its lead to 27-11-1.

The Eagles can now set their sights – if they hadn’t already – on their quest for the programs first state championship since 2006 when they play the state’s third-ranked team, Jackson Memorial, in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV championship game at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, Dec.6 at Rutgers University.

Facing fourth-and-2 from its own 23 and hanging on to a seven point lead with 2:27 showing on the clock, and with a desperate Middletown North team chomping at the bit for one last scoring chance, Eagles head coach Steve Antonucci made the bold decision to go for it.

“I wasn’t sure at first,” Antonucci said. “But then I thought “what do we have to lose here today,” honestly, it’s a rivalry football game I get that, but the bottom line is; what we want is a week away.”

Senior Nolan Pereless then took a direct snap from center, saw daylight and bolted up the middle for a six yard game-sealing first down.

“We practice that play every single day of the week,”Pereless said. “I had a feeling we were going to go for it and the hole was created perfectly by the offensive line. I knew I had the first the second I touched the ball.”

Following Rogers’ touchdown run the Lions did have one last possession with a chance to tie the game, however, after picking up a first down and moving to a third-and-5 at the Eagles 40. North quarterback Donald Glenn was sacked by Sergio Gonzalez for a 10-yard loss. The Lions were then forced to punt on fourth-and-15 from midfield with the Eagles taking over their own 15. Four plays later the Eagles clinched the win with the fake punt and ran out the clock.

The first half ended with Middletown South leading 10-0 on a three-yard run by Rogers and a 40-yard field goal by Mosquera. On Middletown North’s first possession of the game after driving for a first-and-10 from the Eagle 37, Glenn had a sure touchdown pass dropped by his receiver at the goal line and the drive stalled three play later.

Glenn directed a second half comeback with a pair of scoring passes in the first 8:35 of the third quarter that gave the Lions a 13-10 lead. He fired a strike to senior Jordan Pitts running down the right hash marks for a 29-yard scoring play to pull to within three, 10-7. Then, after North’s Aaron Borrero recovered an onsides kick, Glenn avoided a sack, scrambled to his right and found junior Josh Gomez all alone behind the South defense for 21 yards and a touchdown. The extra point was wide and the Lions led 13-10.

That was all the Lions (6-4) could muster the rest of the way as the South defense clamped down on the Lions forcing them into punting situations on their final three possessions. The Eagles defense recorded four sacks and were in Glenn’s face most the entire fourth quarter. Dan Servidio had 12 tackles and a sack, Kevin Higgins recorded a sack and Will Gulick added eight tackles and a sack. Linebacker James McCarthy and Dylan Rogers each registered 11 tackles for the game.

Glenn finished 11-of-23 for 153 yards and two touchdowns while Pitts had five receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown. Nick Kish led the Lion defense with eight tackles and a sack while Pitts had a interception on South’s second possession of the game.

Mosquera’s 36-yard field goal with 9:57 remaining tied the game at 13 before Rogers untied it a little under four minutes later. With his two field goals Thursday, Mosquera now has 13 for the season, one shy of the Shore Conference record set by Matawan’s Mike Creamer last year. He also placed three punts inside the 20 yard line.

“Matt is solid, it’s such a luxury to have someone like him at this level,” Antonicci said. “All we worry about with Matt is to make sure we block everybody; he’ll handle the other part of it.”

The highly underrated Rogers ran for 192 yards on 30 carries and two touchdowns in the game. The Eagles never attempted a pass in the second half instead relying on Rogers, who churned out 118 yards rushing in the second half.

“Cole has the knack for being a great runner at the right time,” Antonucci said referring to his unheralded running back. “There’s never any “WOW” but he always finishes the deal. He’s a really solid runner and I rank him right up there with a lot of the great running backs we’ve had here.”

On the flip side, the Lions continue their climb back to respectability under second-year head coach Steve Bush. They qualified for the state playoffs for the second year in a row and won six games this season for the first time since 1996, when they went 9-2 and won the Central Jersey Group IV championship.

“Steve Bush has done a great job with his program,” Antonucci said. “With his background you have to be prepared when you play his team. I give him a ton of credit, he’s changed the course of that program.”

Follow @getmready