Football: 'Tricky Offense' Kept Jefferson on Toes

The Montville football team gets closer and closer to earning the elusive victory they desire but once again the Mustangs fell short. This time it was in a 14-13 penalty-filled loss to Jefferson. There were plenty of good things to come out of the contest. The two touchdowns they scored in the first quarter matched the number of touchdowns they scored during their first four games. A passing touchdown from John Jespersen to Jon Lacy and a touchdown run by Nolan Ehntholt kept Montville ahead at halftime and in the contest until the final whistle.

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Total

Montville (0-5)

13

0

0

0

13

Jefferson (4-1)

7

0

7

0

14

IN SHORT

A lot of good things happened on Thursday, but in the end another disappointing result. Montville recovered a squib kick on the opening kickoff and capitalized on it with John Jespersen’s 35-yard TD pass to Jon Lacey to make it 6-0 early. However, the missed extra point came back to haunt the Mustangs. Jefferson responded seconds later on a long Steve Strumolo run to make it 7-6.  Montville took the lead with 1:57 left in the first quarter on one of their better drives of the year. They went 73 yards on 13 plays. It ended with Nolan Ehntholt’s 17-yard TD run to make it a 13-7 game.

Defensively, the Mustangs did a good job in limiting the offensive capabilities of Jefferson back Strumolo. Montville made sure that the Falcons would not beat them by running wide. However in being forced to stretch the field on defense, the Mustangs were vulnerable in the middle. So when Jefferson’s Devyn Sanchez found a seam in the line, he only had one defender to beat in order to break free. He raced down the field for a 94-yard touchdown run with 45.9 seconds left in the third quarter. A 52-yard run by Jespersen set up the Mustangs best scoring chance in the fourth quarter, but Jefferson’s Evan Rapp tipped away a fourth-down pass headed for Lacey and forced Montville to turn the ball over on downs on the Falcons’ 31 with 10:33 left in the game. The Mustangs would never get that close again.

MUSTANG OF THE GAME
Jon Lacey, Tight End, Defensive Line—Lacey proved that he can be a threat for the Mustangs. The 6-foot-4 athlete is a receiving target that helps the Mustangs open up their offense. On the first offensive drive, he help set the tone by hauling in a 35-yard touchdown pass. He also caught passes of 15 and 14 yards. Adding some diversity to the offense will help Montville open things up and give opposing defenses added difficulties.

TOP MUSTANG OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCES
PASSING: John Jespersen (4 of 8 for 74 yards, one touchdown)
RUSHING: Austin Strickland (13 carries for 74 yards)
RECEIVING: Jon Lacey (three catches for 64 yards; one touchdown)

MUSTANG DEFENSIVE PERFORMERS

It’s tough to pick one person. Anyone forced to play wide like Joe DeAlesandro or Gerry Czyzewski deserves a pat on the back. Falcons’ back Steve Strumolo can cut it loose when he runs wide and also has a devastating cut back. Defensive players really have to be ready when he touches the ball. Strumolo was held to 89 yards rushing and 45 of them came on a first-quarter touchdown run.

TOUGH OPPONENTS

John Kampas (Jefferson linebacker) and Lauren Sanchez (Jefferson lineman): Sanchez had 13 tackles (five unassisted) and Kampas had 12 tackles (five unassisted) to help keep the Mustangs from breaking plays for larger gains..

THEY SAID IT

 "What Coach Delaney has done with his boys is unbelievable. They came out to play. They scored 14 points all year (going in). They scored 13 on us. It has to be a total team effort on defense to stop their offense. Nobody can be out of place. Nobody can be out of alignment and nobody can be out of their gap. It’s a tricky offense."–Jefferson coach Joe Mattessich  

Up Next—High Point next Friday at Montville High School, 7 p.m.