Raiders Suffer Loss to North Hunterdon

The Scotch Plains-Fanwood football team is near the end of a long and frustrating season. That season took another tough step toward the finish line Friday night when the Raiders were beaten by North Hunterdon 39-19 in Clinton.

The Raiders fell to 1-8 on the season. They have lost eight straight since a season-opening win at Cranford. One game remains against an opponent to be determined Monday afternoon when the state’s “consolation’’ round games are announced. Consolation games match opponents who have not made the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association playoffs.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood hopes to return to the North 2 Group III playoffs next year. With a brutal schedule this year that included powerhouses like Phillipsburg, Immaculata and Summit, the team’s chances were certainly hurt.

“We have to get stronger," Scotch Plains-Fanwood coach Steve Ciccotelli said.

Junior Quinton Blackwell was one of the bright spots Friday night as the Raiders fell behind 39-0 before scoring three fourth-quarter touchdowns. Blackwell ran 33 times for 212 yards – 160 in the second half. Since senior quarterback Gary Binkiewicz wasn’t cleared to play as he recovers from a high ankle sprain, the starting job went to sophomore Steve Alleman, who completed 7 of 13 passes for 68 yards. Alleman is the younger brother of former Raider standout lineman Mike Alleman, who was also a state champion shot putter.

“Steve did a nice job and managed the game pretty well for us," Ciccotelli said. “He’s going to be a good player for us."

Blackwell has played tough throughout a very difficult season.

“He’s a good running back," Ciccotelli said. “But no running back can run without holes. He had some nice runs for us. He’s a talented kid. Our kids played hard."

Ciccotelli has emphasized that the Raiders need to get stronger during the off-season. Senior lineman David Kreps had a good game for the Raiders. The Raiders are starting 10 underclassmen on defense and three on offense.

“We have to learn from our failures," Ciccotell said.

North Hunterdon junior Korey Salvo ran for four first-half touchdowns and had 179 all-purpose yards. He opened the scoring with a 4-yard run in the first quarter and added touchdown runs of 10 and 41 yards. He returned a punt 41 yards for a score in the second quarter. North Hunterdon is 3-5, but four of those losses have been by a combined 15 points.