SP-F Falls to Phillipsburg, Readies for Game Against Rival Westfield

Scotch Plains head football coach Steve Ciccotelli is not one to make excuses.

“They outplayed us. I didn’t do a very good job coaching. I don’t know what else to say? Our kids did not play well and the responsibility always comes back to the head coach. My job, still, is to get the kids to play better.”

There really wasn’t much for Ciccotelli to say at all. Sometimes with some teams you are going to take your lumps against certain opponents.

Perennial West Jersey power Phillipsburg traveled to Scotch Plains Saturday for the first time for a rare road game against a Union County opponent.

The Stateliners–owners of the most wins of any New Jersey football team with 623–scored on their first three possessions to establish dominance immediately and went on to post a commanding 40-0 triumph.

Phillipsburg had a 235-60 edge in offensive yards at the half, rushing for 157 yards on 23 carries and passing for 78. Scotch Plains rushed for only seven yards total in the first two quarters.

Ciccotelli and his staff knew this year’s first Mid-State 39 Conference schedule was going to be challenging. Part of the trade-off for not playing Union and Elizabeth was picking up former Skyland Conference standout foes Immaculata of Somerville and Phillipsburg.

It just so happened that an inexperienced–for the most part–Raider squad would have to face those Somerset and Warren county schools in back-to-back weeks.

Scotch Plains struggled to score in its first three games and that continued against the stronger Immaculata and Phillipsburg programs.

While there was a wide disparity on the football field Saturday, not long ago these teams were a lot closer. Phillipsburg won North 2, Group 3 last year for the first time sine 1977, while Scotch Plains hosted a North 2, Group 3 semifinal contest just two years ago.

Phillipsburg is out to win North 2, Group 4 this year for the second time and first time since 2005.

The Raiders won the opening coin toss and elected to play on defense first and then get the ball first in the second half.

However, it took Phillipsburg only four plays to get in the end zone, with speedy junior running back Dana Lee scoring on a 35-yard run untouched. He led all ball carriers in the first half with 75 yards on five carries.

“We said as a coaching staff that we would like to get through the first quarter without (Phillipsburg scoring) any points,” Ciccotelli said.

Scotch Plains was unable to stop Phillipsburg early on, with the Stateliners also scoring on their second and third possessions.

The Raider defense managed to halt Phillipsburg during its fourth possession. Placekicker Anthony Castro just missed a 47-yard field goal attempt that had the accuracy but fell short of the required distance.

Castro came back to kick a 46-yard field goal through the same uprights with plenty to spare with just 12 seconds left in the first half.

That Stateliner possession followed the best scoring chance Scotch Plains had on the day.

The Raiders, on their fifth possession of the first half, drove from their own 44 all the way to the Phillipsburg one-yard line.

After a three-yard loss on a run, senior quarterback Gary Binkiewicz completed an eight-yard pass to senior wide receiver Mike Marsan.

A 20-yard pass to senior tight end Alex Graham followed with junior running back Quintin Blackwell gaining three yards on the next play.

Binkiewicz then scrambled for a five-yard gain. After there was no gain on the next play, that left Scotch Plains with a fourth-and-two at the Phillipsburg 23.

With less than two minutes remaining in the second quarter, Binkiewicz moved right a bit and found Graham open for a short pass that turned into a 13-yard gain to the Stateliner 10-yard line.

Blackwell then found room to the right and reached the one-yard line before he was tackled.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, they would turn the ball over on the very next play.

Binkiewicz took the snap and went back with the ball and saw that he had to scramble out of trouble again. As he was running he was hit in the numbers and put on his back by Phillipsburg junior linebacker Kyle Williams. The ball was jarred loose, with Phillipsburg senior lineman Jeremy Stokes there to recover.

"I think they’re a better football team than us, but we could have played better,” Ciccotelli said.

As Scotch Plains begins to prepare to host a 2-2 arch-rival Westfield squad next Saturday, the Raiders need to be able to put some points on the board for the sake of their confidence.

Westfield didn’t score a whole lot of points either this weekend, but came away with a 3-0 win at North Hunterdon Friday night.

Scotch Plains has now been shut out three times this season and has scored just five touchdowns–four in its season-opening win at Cranford.

There were some bright spots for the Raiders. Binkiewicz completed five-of-11 passes for 53 yards in the first half, with Doran Nelson catching one pass for seven yards, Marsan one for eight and Graham three for 38.

“They were blitzing, so we had a route over the middle and Gary found them,” Ciccotelli said.

On defense, junior linebacker Neville Hall tackled Phillipsburg quarterback Justin Scuorzo for a three-yard loss at the Scotch Plains 44 to halt Phillipsburg’s fifth possession.

Near the end of the fourth quarter, junior defensive back J.C. Davidson–who has made his share of touchdown-saving tackles so far this season–intercepted a pass deep in Scotch Plains territory.

MID-STATE 39 CONFERENCE-INTERDIVISION GAME

PHILLIPSBURG (3-1)               15       10       15       0   -   40

SCOTCH PLAINS (1-4)              0          0        0       0   -     0

FIRST QUARTER:

PHILLIPSBURG – Dana Lee 35 run, Anthony Castro kick (P 7-0)

4 plays, 65 yards, 1:32 used

PHILLIPSBURG - Andrew Nesmith 14 pass from Justin Scuorzo, Matt Deery run (P 15-0)

10 plays, 75 yards, 4:22 used

SECOND QUARTER:

PHILLIPSBURG – Monsio Jlaka 1 run, Anthony Castro kick (P 22-0)

7 plays, 30 yards, 3:07 used

PHILLIPSBURG – FG Anthony Castro 46 (P 25-0)

8 plays, from own 16 to Scotch Plains 29, 1:02 used

THIRD QUARTER:

PHILLIPSBURG – Matt Deery 5 run, Anthony Castro kick (P 32-0)

PHILLIPSBURG – Monsio Jlaka 3 run, Jason Herman pass from Matt Deery (P 40-0)

SCOTCH PLAINS RAIDERS (1-4)

(A) Scotch Plains 26, Cranford 24

(A) Linden 35, Scotch Plains 0

(H) Warren Hills 12, Scotch Plains 6

(A) Immaculata 41, Scotch Plains 0

(H) Phillipsburg 40, Scotch Plains 0

Oct. 17 Westfield, 1 p.m.

Oct. 24 Summit, 1 p.m.

Oct. 31 at Rahway, 1 p.m.

Nov. 6 at North Hunterdon, 7 p.m.

Head coach: Steve Ciccotelli

Section: North 2, Group 3

Record: 1-4

Home: 0-2

Away: 1-2

Points for: 32

Points against: 140

Shutouts: 0

Overtime: 0-0