See It In Photos: Donovan Catholic Battles Jackson Liberty

For a time Friday night, it seems like Donovan Catholic was finally getting the upper hand against Jackson Liberty.

After an uneven first half that left the Griffins trailing by 6 points, the defense came out on fire, shutting down the Lions and stuffing running back Dominick Regina for a safety that cut the difference to four points.

But while the defense began to corral Regina, the offense was never able to get on track, and the Griffins fell to Jackson Liberty, 21-17 on in a Shore Conference Class B South game on Homecoming night in Toms River.

Donovan (1-4, 1-3) took an 8-0 lead in the first quarter on a 6-yard run by Joe Rozell followed by a two-point conversion by Gian Carlo Stigliano. But Liberty (3-2) answered immediately with a big run by Regina that set the Lions up with first-and-goal from the 1 and soon it was 8-7.

Liberty took the lead, 14-8, on another big run by Regina, and made it 21-8 when Regina bounced off a pile of Donovan tacklers and sprinted to the end zone when the Donovan sideline thought he was down.

Griffins quarterback Ken Cushman answered with big play, completing a 24-yard touchdown pass to Alex Rosario on third-and-9 to make it 21-15 going into halftime.

But after the defense opened the second half with the big stop and the safety, the Griffins offense couldn’t get out of its own way. A fumble recovery that would have given Donovan first-and-10 at the Liberty 21 was sabotaged by two personal fouls that pushed the Griffins back to midfield.

With just under 5 minutes left, the Griffins drove inside the Liberty red zone, twice converting on fourth down. But the drive sputtered, and a 31-yard field goal fell short.

Donovan travels to Lakewood next Saturday for a 1 p.m. game.

Missed the game? See it in photos on the Toms River Patch Facebook page.