Moorestown vs Long Branch @ State Finals
Piscataway, NJ – (Written by Louis Rossi for NJSI.net/Photos by Alex Cena)
CLICK HERE to view all the photos from the game or just enjoy the pictures below.
The NJSIAA/Gatorade Central Jersey, Group 3 title game Sunday night between Moorestown and Long Branch would waste no time getting under way. Mike Reynolds, putting all theatrics center stage scored off the opening kickoff, 92 yards, drawing first blood in a dramatic fashion.
“Brian Burnham had a great lead block, I saw the wall form and I just ran lateral to the sideline and from there it was a foot race,” Reynolds said. “Our special teams thought we could bust one, a game-changer, and it turns out it worked and gave us a lot of momentum.”
Reynold’s game-opening return would be the only points scored in the first half; that’s not to say Long Branch didn’t have their chances; they managed to push their way deep into Moorestown territory twice before halftime – painfully coming away empty both times.
Attempting to upstage the kick return from the first half would be Moorestown quarterback Shane Collier, who completed a 53 yard touchdown pass on his team’s first possession of the second half, putting them up 13-0 just two minutes after they came back
from the locker rooms.
“We left with such a bad taste in our mouth last year after we lost,” Collier said. “It just feels so nice right now to be standing here and not crying like last year.”
Long Branch attempted to counter the two-minute drive, making their way to the Moorestown 17. Intercepting a pass, Dom Sebastiani would put Moorestown out of danger on their own 20, giving the momentum to lead 20-0 after a nine play, 71 yard drive with 10:04 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Finally countering with a two minute score they could call their own, Jamil Pitts would take over at quarterback and connect with Donte Gilliard for 34 yards, and then Shawn Brown for an additional 22. With 8:11 remaining, Travis Patterson – who was also the game’s leading rusher with 22 carries and 85 total yards – would charge into the end zone from one yard out giving his team a glimpse of a possible comeback.
“We wanted to pound the ball, we wanted to get down the field but it didn’t
work out our way,” Patterson said. “They just made more plays than we did.”
Completing the bounce-back from a 38-0 loss in last year’s championship game, Moorestown would go on to defeat Long Branch 20-6 in their first title since 2000 – capping off a perfect 12-0 season.
“Last year we were happy to be here and we were a little in awe of the whole situation,” Moorestown coach Russ Horton said. “Last year we got here and we didn’t finish the job and that kind of festered with the kids in the off-season. It’s a memory of a lifetime for these guys.”
