BRICK – Brick Memorial’s Dylan Vill returned a late first quarter Central Regional fumble deep in their own territory for a 12-yard touchdown and the Mustangs rushed for two second-half scores then held off held off the Golden Eagles for a 21-7 victory Friday night at Brick Memorial’s DiFabio Field..jpg)
Friday’s result was a must win for the Mustangs (4-1, 3-1) and was their fourth win in a row following their season-opening loss to Brick (3-1, 3-0). It moves them into a second-place tie in the Class A South with Central (3-2, 3-1) with both teams a half a game behind Brick, who traveled to Toms River South Saturday.
“We started the season pretty flat unfortunately,” senior running back Tony Thorpe said of his team’s four-game winning streak following their loss to Brick. “But that loss has passed and we got through it. We’ll continue on to ride this horse and refuse to lose and that’s what we did tonight.”
On Central’s first play of its third possession of the game, sophomore running back Landon Richardson – starting in place of star halfback Kavon Chambers, who sat out the first quarter – fumbled at the 12-yard line with the ball bouncing right into the hands of Vill, who scooped it up and scampered into the end zone untouched for the score with 2:57 remaining in the quarter.
Central answered right back traveling 65 yards in 12 plays while taking six minutes off the clock. On third-and-goal from the six, junior quarterback Joe Fowler hit junior wideout Darius Martorano on a quick slant in the end zone to even the game at 7-7 after placekicker Shane Black split the uprights with 8:54 remaining in the first half.
Blaine Netterman returned the ensuing kick to the 13-yard line where the Mustangs took over before driving 82 yards on nine plays to the five-yard line. However, on first-and-goal from the five Thorpe fumbled after a one-yard pickup with Central’s Austin MacClemmy recovering the ball at the four-yard line.
Prior to his fumble, Thorpe had eight consecutive carries on the drive – which included a 15-yard holding penalty on the Mustangs – picking up 83 yards. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound Thorpe was a workhorse on the night carrying the ball 24 times for 171 yards and a touchdown.
“I got to give it all to my linemen, they bust their chops out there, Willie Garner and Joe Castellano,” Thorpe said while praising his offensive line. “They open up the holes and I hit them. Coach Currie has me prepared in practice all week so I’m used to carrying the load. We’ve just got to keep the train going and have our eyes on that goal.”
Following the fumble recovery, Central drove to the Mustangs 44 with just under a minute left in the first half but on third-and-10 Vill intercepted Fowler at the Mustang 12-yard line with a diving over the head grab.
The Mustangs got as far as their own 49 following the interception with the aid of a 15-yard penalty but Netterman was stopped for a nine-yard loss by Stephen Kasper after recovering his own fumble on the last play of the half and the score still 7-7.
Netterman returned the second-half kickoff 18 yards to the 26-yard line.
Six plays later, junior quarterback Tyler Sindel kept the ball on a read-option play after his fake to Thorpe had the Central defense biting on Thorpe up the middle. Sindel pulled the ball back from Thorpe and raced around right end for 46 yards to the two-yard line.
A false start on first down pushed the ball back to the seven but Thorpe bulled his way in up the middle for the touchdown on the next play and the Mustangs now led, 14-7, after Ryan McCombs’ extra-point kick with 8:52 remaining in the third quarter.
“It’s great scoring touchdowns and stuff like that but it’s also great handing the ball off to Tony and having him score,” Sindel said. “It’s crazy having a guy like that in the backfield that I can rely on, but it’s just confidence that is growing and we’ve been repping it and I feel more comfortable.”
The two teams exchanged punts and after Brick Memorial held Central to a three-and-out the Golden Eagles were forced to punt again.
Brick Memorial took over at their own 39 following the punt with 2:01 remaining in the third quarter and drove 61 yards in seven plays to forge ahead, 21-7. On second-and-4 from the Central 29, Sindel again drew in the defense with a fake to Thorpe, pulled it in and bolted 29 yards for the score with 10:34 remaining in the game.
“Tyler’s improved a lot through the season,” Thorpe said of his quarterback. “He’s a great runner, great passer and makes great reads so he helps our offense open up a lot.”
On the night, Sindel carried the ball eight times for 85 yards and a touchdown. The young quarterback is evolving into a playmaker who has shown the ability to make the correct reads and make things happen in the Mustangs triple-option offense.
“What Tyler does better than a lot of quarterbacks we’ve had is he’s got a point guard mentality,” Mustang head coach Walt Currie said of his rising quarterback. “He could care less if he ever scores a point or runs for a yard. He wants to get the ball to the right guard, and if the right person happens to be him, so be it.”
Central took over at their own 35 after the score when McCombs’ kick went out of bounds and got as far as the Mustangs 14-yard line. However, consecutive tackles for a loss by Najiere Hutchinson and Garner pushed the ball back to the 22 and a penalty brought it back even further to the 27. An incomplete pass set up a fourth-and-23 and that ended with Netterman wrestling the ball away from Chambers in the end zone for an interception with 4:30 remaining in the game.
The Mustangs went three-and-out and following a punt the Eagles last-ditch drive ended with a crushing nine-yard sack of quarterback Gavin Whalen by Hutchinson on a naked bootleg.
Brick Memorials defense held Chambers – the Shore’s third leading rusher – to just 59 yards on 19 carries. Chambers has two 200 plus-yard games this season.
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