Sussex County Sports Blog

By Dan Cleary

11/8/2009 - Sussex Football Puts On Show

These games really didn’t mean anything, right?

Playoffs bids were already earned and Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference divisional titles had been wrapped up, so the Sparta-Roxbury and Delbarton-Pope John clashes were just good tune-ups for the state tournament, right?

But to paraphrase Mugs Media’s colorful wrestling analyst, Bill Rawson, not so fast in this wild and wacky world or realignment.

In two games played just a couple of miles apart in Sparta, football fans from Sussex County were treated to two clashes that were every bit worthy of a state tournament game and lived up to the pregame hoopla which surrounded them, which is very rare these days.

Sparta’s wild 20-13 win over previously undefeated and state-ranked Roxbury was one for the ages. It had everything. Great defense, amazing fourth-down conversions, wild pass receptions, a successful onsides kick and hook-and-lateral that went awry resulting in a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown on the game’s final play.

Picking out highlights for the Sports Beat was like trying to select who would be on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.

The PJ-Delbarton showdown was a classic as well. Pope John trailed 24-7 at the half before mounting a furious comeback to cut the lead to 38-35 before falling 45-35 to the Green Wave and their outstanding quarterback E.J. Schneider of Vernon.

The two games showcased the best public school teams from Morris and Sussex and the top Non-Public (I hate that term, parochial was fine) schools from the two counties and it was a draw.

Although, if I had to use a tiebreaker (and nobody asked, by the way), I would declare Sussex the winner. And why? Well, the most productive player on the field against Pope John was Schneider and he is from Sussex County.

How’s that for some deductive reasoning? Yes, that type of thinking and $1 will get you a cup of coffee these days.

Anyway, the fans who attended the games were given quite a show. The Sparta-Roxbury clash was all about hard-nosed football and great defense. Sparta quarterback Doug D’Angelo showed tremendous poise in the pocket as the massive Roxbury defense put pressure on him all game.

As a former lineman, I was so impressed with how the smaller Spartans stood up to the Gaels on both sides of the ball. Roxbury’s line averages about 240 pounds across and is home to one of the state’s top Division I recruits for next year in 6-foot-4, 290-pound junior Angelo Mangiro.

But Sparta’s gritty line of Ben Hansen, Sam Hansen, Carl Frauenpries, Connor Glew and Jeremy Medina, as well as, tight end Mike Spekhardt, kept the Gaels at bay in probably their best effort of the season.

Sparta’s defense was sensational as defensive coordinator Frank Marchiano dialed up the right calls all game as the Hansens and linebacker Zach Reinhauer were all over the field.

And what about the ending? I’ve seen my fair share of football in my day, but the last minute of the game was truly insane. From a great 80-yard drive by Roxbury to the gutsy call Roxbury coach Cosmo Lorusso made to go for two at the end.

Unfortunately for the Gaels, they were whistled for delay of game and Lorusso chose to kick and Roxbury missed the 25-yard PAT. But the game was far from over as Roxbury recovered the onsides kick before Julian Farinola scooped up a botched hook-and-lateral for a 52-yard score to end the game as the fans rushed the field.

There was more action and drama in the game’s final 60 seconds than all the games I covered this season combined. Yes, folks, I saw a lot of blowouts this season.

All in all it was a great weekend for Sussex County football and the fans in the county should be extremely proud of how the two teams played.

When the realignment was announced, there was talk (mostly from Morris County) that the Sussex teams wouldn’t be able to compete, well, I think that was put to rest on Saturday.

ODDS AND ENDS…Is there a more mentally tough squad than the Pope John’s boys soccer team? If so, I haven’t seen it as the Lions were up to their old tricks and went down to Martinsville and shocked the state yet again.

For the second time in three years, Brad Cameron and his gang upset state and nationally-ranked Pingry 1-0 to advance to the Non-Public (there it is again) North A section semifinals.

Greg Hargrave booted a beautiful blast into the upper 90 in overtime to bounce Pingry from the tourney. PJ coach Brad Cameron called it the greatest shot he has ever seen, and after seeing it on tape, I couldn’t agree more, considering the magnitude.

According to the Star-Ledger, Pingry was 52-2-2 the last three seasons, and the two losses? Yep, both to the Lions who have gone on the road this year and posted upset wins over Hunterdon Central in the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament and upset wins over St. Peter’s Prep and Pingry in the states.

Although Cameron is in just his third year, the Roxbury graduate has become one of the top big game coaches in the area.

Belated congratulations to Newton field hockey coach Lisa Bechtel on winning her 300^th game, and what a game it was. The Braves upset high-regarded Voorhees in 2-1 in overtime in the H/W/S semifinals.

The Braves, who fell to eventual North 1, Group 2 champ Madison in the state section semifinals, will face Warren Hills in the tourney final at a day and time to be determined. Warren Hills is still alive in the Group 3 state tournament and until the Blue Streaks lose, the final is on hold.

And if they keep winning? Who knows when it will be played because field hockey has a Tournament of Champions. The TOC final is set for Nov. 20, so stay tuned.

But back to Bechtel, the former Boonton star is now 302-94-9 in 20 seasons and she guided the Braves to the first-ever Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Freedom Division title this season.

It is no secret that the field hockey coaches in the area hold a special place with me and Lisa is no different. Bechtel has won with class and has developed her program into one of the best in the state, along with her trusted assistant Mary Licata.

But Bechtel teaches her players more than just field hockey, and in the big picture, all of her players are winners on and off the field. So, congrats, Lisa, you are one of the major reasons why I enjoy covering field hockey so much.

That’s it for now, see you on the sidelines.

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Sussex County Sports Blog

By Dan Cleary

11/8/2009 - Sussex Football Puts On Show