Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Lotzeir Brooks made big plays on offense and defense, and the Millville High School football team was too much for visiting Williamstown in a 49-28 win Friday in a West Jersey Football League American Division game.
The Thunderbolts, ranked third in The Press Elite 11, improved to 2-1. Williamstown fell to 1-2.
Na'eem Sharp opened the scoring with a 6-yard TD run with 4:59 left in the first quarter.
Brooks recovered a fumble on Williamstown's ensuing drive. On the next play, Brooks took the pitch and darted his way through the Braves' defense for a 61-yard score to make it 14-0.
The Braves didn't fold. After a long drive, quarterback Zach Zerbe punched it in from a yard out. Following an interception from Sean Gallagher deep in Thunderbolts territory, Zerbe scored from 4 yards out to cut the lead to 21-14.
Millville's big-play ability continued to be a threat though. Sharp extended the Thunderbolts' lead on his 39-yard TD run that included a couple nice cuts as well as him breaking through a few pairs of outstretched arms.
Keyon German extended Millville's lead to 35-14 with his 1-yard score early in the third quarter. Brooks scored his second TD of the game off a 23-yard interception return.
M—Sharp 6 run (Raynis kick)
M—Brooks 61 run (Raynis kick)
M—Brooks 32 pass from Zamot (Raynis)
W—Zerbe 1 run (Zerbe kick)
W—Zerbe 4 run (Zerbe kick)
M—Sharp 29 run (Raynis kick)
M—German 1 run (Raynis kick)
M—Brooks 23 interception return (Raynis kick)
W—Noel 10 pass from Craig (kick failed)
M—Smith 4 run (Raynis kick)
W—Noel 3 run (Zerbe run)
Records—Williamstown 1-2, Millville 2-1.
MAYS LANDING — Five touchdowns in one game is an impressive performance, but to reach that total in one half is rare.
Ja’Briel Mace did just that Friday night.
Mace rushed for six touchdowns and 207 yards to lead the Mainland Regional High School football team to a 49-0 victory over Oakcrest in a West Jersey Football League United Division game.
The senior scored five touchdowns in the first half and rushed for 153 yards as the Mustangs (2-1) built a 42-0 halftime lead. He added another touchdown early in the third quarter.
The 17-year-old from Linwood said he had never scored five touchdowns in one half. He score five in one as a freshman against Overbrook.
“It was good to get six, but that’s not what it’s always about,” Mace said. “It’s about getting the win. That’s exactly what we did. … It was good and everything, but we wanted to make a statement. We just came out with something to prove.”
Last week, the Mustangs had a 20-7 lead against rival Ocean City but lost 21-20. Oakcrest fell to 2-1.
Click here to continue reading.
ABSECON — St. Joseph Academy quarterback Jimmy Mantuano started to cry as the final seconds ticked off the clock Friday night.
Senior running back/linebacker Richard Chandler shouted, “I’ve waited four years for this!”
Wildcats coach Paul Sacco turned and hugged his wife, Peggy.
The Wildcats have had countless big wins in Sacco’s 41 seasons as head coach.
Few were emotional as Friday night’s.
St. Joe scored with the big play and beat rival Holy Spirit 30-26. Junior wide receiver Nasir Mahmoud ran 46 yards for a touchdown and caught a 52-yard TD pass. Chandler returned an interception for a TD. Jamaad Davis returned a kickoff 86 yards for a score.
“This means everything to us,” Mantuano said. “I think we showed incredible grit and toughness. It doesn’t matter who was on the field. We came through. When it got tough, we made plays.
Click here to continue reading.
Cherokee opened the game with a long kick return, but quickly turned it over on down. St. Augustine put together a methodical drive, capped by a 3-yard TD run by Tristan McLeer to make it 7-0.
Cherokee tied it in the second quarter on Murad Campfield's 6-yard run. Ryan Bender then found Trent Osborn on a 44-yard TD connection to put the Chiefs up 13-7. Bender threw his second TD of the game, a 16-yarder to Campfield to give Cherokee a 20-7 lead heading into the break.
Na'cire Christmas brought some cheer to the Hermits to open the third quarter. He fielded the opening kickoff from the 2-yard line, found a hole up the middle and raced toward the end zone to cut the Chiefs' lead to 20-14.
The Hermits had two chances late in the fourth quarter to try to tie the game, but the Chiefs' defense made stops both times, including a sack that ended the game.
SA—McLeer 3 run (Freund kick)
C—Osborn 44 pass from Bender (kick failed)
C—Campfield 26 pass from Bender (kick)
SA—Christmas 98 kick return (Freund kick)
Records—St. Augustine 1-2, Cherokee 1-2.
Jhaisir Harden scored a pair of TDs for the Bulldogs (2-0). His second score, a 5-yard run in the third, held up as the deciding points. Travis Lombardo scored in the second quarter for the Panthers (0-2), and Jerome Licata hit a 40-yard field goal.
G—Harden 6 run (Harden run)
MT—Lombardo 2 run (Rodriguez pass from Oliver)
G—Harden 5 run (Saab run)
Records—Glassboro 2-0, Middle 0-2.
Kenny Smith gave the fifth-ranked Blue Devils (3-0) a 13-0 lead in the first quarter with his TD runs of 59 and 14 yards.
Lucas Goehringer scored on a 76-yard run, and Nakeem Powell caught a 37-yard TD pass from Shane Way to build a 27-0 lead going into halftime.
Smith found the end zone again, this time early in the third quarter when he scored from 66 yards out to extend the Blue Devils' lead to 33-0. Powell capped the scoring with an 8-yard run in the fourth.
HA—Smith 59 run (kick failed)
HA—Powell 37 pass from Way (kick)
HA—Smith 66 run (kick blocked)
HR—Stewart 21 pass from Leary
Records—Highland 0-3, Hammonton 3-0.
Dan Russo threw a 20-yard TD pass and ran for another score to lead the Fighting Clan (2-1). Zha'Vian Diaz returned an interception for a TD. James Hitchens caught a TD pass, and Charles Clark scored on a 20-yard run. DJ Clark capped the scoring with a 1-yard run late in the fourth. Clearview fell to 0-3.
V—Diaz interception return (kick failed)
V—Hitchens 20 pass from Russo (Graiff kick)
V—C. Clark 20 run (Graiff kick)
V—Russo 1 run (Graiff kick)
V—D. Clark 1 run (Graiff kick)
Records—Vineland 2-1, Clearview 0-3.
Hunter Ray's 5-yard TD pass to Braswell Thomas gave the Caper Tigers (2-0) a 7-3 lead in the second quarter. Lower, which trailed 10-7 at halftime, scored 13 unanswered to win, capped by Isiah Carr-Wing's second TD of the game, 16-yard score at the end of the third quarter. Pennsville fell to 1-1.
Junior Hans threw a TD pass to Joey Mormile in the first quarter. Hans added a 12-yard run for a score in the second, but the Warriors (0-2) trailed 16-12 at the half. Schalick improved to 2-1.
TR North (3-0), ranked second in The Elite 11, led 14-0 after the first quarter and 21-0 at halftime. The Rams fell to 1-1. No other information was available.
JoJo Bivins scored a first-quarter TD for the Bengals (1-1), who carried the 7-0 lead into halftime. Pinelands (1-1) cut the lead to 7-6 on Ryan Allen's 15-yard TD pass to Mike Frawley. But the missed kick was the difference.
The Eagles improved to 1-2, and the Bulldogs fell to 0-2. No other information was available.
Clayton improved to 1-1, and Buena fell to 0-2. No other information was available.
Brick Memorial 28, Red Bank Regional 14
Perth Amboy 39, J.P. Stevens 14
St. Peter's Prep 23, DePaul Catholic 10
Pleasantville (1-0) at Salem (1-1) — noon
Lacey Township (0-1) at Long Branch (0-1) — 1 p.m.
Ocean City (1-1) at Cedar Creek (1-1) — 1:30 p.m.
I graduated from Rowan University in 2011 where I studied journalism. I covered local high school and college sports at the South Jersey Times and Vineland Daily Journal. I have been a sports reporter with The Press since July 2013
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Each Monday of the season The Press will select four high school football MVPs based on that weekend’s action.
The High School football season will pick up in intensity this week as division play begins in the West Jersey Football League.
A ranking of teams in the West Jersey Football League and southern Ocean County. Ranking selected by The Press high school sports staff based …
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.