Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 111

A. 2 CI A vt '1 Z'- Tomorrow: The NFL Coverage of the Giants, Jets, Eagles and the NFL. Columnist Mike Lupica, Shooting From The Lip. H6 Playing Kent Graham today is a big mistake, according to Jon Gelberg. H8 November 13, 1994 AsburyPark SUNDAY PRESS SECTION Cards-Giants, 1 p.m.

5 Jets-Packers, 4 p.m. 4 Complete TV Listings H2 For late scores call PRESSTO! (908) 9 18-1000 touch 3008. TO lift outh Mornn wis aeiense By DIANE HERBST 'PRESS STAFF WRITER i IINEW BRITAIN, Conn. There were five seconds left yesterday in Monmouth College's 1 spine-tingling game MONMOUTH 14 a8ainst Central Con-QENT. CONN.

13 necticut. The 'aaaBaaaaaBaaaal Hawks Were leading 1 i 14-13 and the Blue Jtevils were about to kick a 26-yard field goal. "I remember lining up and it felt like 10 years for them to snap the ball," said Hawks' defensive end Tim Canavan. "Then I saw a white blur come by and the ball on the ground and I knew we won." It was a phenomenal win, the Hawks' sixth straight, for a final 7-2 mark. That blur who saved the game was defensive back David Lewis who, following the block, became the bottom of a pile of bodies as his screaming teammates jumped him.

Lewis' arsenal of athletic tricks bedeviled the game, when a Central Connecticut touchdown was called back for offensive interference. At halftime, the score was tied at 0. For the first two quarters, Monmouth's offense plagued by penalties and able to gain just 87 total yards was once again propped up by the defense. Monmouth had the ball fori just nine minutes, and were able to make twqj first downs to the Blue Devils' nine. Please see Monmouth, page H4 Central Connecticut.

Along with the blocked field goal, he had a touchdown-saving interception in the Monmouth end zone and a tackle that surely would have resulted in a Blue Devils' score. Lewis overcame the unprotected Blue Devils quarterback Sam Ti-rone as he sprinted 42 yards to the Monmouth 26 off a fake. In all, Lewis had eight tackles, seven of them solo. Central Connecticut (4-6) could not even turn his gift to them a fumble of a punt return into a score. After the game, Lewis smiled as he quietly tried to explain his feat.

"Brian (Lockley) said, 'We have to get this one, it's just you or I just put my hands up and blocked it, Lewis said. "I felt the block and I tried to pick it up but I couldn't because I was so excited. So I tried to fall on it." The final five seconds of each half turned into Monmouth's Fab Five yesterday. With five seconds left in the first half, Jason Gmitter blocked a 42-yard field goal attempt. This followed Monmouth's largest break of Pass the Valium, please.

SCHOLASTIC .0 0 A Remembering Adam ALL TOWNSHIP Bryan Kirby couldn't remember the last time he had spent a Friday night apart from his best friend. ft 9SW Nor could anyone who knows these At two kids, which is why everyone thought Bryan was in the car with Adam Alvino that night. He wasn't, though. He was taking his SATs early the next morning, so he decfded he would just hang out at his girlfriend's house. nVphone rang there a little after 10 o'clock.

It was Leigh Kirby, Bryan's father. He didn't expect to find Bryan there; he figured he was with Adam, like he always was. But the father thought he'd check anyway, because the moment was thick with urgency. Leigh Kirby had been working late that night, and when he got home he found his wife Judy standing on the front porch. Judy Kirby had just gotten a call from the Associated Press Virginia Tech quarterback Brian Edmonds tumbles into the end zone for a second-quarter touchdown.

lady who lives next door to the Alvinos. The police had gone to no one was home at the Alvi- 1 nos. They had told the neigh- bors about a bad accident, and thpv had RiioapstpH flip npioh- Rutgers: too little, too late BILL HANDLEMAN -oo o-- bors "pray for Adam." And Judy Kirby, who has known Adam Alvino since he was 7 years old, is out on the front porch not knowing quite what A rL Scarlet Knights lose to the Hokles In much the same fashion as they did last year. to think. ''It was the worst," she was saying yesterday.

"The worst, i "For about 10 minutes we didn't know whether Bryan was in the car with him or not." Then Judy and Leigh Kirby heard their son's voice on the phone. And just like that, their thoughts turned to Adam Alvino, the kid they'd known since forever, a kid they took on vacations with them, a kid who was practically part of the family. Bryan and Adam, 1 and 1A since the third grade. "It happened so fast," Judy Kirby said, recalling the night she was standing on the front porch, not knowing quite what to think. Then she looked up at the bleachers alongside the football field at Wall High School, the bleachers where Janice and Vincent Alvino were sitting.

Please see Handleman, page 12 Mike Kievit stops to kiss his wristband bearing the number of his friend, Adam Alvino. Players also wore a patch bearing Alvi-no's number: 42. By BRIAN VANDERBEEK SPECIAL TO THE PRESS BLACKSBURG, Va. In 1992, the Rut-gers-Virginia Tech football game was amazing. In 1993, when the teams repeated the wild script, it was merely incredible.

But when yester-; VA. TECH 41 dav's third act, a RUTGERS 34 41'34 Hokies' vie-hhi tory, echoed the theme of the previ-1 ous two, Lane Stadium became a showcase for the absurd. For the third straight year, the Hokies jumped out to a big first-half lead against the' Scarlet Knights, and once again Rutgers baK tied back. In 1992, Rutgers trailed 42-23, then pug together a rally that ended in Chris Brantley's hands when the wide receiver grabbed af Bryan Fortay pass on the last play of thai game for a 50-49 victory at Rutgers i 3 NOAH K. MURRAYAsbury Park Press At this time of the year, it's playoff time Last year, Virginia Tech hosted the festiv; A) of scoreboard lights, building a 28-point lea entering the fourth quarter.

Rutgers re 1 i sponded with a 21-point blitz and fell an on side kick short of getting the ball with aj borhood. There is a quarterback, a fullback, an offensive line and a defense that takes its reputation as a bunch of wild dogs seriously. "You guys wrote us off too early," Joe Mar-tucci, the Matawan coach, told the gathered media following the game as his young Huskies barked about "going to the dance." "There's a lot of football tradition here. You come here and you better be ready to play because our kids have a lot of pride." They needed to show it after week five, following the Neptune loss. Their record had fallen Please see Playoff, page H18 toward redeeming itself on the football field.

The Huskies gave themselves a chance to meet Neptune again on the field, a chance to show that their 38-0 loss earlier this season was a mere blip on the proud Matawan football tradition. Facing Middletown High School South, the Huskies powered their way into the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Central Jersey Group III playoffs yesterday and set up a possible rematch with Neptune with an impressive 21-6 victory. They did it by showing that there's more than Mr. Rogers living in the Huskies' neigh ABERDEEN TOWNSHIP There is a certain anxiety that comes eight weeks into the high school football season. There are dry mouths and sleepless nights, a lot more than the usual sleepless nights and dry mouths you find in the first two months of the season.

Eight weeks into the season means playoffs. Jt has become a higher, holier football day than Thanksgiving Day. It's the day they count all the points and announce who gets to play on. Eight weeks into the season has become Redemption Saturday. Yesterday, Matawan High School took a step chance to tie the game in the final minute.

JOE ADEUZZI Ditto yesterday, as the Hokies entered the fourth quarter leading 41-13 only to watch al most helplessly as the Scarlet Knights scored three times. Reduced again to having to at tempt an onside kick with 1:54 Rutgers again failed and Virginia Tech was Please see Rutgers, page H4.