The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 3

Sunday, December 3, 1995 THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER New Jersey C17 SOUTH JERSEY SPORTS Ferris propels Washington Twp. to a title Paulsboro trounces Gloucester in title game Tf it 11. 1 By Marc Narducci INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. Pete Ferris gained 156 yards on 22 carries and scored all of his team's points yesterday as Washington Township defeated Shawnee, 19-7, to win the South Jersey Group 4 championship at Giants Stadium. Township, ranked No.

3 in South Jersey by The Inquirer, finished 10-1 by capturing its third Group 4 title. Shawnee, which set a school record for victories, finished 9-2. Township, coming off a 21-0 loss to Eastern in its regular-season finale, scored on its first offensive play. Following an 11-yard punt by Shawnee, Ferris, a junior, lined up as a single setback and raced 41 yards for a touchdown with 8 minutes, 39 seconds left in the first quarter. The conversion kick by Darryl Fanelli went wide of the NFL goal posts, which are 18 feet, 6 inches wide.

High school goal posts are 23 feet, 4 inches wide. On its next possession, Township had a first and goal at the Shawnee 10 when the Renegades' defense stiffened. On fourth and goal from the 18, Jon Kraus was sacked by Shawnee's Nick Pollock. At that point, the momentum shifted to the Renegades. Starting from their own 25, they put together an 18-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by Mike Potter's 2-yard touchdown run.

They kept the drive 'V- 4 if ICS'' With the Washington Township team celebrating in the background, dejection over their 19-7 loss at Giants Stadium in the South Jersey For The Inquirer MICHAEL PLUNKETT Shawnee players show their Group 4 championship game. than crowd size to these players 'll hl -'54? J-V meant more He found another doctor who' gave him an OK to play. "No way I was missing this game," said Seibert, part of a college-sized offensive line that enabled Township to gain 257 yards rushing yesterday. "It was an unbelievable feel ing to play on the same field where Lawrence Taylor and all the other pros played. We'll probably never play here again." Phil Pleasant might.

The two-way Township back is only a junior, and his team figures to be a Group 4 power again next year and might return to Giants Stadium. if ife Sam Carchidi By John McBride INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT With less than 20 seconds remaining, Kevin Harvey slowly walked off the field yesterday for the final time in his magnificent high school career. Paulsboro 's' spectacular senior quarterback carted off some impressive numbers as he made his way to the sideline: 4,029 yards rushing, 3,844 yards passing, and state career records for touchdowns (101) and points (656). He also established a South Jersey single-season scoring record with 212 points. Most important, Harvey concluded his four years by helping the Red Raiders to their fourth straight South Jersey Group 1 championship in a 50-0 shellacking of Gloucester at Gateway High.

"It feels a little sad that I'm not going to wear the red and white Harvey said. "I knew it was the end. The whole senior squad wanted to go out with a bang." It was more like a sonic boom. Paulsboro, ranked fourth in The Inquirer's Top 10, rolled to its 40th straight victory by taking a 20-0 halftime lead on three Gerald Irvin touchdown runs, then put the game out of reach when Irvin returned the second-half kickoff 85 yards for another score. "My best game of the year is my last game," Irvin said.

"It feels pretty good." Irvin, who raised his season point total to 106, rushed for 165 yards on 10 carries. Harvey added 152 yards on 11 carries. "I don't think the kids know what they've accomplished," Paulsboro coach Glenn Howard said. "For us to come out here and play like this not in my wildest dreams." Gloucester (9-2 overall) was overmatched. "Our seniors had a great year," said coach Leon Harris.

"They've had a great career. A day like today is something they're going to have to put behind them. We faced a great football team. They've got a lot of great players. They're a very solid, very balanced team." Paulsboro (11-0), which has won nine titles since 1979 and is 21-6 in postseason play, took a 6-0 lead on its first possession.

The Red Raiders needed just 3 minutes, 26 seconds to march 60 yards on seven plays. Irvin capped the drive with a 27-yard TD run, sidestepping a would-be tackier in the backfield. Irvin's kickoff return to begin the second half gave Paulsboro a 26-0 lead. All that remained was for Harvey to break the South Jersey single-season scoring record of 210 points, set by Charles Fryar of Burlington in 1983. Harvey tied the record when he dragged two tacklers into the end zone from 8 yards out and added his second conversion run of the game.

Harvey set the mark when he tossed a 25-yard scoring strike to Jamie Tarpley with 11:44 left and outran the defense on the conversion. Gloucester Paulsboro 0 14 Irvin 27 run (run failecf) Irvin 5 run (Harvey run) Irvin 66 run (run (ailed) Irvin 85 kickoff return (Myers run) Harvey 8 run (Harvey run) Tarpley 25 pass from Harvey (Harvey run) Myers 43 run (kick failed) Game site EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. Never mind that only about 2,000 fans sat in the seats at Giants Stadium yesterday. Never mind that, from the spectators' standpoint, the South Jersey Group 4 football final between Washington Township and Shawnee would have been better had it been played in South Jersey. Don't tell that to the players, especially the Washington Township players.

They'll have memories to pass along to their grandchildren. Memories of playing on a pro field, a field that featured one of the most famous games in NFL history the Miracle of the Meadowlands, of course. "When I walked out the tunnel," Washington Township center Steve Seibert said after the Minutemen outclassed Shawnee, 19-7, "I got chills up and down my back." A couple of South Jersey doctors probably will get chills up and down their backs when they learn that Seibert played yesterday. The senior suffered a broken right ankle six weeks ago and was told his season was over. game.

I knew I could come back if I was given the chance, but I was thinking I lost my job." Ah, but in coach Tom Brown's scheme, several running backs alternate. Those with the hot hand get their numbers called. Yesterday, Ferris had the hot hand, gaining 156 yards on 22 carries and scoring all three of his team's touchdowns. Not bad for a guy who was playing his first full game since he injured his left ankle on Oct. 27.

Ferris, one of four junior running backs used by Township yesterday, had carried the ball sparingly in last week's 21-0 loss to Eastern. "But I felt 100 percent," he said. "I felt ready." Not many Township players were, however. The Minutemen were stunned by a team they had defeated the previous week in the Group 4 semifinals in a game that cost them the Olympic Conference American Division title. In retrospect, that loss was the best thing that could have happened to Township's season.

It gave the Minutemen a sense of purpose, a sense of focus. alive when quarterback Mike Koch-gained 2 yards on a sneak on fourth and 1 from their 45. The other key play on the march was a 13-yard pass from Koch to Marty Havers on third and 11 the Township 15. The Minutemen threatened late in the first half, when Andy Kay's 28-yard reception gave them a first; down at the Shawnee 18 with 56 sec? onds left. Three plays later, Shaw- nee's Chris Orlando halted the drive with an interception.

Township took a 12-7 lead when Ferris dived over from 1 yard out with 1:42 left in the third quarter. Shawnee's Joe Sofino broke up the conversion pass, which was in-; tended for Kay. The touchdown was set up by Phil Pleasant's intercept tion and 44-yard return to the 1. On the next series, Shawnee was stopped on fourth and 1. i After the Minutemen took Ferris turned a quick-hitter into a' 52-yard gain before being tackled Sorino at the 1.

A procedure penalty; and three running plays gave Town- ship a fourth and goal from the 4. Ferris struck again, running a quick trap for a touchdown with 5:28 left. For good measure, he also kicked the extra point. Shawnee 0 7 0 07' Washington Twp. 6 0 6 7 19 Ferris 41 run (kick failed) rj Potter 2 run (O'Neill kick) Ferris 1 run (pass failed) Ferris 4 run (Ferris kick) i "We needed to lose," Pleasant; said.

"We thought we were invulnerable. The loss made us stick together." "It humbled us," said Brown, who now has won seven sectional titles three at Township and four at Paulsboro. "Losing to Eastern made us practice harder during the week. After we beat Eastern, we had a bad practice week and I had a bad feeling. This week, the intensity returned." "When I heard they lost to East- em, I didn't like it at all," said Shawnee coach Tim Gushue, whose team had the most successful season in the program's 26-season history.

"You never want to play a team after they lose, especially a proud. program like Washington Township." "We were having a good season, but we didn't have anything to show for it," Pleasant said. "We i needed something to grasp something that would make us rev member the season." Consider it done. credit around for his team's victory. Part of it went to sophomore run-' ning back Kyle Wallace, who scored four touchdowns and rushed for 100 yards on 13 carries to raise his sea- son rushing total to 1,083 yards.

"This record also goes to my offen- -sive line and my receivers," Goree said. "Without them, I wouldn't have any touchdown passes at all. They get the game ball." Wilson's defense also deserved a game ball. Coach Darrell Wilson's team picked off four passes, includ-' ing two interceptions by Delvin1 Jones, and recovered a fumble. The defense limited Deptford to 16 yards of total offense in the second half.

For the game, Wilson outgained! Deptford, 408 yards to 167. Wallace scored on runs of 1 yard and 48 yards in the second half be-fore Goree broke the state record with a 26-yard strike to Love, who took a pass over the middle near the Deptford 10-yard line and cruised into the end zone with 5 minutes, 28 seconds to play. Deptford Woodrow Wilson 0 16 6 0 0 -14 Love 40 pass from Goree (Spearman pass from Goree) i Wallace 5 run (Spearman pass from Goree) i Wallace 2 run (Love pass from Goree) i Melton 9 run (run failed) Wallace 1 run (pass failed) Wallace 48 run (Spearman pass from Goree) 1 Love 26 pass from Goree (run failed) 1 1 -4 our current group of seniors, we would be state champions," Fucetola said. "Freshman year, we were 1-8 and we came off crying as losers," Flamma said. "This year, we come off 9-2 cheering as winners." St.

Mary's St. Augustine 0 8-8 8 7 30 SA: FG Allen 27 SA: Meyers 64 pass from Comely (kick failed) SA: Pointer 49 run (pass failed) SA: Flamma 41 run (Pointer run) SA: Pointer 7 tun (Allen kick) SM: Bestreci 26 run (Mastropole run). Greyhounds capture Group 2 title Goree breaks record as Wilson rolls, 44-6 He fumbled the ball twice. He lost yardage on three of his runs one from the Shawnee 1-yard line in a fourth-and-goal situation. "Shawnee's a great defensive team," Pleasant said.

"I told myself I had to do something on defense to pick things up. His interception and 44-yard return to the Shawnee 1 set up Pete Ferris' go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter. Ferris, like Pleasant, might be making a return trip to the Group 4 final next year. But for a while, Ferris was worried that he wouldn't be playing in this year's final. Ferris suffered a sprained left ankle earlier this fall and missed 3Vi games.

While he was sidelined, his replacement, junior Jason Trantas, looked like the second coming of Wilbert Montgomery. "It was tough seeing him get all the glory," Ferris admitted. "He did a great job, and if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have won the Wilson ter." After a three-and-out series by Kingsway, Northern Burlington charged back again. Binn completed an 8-yard pass to T.J. Petroni on third and 7.

Hendricks ran 22 yards to the Kingsway 36, and Binn followed with a 23-yard completion to Dante Bass, bringing the ball to the Kingsway 13. Three plays later, Scott Silva scored from 3 yards out, giving Northern Burlington a 20-17 lead with 3 minutes, 14 seconds to play. Kingsway's last effort was halted at its 42 when Moore was thrown for a 3-yard loss on fourth and 1 with two minutes" left. "We just didn't make the plays to win," Kingsway running back Dave Jamison said after rushing for a game-high 141 yards on 27 carries. "We didn't play four strong quarters.

The momentum shifted and we never recovered." Northern Burlington had not won a title since winning in Group 2 in 1980. Kingsway also lost in last year's final, to Hammonton. Kingsway Northern Burlco 7 7 3 0 7 0 0 13 Sandau 1 run. (Taylor kick) Leiby 52 pass from Binn (Brunt kick) Christian 42 pass from Moore (Taylor kick) Taylor 24 FG Hendricks 1 run (Brunt kick) Silva 3 run (kick failed) iviary ior lineup this fall. The 5-foot, 10-inch, 180-pound halfback was enrolled last year at Faith Christian, a Glass-boro school, which did not have a football team.

"I wanted to win a state championship and I came here and we've been working hard," Pointer said. "I felt a lot of pressure today, but I knew what I had to do." The Hermits' defense was strong, allowing the Gaels to gain just 110 yards on the ground, with 80 of i7 High School Scoreboard By Joe Santoliquito INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT Trailing by 17-7 in the fourth quarter of yesterday's South Jersey Group 2 football championship, Northern Burlington recovered a fumble and scored two touchdowns in the last eight minutes to pull out a 20-17 victory over Kingsway. Northern Burlington coach Charlie Pirrello, still wet from the dousing he took from his players, had trouble believing his team had come back. "This is a dream, right?" Pirrello West Morris 21, Nutley 0 CATHOLIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP La Salle 14, Archbishop Ryan 7 PUBLIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP Washington 21, Frankford 0 PIAA STATE CLASS AAAA SEMIFINAL Lower Dauphin 33, Plymouth-Whitemarsh 6 PIAA STATE CLASS AA SEMIFINAL McDevitt (Harrisburg) 12, Lansdale Catholic 7 BURLINGTON COUNTY LEAGUE Shawnee 133, Rancocas Valley 52 (S: Justin Taylor won 50 freestyle, 100 breast-stroke; Chad Brick won 100 backstroke, 200 ind. medley) Saturday NJSIAA PLAYOFFS South Jersey Group 3 final Mainland at Woodrow Wilson, 1 That sounds good to Pleasant, who was oblivi- ous to the fact that there were 75,000 empty seats yesterday.

"When I walked out on the field, in my imagination, the stands were filled," Pleasant said. "I heard everyone screaming and it sounded like the place was full." The normally explosive Pleasant was held to 21 yards on 12 carries. said with a big smile. "The fumble recovery turned it around. It's phenomenal how things could change in a high school football game.

"The last eight minutes is all you need to know about this football game. Things just started to mushroom." Indeed they did. Kingsway, in taking a 14-7 lead, dominated the first half. The visiting Dragons had 216 yards of total offense, compared with 119 for Northern Burlington. After a shaky start defensively, Kingsway shut down the passing of quarterback Maurice Binn, who threw 11 straight incompletions from late in the first half to early in the fourth quarter.

The Dragons kicked a field goal late in the third quarter to take a 17-7 lead and appeared to be driving again early in the fourth. But a fumble by Kingsway quarterback Kevin Moore at the Greyhounds' 28 stemmed the momentum and swung it to Northern Burlington. Northern Burlington needed just five plays to score on Derrick Hendricks' 1-yard run, which he set up with a 44-yard scamper. "I guess they really didn't respect our run," Hendricks said. "The holes were huge in the fourth quar "I love it," Flamma said of his role on offense.

"It was just time to show that was what I was able to do." Pointer's play was especially important to the Hermits because of the suspension of John Carter. Carter, another of St. Augustine's top rushers, gained 1,051 yards this season, but was suspended by the school administration last week for undisclosed reasons. Pointer, a senior who scored two touchdowns, is new to the Hermits' By Joey Culligan INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT Woodrow Wilson senior quarterback David Goree refused to stand alone in the spotlight yesterday despite the fact that he set a state record for career touchdown passes. Goree threw two touchdown passes to junior wideout Jeff Love to raise his career total to 63 as Wilson, 9-1 and ranked No.

1 in The Inquirer's Top 10, routed visiting Deptford, 44-6, in the South Jersey Group 3 semifinals. Goree (18 of 29, 271 yards) broke the state record of 62 touchdown passes, set by Hoboken's Mike Milne in 1986, to propel the Tigers into Saturday's championship game against Mainland, which defeated Ocean City, 21-16, in yesterday's other semifinal. Goree has 25 touchdown passes this season after setting a South Jersey record with 31 as a junior. Goree also raised his career passing total to 5,674 yards, 254 short of the South Jersey record of 5,928 yards, set by Cherry Hill East's Kevin Foley in 1990. The loss ended an 18-game winning streak for Deptford (10-1), which had not lost since its season opener last year.

Goree was intercepted four times by No. 6 Deptford, so the Tigers' quarterback was quick to spread the Mainland 21, Ocean City 16 Mainland Ocean City 14 21 616 John Stone 52 run (Jason Feinberg kick) 0: FG Matt Daher 27 Kevin Sinclair 26 run (Matt Daher kick) Dave Klemic 49 pass from Jeff Boyd (Feinberg kick) John Stone 22 run (Feinberg kick) Steffon Davis 50 pass from Scott Lipford (pass failed) N1SIAA PLAYOFFS South Jersey Group 1 final Paulsboro 50, Gloucester 0 South Jersey Group 2 final Northern Burlington 20, Kingsway 17 South Jersey Group 3 semifinal Mainland 21, Ocean City 16 Woodrow Wilson 44, Deptford 6 South Jersey Group 4 final Washington Township 19, Shawnee 7 State Parochial 1 final St. Augustine 30, St. Mary 8 OTHER NJSIAA SCORES butler lb, Madison Borough 7 Hoboken 37, Sparta 6 Johnson Regional 21, Summit 6 Middletown South 28, Piscataway 10 Neptune 21, Franklin Township 12 Park Ridge 39, Bogota 6 Pope John 20, Maris! 15 Ridgefield Park 16, Glen Rock 13 South River 6, Highland Park 0 Vorhees 28, Manasquan 14 Walkill Valley 45, Ramsey 7 vr.e's bt. Augusune ueais di.

state rarocniai 1 title those coming on St. Mary's last drive. "We had St. Mary's down really good," St. Augustine coach Frank Fucetola said of the Hermits' defense.

"Coach Tony Iaconelli did a tremendous job with the defense and everything they did." The win fulfilled a prediction made by Fucetola to his current seniors after they had gone 1-8 as sophomores in 1992. "IThe coa'ching staff said, with By Bill Avington INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT St. Augustine fielded its first football team in 1989. Now the school can unfurl an NJSIAA state Parochial 1 championship banner, thanks to the Hermits' impressive 30-8 win over visiting St. Mary's of Bergen County yesterday.

St Augustine (9-2) ran the ball often against the Gaels (7-4) with excellent results. Seniors Dan Flamma and Delray Pointer each gained 126 yards..