Daily Record from Morristown, New Jersey • Page 37

Daily Record, Morris County, N.J. Sunday, December 5, 1 993 C3 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS Last-minute TD out Mendham's rally By Bob Shwalb Daily Record Summit 26, Mendham 21 1 bet no one gave us a chance when we were down 20-0. It was a courageous effort by our kids to come back, and not only that to go ahead, to win the game. To lose it after an effort like that is just a Mendham coach Bill Carpluk ond. After the ensuing kickoff, two desperation passes fell harmlessly to the ground.

After shaking hands with the victors, the Mendham players filed out the entrance and onto the bus. None of them were in any mood for talking. "I'm proud of the kids," said Carpluk, who hurled his clip-, board across the field before tp-lowing his kids out. "It was a terrific effort. Somebody had to end up losing the game." with 26 seconds to go.

Here, Hill-topper coach Jim Benedict called timeout, and looked for the perfect play. He found it. "Coach Benedict was going to put me at split end," said Allen, a junior. "But if he put me there, (Mendham) would have known something was up. He told me to go to fullback." Allen ran toward the Mendham bench, then turned upfield, racing down the left sideline.

He got behind the Mendham defense and softly took in Steve Schroeder's perfect pass in full stride as he crossed the goal line. "I just saw the ball in the air and looked it in," Allen said. "There it I said to myself, 'Don't drop Allen raced back to his team's bench with the ball, his helmet raised into the air. Summit 26, Mendham 21 Mendham (10-1) 0 7 6 Summit (ll-O) 7 13 0 son, who ran, passed and handed it off to each other. "We had trouble handling it," Carpluk said of the opponent's old-fashioned attack.

"They powered it at us a little better than I thought they could. It took us a little while to get adjusted to it." Carpluk's offense was having an equally difficult time adjusting. After Summit had scored its third touchdown, the Minutemen were backed up on their own 27, facing a fourth-and-29 situation. Mendham's punter inadvertently started the turnaround when his shanked punt hit a Summit player's foot and was recovered by the kicking team. From there, running backs Steve Iorio and Shep Sepaniak took turns carrying the ball down-field.

Quarterback Joe Bialous completed the 73-yard drive, hit- 8-21 626 Allen 13 run (Welsh kick). Fogg 1 run (Welsh kick), Bickel 1'Pass from Allen (kick failed) Iorio pass from Bialous (Parish kick). Sepaniak 1 run (kick tailed). Iorio 3 run (Bialous run). Allen 35 pass from Schroeder (pass failed).

SUMMIT The Mendham team bus was a cauldron of anger, frustration and silent shock after yesterday's crushing 26-21 loss to Summit in the North Jersey Section 2, Group II final. Players sat with their heads bowed. Everything they had done, all the great individual plays that had fueled a brilliant comeback from a 20-0 second-quarter deficit, was forgotten. "I bet no one gave us a chance when we were down 20-0," Mend-bam coach Bill Carpluk said. "It was a courageous effort by our kids to come back, and not only that to go ahead, to win the game.

To lose it after an effort like that is just a shame." The Hilltoppers flew out to their big lead on the strength of their single-wing offense, scoring on three of their first four possessions. Snaps went to backs Torrie Fogg, Jamie Allen and Ian Pax- Ridgeficld Park to meet Lenape Playoff roundup until Mendham took over with less than seven minutes to go in the game. Once again, Iorio (19 carries, 73 yards) and Sepaniak (19 carries, 145 yards) shared the workload. Iorio went the final three yards, sweeping it in around the left side. With 3:07 left, Carpluk dismissed any thoughts of kicking the extra point.

Quarterback Bialous rolled left on an option run and carried it in for a 21-20 lead. Summit had just under three minutes to work with, starting from, its own 22. Mendham's defense gave ground stubbornly as Summit reached the opposing 35 ting Iorio from five yards out just before intermission. "When we went into the locker room, no doubt we felt we could win the football game," Carpluk said. "We knew we were going to get the kickoff and we felt we could score." Sepaniak obviously agreed as he took that kickoff and returning it 77 yards to the Summit 5-yard-line.

The Hilltopper who could have tackled him at midfield was left fiat on his back after getting steamrolled. Three plays later, Sepaniak took it over from the 1, making the score 20-13. The teams then traded punts Bli I The Mendham players and fiigStW- their fans went from exhiliration i NSSjNry I to disbelief in a fraction of a sec- i YOUR AT 111 I 111 r7. Lilr I liUlUE hUK I CI Associated Press RIDGEFIELD PARK Alex Baez returned an interception 67 yards for a touchdown and George Fosdick threw a 54-yard touchdown pass yesterday to Daryl Clowers as Ridgefield Park advanced to the title game next week against Lenape Valley with a 28-14 victory over Pascack Hills in the North Jersey, Section 1 semifinal game. Baez's interception return, and the first of four Sam Aguilar extra points, gave top-seeded Ridgefield Park (9-1) a 7-6 lead late in the first quarter.

Clowers' touchdown came in the second quarter and made it 14-6. Fosdick's one-yard run early in the fourth.made it 21-14 and Aguilar's 13-run TD run sealed it. This was the only semifinal game played while Super Saturday saw many sectional finals. Here's a capsule summary of the championship games: NORTH SECTION 1, GROUP 1 BECTON 21, POMPTON LAKES 14 Well-balanced Beclon jumped out to a three-touchdown lead and held on. The Wildcats scored twice in the space of 72 seconds in the second quarter.

GROUP 3 RAMAPO 23, WAYNE HILLS 17 In Franklin Lakes. Rob Tardio passed lor two touchdowns as Ramapo (11-0) posted its first undeleated season. GROUP 4 HACKENSACK 54, NORTH BERQEN 27 In Hackensack, Rashidi Brown rushed lor 291 yards and lour touchdowns and Hackensack amassed more than 500 yards total offense. NORTH SECTION 2 GROUP 1 ROSELLE PARK 10. NEW PROVIDENCE 7, OT In Rpselle Park, John Schinestuhl kicked a 22-yard field goal in overtime to lead Roselle Park (11-0) to its second straight title and its 22nd straight win.

PAROCHIAL GROUP 4 BERGEN CATHOLIC 7, DON BOSCO PREP 0 In Oradell, Bergen Catholic overcame two holding penalties that negated touchdowns and a feisty Don Bosco Prep defense to win its third consecutive slate title. Bergen Catholic (9-2) marched 40 yards in four plays on its initial possession of the fourth quarter, capped by Joe Piela's 26-yard scoring strike to Chuck Mazzarone (six catches for 64 yards) at 951. CENTRAL GROUP 1 DUNELLEN 12, METUCHEN 3 In Metuchen, Derek Carter returned a hobbled kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown and threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Jim Sawickl on a halfback option as Dunel-len 10-0-1 scored all its points in the third quarter. GROUP 2 MANASOUAN 28, JOHN F. KENNEDY-ISELIN 0 In Woodbridge quarterback Eji Page threw two touchdowns and Brian Lee added two short TD runs as Manasquan (6-3) won its third sectional title in lour seasons.

GROUP 3 OCEAN 20, LONG BRANCH 12 In Ocean running backs Jameon Cropper and Blaine Emken combined for 178 yards and Eddie Conti scored a touchdown and kicked two field goals as Ocean Township won its first sectional title. GROUP 4 WOODBRIDGE 11, TRENTON 8 In Trenton, Idrak Rozier tackled quarterback Dajuan Hill Irom behind on a rollout from the Woodbridge 1 as the clock expired to preserve the Barrons victory over previously undefeated Trenton. SOUTH GROUP 3 EGG HARBOR 19, LACEY 14 In Lacey Egg Harbor scored on plays of 72, 96 and 63 yards to edge Lacey Township. GROUP 4 CHEROKEE 18, WASHINGTON TWP. 8 In MARLTON Brian Aikins rushed for 1 16 yards and cored on a pair of 1-yard runs to give Cherokee its upset over defending champion Washington no touch ri i tw 23l; liST TIRE CARE I A ISp rJL WmSQ 5 Clean, shine and protect tire in one easy I J11L.

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