North-South rivalry fuels turkey day game ALYSSA PASSEGGIO, Senior Staff Writer Posted:12/05/08
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The biggest Bayshore football game of the year between Middletown high schools north and south did not disappoint this year.
Tindall Avenue was littered with cars while people were lined up around Middletown North High School to see the match up on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27.
By halftime — when the last fans were able to enter the arena — the South Eagles were leading 17-14.
North (5-5-0) defense made South (10-1-0) work for the few points attained during the first half. The Eagles resorted to a kick during the first quarter after Lions defenders kept their running backs in check.
It wasn’t until the start of second quarter that things started to heat up offensively, with Eagles wide receiver Mike Farrell breaking through the Lions defense. South kicker Dan Kahn secured the extra point, and pushed the score to 10-0.
It did not take long for the Lion’s offense to warm up, as North wide receiver Connor Delepine scored the first touchdown for his team.
Within five minutes, Lions quarterback Joe Dickey completed another pass to Delepine to put North in the lead, 14-10.
With less than a minute left in the half, South running back Andrew Suarez managed to out-maneuver North’s defensive line and secured another touchdown for the Eagles, ending the half with a 17-14 score.
The second half heated up quickly when South wide receiver Rob Benedetto made his way through the end zone following the completion of a 20-yard pass. With another good kick from Kahn, the Eagles widened the gap to 24-14.
Even South’s defense contributed to the team’s lead, as linebacker Joe Roibal intercepted a North pass and ran for the end zone. An additional point from Kahn kicked the score to 31-14.
As the third quarter winded down, North proved they were not done. Wide receiver Nick Zinner and running back Sean McKee pushed down the field, ending when McKee fell into the end zone with less than a minute left in the quarter, putting the score to 31-21.
A strong addition to South, Eagles running back and defensive back Chris Bunge, who won the Trezza Award for outstanding offense, consistently moved the ball down the field.
Although North tried to further close the 10-point gap during the final quarter, Suarez’s repeated attempts at the line for the Eagles paid off with another touchdown.
The Lions could not recover from that one, and the game ended with an Eagles win of 38-21.
“We played well today and had good defense, and that is the name of the game,” South Head Coach Steve Antonucci said.
North Offensive Coach Nick Trezza said it was sad for the team to finish with a 5-5 record, but noted their improvement from zero wins three years ago.
That was the final game for the Lions, but the Eagles go on to play Freehold Borough on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m. at Rutgers for the state finals.
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