In some cases, no lead is safe in the playoffs. The Southern Regional football team found that out the hard way on Oct. 30, when visiting Trenton erased a nine-point deficit during the latter half of the fourth quarter to knock off the Rams, 34-29, in the first round of the NJSIAA Group 5 playoffs.
“We had opportunities,” said head coach Matt Abbato, whose Rams finished the season 6-4. “Their playmakers made big plays, and we fell one play short. It’s unfortunate that such a great season ended this way. It hurts for a lot of reasons. It hurts as a coach, and it hurts as a dad. I watched a lot of these kids grow up together with my son, so this one stings.”
The second-seeded Rams took the initial lead on a 4-yard run by senior Levi Foote, who finished with 112 yards on 17 carries, but the seventh-seeded Tornadoes answered to take a 7-6 lead midway through the second quarter.
Southern regained the lead on its next possession when junior Niko Iliescu scored on a 15-yard run and Foote booted the extra point to make it 14-7, but Trenton scored late in the first half to knot the game at 14-14 going into the second half.
After Trenton scored again to go up 20-14, the Rams answered when Foote carried the ball into the end zone from 7 yards out and senior Chris Raub added a two-point conversion run to make it 22-20. Southern added to its lead when Foote again burst into the end zone, this time from 2 yards away, then kicked the PAT to give the Rams a 29-20 advantage midway through the fourth quarter.
Trenton quickly closed the gap to a point with a 63-yard touchdown pass and two-point conversion; and, then, after picking off a pass near the end zone with less than four minutes to go, the Tornadoes marched down the field and scored on a 22-yard pass with under a minute to play.
“When we went up nine points, I thought hold on to win it,” Abbato said. “But we knew they’d be good. They’re a well-coached and tough team. They were athletic and presented some tough matchups for us, especially in the secondary, where we have some young guys. We knew they weren’t coming here to roll over. They battled us the whole game.”
Senior quarterback Carson Abbato completed 27 of 34 passes for 262 yards. Iliescu carried the ball six times for 59 yards, and Raub caught 10 passes for 91 yards. Senior Luke Iorio snagged eight passes for 69 yards, and junior Lukas Iliescu hauled in seven passes for 71 yards.
The only time the Rams’ defense gave up more than 30 points in a game was during a 35-6 loss to Donovan Catholic during Week 5, after Southern started the season 4-0. The Rams lost their last three games of the season by a combined seven points.
ONE FOR THE MONEY: Southern Regional senior Paige Shaw was among a trio of Rams who buried goals during their first-round contest in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 4 tournament on Nov. 2.
“I learned a lot as a head coach this season,” Coach Abbato said. “I’ll evaluate some things during the off-season, figure out what I can do differently for next year, but I’m really proud of this senior class. They had a really successful career. They made the playoffs three years in a row, won two division titles and had some big moments along the way.”
During the Central Jersey Group 2 first round, second-seeded Camden cruised past seventh-seeded Barnegat, 43-0. The Bengals finished the season 7-3.
Freshman quarterback Zach McCrohan completed just one of seven passes, to Chancellor Joseph, for 37 yards, while running backs Chris Santero and Ryan Fitzpatrick were held to a combined 43 yards rushing on 18 carries.
Defensively, Calvin Fair totaled 15 tackles and Patrick Small tallied 13. Barnegat also recovered three fumbles, one each by Joseph, Josh Kozak and Matt Malinowski. Camden accumulated 212 yards passing and 255 yards on the ground.
Southern Hockey Team Rebounds After SCT
Less than a week after getting knocked out of the Shore Conference Tournament during a 2-0, semifinals loss to Shore Regional, the Southern Regional field hockey team bounced back in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 4 tourney, ousting Lenape, 3-1, on Nov. 2.
The Rams fired 16 shots on goal and scored once during each of the first three periods against the Indians. Paige Shaw, Mackenzie Sininsky and Faith Bruther buried the goals, all of which were unassisted. Goaltender Makayla Lutz finished with five saves.
Southern, the top seed in SJ4, will face eighth-seeded Cherry Hill East on Wednesday, Nov. 4, with the winner to meet either fourth-seeded Egg Harbor or fifth-seeded Howell in the semifinals on Monday, Nov. 9.
On Oct. 27 during the SCT semis, the Blue Devils scored once in the first and added another goal in the second period, as Southern managed just two shots on goal. Lutz made 10 saves to help keep the game close.
