Saturday, December 1, 2007

By Jim McConville
NJS.com Staff Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD -- Football is a sport that thrives on the discipline of its players. You spend all week rehearsing for the game, going over every meticulous detail, defining every assignment. When curtain goes up and all of that practice comes to fruition, it is the team that stays closest to its preparation that usually comes out the winner.

Or, maybe not.

Gregory Moore had his assignment in the fourth quarter of a tighter than expected Non-Public Group 1 state championship game. The Paterson Catholic sophomore went against his training, trusting his instincts.

That put him in the right place at the right time, and his interception and 24-yard return for a touchdown became the signature moment in the Cougars’ 28-7 win on Friday night at Giants Stadium.

The 10-0 Cougars earned their fifth state crown and second in three years. The Crimson (6-5) lost for the first time in five games in just their second-ever postseason appearance.

Moore’s play came with 5:38 to go in the game and PC holding a 14-7 advantage and going nowhere on offense. On the first play, MoBeard quarterback Mike Betz play-faked and looked to set up a tight end screen to Jiyon Ruffin.

“My (defensive) coach told me to blitz,” Moore related, “but I just read the tight end, hit him and dropped back. The ball came right to my hands, and I stepped up and ran it.”

“He’s a playmaker who’s done it all year,” PC head coach Benjie Wimberly said. “He’s been a great surprise, and each week he just makes plays.”

After a 27-day layoff, the biggest question facing the Paterson Catholic football team was would the only reference to rust be the similar color of their dark jerseys. It took all of 5:24 to establish the idea that the Cougars were on their game, an opening drive of 12 plays on which they looked crisp and dominant.

That early burst gave Paterson Catholic the lead, something that would be very important down the road. The opening march went 72 yards and saw Paterson Catholic convert two fourth downs, including a 25-yard scramble by quarterback Wayne Mack to the left pylon for the touchdown.

After a Crimson three and out, PC went right back to work after a 39-yard Calvin Brownridge punt return. On a fourth and three from the 29, Moore swept the left side, broke a tackle inside the five and found the end zone with 1:31 remaining in the opening period.

“The coach up in the press box was telling me to trust my speed,” Moore said. “Do what I do best, don’t let anybody bring me down, we need a play. I did what I had to do to get in the end zone.”

Paterson Catholic could have easily padded their lead, but they twice put the ball on the ground, with Matt Martin and John Masini getting the Cougar recoveries. They were able to turn the second one into points.

The Cougars propensity for the long pass finally paid off with 3:42 left in the half, as Mike Betz found Colin Larmond with a 32-yard completion to the 1, even though it appeared Larmond had gotten across the goal line on the play. Betz made it academic on the next snap, going in off the right guard, and Larmond added the PAT to halve the deficit.

“I started to sense that maybe we were a team that had been on a layoff for 27 days,” Wimberly.

“Stuff like that happens in football, but we always bounce back from it,” defensive end Dante Burton said.

The Crimson could never get their offense in gear, as Betz completed only 5 of 24 passes for 91 yards. Even a 13-play, 7:30 drive to open the second half came up well short at the Cougar 29, though PC could not perk up its own offense.

They could not cash in a Calvin Brownridge interception in the third quarter, but finally got the Moore INT to send them on their way.

Burton then put the finishing touches on the Crimson, racking up back-to-back sacks (he had three in the game) to set up Mack’s 19-yard TD on an option around the right side and recovering a fumble on the Cougars’ seventh sack of the game on the next MB offensive play.

“I started off a little bit slow before the half, but I got a little pep talk at halftime and I came out ready to play,” Burton admitted.

Morristown Beard managed only 108 offensive yards on 61 plays, with Clifton native Dan Ingraldi running 18 times for only 35 yards. Betz had 10 tackles and Matt Martin 8 (including a sack).

Moore ran 15 times for 111 yards, 104 of them coming in the first half. Fidel Cooper added 73 on 15 runs and Mack was 4-42. Douglas Alston (1.5 sacks) and Joseph Thompson (1 sack) paced the Cougar defense with nine tackles apiece.

“It was worth the wait,” Burton said of the extending time off between games. “The camp, the workouts, everything, it was definitely worth it. This is the best feeling I’ve ever experienced.”

“Definitely. Words can’t express (how much) it’s worth it,” Wimberly answered. “This is a great feeling. Ever since I was a kid I wanted to play or coach here. We’d have waited another 20 days if we had to.”

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