Sunday,
September 8, 2013
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
|
|
Alex Borowiec scored twice in the first half on his way to a career-high 195 yards rushing as Morristown-Beard downed Marist, 34-6, in the season opener for both teams. |
BAYONNE – Morristown-Beard and Marist both surprised the naysayers last year by earning both playoff berths and first round home games to boot. To repeat or exceed the success of 2012, they needed to get their respective seasons off on the right note. Something had to give as the teams clashed for a third consecutive season with Marist winning each of the first two. Morristown-Beard was looking for a little payback and got it in a most impressive fashion.
Alex Borowiec rushed for a pair of touchdowns in each half on his way to a career-high 195 yards and Matt McFadden picked off three passes as Morristown-Beard was in control from start to finish en route to a 34-6 victory over Marist on Saturday afternoon at Veterans Stadium in Bayonne.
“Marist has always been a difficult team for us to play, so this is a huge win for us,” said Morristown-Beard head coach Tim Fell. “We wanted to get the ball first and it was important to score on that opening drive. Our goal was to get a lead, keep the pressure on them, and force them to throw the ball. Even after the touchdown we scored, we responded quickly. That was the difference between us losing to them last year and beating them this year.”
Fell was forced into an early decision that could have swung the game either way within the game’s first two minutes. Faced with a fourth-and-3 from the Crimson’s own 39, Fell rolled the dice and Borowiec made his head coach look good by gaining 13 yards on a counter to keep the drive going. McFadden then broke loose for a 41-yard gain on a third-and-13 later in the drive before Borowiec capped it off by plunging in from two yards out for a 7-0 Mo-Beard lead.
|
D'Ondre Robinson scored the Marist touchdown and finished with 158 yards rushing. |
“Our O-line was great all game, but especially when we needed to make a big play,” said Borowiec. “They won the battle at the line of scrimmage and we just ran through the holes. Losing to Marist last year and then losing in the states (15-9 to Hudson Catholic) left a bad taste in our mouth and the only way to get it out was to come here and get a win.”
Marist had chances on three consecutive possessions to keep the game close or even tie it, but squandered all three opportunities. After a run for a first-down into Morristown-Beard territory, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was followed by a sack for a net loss off 25 yards in a span of 13 seconds. Then McFadden picked off a pair of passes inside the five-yard line to squash the scoring threat. Even worse for the Royal Knights, both of the Crimson’s ensuing drives led to touchdowns.
Borowiec busted loose for a 33-yard score and, after an 80-yard return by McFadden, quarterback Colin Waters snuck in from a yard away in late in the second quarter, which gave the Crimson a 21-0 lead at the half.
“We had to get some stops and I got a couple of chances to make plays,” said McFadden. “I tried to read the quarterback’s eyed and get the ball when it was thrown my way. Once I saw I had room to run, I just followed my blocks all the way down the field. I thought we were really focused on both sides of the ball. Even when they hit a few big plays, we never got down and we kept our focus on the next play.”
Marist had one last-ditch effort to get back in the game on the opening drive of the second half. On a fourth-and-six from the Morristown-Beard 32, D’Ondre Robinson bounced a play outside, broke a tackle, and outraced the defense to the end zone to slice the lead to 21-6 with 9:10 left in the third quarter. However, it took just 65 seconds for the Crimson to seize the momentum for good. After recovering the onside kick, Borowiec went up the middle for 45 yards on the next play to move them into the red zone. Two plays later, he busted through a gaping hole created by Matt Stark and Tyler Schicke for a 7-yard score that zapped the life out of the Royal Knights.
|
Quarterback Colin Waters and Mo-Beard will try to make it 2-0 next week at Montclair Kimberley Academy. |
Stark was the leader for Morristown-Beard (1-0) and showed it in all aspects. On top of a stellar game on the offensive line, he also led all players with 13 tackles and two sacks and hit 4 of 5 extra-point attempts. McFadden had 125 interception return yards along with five tackles and 48 yards of offense.
Robinson was the lone bright spot for Marist (0-1) with 158 yards rushing on 15 carries. The Royal Knights will try to get their first win next week when they travel to face Montclair Immaculate on Saturday. That game will be played at 1:00 P.M. at Codey Field in Montclair.
The Crimson will try to keep their winning ways going with another chance at revenge next week when they also travel to Montclair, but to face Montclair Kimberley Academy. The Cougars beat Mo-Beard, 21-14, on Opening Day last year. More importantly, it will be another measuring stick of just how far this team has come and what direction they are headed in for the foreseeable future.
“To beat Marist on their home field after they did the same to us last year feels really good,” said Stark. “Last year, we were up at halftime and then they hit a big play to take the lead. We put our heads down and we never recovered. Today we kept our heads up and kept grinding it out every play. We’re expecting big things this year and this is the first step towards a great season.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME.
TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT
OF THIS STORY, PLEASE VISIT 4FeetGrafix.com. |