Sunday,
September 29, 2013
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
|
|
Kevin Momnohin accounted for more than 400 total yards and 5 TDs a Queen of Peace improved to 2-1 with a 49-39 win over Becton on Saturday. |
NORTH ARLINGTON – In a geographical area full of top-flight running backs, Kevin Momnohin has been lurking in the shadows amongst some of the bigger names in Bergen County. Just like Momnohin, the Queen of Peace football program has also toiled in relative obscurity over the past few years. Coming into this season, all the player and the program were looking was for a measure of respect. It turns out that in one fell swoop, or sweep in this instance, both Momnohin and the Golden Griffins got just that.
Sweep, counter, belly, catching out of the backfield, no matter how Momnohin got the ball he showed why he is Bergen County’s best kept secret and why he might now the cat just might be out of the bag.
The lightning-quick senior rushed for 263 yards on 22 carries and four touchdowns. He also caught five balls for 90 yards and a TD, made nine tackles, and intercepted a pass to lead Queen of Peace to a wild 49-39 upset over previously undefeated Becton on Saturday at Riverside County Park in North Arlington in a game that took exactly three hours to complete.
“Good coaches are only as good as the players are who are wearing the helmets,” said Queen of Peace head coach Robert Kearns. “Kevin played about as well as you could play with a good defense designed to stop him. He’s a super kid and a great leader. It was a total team effort and everyone had a hand in this victory, but also we knew who to get the ball to when we needed a big play.”
|
John Pra took a screen pass in from 15 yards for Becton's first score. |
Becton showed off its fast-paced offense on the first series of the game, needing less than two minutes to march 73 yards in nine plays. Karriem Royster capped the drive by hitting John Pra on a screen pass to the weak side for a 15-yard touchdown.
Momnohin heated up early on the ensuing drive with 72 yards rushing on four carries, including a 33-yard touchdown run on a counter to give Queen of Peace a 7-6 lead.
Becton answered right back with a touchdown by hard-nosed tailback Roy Forys, who bulled his way in from seven yards out. The Golden Griffins responded with a highlight play by Momnohin, who caught a screen pass from quarterback Anthony Villano and juked three would-be tacklers before racing 48 yards to the house, which gave Queen of Peace the lead for good at 13-12.
The Golden Griffins nearly shot themselves in the foot when a holding call on a fourth-down play nullified a touchdown. Villano came to the rescue by putting a pass right on the numbers and Kevin’s twin brother, Keith Momnohin, hauled it in for a 33-yard scoring strike. Villano then ran for the two-point conversion to make it a two-possession game.
Becton pulled to within two points when Royster hit Joe Penna for an eight-yard touchdown pass, but the Golden Griffins had just enough time left in the first half to find the end zone again. After Keith Momnohin rushed for 16 yards on a fake punt to keep the drive going, Villano found Kevin Momnohin for a 31-yard pass play on a third-and-seven. Then on the next play, Kevin Momnohin took it in him self from 11 yards out to give Queen of Peace a 27-19 lead at the half.
|
Q of P quarterback Anthony Villano threw for 208 yards and three touchdowns. |
“It was really big for us to score on our first drive and it was even bigger to get in the end zone before the half,” said Kevin Momnohin. “That let us keep the momentum going and we felt like this was our game to win. After losing last week to Hasbrouck Heights because of some mistakes that cost us, we were not going to let this opportunity slip past us.”
Becton got a one-yard plunge from Christian Henriquez on its first possession of the second half, but on the play prior to the touchdown run Forys, who is the heart and soul of the Wildcats on both sides of the ball, went down with what appeared to be cramps in both calves. He would only play on a handful of downs the remainder of the game and was a non-factor in the second half due to the injury.
Kevin Momnohin was just getting started though. He broke loose for a TD run of 44 yards, then picked off a pass on the next series, and followed that up three plays later with a 31-yard jaunt to paydirt. Oh yeah, and he caught the two-point conversion to make it 41-25 as the Golden Griffins cruised from there to their biggest victory in nearly a decade.
“We had to come out even harder in the second half than we did in the first half, because we knew Becton could score quickly,” said Kevin Momnohin, who has Division 1 schools like Rutgers, Oregon State, Boston College, and Vanderbilt showing interest. “Win or lose, we are a team and we had to stick together. I thought we got stronger as the game went on. Every big play we made gave us a little more momentum. Now we have to carry that momentum into next week.”
|
Becton's Roy Forys was all over place on both sides of the ball before being forced out by injury in the second half. |
Kevin Momnohin had about as good of an all-around game as one could have on both sides of the ball for Queen of Peace (2-1). Including kickoff returns, he amassed over 400 total yards and a season-high five touchdowns. Villano had a great day under center completing 14 of 20 passes for 208 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Lineman Bubba Ojo had a monster day on the offensive line as well.
Pra finished with career-highs of 10 catches and 106 yards to go along with a touchdown for Becton (2-1). Royster will have a tired arm tomorrow after attempting 46 passes. He completed 24 of them for 288 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions. Henriquez found the end zone twice, both coming in the second half. This is just the start of a tough stretch for the Wildcats, who will face a pair of undefeated teams (Hasbrouck Heights and Pal Park/Leonia) over the next two weeks.
The Golden Griffins have entered a tough stretch of their own with St. Mary’s, Waldwick/Midland Park and Pal Park/Leonia over the next three weeks. But for the first time in a long time, there is optimism amongst the players at Queen of Peace and they feel this is the season to revive the program.
“We’re believing in each other and we’re executing what we’ve practiced, which are the first steps towards being a consistent football team,” added Kearns. “I’m proud of our guys because we beat a good team today and had to fight hard to do it. Right now we’re a team, but we’re looking to build a program. It’s a big win for the program, but it’s only week three and there’s a lot of tough games left. It’s a very big step in the right direction though and we’re happy with the way we’ve progressed so far.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME.
TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT
OF THIS STORY, PLEASE VISIT 4FeetGrafix.com. |