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Defense guides Long Branch
Published in the Asbury Park Press 10/14/00
By JOHN BUSH
STAFF WRITER
MIDDLETOWN -- Middletown South's improbable run of three straight
overtime games finally came to an end last night. So did the Eagles'
undefeated season.
It was Long Branch that handed the Eagles their first loss with a
convincing 23-7 victory in a Shore Conference Federal Division game at
Middletown South.
Cornerback Michael Lambert and linebackers Berkeley Hutchinson and
Thomas Williams led a dominant defense. Lambert made two of Long
Branch's three interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown
on the third play of the game, while Hutchinson made two of the Wave's
five sacks.
"Our big players played big for us," said Long Branch coach
Dan George, whose team improved to 4-2 both overall and in the division.
"Berkeley Hutchinson, you can't say enough about him."
It was Lambert and Hutchinson who stunned the Eagles with two big
plays early in the game. With Middletown South facing third-and-15 from
its own 1 after the opening kickoff, Lambert intercepted a pass from
quarterback Nick Ernst and ran 25 yards for a touchdown to give the
Green Wave a 7-0 lead just 1:49 into the game.
"They had two receivers lined up, and I went with the outside
one," Lambert said. "I was expecting an out pattern, and
that's what they did."
After Hutchinson sacked Ernst for a 9-yard loss on third down, the
Eagles were forced to punt on their next possession. Long Branch took
over at the Eagles' 45, and quarterback Hutchinson ran a bootleg to his
left all the way to the end zone for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead with
8:03 left in the first quarter.
Middletown South (5-1, 5-1) recovered in the second quarter when
Ernst engineered a 79-yard touchdown drive by completing 4 of 5 passes
for 72 yards. Ernst ended the drive by throwing a 33-yard touchdown to
Jason Lippart, who caught the ball inside the 10 and eluded a Long
Branch defender as the Eagles pulled to within 14-7.
That would be all the scoring for the Eagles, though, as the Green
Wave defense took control of the game late in the third quarter. After
Hutchinson sacked Ernst for an 11-yard loss, James Moore followed by
sacking Ernst in the end zone for a safety to give Long Branch a 16-7
lead.
Long Branch then took over at the Eagles' 36 and needed just three
plays to score, with Raul Rivera going 26 yards for a touchdown as the
Green Wave took a 23-7 lead with 17 seconds left in the third quarter.
Even without Hutchinson, who sat out the fourth quarter with an
injury to his left leg, Long Branch made two interceptions in the final
quarter as the Eagles threw on every down. When Tim Fitzpatrick made a
diving interception at the Green Wave 10 with just eight seconds left,
Long Branch had sealed the victory.
"We felt we needed to stop the run," George said. "We
needed to be physical and attack."
from the Asbury Park Press
Published on October 14, 2000
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