|
Long Branch gets around Wall
Published in the Asbury Park Press 11/19/00
By SCOTT STUMP
STAFF WRITER
WALL -- Long Branch may have lost a majority of its starting lineup
from last season's section championship squad but the qualities of the
team are still the same -- the Green Wave are going to hit hard on
defense and make big plays on offense.
Wall found that out yesterday as Long Branch held the Crimson Knights to
172 total yards on its way to a 20-15 victory in a Central Jersey Group
III semifinal. The Green Wave (8-2) will play Ocean, which defeated Long
Branch 24-7 in a Shore Conference Federal Division game in the regular
season.
"The characteristic trait of our defense is that we're very
physical," Long Branch coach Dan George said. "Down at the
end, it's 20-15 and their crowd is going crazy. We needed a big stop and
we got it."
Senior Michael Lambert was Long Branch's big-play man on offense as
he put them on the board in the first quarter and made a crucial play to
keep the game-winning drive alive in the third quarter.
After John Colangelo of Wall (8-2) scored on an 11-yard run in the
first quarter and his brother Chris caught a two-point conversion pass
from Lawrence DeBello, Lambert made the type of play Wall was focused on
preventing before the game.
On the first play of Long Branch's ensuing possession, quarterback
Berkeley Hutchinson rolled out and fired a pass over the middle to
Lambert, who took off for a 66-yard touchdown after two defensive backs
collided.
"They switched to man coverage and by the time the safety came
over it was too late," Lambert said.
Long Branch took a 14-8 lead into halftime as James Moore recovered a
bad snap by Wall on a punt at the Crimson Knights 5. Hutchinson scored
two plays later on a 2-yard run and ran in the conversion.
Wall was looking for some momentum in the third quarter and appeared
to have found it when Pete Licalsi blocked a punt on the Long Branch 45.
But Lambert scooped up the loose ball and raced 10 yards for a first
down to keep the drive alive. The Green Wave scored what proved to be
the winning touchdown eight plays later on a 1-yard plunge by
Hutchinson.
The Long Branch defense did a solid job of bottling up Colangelo (26
carries, 85 yards), allowing it to go after quarterback Chris Malleo.
Wall didn't help itself by losing three of six fumbles in the first
half.
"We needed to be able to pass the ball to have a chance, and we
weren't able to do that," Wall coach Chris Barnes said.
from the Asbury Park Press
Published on November 19, 2000 |
