Somerville coach Matt Bloom addresses the Pioneers after a 35-14 upset of No. 3 Hillsborough at Brooks Field on October 14, 2022. (Photo courtesy Somerville AD Tim Davis)
The game started with a bang for Somerville, getting a kickoff return for a touchdown to open the game by sophomore Terrell Mitchell, and the Pioneers never took their foot off the gas.
After a defensive stop of Hillsborough, Somerville got another score to go up 14-0, en route to what would turn out to be perhaps the biggest upset of the so far in the Big Central: a 35-14 win over the third-ranked Raiders, to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The ‘Ville has not missed the playoffs since 2015, first under Jeff Vanderbeek, then under Dallas Whitaker. But they were coached Friday night by offensive line coach Matt Bloom, as head coach Ian Pace was not on the sidelines for Somerville.
Yet somehow, avoiding the distractions, the Pioneers prevailed over a young but talented Hillsbrough squad that was ranked third in the Week 7 Central Jersey Sports Radio Top Ten.
Somerville needed to likely win its final two games to have a shot at making the playoffs, and Hillsborough would have been the bigger of the two. They sit 21st in the South Group 3 playoff standings, but the win Friday night will give them a huge bump in trying to make the top 16.
The Pioneers visit South Brunswick next Friday night.
Click below to hear CJSR’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Somerville coach Matt Bloom:
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