Ricky Fittin of Middlesex gives the Blue Jays their first lead of the game against Woodbury in the first round of the Central Jersey Group 1 playoffs on November 1, 2024 at Mountainview Park in Middlesex. But they would fall, 35-28. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
Middlesex head coach Bobby Swercheck said this week, and Friday night, that his Blue Jays would need to limit the penalties and play mistake-free football to beat Woodbury in its opening round playoff game Friday night.
Mostly good on the first, but that second task didn’t go so well.
Third-seed Middlesex fell to sixth-seed Woodbury in oepning round Central Jersey Group 1 playoff action Friday night, 35-28, in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Woodbury got on the board first, and Middlesex answered but failed on a two-point conversion, and trailed 7-6 after a Josiah Williams 66-yard touchdown run with 4:22 to go in the first. Woodbury got the next two scores – on an 18-yard Dale Thomas run and a 55-yard pick six by Elijah Young, leaving the Blue Jays down 20-6 after one quarter.
Middlesex answered on a Jax Jarvis 14-yard touchdown catch, capping a mammoth 18-play, 80-yard drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock, but Marquis Taylor scored on the first play of the next possession to build up a 27-14 lead at halftime.
Middlesex had not been necessarily outplayed, they just needed to eliminate the big play. And they would score the next two touchdowns.
First, Ricky Fittin grabbed a 14-yard pass from quarterback Dom Parenti that made it 27-21 with the extra point, then he hauled in a 43-yard bomb after a holding penalty set Middlesex behind the sticks to make it 27-all, with the PAT giving the Blue Jays their first lead of the night, 28-27.
All, it seemed, Middlesex needed was maybe one more stop. But two plays later, Taylor grabbed A 66-yard touchdown pass from QB Tim Holmes to put the Herd up 35-28.
Middlesex got the ball back and failed to score, but they still had a chance. Woodbury got the ball back with just over two minutes to go, and Middlesex had one time out. A stop could have gotten them the ball back, but Woodbury was able to pick up a first down and run out the clock.
Middlesex finishes 6-4 on the season, while Woodbury moves on to the semifinals next week against fifth-seed Pennsville, a 41-20 winner Friday night at fourth-seed Burlington City.
Click below for postgame reaction from Middlesex head coach bobby Swercheck, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
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