Somerville (in orange) and Summit face off at Brooks Field in Somerville in a battle of undefeated teams on October 4, 2024. (Photo: Marcus Borden)
Nearly all season long, the Somerville football team has looked in championship form.
Now, they’ll get a chance to prove it next week when they play in their first sectional title game since 2019.
The top-seeded Pioneers (11-0) were 30-14 home winners Friday night at Brooks Field over fourth-seed Ocean City (6-5), getting two touchdowns apiece from Brady Scheier, and another two from Terrell Mitchell.
Like most other games Somerville has played this year – many with a running clock, sometimes before halftime – the Pioneers scored early and often. Schier caught a ten-yard pass from Brenden Pacheco to open the scoring and another from four yards out that made the score 16-0 after one, with The ‘Ville going for its traditional two-point conversion, and getting both.
Then, Terrell Mitchell scored on a 16-yard run – and added his own two-point try – to make it 24-0 before Clay Compton’s 13-yard touchdown pass got Ocean City on the board.
Mitchell got it right back on a four-yard touchdown run, and the Raiders closed the scoring with another TD in the third.
The Pioneers will seek their first title since 2017, when they beat top-seed Rumson-Fair Haven at Rutgers, 20-15, with Jeff Vanderbeek as head coach. Current head coach Matt Bloom was on that staff.
Somerville will host seventh-seed Delsea (4-6) Friday night at 7 at Brooks Field in the Central Jersey Group 3 title game; the Crusaders are one of three two-win teams to qualify for the playoffs this season, but changed offensive schemes to the wing-T about a month ago, rejuvenating the team.
Click below to hear postgame reaction from Somerville head coach Matt Bloom:
Discover more from Central Jersey Sports Radio
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.