Late mistakes cost Piscataway shot at North 2, Group 5 finals appearance; Chiefs fall 27-13 to Bayonne in sectional semis

Points left on the board, late game mistakes.

Those spelled doom for the Piscataway football team Saturday afternoon, which was eliminated from the North Jersey, Section 2 Group 5 playoffs with a 27-13 loss to sixth-seed Bayonne, in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

The second-seeded Chiefs had the ball down by a touchdown, 20-13, but with 4:08 to go, and all their skill players involved in the offense. But deep in their own end, a toss from Landon Pernell to Zaire Young ended up on the ground, and Jerome Hayes, Jr. – the son of the Bayonne head coach – scooped it up and took it into the end zone to put the Bees up two touchdowns.

Piscataway still wasn’t finished though. They got the ball back with just over two minutes left. Maybe a quick score and an onside kick recovery could do the trick?

The Chiefs moved the ball, got to the Bayonne 30, then on a bad snap took another big loss, but eventually got back to the original line of scrimmage on third down. But on fourth-and-ten, Pernell throw to Sean Love streaking toward the left corner of the end zone, and the pass fell short.

Bayonne then was able to run out the clock for the win.

The Bees (8-3) will move on to Friday night’s North 2, Group 5 title game at Basilone Field in Bridgewater where they will meet top-seed Bridgewater-Raritan (8-3) at 6 pm. Piscataway’s season ends at 8-3.

The Chiefs had two field goals in the game, one by Victor Nogueira of 31 yards in the first half – after having a 38-yarded blocked earlier – and another of 31 by Patrick Novak in the fourth quarter. Sean Love had a 28-yard touchdown catch for the Chiefs, their only other score.

Click below for postgame reaction from Piscataway head coach Dan Higgins with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen: