Governor Livingston climbs back to .500 with dominant, 49-12 home win against JFK

In a game of two teams looking to stabilize their seasons and get back on track, Governor Livingston defeated JFK 49-12 on Saturday at home.

Things looked promising for the Mustangs (0-3, 0-2) early on, taking advantage of a Highlanders (2-2, 1-1 BCC United Silver) miscue on the opening kick. JFK booted it short to the Governor Livingston 34-yard line, the ball took a favorable bounce for the visiting team, and the Mustangs were set up with prime field position on their first offensive drive.

After a short run on its first play, JFK broke out the trickery on its next snap. Senior wide receiver Kamali Walker motioned across the formation and took the handoff on what looked like a typical jet sweep, that was until Walker set his feet and threw a pass. Walker connected with fellow senior receiver Braylon Diaz for a 34-yard touchdown, and just like that the Mustangs took an early 6-0 lead. 

The Highlanders answered right back with an impressive rushing attack led by junior Elijah Garcia. Garcia tallied 50 yards on his first two carries of the game, flipping the field and setting up Governor Livingston deep in JFK territory. Junior wide receiver Connor Jakubowski ultimately capped off the drive with a short touchdown run to give his team the 7-6 lead. 

With success on their first drive, morale was high for the Mustangs heading into their second possession. Unfortunately, that second possession was cut short when junior defensive back Parker Chatfield jumped his man’s route and was off to the races for a 25-yard pick-six. 

Governor Livingston continued its success offensively on the ensuing drive as sophomore quarterback Colin Hughes found Jakubowski for a 54-yard touchdown reception to extend the Highlanders’ lead to 21-6 early in the second quarter.

From that point forward, it was all Governer Livingston, punching in another three touchdowns in the first half to take a commanding 42-6 halftime lead.

JFK started the second half with the ball but faced an uphill battle, being down 36 points and going up against a running clock. To the credit of the Mustangs, sophomore Hayden Morrison and his offense were moving the ball well on the opening drive before it was cut short by an interception. 

As they had done all day, the Highlanders took advantage of JFK’s mistake and hit paydirt for the seventh time, this time off of a 53-yard touchdown run from sophomore Jake Rotkel. 

Morrison connected with Diaz for a 54-yard score to make it a 49-12 game in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late for the Mustangs. 

It was overall a dominant win for Governor Livingston, which saw much of its offensive success come on the ground. Garcia finished with 12 carries for 120 yards and two scores, while the Highlanders rushed for an impressive 218 yards as a team. 

For Governor Livingston, they are back to .500 on the year with a matchup against Lynhurst to look forward to next week, while JFK is still in search of its first win with a home matchup against North Plainfield up next.

Click below to hear CJSR’s Chris Tsakonas talk with Governor Livingston head coach Pete Ramiccio following the Highlanders’ victory over JFK, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen: