Manville outlasts Middlesex in small-school slugfest, 28-20, behind 2 TD passes from Gosk

The Middlesex football team looked nothing Thursday night like they did in the first four games of the season, which included a 27-0 loss to Highland park and a 40-6 loss at Belvidere.

Since runningback Brian Cilento returned to his home school after transferring back from Immaculata – sitting four games since he made the move after practice had started in August – the Blue Jays may be 0-2, but they have been much more competitive.

Still, it was not enough Thursday night at Mountainview Park, as Manville came in and left with a 28-20 victory, improving to 6-1 on the season, 4-1 in the Big Centrals’ Freedom Silver Division where they sit a half-game behind Belvidere, which beat them last week, 34-28.

All the first half scoring came on the first three drives of the game.

Manville scored on its opening possession, with a long drive tat ate a good deal of clock capped by a one-yard run by Elijah Bennett at the 4:51 mark, giving them a 7-0 lead.

But Middlesex, punched by the Mustangs, punched right back. The Blue Jays took less than three minutes to get on the board on their opening possession, with Matt Petti, Jr.’s seven-yard run getting Middlesex within one, but a failed PAT left them down 7-6 with 1:57 left in the first.

Manville would add to its lead on the next possession, taking nearly four minutes this time. QB Jonathan Gosk hit Cassius Carter for a 59-yard TD strike that put the Mustangs up 14-6 with 10:17 to go in the half, and that’s the way it would stay when the teams hit the locker rooms at half time.

In the second half, Middlesex got the ball first, and scored on that drive, with Cilento running it in three yards for a score at the 6:36 mark to cut it to 14-12, but with 3:24 left in the third, Gosk hit junior Aiden Johnson from 18 yards out for his second TD pass of the game, putting the Mustangs ahead 21-12.

Middlesex wasn’t done yet, though. Jo Jo Pham found a hole on the left side of the line and ran it all the way into the end zone from 41 yards out to cut the score to 21-20, thanks to a successful two-point conversion.

But they would get no closer, and Manville would add one more score to put it out of reach late, as Carter scored his second touchdown of the game – this time a 25-yard run with 2:10 to go – with the Mustangs stopping Middlesex in the red zone as time expired.

The Blue Jays fall to 1-5, 1-2 in the Freedom Silver, but now have played two of their most competitve games of the season since Cilento’s return, falling 29-28 in overtime last week before Thursday night’s loss to Manville. They close out with winnable games next week at Bound Brook and on Friday night of Cutoff Weekend with JP Stevens at home.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Marcus Borden with ….. presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!