Tag: Arique Fleming

by Mike Pavlichko

Fleming’s huge first half, 4 TD passes, powers Elizabeth past rival Linden, 42-7

Quarterback Arique Fleming’s first start for Elizabeth came as a freshman, against rival Linden, in a college stadium, two years ago.

That was a 27-22 loss at Kean University.

Two years later, now a junior, Fleming and his Minutemen opened the season at Linden’s Tiger Stadium.  

Friday night, in the season opener, he went 12-for-14 passing for 254 yards and 4 TDs, while running for another – all in the first half – en route to a 42-7 victory that gave Elizabeth its second straight win over the Tigers to open the season. He also ran for another score, a 28-yarder.

And all four passing touchdowns were long ones as the Elizabeth offensive line gave Fleming all the time in the world to throw.  No once could get to him, and that allowed him to get the ball to three different receivers, including a 36-yard TD to Qua’yon Williams, a 28-yard score to Nahjae Smith, and 62- and 65-yarders to Quameen Williams.

  

Elizabeth led 42-7 at the half, setting off a running clock for the final two quarters.

The Tigers’ Elijah Pierre had the lone first half score,  95-yard kick return that answered Elizabeth’s opening score, tying it at 7-7.

But that was as close as Linden would get.

It was Elizabeth’s largest margin of victory since a 55-6 win over Plainfield on October 5, 2018.

Click below for post game reaction from Elizabeth Head Coach Eugene Kline and junior QB Arique Fleming, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Fleming’s “perfect” game propels Elizabeth, earning Week 7 Bellamy & Son Paving Player of Week Award

The Elizabeth football team has had its share of challenges this season.

The Minutemen started out hot, with wins over Linden and at Bayonne. Then, John Fiore was let go as head coach in a residency controversy over his son enrolling at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth went into a tailspin – granted, their schedule also got tougher – and they dropped for in a row.

But two weeks ago, they rebounded with a gutty 26-24 non-conference win at Morristown, then stunned Watchung Hills at home Friday, 43-29, catapulting them to third in the North Group 5 playoff standings.

That big turnaround would not have been possible without sophomore quarterback Arique Fleming. He had a “perfect” day, going 11-for-11 passing for 162 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed 13 times for 107 yards and a seven-yard touchdown run.

All of that was instrumental in a 14-point win over the Warriors that has breathed new life into a difficult season.

And for that, Arique Fleming of Elizabeth is the Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week for Week Seven.

The Minutemen (4-4) close their regular season Friday night at Union (1-7).

Click below to hear from Week Seven Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week Arique Fleming of Elizabeth:

The Bellamy & Son Paving Player of the Week is chosen from nominees by Big Central coaches. At the end of the season, one player will be chosen to receive a $500 scholarship courtesy of Bellamy & Son Paving. As always, we will recognize selected “Honorable Mentions,” and recognize all other all nominees in our weekly story.

Honorable Mentions:

  • Jackson Jankowicz, Hillsborough: The senior came up huge in a big 27-14 road win at Piscataway, rushing 34 times for 217 yards and three touchdowns of 46, one and five yards. It’s the fourth time in the last five games he’s scored at least three touchdowns, but Jackson also excelled on defense, with five tackles and a pass breakup against an explosive Chiefs offense.
  • Chukwuma Odoh, St. Thomas Aquinas: The sophomore had a career afternoon in the Trojans’ 34-20 win at St. Joseph-Metuchen Saturday. He finished with 189 yards on 19 carries, with two touchdown runs of three and ten yards, while also having a 67-yarder called back. Those scores came in the second half, helping his team rally from a 14-6 deficit at the break. He’s now rushed for 1,001 yards this season.
  • Dom Massaro, South Plainfield: The junior was all over the field in a 35-6 win at South River Saturday afternoon. He scored four touchdowns: a 73-yard kickoff return, a 74-yard pick-six, and runs of 15 and eight yards. Overall, he finished with eight carries for 101 yards, and also had a 14-yard reception out of the backfield.

Other Notable Performances:

  • Nolan Walsh, Bernards: In a 34-7 win at Governor Livingston on Saturday, the sophomore QB threw for 195 yards and three touchdowns on 11-of-15 passing in just two quarters of work. Further, he’s the third QB in what now is a long string of eight-win seasons for the Mountaineers, joining standouts Teddy Gouldin and Connor Laverty in that group.
  • Landon Cruz, Edison: The junior wide receiver/defensive back helped the Eagles past South Brunswick, 36-14, Friday night to keep their playoff hopes alive. Cruz scored two touchdowns, one on a 37-yard catch, the other on a 97-yard fumble return. He recorded six tackles on defense, and one TFL.
  • Grant Lorentzen, JFK: In a 36-32 loss to Middlesex Friday night, the Mustangs’ junior wide receiver racked up 132 yards on just eight catches, with two touchdowns. He also threw an 80-yard touchdown pass.
  • Isaiah Bennett, Manville: In a 42-15 win at Highland Park Friday, the junior was part of an overall strong ground game that racked up 331 yards for the Mustangs. Bennett had eleven carries for 117 yards, and his three touchdowns all came on consecutive touches, from three, five and 64 yards out.
  • Aaron Potts, North Plainfield: The senior runningback carried 20 times for 164 yards and a touchdown in a 14-6 win over Johnson Friday night. On defense, he recorded 10 1/2 tackles and one for a loss.
  • Xavier Diaz, Old Bridge: The junior defensive back recorded eight tackles, and not one, not two, but three interceptions in the Knights’ 35-8 home win over Hunterdon Central, to keep Old Bridge in the hunt for a top eight seed and a first round home playoff game.
  • Nick Pfenning, Ridge: The junior linebacker came up big in a 42-14 win at North Brunswick Friday night, recording a team-best eight tackles, a sack, a TFL, and a pick six.
by Mike Pavlichko

Elizabeth overcomes miscues, holds off second-half Linden rally in season opener, 35-28

Elizabeth fumbled three times, but built up a big lead that they would need most of in order to hold on for a 35-28 victory over Linden – thanks, in part, to the heroics of Jamad Lyles’ interception in the final minute – in the opening game of the 2024 season for both teams.

The Tigers battled back, with sophomore quarterback Tyrone Hinton running for two second half touchdowns – he had three total – and throwing another, but the rally fell just short.

After a sloppy early going in which, on successive possessions, the Minutemen fumbled, Linden recovered with Hinton throwing an interception, then Elizabeth fumbling again, the Tigers led with 4:03 to go in the first period on Hinton’s one-yard run. A failed two-point try left it at 6-0.

But Elizabeth would get the next four scores, starting on the very next play, as Antoine Blount returned the ensuing kick for six, plus a two-point run by sophomore QB Arique Fleming to make it 8-6 Minutemen.

In the second quarter, Jamal Lyles added a four-yard run, and Fleming hit Kyshan Decartaret for another TD, giving Elizabeth a 21-6 lead at that half that they would extend to 28-6 by the end of the third on a Lyles’ three-yard run, plus the PAT.

But that’s when Linden started to make a run.

Hinton scored from one-yard out 2:55 into the fourth, and with the failed two-point try, the Tigers were down 16. Elizabeth scored again just over two minutes later, to give them an important insurance touchdown and a 35-12 lead on a three-yard scoring run by Fleming.

Linden was not done yet. They scored with 3:18 to go – despite a bad snap – as Hinton took it into the end zone from seven yards out, and after a fast Elizabeth fumble on the next possession, scored with 2:48 to go on a nine-yard pass from Hinton to Juwan Gass. With a two-point run, that made it 35-28.

And it got even more dramatic when Elizabeth was stopped on fourth down with 94 seconds to play, giving Linden the ball back. But the Minutemen were saved when Lyles picked off Hinton to seal the game.

The win was the first for the Minutemen over their Union County rivals since 2016, a 23-10 win. The Tigers won last year’s season-opening meeting at Kean, as well as the three prior matchups in 2019, 2018 and 2017.

Click below for postgame reaction from Marcus Borden with Elizabeth’s Jamad Lyles and head coach John Fiore, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

With culture “fully implanted,” Elizabeth looking for breakthrough season in 3rd under Fiore

Montclair already had a championship pedigree before John Fiore arrived, but he certainly put his stamp on the program.

Elizabeth also has been a championship program, but the task for Fiore when he arrived was probably a bit deeper than it was further up north. The Minutemen had gone 7-19 in the three seasons before his arrival in Union County.

Now in his third season, however, he knows this is the year the transition needs to take its next step. “This is probably the best offseason we’ve had since the 2017 Mounties,” Fiore said at Big Central Conference Media Day last week. That year, coming off a 7-4 campaign, they ran the table en route to 12-0 and a state championship.

Elizabeth hasn’t won a state title since it won the very first North 2, Group 5 title over Piscataway in 2012 – a killer for the Chiefs as PJ Walker of the Minutemen led a game-winning drive in the final minute, virtually the length of the field.

This year, Elizabeth has a sophomore quarterback who is pretty talented, too, in Arique Fleming, who ran for 1,663 yards last season and 15 touchdowns. But he was also a freshman, and threw ten picks, so he and Fiore are looking forward to the game slowing down for him in 2024, making way for a successful year.

Click below to hear from Elizabeth head coach John Fiore and sophomore quarterback Arique Fleming: