With graduation on the horizon, many of the top senior football players from across Somerset and Hunterdon counties came together to lace ’em up one last time at the high school level, and benefit a great cause.
The second annual Shaun O’Hara Bowl came and went at Hillsborough High School, where O’Hara’s No. 66 jersey number is retired. Team Rocky took down Team Otto 28-0 for their second straight victory, but the biggest impact in the game was not made on the scoreboard.
The team names give plenty of Raider history, as well. Otto Gsell was a longtime football coach at Hillsborough, becoming an assistant in 1987 and serving as defensive coordinator on state title teams in 1973 and 1980. He was head coach from 1988 to 1993, then moved back into an assistant role and head freshman coach under Mantz. He passed away in 2000, and was inducted into the Hillsborough Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014.
Rocky Forte was inducted into the Hall in 2011. He was Athletic Director from 1978-2003, also serving as head wrestling coach for several years, but mainly oversaw the Raiders’ successful growth from a Group 2 athletic program in 1978 into a Group 4 by 2003, as the population in town exploded over several decades. He passed away in 2009.
The game made its second straight appearance after taking over for the Basilone Bowl, the game benefits the Shaun O’Hara Foundation, which “focuses on creating awareness of life-threatening diseases for which there is little funding, helps to raise funds to support other 501(c) (3) organizations’ health and education initiatives”, with a focus on supporting research and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis.
As for the game itself, both teams took a bit of time to get going, with neither team reaching the red zone until late in the first half.
Both defensive lines got off to hot starts, taking down the opposing quarterback and stuffing the run game.
Late in the first half, however, Team Rocky took its first swing.
Aided by multiple defensive penalties and fourth-down conversions, they got on the doorstep of the red zone. One play after converting on a fourth-and-three, Bound Brook quarterback Jeremiah Norwood found Watchung Hills wide receiver Brayden Kelly down the sideline for a 24-yard score to strike first. Kelly also notched a highlight-reel tip-drill interception on defense earlier in the half.
Team Otto was forced to punt with seconds left on the clock, and Team Rocky went into the locker room with the lead. At halftime, O’Hara addressed the crowd, giving thanks to all the supporters, coaches and parents. A special announcement followed, with Shaun O’Hara Foundation executive chair and Hillsborough alum Jim Ruh learning he was the newest inductee into the Raiders Athletics Hall of Fame, in the class of 2026.
After a Team Otto punt, Team Rocky got back to work. Once again close to the red zone, Norwood found Kelly for his second score of the game, this time through contact.
Three plays later, Kelly cemented his game MVP status, intercepting another pass near the sideline. It immediately turned into another score, as one play later, Norwood found Bridgewater-Raritan running back Nick DiEsso open in the scramble drill for a 39-yard touchdown pass.
Team Rocky added another score late in the fourth quarter, with DiEsso springing to the outside for a 75-yard rushing score.
After the game, the teams met at midfield and were addressed by O’Hara and both coaches, who presented the MVP awards, one for offense and one for defense, to each team. For Team Rocky, Norwood earned offensive MVP honors for his work in the passing game, throwing for four touchdowns. Kelly was given defensive MVP for his two interceptions.
For Team Otto, Hillsborough running back Jackson Jankowicz was named offensive MVP for his work in the running game and for helping kickstart the team’s passing attack with multiple tough catches over the middle. Raiders defensive lineman Garrett Meyer earned defensive MVP honors for his work getting into the backfield and disrupting Team Rocky’s running game.
In all, both teams got the opportunity to play one last game with their high school teammates, and even competed with some of their biggest rivals. The joy of football, paired with the charitable cause benefiting the Shaun O’Hara Foundation, shadows any numbers on the scoreboard.
Click below for postgame reaction from Team Rocky head coach Rich Seubert and all four game MVPs, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
