It was a matter of perfect timing.
And although they say lightning never strikes twice, Danny Maurath struck three times.
In a Halloween Eve 20-17 home win over Summit, Maurath was scary good.
As Eagles head coach Matt Fulham explains it, Maurath charged the line of scrimmage from his safety position three times, and all three times timed it perfectly to sack the quarterback.
In one instance, he also caused a fumble. And though ultimately it was recovered by the Hilltoppers, the play was good enough to easily cruise to a blowout win in a field of five Highlight Reel Play of the Year finalists voted on by Central Jersey Sports Radio readers.
Maurath’s safety blitz garnered 254 of 531 votes tallied in the reader poll, the sole determining factor in the contest.
Watch all of the finalists for Highlight Reel Play of the Year below:
This play was the overwhelming winner, Edison’s Danny Maurath and his safety blitz against Summit on November 30.
In second place, with 95 votes, was Nasir Arribas of Rahway, with a one-handed interception against St. Joseph-of Metuchen on November 25.
Checking in 3rd with 81 votes: Jelani Devonish-Wynter of North Brunswick, whose INT in the end zone – stripping it away from Edison’s Malcolm Stansbury – sealed a 21-20 road win (heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio) on October 23.
Fourth in the race with 69 votes was this hook-and-ladder play by Ridge, where Nolan Murphy makes the catch, but pitches it over to Harry Hagerman who scores the touchdown against Hillsborough in a 35-21 home win heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Checking in 5th with 33 votes was a Kyle DeGraw of Monroe’s “Mossed” catch down the sideline for a touchdown in a 35-10 win over South Brunswick on November 13.
