Tag: Rancocas Valley

by Mike Pavlichko

Hillsborough battles back, battles back some more, but falls at Rancocas Valley in South Group 5 sectional semifinals, 35-30

Second-seed Rancocas Valley took a 7-0 lead early against third-seed Hillsborough, and the Raiders tied it up on a Jackson Jankowicz touchdown.

The Red Devils took a 14-7 lead, and Jankowicz tied it again. Rancocas took a 21-14 lead, and Jankowicz scored to tie it.

You get the picture.

But in the end, the Red Devils (9-2) had just enough to come up with a 35-30 win over the Raiders (7-4), ending Hillsborough’s season, and the fantastic career of Jankowicz, and a host of other seniors.

This one might sting for a while, as Hillsborough had won five straight coming in, and had been starting to build momentum.

Montre Wilson started the scoring on the night with a 71-yard catch and sprint to the end zone making it 7-0 for the home team. That was followed by a Jackson Jankowicz four yard gallop to tie it, but only seconds later, Jameer Bellamy returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to put the Red Devils up 14-7 in the first quarter.

Jankowicz added his second TD of the night to make it 14-all, and then the Red Devils answered again in in the second quarter as Brody Deiter was on the receiving end of a 26-yard throw from Sayvien Adams.

It was 21-14 at the break and then Jankowicz tied it up again to start the second half, but moments later, Bellamy ran one in from 48 yards away to put the Red Devils up 28-21.

Jankowicz scored from nine yards out to tie it, then, Deiter caught a touchdown pass from seven yards out at the beginning of the fourth quarter to put Rancocas Valley up 35-28.

A safety with a few seconds left in the game put 2 points on the board for the Raiders, but that was as close as they would get.

Jankowicz led the ground game effort once again, coming off a stretch of 10-rushing TD’s over the last 3 games. That included five against Freehold Township in the first round last week, and he added four more to that total Friday night.

It was also his third 200-plus yard rushing game in the last four for the senior, who carried 29 times for 228 yards to go with the four TD’s.

Rancocas Valley will visit top-seed Toms River North (11-0) next Friday night for the South Group 5 title. The Mariners have won the state Group 5 championship each of the first two years of its existence.

Click below for postgame comments from Hillsborough head coach Kevin Carty, Jr., with Vin Ebenau down in South Jersey:

by Mike Pavlichko

Hillsborough brings five-game win streak into Central Group 5 semifinal at Rancocas Valley

The Hillsborough football team is a different team than the one that started the year, and that’s a good thing.

The Raiders have won five straight games since starting the season 2-3, alternating between wins and losses, and now they’re one win away from heading to a sectional final for the second time in four seasons.

That 13-0 team from 2021 was a team with a generational talent in Tommy Amankwaa. This one has had to fight and claw a little more, but they may have just as good a shot to reach the final, nevermind that it would very likely be against Toms River North, the two-time defending Group 5 champions

But first they have to get there, and to do that, the third-seeded Raiders (7-3) will have to go on the road Friday night at 6 and come home with a win over second-seed Rancocas Valley (8-2).

It won’t be an impossible task, but it’ll still be a challenge. The Red Devils’ two losses – to Pascack Valley in the Battle at the Beach in Week 0, and at Camden on September 27th – came to a pair of teams who are the top-seeds in their respective playoff sections. They’re also averaging just under 33 points a game, and are coming off an opening round win over seventh-seed Edison last weekend.

Hillsborough is led offensively by Jackson Jankowicz, the senior runningback who has rushed for over 1,100 yards and 20 touchdowns this season and also has 26 receptions for almost 400 yards, leading the team. QB Ryan Seamon has passed for exactly 1,300 yards and thrown three TDs.

Rancocas, meanwhile, has a junior QB who has thrown for almost 1,800 yards and 22 touchdowns, while three different runningbacks have rushed for over 400 yards this season, and receiver Brody Deiter has 59 catches for 1,085 yards and 15 scores.

And two younger players lead the defense in getting after the quarterback. Sophomore David Ogunsola (9) and freshman Michael Beasley (7) have combined for 16 of the team’s 23 sacks this season.

Click below to hear Hillsborouogh head coach Kevin Carty, Jr., talk about the Raiders and Friday’s playoff game with Rancocas Valley:

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 2 Bridgewater-Raritan survives early rain, late scare, to top Rancocas Valley in opener

Not many baseball teams in New Jersey were able to get their games in on Opening Day Monday, but somehow, some way, Bridgewater-Raritan managed to do it.

And the No. 2 Panthers made it count, facing a tough out-of-conference matchup in their opener against a Rancocas Valley team that – like them – reached a state playoff sectional final last season.

Bridgewater scattered five runs in the first three innings – literally led off by Devin Goldberg, who smacked a home run on the first pitch the Panthers saw all year to give his team a 1-0 lead – then survived a late scare when the Red Devils got the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh.

JR Rosado added an RBI single in the first to make it 2-0 after one

Then, in the third, Matt Fattore made it 3-0 with a first-pitch RBI double, Joey Letko drove him in with a single, and and JR Rosado scored Letko when he reached on an throwing error by the Red Devils’ shortstop to make it 5-0 after two.

Rancocas Valley added a run in the fifth, although the damage could have been worse. Jack Lanum – working middle relief in his debut varsity appearance – picked up two key strikeouts – the last of which came looking with the bases loaded – to end the inning.

And more drama would follow.

In the seventh, Rancocas closed the deficit to 5-3 with two out in Corey Rible’s second inning of work for the Panthers. But he got out of the jam with a backwards K to end the ballgame.

Click below for postgame reaction from Bridgewater-Raritan head coach Max Newill on the Panthers’ Opening Day win over Rancocas Valley, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

The Panthers (1-0) are coming off a 23-7 season in which they reached the North 2, Group 4 title game, falling 9-2 at home to Bayonne. Bridgewater is scheduled to be back in action Tuesday morning at 11 am, weather permitting. A number of games were wiped out on Opening Day Monday, and the weather doesn’t look any better until perhaps late Thursday, or even Friday morning, based on the latest forecasts.