Middlesex got two second-half touchdown catches from Ricky Fittin to give them their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter, but the third-seeded Blue Jays fell to sixth-seed Woodbury, 35-28, in the opening round of the Central Jersey Group 1 playoffs.
Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe call all the play-by-play live from Mountainview Park in Middlesex, on November 1, 2024:
Middlesex head coach Bobby Swercheck said this week, and Friday night, that his Blue Jays would need to limit the penalties and play mistake-free football to beat Woodbury in its opening round playoff game Friday night.
Mostly good on the first, but that second task didn’t go so well.
Third-seed Middlesex fell to sixth-seed Woodbury in oepning round Central Jersey Group 1 playoff action Friday night, 35-28, in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Woodbury got on the board first, and Middlesex answered but failed on a two-point conversion, and trailed 7-6 after a Josiah Williams 66-yard touchdown run with 4:22 to go in the first. Woodbury got the next two scores – on an 18-yard Dale Thomas run and a 55-yard pick six by Elijah Young, leaving the Blue Jays down 20-6 after one quarter.
Middlesex answered on a Jax Jarvis 14-yard touchdown catch, capping a mammoth 18-play, 80-yard drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock, but Marquis Taylor scored on the first play of the next possession to build up a 27-14 lead at halftime.
Middlesex had not been necessarily outplayed, they just needed to eliminate the big play. And they would score the next two touchdowns.
First, Ricky Fittin grabbed a 14-yard pass from quarterback Dom Parenti that made it 27-21 with the extra point, then he hauled in a 43-yard bomb after a holding penalty set Middlesex behind the sticks to make it 27-all, with the PAT giving the Blue Jays their first lead of the night, 28-27.
All, it seemed, Middlesex needed was maybe one more stop. But two plays later, Taylor grabbed A 66-yard touchdown pass from QB Tim Holmes to put the Herd up 35-28.
Middlesex got the ball back and failed to score, but they still had a chance. Woodbury got the ball back with just over two minutes to go, and Middlesex had one time out. A stop could have gotten them the ball back, but Woodbury was able to pick up a first down and run out the clock.
Middlesex finishes 6-4 on the season, while Woodbury moves on to the semifinals next week against fifth-seed Pennsville, a 41-20 winner Friday night at fourth-seed Burlington City.
Click below for postgame reaction from Middlesex head coach bobby Swercheck, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
You don’t go 3-5 and make the playoffs without playing a challenging schedule, and playing well, even in losses.
That’s exactly what Woodbury, the sixth-seed in the Central Jersey Group 1 playoffs, did.
“Every week was like a playoff for us,” said head coach Anthony Reagan. “That’s what’s going to help us out as we march into the playoffs.”
Woodbury visits third-seeded Middlesex Friday night in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe will call the action with kickoff at 7 pm and pregame slated for 6:45. Click here to listen.
For the Thundering Herd, this is the program’s fourth consecutive playoff appearance. In 2021 and 2022, Woodbury won sectional championships before falling in the sectional final last year. Even though it’s a new player core, Reagan is hopeful this group will be able to leave its mark as well.
That journey begins with a trip to Middlesex on Friday night.
Click below to hear from Woodbury head coach Anthony Reagan with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Justin Sontupe:
The last time the Middlesex football team won a playoff game, they won three in one year, capping an 11-1 season in 2017, and bringing home the Central Jersey Group 1 title. It was their fifth playoff championship in five finals berths.
That was under PJ Jankowicz, who is now helping out at Hillsborough, where his son is the star, senior runningback for the Raiders.
Two coaches later, North Brunswick alum Bobby Swercheck has the Blue Jays (6-3) positioned as the three-seed in Central Jersey Group 1, where they will take on sixth-seed Woodbury (3-5) out of the West Jersey Football League in the opening round Friday night.
It’s the Big Central Game of the Week, presented by Bellamy and Son Paving, with kickoff slated for 7 pm, and pregame at 6:45 with Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe. Click here to listen, with no paywall!
The Blue Jays have quietly put together a solid year. While everyone pays attention to the Somervilles, Woodbridges and Bernards of the world, Swercheck has led a solid group through his first season here in 2024.
The focus has mainly been on the ground game, and Middlesex has a senior QB in Dom Parenti who can “run the rock.” Dom Parenti is the team’s leading rusher at 758 yards on 109 carries and 13 touchdowns, but he can also throw it, and accurately, too. He’s 39-for-81 with ten touchdowns, and has thrown just one interception all year.
Defensively, Middlesex has given up some points in the last few weeks. After holding Roselle Park, South Hunterdon and Dunellen to single digit scoring in the first half of the season, they have allowed 94 points in their last four games, something they’ll need to clamp down on to have success in the postseason.
The best win on Middlesex’s resume came against Manville, a 27-14 win over the Mustangs, who finished 7-2. Woodbury has beaten Penns Grove (2-7), Gateway (4-5) and Salem (0-9); they’re 0-5 against teams with .500 or better records.
Click below to hear Middlesex head coach Robert Swercheck talk about the Blue Jay’s 2024 season, and Friday’s matchup with Woodbury:
