Jaguars fall one game short of perfection
BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer

MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Jackson running back Jon Reggio looks for some running room during the Jaguars’ 17-14 loss to East Brunswick in Sunday’s Central Jersey Group IV championship game at Rutgers Stadium.

PISCATAWAY — The Jackson High School football team’s bid for a perfect ending to a perfect season came to a halt last Sunday in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV championship game.

A stubborn East Brunswick defense refused to yield in the fourth quarter and managed to hold on for a 17-14 win over Jackson at Rutgers Stadium.

With the loss, the Jags finish the season at 11-1.

JEFFGRANIT staff Jackson quarterback Bill Fenimore and wide receiver Kyle Nagy console one another following the Jags’ loss on Sunday.

“We’re a little disappointed with the outcome,” second-year Jackson coach Mike Smith said. “The kids fought hard all season for a chance to win a state title. We just happened to come up a little short in the end. East Brunswick was a good team. They proved to be the better team on this particular day.”

Indeed, East Brunswick’s offense provided enough firepower from quarterback Matt Mariano and its defense made plays in the fourth quarter as Jackson tried to mount a game-winning drive.

JEFFGRANIT staff Jackson wide receiver Joe Arneth makes the catch in front of East Brunswick’s James McCloskey during Sunday’s game in Piscataway.

Mariano rushed for more than 100 yards and tossed a 45-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter that stretched East Brunswick’s lead to 17-6.

“Their offense made some big plays,” Smith said. “We missed a couple of assignments that ended up costing us. We can’t take anything away from them, they did a good job in a big spot.”

The Jags had three opportunities to score in the fourth quarter. Jackson had driven deep into East Brunswick territory only to have an interception at the 10-yard line wipe out a possible scoring threat. In the closing seconds, the Jags attempted a 47-yard field goal that fell short.

“There’s no question that we had chances,” Smith said. “We needed to produce on one of those drives. It wasn’t meant to happen on this day. We didn’t perform in this game like we had at times during the season.”

Jackson running back Jon Reggio put forth another solid effort. Reggio rushed for more than 100 yards, including a 20-yard TD run that put the Jags ahead, 6-3, in the first quarter.

“He’s done it all season for us,” Smith said. “He was steady again for us. He had a couple of long runs for us. We just weren’t able to get the rest of the offense going. It seemed we had a lot of long yardage plays on third down.”

Jackson’s lead was short-lived. East Brunswick mounted a 60-yard drive that culminated in a Nick Dzielak 39-yard TD run to take a 10-6 lead.

The Jags cut the deficit to 17-12 on a Mark Schiavone 7-yard TD run in the third quarter. An intentional safety by East Brunswick in the final minute of play made the score 17-14.

“Overall it was a great season,” Smith said. “I feel we accomplished a lot as a program. The kids worked hard all season. Sure, it’s tough to lose in the championship game. But there are a lot of teams that would have given anything to be playing today.”