Jaguar defense comes up big against Patriots
BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer

CHRIS KELLY staff Jackson running back MarkSchiavone finds some running room during the Jaguars' win at Freehold Township on Friday night.

FREEHOLD - On a night when penalties took some air out of its offense, the Jackson High School football team got a big play from its defense as it rebounded from a loss the week before to shutout Freehold Township last Friday night 13-0 in a Shore Conference American Division game.

The Jaguars were flagged nine times for a total of 90 yards, but did an outstanding job defensively, highlighted by a Dan Hopkins 40-yard interception return for a touchdown that proved to be the final margin of victory.

"I thought that we did an excellent job defensively in this game," Jackson coach Mike Smith said. "We really made them work for everything they got. We came up with a number of big stops, including Dan's pick for a TD. That proved to be a big play at that point of the game. It gave us momentum along with a little breathing room."

With the score knotted at 0-0 and Freehold operating in its own territory, Hopkins made a solid read and stepped in front of the intended receiver to make the interception. He followed a line of blockers down the sideline and gave Jackson the first score of the game with 7:14 remaining in the second quarter.

"They run out of a quad set with the quarterback in a shotgun," Smith said. "Dan got underneath the curl and stepped in and just took it. He got a couple of key blocks down the sideline and he was gone. We needed something at that junction of the game to pick us up."

After a scoreless opening quarter where both teams looked sluggish offensively, Jackson was able to register the first points via a huge defensive play. It flushed out some of the frustration of a penalty-filled first quarter.

"We had some big plays called back in the first quarter," Smith said. "We looked good and we're moving the ball, but then it seemed we would shoot ourselves in the foot with a penalty. We're a young team and still trying to iron out those kinds of mistakes. Luckily, the miscues didn't come back to hurt us too much."

With the win, Jackson improves to 2-1 overall. After a tough loss two weeks ago to Toms River East, the Jags are now scheduled to square off against undefeated Toms River North at home 7 p.m. Friday.

"It doesn't get any easier," Smith said. "This is a very big game for us. The kids realized how important this game is. We need to put forth a solid effort and get back on track. We want to get back to what this program is all about, and that is playing consistent hard-nosed football on both sides of the ball."

Jackson made it 13-0 when it scored in the third quarter. Senior tailback Mark Schiavonne rushed for 150 yards on 23 carries, including a four-yard burst for the second score of the game. He is the catalyst of the Jags' offense.

"He was very involved in this game," Smith said. "We need to get the ball in his hands. He makes our offense go."

Of course, opposing teams are going to key on Schiavonne. That doesn't worry Smith at all.

"We've been doing the same thing for a lot of years with success," Smith said. "If they overanalyze and pay too much attention to him, that opens us up for other options. We have some talented kids on this team who are capable of making plays."

Cutting down on penalties is an issue that will be addressed this week during practice.

"We still need to concentrate more," Smith said. "We can't afford to keep making mistakes like those. As a staff, we're going to do everything possible to make sure that we correct that."

LHS falls to Central

Lenny Thomas scored the lone touchdown as Lakewood High School lost its third consecutive game, 33-6, to Central in a Shore Conference Federal Division game last Friday night.