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

JACKSON - With some of his key players banged up with injuries and unable to work out full force during the week of practice prior to the game, Jackson High School football coach Mike Smith was hoping for the best when the Jags squared off against Colts Neck last week in an NJSIAA playoff game.

But despite a hobbled leg, Dan Hopkins came up with a huge play during the fourth quarter to thwart a possible scoring drive and preserve the Jaguars' 7-0 victory over visiting Colts Neck last Friday night in a Central Jersey Group IV contest at John J. Munley Field.

With Jackson clinging to a one-touchdown lead and Colts Neck driving, Hopkins sacked quarterback Kevin Kelly in a third-and-goal situation to wipe out any thoughts of a score.

"It was a big play," Jackson coach Mike Smith said. "It's the kind of plays he's been making all year long for us. To come up with a top [play] in that situation and at that time of the game was momentum-shifting. They had an excellent opportunity to either tie or take a lead on that drive, and our defense came up with a number of big plays."

Indeed, the Jags' defense stepped up as Colts Neck got closer to the goal line. Colts Neck took over at the Jackson 39 with just under 11 minutes remaining. They drove to the Jackson 5-yard line before the Jags' defense stiffened. They stopped two consecutive running plays for no gain and then Hopkins recorded the sack of Kelly on third down.

"They had been running between the tackles pretty effectively on that drive until they got inside the 10," Smith said. "We did an excellent job of stuffing the middle up and forced them to do some things they were not that comfortable doing.

"Defense has been the key for us all season. We need to have performances like this one, if we plan on defending our title."

Jackson is scheduled to meet Hunterdon Central 7 p.m. Friday in the CJ Group IV championship game.

"They are a very good team," Smith said. "They are a run-and-shoot offense with the ability to run or pass. They are very athletic and have a number of players who can break off the big play at any moment. We have our work cut out for us."

Hunterdon Central likes to spread the field and very often throw to a pair of big strong receivers.

"Shutting them down is going to be one of the keys," Smith said. "We need to apply a lot of pressure on their quarterback and make sure we do a solid job of checking those receivers."

Against Colts Neck, Jackson appeared as if the offense might have a big night. After the defense forced a fumble at the Colts Neck 35 yard line, the Jags needed just six plays to turn the miscue into seven points.

Quarterback John Cirri tossed a 20-yard scoring strike to Hopkins to give Jackson an early 7-0 lead. It would be the only points scored for the duration of the game.

"They did a good job on stopping us after that score," Smith said. "We did make a couple of mistakes, which didn't help, but Colts Neck was tough defensively."

Mark Schiavone paced the offense, collecting more than 100 yards on 24 carries. Schiavone has now rushed for more than 1,200 yards this season.

Warriors football downs Allentown

New Egypt won its fourth game of the season in a 23-13 victory over Allentown last weekend. Senior quarterback Stephen Panasuk paced the offense both on the ground and through the air.

Panasuk completed 12-of-17 passes for 245 yards. In addition, he rushed for 167 more yards as the Warriors raised their overall mark to 4-5.