New Egypt rolls to 24-7 week one football win
BY MIKE WHITE Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff Above: Howell quarterback Jimmy Ryan (No. 7) attempts a pass during a Sept. 13 game against Brick Township. Below: Howell's Adam Feehan is dragged to the ground during his team's 34-27 victory.

Acouple of long touchdown runs in the second quarter combined with an outstanding effort by its defense resulted in the New Egypt High School football team posting a resounding 24-6 victory over Burlington City last Friday night in the season opener for both teams.

On a night when driving rain made moving and hanging onto the football a chore, the Warriors recovered from an early deficit to build a 17-6 halftime advantage.

"I think both teams had serious problems getting anything going at all offensively," New Egypt coach Tom Farrell said. "The weather conditions were extremely difficult. The field was slick, and taking care of the football wasn't easy. Luckily, we got a couple of big plays that sparked us, and our defense did a great job of keeping them in check."

New Egypt squares off against Maple Shade this week. Farrell expects to have his hands full.

"They are coming off a loss and they're going to be looking to get that first win," Farrell said. "I feel that they are one of the better clubs in the conference. They are extremely strong at the skill positions and they are well coached. We're going to have to be consistent and mistake-free."

In the win over Burlington City, senior running back Langston Lacroix rushed for 105 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown run just before halftime to give the Warriors an 11-point cushion.

Lacroix connected on a 29-yard field goal in the first quarter and added three PATs to complete his night.

"He does just about everything for us," Farrell said. "That's the kind of player he is. He is a very athletic kid who has made a tremendous impact on this program the last several years. It seems that every time we need somebody to come up with a big play, he does it. We're going to need him to continue to perform like this if we're going to have a successful season."

Of course, Lacroix had a little bit of help. Dakota Havens scored two TDs and gained 50 yards. Havens scored on runs of nine and five yards.

"Havens and Lacroix gave us some positivemomentumgoing into halftime," Farrell said. "We trailed early in the game and managed to come up with a number of big plays in the second quarter."

Burlington City had problems establishing any kind of offense. A tenacious New Egypt defense forced Burlington City to fumble 10 times, losing four of them to the Warriors. New Egypt, however, didn't capitalize on the miscues the way Farrell would have liked.

"We had a lot of opportunities, but didn't cash in like I would have wanted," Farrell said. "We were on their side of the field plenty of times in the second half and only came up with one score. From now on, we need to make sure that we make teams pay when they give the ball away."

And what a way to open the 2008 scholastic football season for the Howell High School Rebels, as Cory Davies' team beat Brick Township on Saturday, 34-27.

It wasn't the margin of victory that stood out but the fact that the Rebels overcame a 21-0 first-half deficit on the road.

"They kept their heads in the game," said Davies. "It's amazing the way it happened."

The Green Dragons used a long kickoff and punt return to stun the Rebels early.

"They ran right through us," noted Davies. "We weren't ready for game speed."

If the Rebels weren't ready for game speed, the Dragons were never ready for Howell's spread offense.

"We thought we'd score," Davies remarked. "We knew we could move the ball."

Jimmy Ryan made a spectacular debut. He completed 32 of his 37 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns. His 32 completions broke Sean O'Reilly's school record and his 363 yards matched the 363 by Tim Lamirande. Both O'Reilly and Lamirande were All-State quarterbacks for Howell, and although it is too early to put the junior in their league, he did answer the one important question about the Howell team, and that was how it would replace Lamirande.

Since Howell moved to the spread offense and began throwing the ball all over the field, people have asked if it is the system or the athletes. Davies has also responded with "it's a combination of both." With just two starters returning on offense, and neither of them playing the same position, this was the season to test the theory — athletes or system. With 34 points and passing records from Ryan, the system is working just fine.

"He executed the system better," Davies explained. "He has the ability to move in the pocket and make people miss, and he has the patience to stay in the pocket.

Ryan threw the ball to everyone, with Phil Adamo pulling down the most with nine. Chris Simmons had eight catches, Rob Handy, five, and Adam Feehan, four.

"He spread it around," said Davies.

Will Hayes ran the ball effectively for Howell, including a 44-yard touchdown dash.

Handy, Feehan and A.J. Brzozowski pulled down Ryan's touchdown passes.

Howell drew the early bye week and resumes play on Sept. 26 when the Rebels visit Jackson Memorial.

The Rebels' home opener isn't until Oct. 3 when they host Toms River North. Prior to the game, the Rebels will honor Brian Brennan, who was severely wounded in Afghanistan earlier this year. He played wide receiver for the Rebels and they have his number, 86, on their helmet.

Lakewood, Liberty lose openers

The Piners managed just one score in a 23-6 loss to Lacey Township in a Shore Conference non-divisional match-up.

LHS trailed 2-0 when Wilton Morgan wedged in from the one-yard line to give the Piners a 6-2 lead. The score was set up by a 65-yard screen pass to Ashton Alexander.

Toms River South blanked Liberty 24-0 in Week One.