Owls hammer South River in road opener

How does a team rebound after getting blown out 42-0 in its season opener? Simple -- just give the ball to Quatay Nesmith and let him take care of the rest.

The junior rushed for 191 yards on 19 carries and scored five touchdowns, as the Highland Park Owls rolled to a 47-27 victory over South River last Saturday at Denny Stadium.

"I told our players that one game doesn't make a season. There is a lot of football to be played," said head coach Rich McGlynn.

"We came together today. It was a great team effort," the coach added.

Highland Park (1-1) was missing four starters on the offensive side but wasted no time getting on the board. On their first play from scrimmage, Nesmith took the handoff from senior quarterback John Buck at midfield and raced 50 yards for the touchdown. Junior George Chavarria converted the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

 

The Owls had soon stretched their lead to 14-0, marching 54 yards in 11 plays with Nesmith running in from 14 yards out for the touchdown. Key plays on the drive included an 11-yard-run by senior tailback Quawi Bachelor, who played sparingly in the game, a 12-yard run by junior Na'Dre Hepburn, and a 14-yard pass from Nesmith to junior split end Jordan Long, which set up Nesmith's score.

 

South River (0-2) used some plays from coach Rich Marchesi's bag of tricks to get on the board. On a 4th-and-nine from their own 42, senior quarterback Dylan Hayes ran for 18 yards to the Owls' 40 to keep a nine-play, 80-yard drive alive. Senior fullback Tariq Phillips scampered 39 yards for the touchdown to cut Highland Park's lead to 14-6.

Bobby Applegate recovered an onside kick for the Rams, who took over at their own 44. Hayes threw to Thomas Pitera, who handed the ball to Phillips for the hook and ladder. Phillips ran 42 yards down to the Owl 13-yard line, and three plays later Phillips plunged in from the two. Phillips added the two-point-conversion to tie the score at 14-14.

After a touchdown pass from Nesmith to junior wideout James Webb was called back for an illegal man downfield, the Owls calmly moved 54 yards in five plays to score again. Buck threw to Webb, who avoided some Ram tacklers on the way to a 35-yard touchdown.

Chavarria's third extra point gave the Owls a 21-14 lead. The other key play on the drive was an 18-yard completion from Buck to Nesmith.

The Highland Park defense pinned South River back within their own goalline. Thomas Pitera only booted a 12-yard punt. The Owls took over at the Rams' 17, where Nesmith cruised into the end zone to stretch Highland Park's halftime lead to 27-14.

"With our injuries, Q put the game on his back, carried the torch and our team ran with it," said McGlynn. "He is a superior athlete who could take over any game."

The Owls scored on their first possession of the third quarter. Nesmith's one-yard touchdown plunge capped a seven-play, 45-yard drive to give the Owls a 33-14 lead.

But South River did not quit. Hayes threw for 37 yards to Hunter Wolff, who ran all the way down to the Highland Park 27. Hayes threw to a wide open Pitera on the next play for a 27-yard touchdown pass. The extra point conversion by Jean Pierre Atehortua cut the Highland Park lead down to 33-21.

Highland Park responded on their second play, as Nesmith exploded for a 53-yard touchdown run, making some nifty moves along his own sideline and then outracing some South River defenders to paydirt. Buck threw to Webb for the two-point conversion to give the Owls a 41-21 lead.

Tiare Vandehurst rumbled for 28 yards for the game's tenth touchdown, cutting the margin to 41-27 but the Owls sealed victory on a three-yard touchdown run by senior fullback Manny McClain (70 yards, 8 carries).

McClain had a 42-yard run on the game-clinching, seven-play 66-yard drive.

"Manny is one of our senior leaders," said the coach. "I told him we needed him to play left tackle and he never wavered. He does what it takes to win," the coach added. "I was so proud of what he did, especially when he scored that touchdown."

Next up for the Owls is Metuchen. Their fierce rival comes to town at 11:30 AM this Saturday, September 24th for the annual Goal Post Trophy showdown.

"Metuchen has been better this year. "It should make for a classic matchup," stated McGlynn.

HIGHLAND PARK (1-1) 14 13 6 14 -- 47
SOUTH RIVER (0-2) 6 8 7 6 -- 27

HP - Nesmith 50 run (Chavarria kick).
HP -- Nesmith 14 run (Chavarria kick).
SR -- Phillips 39 run (pass failed).
SR -- Phillips 2 run (Phillips run).
HP -- Webb 35 pass from Buck (Chavarria kick).
HP -- Nesmith 17 run (kick failed).
HP -- Nesmith 1 run (run failed).
SR -- Pitera 27 pass from Hayes (Atehortua kick).
HP -- Nesmith 53 run (Webb pass from Buck).
SR -- Vandehurst 28 run (run failed).
HP --McClain 3 run (run failed).