SP-F Football Team Loses to Warren Hills in Home Opener

A good news-bad news scenario unfolded for the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High football team Saturday after its home-opener was completed.

The good news was that the Raiders played much better than in their previous game and had a real good shot of bouncing back with a victory.

The bad news was that Scotch Plains allowed the winning touchdown on a fourth down pass with just 21 seconds left and had only a heartbreaking defeat to show for its improved effort.

“We had a good week of practice and played more like we did two weeks ago,” SP-F head coach Steve Ciccotelli said after his Raiders were thwarted by Warren Hills 12-6. “Remember how painful this loss is.”

Warren Hills had success throwing the ball the entire game with senior quarterback Dave Lance often hitting senior wide receiver Storm Deemer for key yardage.

On fourth-and-16 from the Scotch Plains 28 with 28 seconds to go, Warren Hills called its final timeout to talk things over. If Scotch Plains holds Warren Hills on fourth down, the game will be headed to overtime.

Lance dropped back to pass and then moved a step right before throwing a pass to a wide open Justin Barends in the right corner of the end zone. It was Barends that intercepted a Gary Binkiewicz pass at the Scotch Plains 44 with 1:49 left that set up the game-winning drive.

 Lance completed his first five passes of the game and was five-of-six for 33 yards in the first half. He then completed his first eight passes of the second half and was nine-of-11 for 114 yards and one touchdown.

For the game, Lance completed 14-of-17 passes for 147 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He completed his first four passes to Deemer in the first half for 15 yards and then his first four in the second half to Deemer for 49 yards. Deemer also caught two more balls for eight more yards in the second half to give him a total of 10 receptions for 71 yards.

Right before his game-winning touchdown pass, Lance actually threw two straight incomplete passes on second and third downs.

On second down, Scotch Plains junior safety J.C. Davidson made a great athletic play when he dove and with his right hand batted the ball away, preventing Deemer from catching it inside the right side of the end zone. On third down, Connor Thompson broke up a pass intended for junior wide receiver Brandon Frisco in the left corner of the end zone.

Davidson also made an outstanding touchdown-saving tackle of Warren Hills running back Taylor Rush during the drive that Scotch Plains blocked the punt to set up its only scoring march. Rush, who carried 20 times for 121 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, gained 26 yards on a fourth-quarter fun before Davidson was able to bring him down and prevent him from scoring again.

In last week’s 35-0 setback at Linden, Davidson had two touchdown-saving tackles of Linden running back Will Ingram in the first quarter.

After not scoring for seven straight quarters, including last week’s game at Linden, Scotch Plains finally got back into the end zone in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 6-6.

On fourth-and-one from its own 45 with 11:55 left, Warren Hills sophomore punter Mark Apgar had his punt blocked by Chris Smith, with the Raiders then falling on the ball at the Blue Streak 24.

After no gain on a first down rushing play, Binkiewicz completed one pass for no yards to Sean Coloney and then one for seven to Alex Graham.

On fourth-and-three from the Blue Streak 17 with 10:30 left and counting, Binkiewicz dropped back and threw a beautiful ball to the left corner of the end zone that only senior wide receiver Doran Nelson could get to.

Beating single coverage, Nelson extended both arms and dove forward, catching the ball for six points.

The standout senior end was playing in his first game this season after suffering a bone bruise on his left leg in Scotch Plains’ game-scrimmage against Elizabeth.

Nelson caught five balls for 56 yards and his first touchdown of the season.

NOTES: Binkiewicz completed six-of-10 passes for 63 yards in the first half and 10-of-16 for 97 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the second half. His totals were 16-of-26 passes for 160 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Scotch Plains rushed for 54 yards on 16 carries in the first half and only nine for 10 in the second half. Javin Hawkins had seven carries for 26 yards in the first half.

The first Raider drive went from its own 14 to the Warren Hills 41 and took nine plays and more than five minutes off the clock.

Key first half Scotch Plains tackles were produced by junior cornerback Quintin Blackwell (3), Davidson (2), junior inside linebacker Kyle Berwick (2), senior defensive back Mike Marsan (2), Hawkins, junior linemen Mike Tufaro and Graham, a senior linebacker.

Hawkins had two more big tackles in the second half. 

MID-STATE 39 CONFERENCE-INTERDIVISION GAME

WARREN HILLS (2-1)                                          6      0      0     6 - 12

SCOTCH PLAINS (1-2)                                         0      0      0     6 -   6 

FIRST QUARTER:

WARREN HILLS – Taylor Rush 28 run, kick failed (WH 6-0)

9 plays, 60 yards, 4:12 used – after stopping Scotch Plains’ first possession 

FOURTH QUARTER:

SCOTCH PLAINS – Doran Nelson 17 pass from Gary Binkiewicz, kick failed (6-6)

4 plays, 24 yards, 1:47 used – capitalized on blocked punt by Chris Smith

WARREN HILLS – Justin Barends 28 pass from Dave Lance, pass failed (WH 12-6)

9 plays, 44 yards, 1:28 used – capitalized on interception by Justin Barends   
 

SCOTCH PLAINS RAIDERS (1-2)

Sept. 12 (A) Scotch Plains 26, Cranford 24

Sept. 18 (A) Linden 35, Scotch Plains 0

Sept. 26 (H) Warren Hills 12, Scotch Plains 6

Oct. 2 at Immaculata, 7 p.m.

Oct. 10 Phillipsburg, 1 p.m.

Oct. 17 Westfield, 1 p.m.

Oct. 24 Summit, 1 p.m.

Oct. 31 at Rahway, 1 p.m.

Nov. 6 at North Hunterdon, 7 p.m.

Head coach: Steve Ciccotelli

Section: North 2, Group 3

Record: 1-2

Home: 0-1

Away: 1-1

Points for: 32

Points against: 71

Shutouts: 0

Overtime: 0-0