Health & Fitness
Jr. Raiders Varsity and JV Stay Undefeated Headed to Playoffs
The Jr. Raiders Varsity football team finished the regular season 9-0 after defeating the Hunterdon Central Jr. Red Devils 34-0 Saturday night at the David A. Noonan Field. The Raiders got off to a fast start when Charles Amankwaa returned the opening kickoff 65 yards for a touchdown. JR Metallo added the extra point kick. Once again the Jr. Raider defense was too much for the Jr. Devil offense to handle en route to their sixth shutout of the year. The defensive front of Jack Edwards, Ryan Wheaton, Tyler Minter, Tommy Zdroik and Jackson Parham have been a dominant force throughout the season. They are backed by linebackers JR Metallo, Patrick Vinchur and Brian Reilly. "Our defense led by defensive coordinator Jimmy Burke is always good, but this group has taken it to another level. They are as talented a group of players as you will see at this level and are getting better" stated Head Coach Jamie Moore. The Jr. Raiders quickly got the ball back and put together a long drive led by the lightning speed of Tyler Boatwright (6 Rush, 108 Yards, 1 TD) and the ground and pound power of JR Metallo (8 rush, 74 Yards, 1 TD). Jackson Parham took a toss from Matt Moore and ran 20 yards through the Jr. Devil defense for the second TD of the game. Charles Amankwaa would lead the team in receptions on the night and set up a Metallo TD run with a 43 yard quick pass from Moore he ran down close to the goal line. Amankwaa would also record a interception later in game which he returned 85 yards to the two yard line. The offense dominated the line of scrimmage versus a big Jr. Devils front. "Our offensive line played the best game of the season. They worked well together and used great technique to push the bigger players off the line of scrimmage. That kind of effort gives the four talented backs we have room to run and thats what they did". Brian Reilly added the last touchdown of the night when he went in at quarterback and took a bootleg keeper 50 yards for a touchdown. The offense rushed for 268 yards on 20 carries for 3 touchdowns.
In their toughest test to date, the Hillsborough Jr. Raiders Skylands JV team narrowly defeated the Central Hunterdon Jr. Red Devils, 6-0, on Saturday night at Hillsborough High School. The Jr. Raiders finish their season with a perfect 9-0 record and now set their sights on a second consecutive Jr. Skylands championship as the playoffs begin next week. The Jr. Red Devils controlled the ball for most of the game, running exactly twice as many offensive plays as the Raiders, limiting this typically explosive unit to just 39 yards rushing. Fortunately, Boro still had “Big Play” Matt Michinard, who took a screen pass from QB Andrew Rygiel 60 yards to Central’s 2 yard line. Tommy Ramsey pounded it in 2 plays later behind big blocks by Tommy Haber, Gavin Hauser, and lead blocker Michinard.
Defensively, the Jr. Raiders successfully employed a bend but don’t break strategy against the very physical Central team. Boro gave up a season high 133 total yards, but held the Red Devils scoreless. Lead by Linebackers Mike Swetz (12 tackles, 5 solo), Alex Marsh (10 tackles, 6 solo), and Luke Popadiuk (6 tackles, 3 solo), once again Boro’s defensive unit got contributions from nearly the entire team, with 14 players notching stops. The Jr. Raiders continue to play behind their opponent’s line, with Tommy Ramsey, TJ Schultz, and Big Jon Seaton all wrapping up Tackles for Loss. Boro also completely shut down Central’s passing attack with Shultz and Michinard securing two interceptions on the night.
The Jr. Raider Varsity and JV teams both finished the season undefeated 9-0. This is the first time in the 21 year history of the Jr. Raiders that both programs finished the season undefeated. They will host the first round of the playoffs this Saturday night (11/9) at Hillsborough High School - JV Kickoff is at 5:30 and the Varsity at 7:30.