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By Chris Ippolito, DigitalSports correspondent
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HOLMDEL
– Running back Jesse Raymond ran for 242 yards and two second
half touchdowns as Raritan subdued St. John Vianney in a National Division
contest. The Rockets overcame a 7-0 halftime deficit and scored 21 unanswered
points to move to 2-0, matching their victory total from 2007.
The
question on everybody’s mind was what to expect from Raritan early
in the season. After the Rockets lopsided opening day shutout against
Mater Dei, many felt Raritan’s game against the Lancers would provide
a lot of answers. What they saw was a stingy defense that avoided big
plays and contributed the go-ahead score with a third-quarter safety,
and a running game that gobbled up yards in significant chunks.
Raritan
had a significant total yardage advantage in the first half, but three
turnovers gave the Lancers the lead at the break. St. John Vianney went
three and out on its opening series of the second half, and Bennett
Jackson returned the ensuing punt 25 yards to the Lancer 38. Raymond
ate up those yards in four plays, culminating with an 11-yard touchdown run. However
Jackson’s extra point attempt was wide right and the Rockets still
trailed 7-6.
Later
in the third, a punt pinned St. John Vianney at the four and Raritan’s
front seven dug in. After losses on first and second down, Lancer
running back Anthony Corona ran left and was met by a wall of defenders
at the goal line. The safety gave Raritan an 8-7 lead and a tremendous
lift.
Raritan
broke it open with two long touchdown runs in the fourth quarter. Jackson
got the ball on a variation of an end around that went out around the left
end, and he broke into the middle and weaved his way through traffic
to the end zone with 8:36 to go. When a 15-yard penalty was enforced
against Raritan for unsportsmanlike conduct, the Rockets were forced
to try an extra point from close to 30 yards and a fake failed and the
score was 14-7.
Raymond
gained 154 yards in the second half, capped by his 64-yard gallop into
the end zone with 5:31 left that made the score 21-7 and put it out
of reach. The junior was able to slash his way through and around the
Lancer defensive line all night, and ran with a good balance of speed
and power.
“Basically,
I was just trying to get the first down, and I saw an opening and I
just went with it,” Raymond said about his backbreaking TD run. “Luckily
I broke it. The offensive line did a great job opening a big hole. Our
O-line really got it done tonight.”
“The
defense played well, our offensive line was physical and Jesse Raymond
played a heck of a game. He’s a tough son of a gun. He grinds in the
offseason, he lifts and he runs. Pound for pound he’s just real tough,”
Raritan head coach Bob Generelli said.
Generelli
could not have been happy with the way the first half went for the Rockets.
Raymond ran for 88 yards, but three Raritan turnovers kept them off
the scoreboard. St. John Vianney struggled on offense and was living
by the “bend don’t break” maxim on defense. But when senior Lancer quarterback Ken Dietrich hooked up with Ralph Joseph for a 22-yard TD with less
than two minutes in the half, it made it incredibly frustrating for
Raritan.
“We
went into the half, talked about the mistakes. We realized we were shooting
ourselves in the foot and that we could drive it on them. In the second
half, we came out and we tried to be perfect and it worked out well
for us,” Raymond said.
Overshadowed
by Raymond’s stellar performance was Raritan’s defens,e which held
the Lancers top running back duo of Chris Mayo and Charles Davis to
a combined 91 yards and no TDs.
With
its second win, Raritan has already matched last year’s season total,
and have announced themselves as a contender in the National Division.
Generelli credits his kids.
“Last
year was a rough year around here and my guys heard it from a lot of
places. They have thick skin and I’m proud of the way they’ve
handled it,” Generelli said.
