Jets Seal Win In Final Seconds vs. Bellaire
Photo by Sheri McAninch MORRISTOWN -- Union Local freshman running back Brody Perzanowski reached the 1,000-yard rushing mark and the Jets' defense stood tall in the final moments of Friday's 20-14 victory over visiting Bellaire at The Hangar.
With Union Local clinging to a 20-14 advantage, the Big Reds drove 61 yards in the final 5 minutes of action looking to tie or win the game in the final seconds. However, on fourth and 10 from the UL 19, the Jets' defense refused to relent as a Luke Heatherington pass to the end zone was broken up with 7 seconds remaining, allowing UL to go into the victory formation.
"I'm just proud of our guys," UL coach Bernie Thompson said. "I can't help but think that last year against Bellaire it was the same scenario. They drove down the field and scored at the end and we lost a heartbreaker. This year, we held tough and I'm proud of our guys, I'm proud of our leaders and I'm proud of our coaches. We needed a strong stance at the end and our leaders took over."
With the win, the Jets improve to 6-3, while the Big Reds fall to 4-5.
"It was a good game and a great effort by both teams," Bellaire coach Mark Bonar said. "That's just the way it goes. Our guys tried and gave it everything they had, we just didn't make the plays in the end."
Union Local established the running game early as Perzanowski gained all 53 yards of a 53-yard touchdown drive that culminated with him racing 17 yards for a score, giving the Jets a 7-0 upper hand less than 5 minutes into the game.
Perzanowski finished with 178 yards on 28 carries and went over the 1,000-yard mark in just his first varsity season.
"He's an unbelievable runner," Thompson said. "He has a tremendous work ethic and he's earned everything he's gotten this year."
With the Jets' success on the ground early, they were able to surprise the Bellaire defense on their next possession as UL quarterback Colby Carpenter launched a pass deep and receiver Billy Schumacher made a leaping grab against a defender and saw nothing but green grass ahead of him on his way to paydirt, extending the lead to 13-0 with 4:12 to play in the first.
"We wanted to be 50/50," Thompson said in regards to running and passing the ball. "I thought we did a good job of that but I'm proud of our effort up front, Brody ran hard, Billy had an unbelievable catch and our players just made plays when they had to."
In the second stanza, Bellaire was looking to cut the lead in half but a fumble was scooped up by Union Local's Jake Toohey and returned 36 yards for a UL touchdown that increased the lead to 20-0 with just under 5 minutes left in the first half.
It was looking like the Big Reds would be shut out in the first half but they got a jolt of life in the final minute when Union Local fumbled the snap on a punt inside its own 30.
Bellaire took advantage.
Heatherington hooked up with teammate Graham Campbell on a 20-yard completion, where Campbell had to battle a defender for possession. His hard work paid off as running back Drew White found the end zone moments later from 3 yards out to make it a 20-6 score with 40 seconds remaining in the half.
"That was really big," Bonar said of the late score in the first half. "It gave us a chance and we came back in the second half but we just couldn't get it done. You win some and you lose some."
Bellaire's rushing attack was dominant throughout the game, as well, with both White (108) and Mac Pettigrew (105) hitting the century mark for yards on the ground.
"That's what we do," Bonar said. "We run the ball. Our offensive line does a nice job and those two seniors do a nice job of running the ball."
Neither team was able to light up the scoreboard in the third but with the help of a 21-yard run by Pettigrew, Bellaire was in business in the fourth quarter.
White finished the 74-yard march with his second score of the day, this one coming on a 23-yard touchdown run that cut the deficit to 20-14 with 10 minutes to play.
Then, the Jets moved the ball deep into Bellaire territory looking to put the game on ice but a turnover on downs gave the Big Reds their last glimpse of hope before the UL defense was able to seal the deal in the waning seconds.
"Bellaire is a tough team," Thompson said. "Give credit to Coach Bonar. They are very physical and tough but I'm proud of the way we played."