Sunday,
September 20, 2015
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Tyler Montayne's long return on the opening kickoff got Garfield heading in the right direction in a 14-6 win over rival Lodi on Saturday afternoon. |
LODI – Although Garfield was 1-0 going into Saturday's game, it had been nearly three weeks since the Boilermakers had last seen any game action. After being awarded a forfeit victory last week over Ridgefield, which dropped its varsity football program, they had to get themselves mentally ready for archrival Lodi. After shaking off the cobwebs the Boilermakers got on track late in the first half before holding off a late charge.
Alex Victorino hit Matt Wierzba for a 51-yard strike to open the scoring and Aveon Irving added a 33-yard TD run in the final 5:35 of the first half. Those scores held up as Garfield recovered an onside kick and got a key run from Victorino on third-down in the final minute to secure a 14-6 triumph on the road at Lodi High School.
“I thought we'd be able to throw all over them, but Lodi has a great defense and I was definitely frustrated in the first half,” said Victorino. “We had to trust each other to make big plays. When we needed to step up, everybody pitched in to get us going.”
A big kick return on the opening kickoff by Tyler Montanye gave Garfield great field position on its opening drive. It looked as if the Boilermakers were going to march right into the end zone without much resistance. But on a third-and-goal from the 2, Irving looked to turn the corner on a sweep and get to the pilon. Lodi's Jordan Jaloudi stepped up and made a big hit to force a fumble that went through the side of the end zone for a touchback.
The Boilermakers were snuffed out again in the red zone when Lodi's do-everything senior Steven Villa picked off a fourth-down pass to keep the game scoreless. While Lodi forced a pair of big turnovers, the Rams gave them right back on a pair of fumbles. Those were more costly though as they both led to Garfield's two scoring drives.
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Lodi's Steven Villa rushed for 139 yards and scored his team's lone touchdown. |
On a third-and-5 from their own 49, Victorino waggled out to his right and got some time on a huge block from right tackle Israel Arroyo to buy some time. That allowed Wierzba to get open over the middle and the senior wide receiver did the rest. He made one cut and outraced the entire Rams' defense to the front corner of the end zone for a 7-0 lead.
After a second fumble was recovered by Jeff Sanabria, the Boilermakers marched 51 yards in just five plays. Victorino kept the drive alive with a third-down conversion pass to Steven Nolasco. Two plays later, Irving got the corner on a sweep, tiptoed along the sideline for a 33-yard touchdown. Matthew Delorenzo tacked on the extra-point for a 14-0 lead.
“Coach called a stretch play and I got some good blocks,” said Irving. “My line did a great job and the wide receivers cut off the outside. I just saw the hole and I burst through it.”
Lodi had one last chance before halftime, but a Hail Mary pass was intercepted by Wierzba as the final horn sounded with Garfield holding a two-touchdown lead at the break.
The score remained that way well into the fourth quarter when Lodi's offense finally got on track. Villa, who accounted for 72 of the 76 total yards on the lone scoring drive, threw a fade to Dayshawn Cunningham on the back corner of the end zone. He wrestled with the cornerback for several seconds before coming away with the ball and being awarded the TD to cut the lead to 14-6 with 1:32 to play.
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Garfield's Matt Wierzba caught a 51-yard TD pass to open the game's scoring. |
Delorenzo recovered the ensuing onside kick and Victorino used his legs to close out the game. On a third-and-13, Victorino caught the Rams' defense off-guard with a quick snap and rumbled for a 17-yard gain to secure the victory. Victorino completed 10 of 19 passes for 179 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for Garfield (2-0).
Villa had a solid performance on both sides of the ball for Lodi (0-2). He rushed for 139 yards along with six tackles, an interception, and a pass defended.
Garfield will look to keep its winning ways going against winless Elmwood Park next week. While beating their biggest rival always feels good, the Boilermakers know there is still a lot of work left to do.
“We made some mistakes here and there, but we'll work hard on those in practice and correct them,” added Victorino. “Today looked not so good, but we'll find our way to get back to the top.”
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