By CLYDE HUGHES/Special to the Sentinel
VINELAND – The young Mainland Regional football team has now experienced both sides of winning and losing a football game because of the little things, like an extra point after a touchdown.
Three weeks ago, a missed extra-point by Pleasantville allowed Mainland to register a 7-6 victory on a muddy field at home. Last Friday, though, Mainland missed the extra point after making a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback and ended up losing to the Vineland Fighting Clan 14-13 at Gittone Stadium.
The loss for the Mustangs, now 2-3 in this shortened football season because of the coronavirus pandemic, puts them in a must-win regular-season finale against rival Ocean City on the road to break .500. Mainland had not had a losing season since 2017 when coach Chuck Smith and the Mustangs suffered back-to-back 1-8 seasons in his first two years as head coach.
The Red Raiders had a bye week Friday.
The Mustangs have beaten the Red Raiders in the past two regular-season matchups, only to see Ocean City get a measure of revenge by beating Mainland in the first round of the NJSIAA Group III South Jersey playoffs last year. The game ruined an undefeated season for Mainland up to that point.
Mainland will get a chance to return the favor against the 4-0 Red Raiders, who are coming off of an impressive 36-16 victory over Millville the prior week.
“You don’t have to do anything to get the kids up against Ocean City this week,” Smith said. “They have a really good football team this year. We’re going to have to come up with our best game possible. We’re looking forward to it. That’s for sure.”
Mainland will have to put their disappointing loss to Vineland behind them. Smith revealed that freshman quarterback Jake Meyers, who had led Mainland’s offense all year, is now out for the rest of the season with a broken foot.
“He’s done for the season,” Smith said of Meyers as the Mustangs prepare to go into the Ocean City game with senior quarterback Brody Levin getting his second start of the campaign. “I really feel bad for the kid because he really tried hard. He got thrown in at quarterback right before the season started.”
Meyers originally suffered an injury near the end of Mainland’s second game earlier this month against Absegami. He was injured again in the second quarter of the 49-7 loss to NJSIAA powerhouse St. Augustine Prep the game before the Vineland contest.
“He did a nice job hanging in there and played with it until he just couldn’t go anymore,” Smith said. Meyers was in street clothes on crutches with his right foot in a cast.
For Levin, who threw the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Mustangs’ victory against Pleasantville, it was his first start at quarterback for his career against Vineland.
Mainland trailed 14-7 with less than three minutes to go with Vineland driving in Mustangs territory when Mainland recovered a fumble at its own 37 with 2:51 left in the game.
Levin connected with JaBriel Mace for a 17-yard gain to keep the drive alive and then on a 12-yard pass to Nick Wagner to get Mainland inside the Clan 10.
Levin then found Noah Torres in the right corner of the end zone with 47.5 seconds left in the game. But Mainland missed the extra point, allowing Vineland to maintain a 1-point lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, Mainland’s McKenzie Murphy recovered an onside kick, giving the Mustangs new life again on the Vineland 42 with 41.4 left. But Vineland’s Daeshaun Winchester intercepted a Mainland pass on the Clan 8 with 20.7 seconds left to essentially end the contest.
“Our kids don’t quit,” Smith said. “They come and they compete. We’re not there yet, but if you can at least give that effort and compete until the very end, you give yourself a chance. We still had a chance to win the game at the end.”
The near comeback, though, also showed a sign of advancement for Mainland, which figured out a way to give themselves a chance as time expired.
“Brody was able to get us down here with a chance to tie the game,” Smith said. “Then we got the onside kick. I couldn’t have asked for anything more except for the ‘W’ at the end. They played well and gave themselves a chance throughout.”
Vineland scored the go-ahead touchdown on the final play of the third quarter, when senior quarterback Caleb Gandy found senior wide receive Jonathan Toney Jr. in the left side of the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown. The fourth-and-17 scoring play was followed by Henry Garton connecting on the extra-point, which would prove to be the winning point.
Before the drive, Mainland was in prime scoring possession after a poor Vineland punt after the long snap sailed over the punter’s head. That gave the Mustangs the ball at the Clan 23 at the 7:09 mark of the third quarter. But a 17-yard sack and a penalty preceded Vineland’s Levi Manson grabbing an interception at their own 23 to end the Mainland scoring threat.
Vineland made its first touchdown look easy on its opening drive, going seven plays, with three of those plays for 14 yards or more. Toney finished the series with a 7-yard touchdown run. Vineland junior running back Anthony Arthur was impressive throughout the game, rushing 15 times for 98 yards.
“We had to make some defensive adjustments,” Smith said. “We knew they were going to come out on fire being homecoming for them. We had to figure out a way to match their energy. To their credit they came out fired up and took it to us right away. But then we kind of buckled down and got it going.”
Mainland’s defense, though, started to figure out Vineland, keeping the Fighting Clan off the scoreboard until late in the third quarter. Mainland got the equalizer in the second quarter on a Mace 1-yard run. He set it up with a 74-yard run over right tackle but was caught just outside of the goal line.
“It was nice to have him back in the lineup because he gives us that little spark,” Smith said.
It was the kind of offensive punch Mainland had been missing since Mace sat out the two previous games nursing a concussion.
“He’s a different player,” Smith said. “He gives you that chance to score every time he touches the football. It’s just nice to have him back.”
