LINWOOD – The Mainland Regional football team has reached the point of the season where the current campaign can only be spoken about from a historical perspective, and the Mustangs will try to add to that history in the NJSIAA Group IV Central Sectional championship game Friday evening.
The Mustangs will travel to Middletown in Monmouth County to take on the No. 1 seed Middletown South Eagles. Middletown South came from behind to vanquish the defending Group IV Central champion Winslow 24-10 last Friday at home.
Mainland, 9-1, won its second straight playoff game, the first time the school has done that since 2008, beating Long Branch 34-20 where the Mustangs had to turn back a late rally by the Green Wave to preserve the Group IV Central semifinal win.
Middletown South defeated Long Branch 23-13 to open the season back in August.
“We’ve been talking about this moment since our freshman year and here we are,” said Mainland senior running back Ja’Briel Mace, who rushed for more than 100 yards in the first half, including a dramatic 39-yard run.
“This feels really good and what I came here for. I came here to make Mainland great again. As far as right now that’s what we’re doing.”
The Mustangs will be trying to reach double-digit wins for the first time since the 2019 season (10-1) in facing Middletown South. Mainland would have possibly already reached that total if it weren’t for the cancellation of the Capital Prep (N.Y.) home game at the end of the regular season because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Mainland has scored 30 or more points in all but two games this season as the Mustangs’ offense continues to perform at a high clip. Mace rushed for 124 yards in the first half as the Mustangs built a 21-0 lead.
Stephen Ordille scored his first of three touchdowns on a 9-yard run in the first quarter. After the Mainland defense came up big in preventing Long Branch from scoring inside the red zone, Ordille capped an eight-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run with 1:25 left in the quarter. After a 2-point conversion by junior Cohen Cook, Mainland went up 14-0.
After the Green Wave’s final drive of the first half stalled on the 48 with just 13.8 seconds remaining, Mace rushed for 13 yards and after a timeout, pulled off a dramatic 39-yard touchdown run on the final play of the half.
On the play, Mace broke tackles then cut back across the field left to right to outrun defenders to the right corner of the end zone.
“Every time I touch the ball, I’m trying to score,” Mace said. “I do it in practice a lot, taking a lot of jet sweeps and cutting them back inside. The defense this time was trailing on top of me and I just cut it back and it happened.”
The Green Wave, though, with the help of outstanding play from its quarterback Earnest Reevey and a successful onside kick and fake punt, rallied back to pull within one score in the fourth quarter.
Reevey time and time again used his legs to evade a strong Mainland pass rush to pick up double-digit yards for first downs or find receivers who managed by that time to wiggle free from their defenders.
“They’re a scary team and have a lot of talent,” Mainland coach Chuck Smith said. “Their quarterback played outstanding for them. We knew we were never out of the woods, even being up by two scores. We knew they could strike really fast and that’s what they did.”
Reevey found Shamar Williams on such a play for a 25-yard touchdown pass with 11:47 left in the game to trim Mainland’s lead to one score, 27-20.
The Mustangs’ defense, though, responded by forcing Long Branch punts on their following two possessions. The second punt deep in the Green Wave’s end of the field, gave Mainland the ball on the opponent’s 20.
Cook scored three plays later on 6-yard run with 2:49 left, to put Mainland up by two scores again and assuring the victory.
Ordille scored his third touchdown on a 55-yard run in the third quarter to help Mainland extend its lead when it needed it. His play on offense and at defensive safety proved pivotal.
“This is the second round of the playoffs and coach always preached this was going to be a tough one and that we would have to come out strong, and that’s what we did,” Ordille said. “We did it as a team. Once you put the helmet and pads on, you’ve got to come ready to play.”
Smith said, though, the Mustangs continued to show that their experience of two previous losing seasons with a young team is paying off now as seniors.
“We’ve been in a couple of tight games with Ocean City and Hammonton,” Smith said. “It was nice to see the boys respond. Long Branch had the momentum in the second half and cut our lead down to seven points. Our defense came up big and our offense was able to punch one in to seal the deal for us.”
Smith said he was particularly pleased with the effort of senior linebacker Will Murray on special teams. Murray blocked a Long Branch punt in the first quarter and then an extra-point in the third quarter to help Mainland.
“We’ve been waiting for that from Will,” Smith said. “It set us up early. We really emphasized that in practice and nice to see that happen during the game.”
Mainland’s current run harkens back to the 2008 undefeated team that won a regional title while going 12-0. The Mustangs will have their work cut out for them against the Eagles.
Middletown South, 8-1, comes into the game with some championship pedigree. The Eagles lost to defending state champion Irvington in last year’s North 2, Group IV championship game and will be making its 24th appearance in the sectional finals.
Much like Mainland’s ability to lead with the help of a dynamic running back, Middletown South will pin its hopes on Donovan Summey, who rushed for 118 yards, scored one touchdown and threw a half-back pass for another in their victory over Winslow last week.
Middletown South’s quarterback Jake Czwakiel is also a threat to run, rushing for 81 yards in their win last week.
Game time is 7 p.m.
By CLYDE HUGHES/Special to the Sentinel
