Mainland football wins state semifinal on 2-point conversion in OT, 36-35
SOMERVILLE – Mainland Regional High School’s football team earned its way back to the state championship game after an overtime thriller in the NJSIAA Group III semifinals against previously undefeated Somerville High School Friday night.
It all came down to a win-or-go-home play.
In overtime, the Mustangs were down by a touchdown with the season on the line. They put the ball in the hands of their best players. Running back Rocco DeBiaso scored his third touchdown of the game to bring Mainland within one point of Somerville.
A kick would tie the game, but head coach Chuck Smith went for the finishing blow instead. Make the two-point conversion and return to the state title game for the second year in a row. Miss it and the season ends.
Quarterback John Franchini and the Mustang offense lined up with star receiver Jake Blum out wide. Franchini broke from the pocket and found Blum on the goal line; he went to one knee to make the grab for the victory.
Blum immediately ran toward midfield, followed by the entire Mustang sideline in celebration of their 36-35 win on Nov. 22.
Mainland advanced to the NJSIAA Group III state championship at 1 p.m. Dec. 1 at SHI Stadium at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. The Mustangs will meet Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan. Old Tappan, 11-1, beat Pascack Valley (10-2) 43-14 in the other state semifinal.
“It’s out of this world,” Blum said. “When it comes down to a play like that and coach puts all the confidence in your hands, you know you are converting that play. We knew we were converting that play since we broke the huddle. It was a perfect ball, and Johnny always puts it in a sweet spot. Having the whole team on my back running down the field after a big win here on a cold night in Somerville is just awesome.”
The senior caught everything that was thrown at him in the playoff game. He finished his night with 10 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown. He also hauled in an interception on defense to go along with the game winning two-point conversion.
After the game, coach Smith talked about Blum’s performance as Mainland’s “go-to guy.”
“There were times where he was covered in the first half where he still made the play,” Smith said. “They covered it, but he just happened to come up with it. He is our guy, and everyone knows that. Somehow, we are still able to get the ball to him.”
Franchini was given the game ball for his efficient play under center for the Mustangs. The junior had only three incompletions as he went 13 for 16 passing and racked up 214 yards. He scored twice, including a 43-yard laser to Blum down the sideline that gave Mainland a 21-14 lead at halftime.
Smith offered high praise to Franchini after the game. “I thought our quarterback did a tremendous job tonight not only in executing the passing game but at times also having some timely runs,” he said. “He’s not a runner, per se, but he did a nice job keeping it all together today and that’s why he got the game ball.”
With the win over Somerville, the defending Group IV state champion Mustangs have advanced to their second consecutive state title game. Last season, the Mustangs went undefeated and won all but one game by more than three scores.
This season Mainland was put into Group III and faced a brutal schedule that Franchini believes helped the team grow and get better.
“Playing Winslow, St. Augustine Prep, and Millville 100 percent helped us prepare for this,” he said. “Somerville is as good as them and to have this game definitely built up our courage.”
Mainland’s quest to become back-to-back champions will reach its climax this coming Sunday against the Group III North I champion.
Old Tappan avenged its loss to Pascack Valley earlier in the season.
Old Tappan is also no stranger to the championship game. The school won the Group III title two years ago.
Just like the previous year, Mainland will play for the championship at Rutgers University, a location the Mustangs have looked forward to visiting again.
“This is just the culture we are building here at Mainland,” Blum said. “We are kind of making it normal to head up to Rutgers every year, so we like to put a Rutgers trip on our yearly schedule.”
The Mustangs did not have an easy time and had to earn their spot at Rutgers after Somerville gave them their most intense game of the season.
Mainland had trailed only once before in the postseason until Somerville took its first lead of the game in overtime. Somerville got the game to overtime after a huge rally in the fourth quarter left Mainland on its back foot.
DeBiaso reached the end zone early in the fourth quarter with a 14-yard touchdown run. The senior gave Mainland a 28-14 lead with 10 minutes left in regulation.
Somerville quarterback Brenden Pacheco moved his offense right down the field in under two minutes. He capped off the drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to cut Mainland’s lead in half.
After a Mainland three-and-out, Somerville got the ball back with 5:55 left in regulation and slowly marched down the field again. Pacheco showed why his team was 12-0 and ranked as a top 15 team in New Jersey as he connected with Max Nuzzi for another score and tied Mainland with a minute to play.
Franchini and DeBiaso got the Mustangs moving in the closing minute of the game, but a sudden fumble in field goal range gave Somerville the ball back and eventually led to overtime.
“They are a good football team and great offensive team over there,” Smith said. “Great job by their coaches finding the weaknesses we had. When they scored and we got the ball back we drove all the way down the field and had that unfortunate turnover. That was the key right there because I believe we would have gotten points right there.”
Smith also praised his team for their resilience after the lead vanished. “Our guys never gave up. The confidence was there and nobody was hanging their head in the huddle or anything like that when we got the ball in the second part of overtime.”
Mainland won the coin toss in overtime and elected to play defense first to see what they needed to win the game on offense.
Pacheco scored his fourth and final touchdown of the game in overtime on a four-yard scramble for Somerville’s first lead of the game. Mainland, after leading 28-14, had now given up 21 unanswered points.
The Mustangs needed 25 yards to keep their season alive and the team’s leaders came though when the situation was at its most dire. DeBiaso ran for 19 of the 25 yards needed including the touchdown, before Franchini and Blum connected on the two-point conversion that will be remembered forever at Mainland Regional.
– STORY and PHOTOS by WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel