Multiple Mustangs have outstanding games to topple Hammonton 29-14
LINWOOD – It almost seems unfair to pick a storyline from Mainland Regional’s biggest win of the season to date last week, but the bottom line is that the 4-1 Mustangs will go into Friday night’s contest at Bridgeton on a roll.
One could pick freshman quarterback John Franchini, who wasn’t even expected to start this season, but threw for two touchdown passes and ran for his first rushing touchdown in leading Mainland to a 29-14 victory over regionally-ranked and previously undefeated Hammonton.
One could also pick senior Ja’Briel Mace, who overcame Hammonton’s aggressive attempt to stop him on offense by intercepting three passes on defense, including an 80-yard “pick 6” in the fourth quarter to ice the contest.
Or you could pick Mainland’s defense and emerging defensive standout Hunter Tyson that bottled up the run game of Hammonton, one of the best in South Jersey, most of the game. The Mustangs held the Blue Devils to their lowest scoring output this season.
Then there is freshman kicker Nate Kashey, who nailed a 25-yard fourth-quarter field goal to give Mainland an 8-point lead with just minutes to play in the contest.
Whatever storyline you pick, Mainland coach Chuck Smith said they all come together in the end to give the Mustangs a 4-1 record and one of his biggest signature wins in several seasons.
“Win or lose, these are the games we have to play well in,” Smith said after the contest as the Mustangs continued to celebrate in the locker room next door. “You have to show up and compete and whatever happens, happens. Things just happened to fall our way tonight.”
One of the strongest indicators of Mainland’s improvement was facing adversity. For the first time this season, the Mustangs found themselves behind early after a turnover in the first quarter led to a 14-yard Hammonton touchdown run by Kye Pressley.
Mainland bounced back twice from deficits against highly ranked Hammonton to snatch the victory.
“The boys played hard and it looked like they matured,” Smith said. “We looked like a team that had been together for a couple of years, especially when the going was tough. This was a big confidence booster for us.
“Hammonton is a well-coached football team with a strong tradition. For our guys, it was taking that next step. We had a couple of down years where a lot of these guys played as freshmen and sophomores and now they’ve matured. Hopefully, this was one of those games that will catapult us for the rest of the season.”
Franchini led the comeback. With Hammonton’s aggressive linebacker play upfront limiting Mace to 36 yards on the night, the freshman found junior Jamie Tyson down the left sideline for a 77-yard catch-and-run touchdown to even the score early in the second quarter.
“I was a little nervous before the game,” Franchini said. “This was a big game. As soon as I got the [first] snap, I was relaxed. [The pass to Tyson] was so awesome. It was so deep and long. We had just gotten out of our own red zone so it was perfect.”
Franchini would go on to throw a second touchdown to Tyson, a 17-yard strike, before the quarter ended, giving Mainland a 13-7 lead at halftime.
“They were concentrating on stopping our running game, so we had to find another way to score,” said Tyson, the emerging scoring threat for Mainland who has now scored on offense and defense this season. “I knew I had to step up for my team and that’s what I tried to do.”
Smith said Franchini’s football IQ simply puts him ahead of other players his age and has meshed well with the upperclassmen so far this season.
“He’s at a different level because of his intelligence,” Smith said of Franchini, who appears to play a couple of grade levels above his freshman status last Friday. “His teammates really hold him in high regard.”
Mainland found themselves behind again in the third quarter when Nakeem Powell caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Billy Way, giving the Blue Devils a 14-13 lead.
A Hammonton fumble on their next possession gave Mainland a short field and 10 plays later Franchini scored on a 2-yard run with 8 minutes left in the game. The Mustangs failed to convert the 2-point conversion, leaving them clinging to a 19-14 lead.
But Mainland’s defense came up big again when defensive back Joe Sheeran picked off a Way pass as the Blue Devils tried to go deep, giving the Mustangs the ball at midfield.
Mainland drove to the Blue Devils’ 8 before Kashley connected on his 25-yard field goal to boost the Mustangs’ lead to 8.
Hammonton was not done as the Blue Devils, aided by a pass interference penalty, drove to the Mainland 25. That’s when Mace grabbed his third interception of the game at the 20 in full stride, darted between Blue Devil defenders for an 80-yard touchdown with a minute left in the game.
“No one was going to catch me on that one,” Mace said with a laugh after the game. “They wanted to hit the running back out of the backfield a lot with a swing pass. They got us a couple of times in the game with screens.
“This time I actually read it and [Hammonton running back Kenny Smith] ran a post-corner and I was going to either hit him or pick it off.”
Mace said he wasn’t bothered by his offensive struggles because he knew he could contribute to the Mustangs on the defensive end.
“They were shutting me down on offense, but that allowed opportunities for Johnny Franchini to make plays and Jamie Tyson to make plays and that’s what they did,” Mace said.
Smith praised his opportunistic defense for holding down one of the most potent offenses in South Jersey. “I thought our defense played outstanding,” Smith said. “We knew they were going to hit us here and there. They are just too good of a football team to shut them down all night, but our defense played outstanding the whole game. We shut down their running game and had five turnovers.”
Mainland will try to keep the momentum going against 0-4 Bridgeton at the Bulldogs’ home field Friday night.
Ocean City football
Red Raider football comes off its bye week to play at Winslow Township at 7 p.m. Saturday.
By CLYDE HUGHES/Special to the Sentinel