Swarming Defense Helps Young Jackson Team Grow up Fast in Shutout Win

OCEAN TWP. – Jackson Township may be young and inexperienced, but the newcomers showed in the season opener on Thursday night that they have the gritty DNA of a classic Jaguars team. 

Jackson fought through penalties, miscues, offensive struggles and a first-quarter injury to starting quarterback Dom Bylecki to dominate the fourth quarter in a 21-0 Shore Conference nondivisional road win over Ocean at Carelli Field. The sophomore-laden Jaguars (1-0) scored all of their points in the final period, closing the game strong with a defensive touchdown and a 60-yard drive to ice an opening win on the heels of a 3-7 season. 

“There were a lot of nervous guys in the first quarter, but they just kept playing ball, and I’m proud of them,” Jaguars coach Vinnie Mistretta said. 

“This gives us a lot of confidence,” said senior defensive lineman Adrian Portorreal, who had a sack in and a fumble recovery in the win. “Everybody thinks so low of us because we went 3-7 last year, but that’s not us. We’re very different.” 

Jackson bottled up Ocean to the tune of 115 total yards and five first downs while coming up with two fourth-down stops in the red zone in the first half, recording three sacks, recovering two fumbles and scoring on a pick-six. On special teams, the Jaguars recovered another fumble on a muffed punt, tackled an Ocean ballcarrier at the Spartans’ 4-yard line to start the second half and got a 3-for-3 showing on extra points by sophomore kicker Anthony Delpome. 

“We were confident that we just needed one touchdown and we were going to win,” sophomore RB/LB Brayden Ramos said. 

The two teams were scoreless when a crucial defensive play by the Jaguars late in the third quarter changed the game. Junior defensive end Danny Bivins came flying off the edge and sacked Ocean quarterback Jake Garrett, forcing a fumble that senior defensive end Dave Howard recovered at Ocean’s 25-yard line with 2:38 left in the third quarter. 

“We got pressure on the quarterback, and boom, fumble,” Howard said. “We had to step up and make a play.” 

The Jaguars, who had 46 total yards of offense in the game at that point, didn’t squander the opportunity. Runs of 13 and 7 yards by senior running back Farrin Blake (20 carries, 105 yards) set up sophomore quarterback Ryan Yurgel for a 1-yard keeper and his first varsity touchdown for a 7-0 lead with 11:57 left in the game. Yurgel had to enter the game in the first quarter after Bylecki went down with an upper body injury that Mistretta said he was having X-rayed on Thursday night. 

“I just knew he was ready,” Howard said. “Yurgel is going to have to step up if we’re going to win a championship.” 

“Nobody sat and felt bad for themselves,” Mistretta said. “The seniors were like, ‘Who’s going to be the one to step up? Who’s going to make the play?’ It started with the defense, to make those three stops in the first half. They weren’t feeling sorry for themselves. They got put in a bad spot, and they just kept making plays.” 

Given the way Jackson’s defense was playing, sophomore linebacker Sha’Zir Taylor all but iced the game on Ocean’s ensuing possession. He stepped in front of a pass over the middle and returned the interception 40 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 10:39 left in the game. 

“We put that in on the sideline,” Mistretta said. “We had a coverage dropping the mike linebacker. I said, ‘Sha’z listen, go to the middle of the field, read the quarterback’s eyes, watch the post, and go play football and don’t think.’ And he broke on that ball beautifully and then scored. That’s the biggest part, don’t get hawked on the 10 and go back to work with a sophomore quarterback. Just go score.” 

Jackson forced a fumble on Ocean’s next possession to set up a 10-play, 60-yard drive of classic Jackson smashmouth football in which the Jaguars ran it on every play. A 28-yard run by Ramos helped set up Blake’s 7-yard score for a 21-0 lead with 3:40 left in the game, which had Mistretta complimenting his players on their conditioning after the win. 

“We could see they were tired, and we were 100% and ready to go,” Ramos said. “It just felt like they just gave up, and we just kept going.” 

Jackson competes in the rugged Class A South, but it will have a chance to improve to 2-0 before divisional play begins when they face Toms River South next week. Ocean will try to regroup with a nondivisional game at Colts Neck. 

Scott Stump is the football editor and a reporter for Shore Sports Insider. He first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999. 

Email: scottstump25@gmail.com