Matawan Honors Late Legendary Former Coach Barry Rizzo With Gritty Rivalry Win Over Raritan

MATAWAN — Rivalry games tend to bring out extra motivation in teams. Couple that with a Week 1 game that saw the Huskies lose 27-7 and play most of the second half without junior quarterback BlairCarter Gagneron, and Matawan had no shortage of motivation coming into this game against Raritan. The motivated Huskies played their tails off tonight, securing a hard-fought 18-12 victory against a Raritan team that came in riding high after a 41-0 Week 1 victory.

The Huskies received the opening kickoff and took no time driving down the field, which culminated in a 25-yard touchdown run by junior running back Sean Euell, putting the Huskies up 6-0 with 8:42 in the first quarter.

“On the first run, I just took it to the outside,” said Euell. “I saw the end zone and knew I had to get in there.”

After Mark Fanelli missed the PAT, the Rockets would respond with 1:15 to play in the first when senior quarterback Parker Needham found some daylight on a designed quarterback keeper and accelerated to the end zone, tying the score at six. Although the Rockets would have the PAT blocked, keeping the score tied, which would be the score after one quarter.

The second quarter would end up being a nightmare for the Rockets. After getting pinned back on their own 13-yard line, on the first play of the drive, the Rockets snapped the ball over the head of junior quarterback Zahir Jones, who entered the game at quarterback. The Huskies recovered the football on the Raritan 1-yard line and wasted no time scoring. Euell took a handoff from Gagneron and ran untouched into the end zone, putting the Huskies back on top, 12-6, after another missed extra point.

“We got a big turnover from my teammate Kevin [Auguste],” said Euell. “Coach told me to get into the end zone. I got into the end zone again.”

The score would stay that way until 2:44 in the second quarter, when Raritan fumbled again. This time, junior defensive back Zach Johnson picked up the loose football and took it to the house, putting Matawan up 18-6, which would hold after the Huskies went for two and did not get it.

“I was sitting at safety about 10 yards off, watching the play and reading my keys,” said Johnson. “I saw the quarterback take the ball, and one of our defensive linemen punched it out. I saw it bounce up, took my chance, grabbed it and went to the end zone to score.”

The Rockets had a chance to get points before the half, driving all the way down to the Huskies’ 8-yard line. Although, once again, the Huskies would force another turnover, this time when senior slotback Eric Berg couldn’t corral the football, sending the game to halftime with Matawan leading 18-6.

Matawan’s defense continued its stout play, forcing a turnover on downs to open the third quarter. They would drive down the field, only to run into penalties and be forced to punt. Raritan junior defensive back Zahir Jones blocked the Fanelli punt and returned it for a touchdown, cutting the lead to six after Raritan had their extra point blocked for the second time.

Raritan got the ball back with just 2:20 remaining and started to drive down the field, picking up a couple of key third- and fourth-down plays, setting up a sequence where they had the ball on the Matawan 36-yard line with just 8.5 seconds to play. The Rockets thought they had a reception when Needham hooked up with Berg for a potential 16-yard gain, but Berg was ruled out of bounds, setting up one final chance for Needham, who was intercepted by junior linebacker Cayson Williams, who secured the 18-12 win for Matawan.

“On the final play, we knew they were going to try to go deep because there were only a couple of seconds left,” said Williams. “With my size, they put me back there to knock the ball down, but I ended up catching it. That sealed the game.”

The trio of Williams, Euell and Johnson came up big for the Huskies. Euell had 11 carries for 94 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught two balls for 22 yards. Williams hauled in six passes for 56 yards and recorded the game-sealing interception. Johnson was a Swiss Army knife, tallying 27 scrimmage yards, and had a fumble return for a touchdown. He also had a touchdown that was called back for a hold.

“I said this earlier in the year: The beauty of those three kids is that they’re not just football players,” said Coach Matt Walsh. “They play basketball together year-round. They’ve grown up together, played AYF together, and I’ve been coaching them since sixth grade. I know what those guys are capable of.”

Matawan also had some other motivation to win this game tonight, as earlier in the week they had lost the legendary former head coach Barry Rizzo, for whom their field is named. Rizzo had the Huskies ranked as the number one team in all of New Jersey in 1975, and his legacy and impact remain imprinted on the program.

“This field is named after a great man named Barry Rizzo, who recently passed away,” said Johnson. “He coached here, and I feel like tonight was for him. We heard before the game that he had passed away, and that gave us a little extra edge and motivation to beat Raritan.”

For Matawan head coach Matt Walsh, Rizzo’s impact goes far beyond the name on the field.

“Barry really set the tone for what Matawan football is all about,” Walsh said.

Rizzo’s teams were known for playing a physical, disciplined brand of football, an identity Walsh said remains part of the program today.

“When he was running things, he was a single-wing guy. He was hard-nosed and big on discipline. I had the pleasure of speaking with him this past offseason at our alumni banquet. He was still talking about the glory days.”

Those glory days helped establish the expectations that generations of Matawan players have inherited.

“He set the foundation, and we’re trying to emulate that.”

That made Thursday night about more than adding another win to Matawan’s record.

“Tonight was important. We had a moment of silence before the game, and I stressed to the kids that we always talk about playing for those who came before us and those who will come after us.”

For Walsh, honoring that history means understanding the standard established by Rizzo and the players who helped turn Matawan into one of the Shore Conference’s tradition-rich programs.

“We always want to raise the standard. It was important for us to honor the players from the past who played for Barry Rizzo, won state championships and helped build this program.”

And while Rizzo’s passing provided additional meaning to Thursday’s game, Walsh made sure his players understood they were representing an entire generation of Matawan football.

“This game was not just for Coach Rizzo. It was for all of the players who were on those teams and experienced so much success under him.”

This game just meant a little bit more to the Huskies, and in their biggest game of the young season, and on a night where they honored the life of their legendary coach, they played like those Matawan teams that Coach Rizzo was so fond of.

The Huskies (1-1) travel to Manasquan next Saturday, while the Rockets (1-1) host Howell next Thursday.