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Jason Lajara accounts for 6 TDs, Nyzier Matthews sets record as Brick Memorial reaches NJSIAA sectional final

Scott Stump|November 8, 2024|Last Updated November 13, 2024

BRICK – When Nyzier Matthews first moved to the Brick Memorial sending district as an eighth-grader, he made sure to seek out quarterback Jason Lajara.

“We were playing basketball and he always told me, ‘I’m gonna be your wideout. I’m going to be your No. 1 guy,’” Lajara said.

Matthews has turned his prophecy into reality, as his chemistry with Lajara has now made them a record-setting duo for a Mustangs team headed to its first NJSIAA sectional final since 2015. Lajara continued his sensational junior season by accounting for six total touchdowns and Matthews set a school record with a pair of touchdown catches in a 41-21 win over sixth-seeded Jackson Memorial (5-6) in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals on Friday night.

Nyzier Matthews sets a Brick Memorial record

The junior wide receiver wowed the home crowd at DiFabio Field with three catches for 119 yards and two scores – all in the second quarter alone – to set the single-season school record for touchdown catches in the victory.

He now has nine, surpassing the record of eight held by former star Garrett Graham, who was an All-Big Ten tight end at Wisconsin and played for the Houston Texans, and former first-team All-Shore wideout Mike Lepore, who played at New Hampshire.

“It feels great,” said Matthews, who also had an interception on defense. “It’s an honor to be part of this program and compete and get as many touchdowns as I can.”

Matthews now has 738 yards receiving on only 28 catches for an average of 26.3 yards per catch.

Brick Memorial's Jason Lajara and Nyzier Matthews (Photo by Scott Stump) - Jason Lajara, Nyzier Matthews, Brick Memorial football

Brick Memorial quarterback Jason Lajara and wide receiver Nyzier Matthews celebrated a record-setting night and a trip to the Central Jersey Group 4 title game. (Photo by Scott Stump)

“We did a lot of offseason training together,” Lajara said. “I knew he was going to have a big season with all the hard work he puts in. I knew he was going to be the guy.”

Lajara went 8-for-13 passing for 226 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 128 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries. He said Jackson Memorial tried to load the box more in its second meeting of the season with Brick Memorial, so the Mustangs went to Matthews and the aerial attack.

The second-seeded Mustangs (9-2) now have a formidable challenge when they go on the road to face top-seeded Millville in the Central Jersey Group 4 final next week. Brick Memorial will be trying to win its first state sectional title since 2008.

Facing Jackson Memorial a second time

The Mustangs were facing a rejuvenated Jackson Memorial team that welcomed back standout junior tailback Jonah Glenn from a hamstring injury a week earlier in a 46-13 playoff win over Central. Glenn did not play in the regular-season matchup against Brick Memorial, which the Mustangs won 37-0.

The Jaguars drove down to the Brick Memorial 23-yard line to start the game, but Mustangs sophomore Shawn Fowler broke up a pass on fourth down to kill the threat. Jackson Memorial forced a three-and-out and had another shot to take an early lead but missed a 34-yard field goal.

After a scoreless first quarter, Brick Memorial began to assert itself behind Lajara and Matthews. Lajara found him for a pass on the perimeter that Matthews took 45 yards to ignite an eight-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Lajara scoring on a 1-yard keeper for a 7-0 lead.

A big second quarter for Nyzier Matthews

The Mustangs then made it 14-0 when Lajara found Matthews streaking over the middle for a 44-yard touchdown pass with 5:11 remaining in the half.

“They kept trying to play inside leverage,” Lajara said about Jackson Memorial. “I guess they didn’t respect us over the top. But I always say for us to be one of the most explosive offenses in the Shore, if you’re going to move up, we’re going to throw it on you guys. We executed very well.”

The Jaguars got on the scoreboard when senior quarterback Dennis Caswell got a Brick Memorial defender to bite on a pump fake and then lofted a 41-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wideout Jordan Jones to cut the lead to 14-7 with 1:05 left in the half.

That left enough time on the clock for the explosive Mustangs to stick in one more score to take a 21-7 lead at the break. They drove 66 yards in six plays, scoring when Lajara rolled out to his right and lofted a 30-yard touchdown to Matthews with only 3.2 seconds left in the half. The pass appeared to be intended for Fowler in the back corner of the end zone, but Matthews came zooming across and snatched it for his record-setting score.

“It wasn’t supposed to be to him,” Lajara aid. “We were talking about this record for almost three weeks now. He was like ‘I’m going to run a go (route),’ and I was like, ‘No, run a corner and go high-low with (Fowler). He was like, ‘Are you sure?’ And I’m like, ‘I trust you, you trust me, let’s do it.’”

Brick Memorial finishes strong

The Mustangs carried that momentum into the second half. They made it 28-7 with a four-play, 56-yard drive to start the third quarter that featured a 24-yard run by Lajara and ended with Lajara’s 17-yard touchdown run with 11:34 left in the period.

Brick Memorial then gave the Jaguars a little life when Lajara lost a fumble at the Mustangs’ 25-yard line. Two plays later, Glenn scored on a 20-yard run to cut it to 28-14. Glenn finished with 134 yards rushing on 22 carries as the Jaguars put up 330 total yards in the loss.

The Mustangs shook that miscue off immediately, driving 56 yards in only three plays to answer with a touchdown of their own. After Lajara hit Fowler for a 48-yard gain, Lajara and junior tight end Trey Tallmadge did their best Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce imitation. Lajara hit Tallmadge with a shovel pass as he came across the formation, and Tallmadge trucked a defender on his way to an 8-yard touchdown catch to push the lead to 35-14 with 7:10 left in the third quarter.

Jackson Memorial hung in there, pushing the ball down the field with senior Eric Zebrowski running the zone read option with Glenn. Zebrowski, who had 120 total yards in the loss, scored on a nine-yard run on fourth down to make it 35-21 heading into the fourth quarter.

Brick Memorial then put the game away by driving 53 yards in eight plays, scoring on a five-yard run by Lajara for a 41-21 advantage with 11:30 left in the game.

The Mustangs’ first trip to a sectional final in 9 years

The victory allowed Brick Memorial to surpass last year’s team, which was upset in the semifinals by Long Branch for its only loss of the season. They were a run-first offense led by record-setting quarterback Connor Dietz, but a more balanced offense led by Lajara has put the Mustangs on the cusp of their first state title in 16 years.

“We have a chip on our shoulder because everyone was talking about last year’s offense,” Lajara said. “Connor, respect to him, but I think we can do a lot more this season. Last year against Long Branch we did a lot of running because that was our strong suit, but if you figure that out, we have to change it out. For us, you have to respect one or the other. If you’re going to back up, we’re going to run on you guys, and if you come up, we will throw it on you.”

Now comes the ultimate test in state-ranked Millville. The Thunderbolts (8-2) feature Alabama recruit Lotzeir Brooks, who has the state record for career touchdown catches and receiving yards. They beat Marlboro 53-0 in the other semifinal.

“It’s a great challenge, physically and mentally,” Matthews said.

“We’ve just got to play our game,” Lajara said. “We definitely have to be mistake-free and come out hot.”

Box score

Brick Memorial 41, Jackson Memorial 21

.                               BM                    JM

First downs           14                       10

Rushes-yards     29-197             35-214

Passing                8-13-0              6-14-1

Passing yards      226                    116

Penalties             3-30                   3-20

Fumbles-lost       1-1                       1-0

Jackson Mem. (5-6)  0  7   14 0 – 21

Brick Mem.  (8-2)     0  21   14  6 – 41

Scoring summary

B: Lajara 1-yard run (Marotta kick).

B: Matthews 44-yard pass from Lajara (Marotta kick).

J: Jones 41-yard pass from Caswell (Muzzillo kick).

B: Matthews 30-yard pass from Lajara (Marotta kick).

B: Lajara 17-yard run (Marotta kick).

J: Glenn 20-yard run (Muzzillo kick).

B: Tallmadge 8-yard pass from Lajara (Muzzillo kick).

J: Zebrowski 9-yard run (Muzzillo kick).

B: Lajara 5-yard run (kick failed).

Individual statistics

Rushing – B: Lajara 14-128, Whittaker 1-1, Tallmadge 1-6, Andrews 13-66. J: Glenn 22-134, Zebrowski 11-79, Caswell 1-(-1), Kabiri 1-2.

Passing – B: Lajara 8-13-0 226. J: Caswell 5-11-1 75, Zebrowski 0-2-0 0, Glenn 1-1-0 41.

Receiving – B: Matthews 3-119, Fowler 3-70, Andrews 1-18, Tallmadge 1-8. J: Jones 4-73, Kabiri 1-2, Zebrowski 1-41.

Interceptions – B: Matthews 1-0.

 

 

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