Party on Evergreen: New Egypt football wins in Shore Conference debut

PLUMSTED TOWNSHIP — The New Egypt football program began to envision this moment from the second it was announced they would be joining the Shore Conference.

The reality was even better than they dreamed.

Junior running back/wide receiver Lucas Burgos ran for 141 yards and a touchdown to lead a 215-yard team rushing performance, while the defense and special teams units combined to force four turnovers as the Warriors made their Shore Conference debut in memorable fashion by defeating Keansburg, 27-7, in a Class D North game on Thursday night.

The victory also vaulted New Egypt head coach Steve Fence to the top of the program’s all-time wins list. It was an unforgettable night for the Shore’s newest member.

“I’m a Shore guy and I love the Shore, so it was a dream come true to come over here,” Fence said. “This isn’t about me. This is a testament to how hard the kids work. This is about summertime work and having 40 kids here every day putting in the work to get better; not getting down over the results the past couple years and understanding the vision we had.”

Following an 8-3 season in 2021, New Egypt went 1-9 in 2022 and 3-9 last fall.

“We’ve been putting in the work,” senior linebacker Stephen Meleg said. “I know it sounds cliché but all of us have been in the weight room working hard over the summer. We were ready.”

Junior running back Eddie Novatkowski added 70 yards rushing and a touchdown, junior wide receiver receiver Clyde Ferris caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Caleb Kowaleski and senior Tommy Merlucci kicked a 30-yard field goal. On defense, Meleg intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble and recorded a safety. Novatkowski also intercepted a pass while junior linebacker Evan Goldberg recovered a fumble on a Keansburg punt return. New Egypt allowed just 120 yards of offense, including a measly 10 yards in the first half.

“Our defense played outstanding,” Fence said. “We saw them on film and they were explosive. I think they scored on like seven different pass plays in the preseason. We thought we could run the ball a little bit and kind of control the clock and keep them off the field.”

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Opportunity Knocks

New Egypt went three and out to begin the game before a series of turnovers allowed the Warriors to strike first.

One play after New Egypt’s opening-series punt, Burgos delivered a thunderous hit on a Keansburg receiver that jarred the ball loose and allowed Meleg to smother it at midfield. The momentum was short-lived, however, because Burgos had the ball knocked free on his next carry and Titans linebacker Matt Rock recovered at his team’s own 40-yard line.

A sack by junior defensive end Sawyer Hughes forced Keansburg to punt and the Warriors took over at their own 32-yard line. Their drive stalled just shy of midfield and Merlucci came on to kick the ball away, but the punt was muffed by Keansburg and recovered by Goldberg at the 23-yard line for what was essentially a 30-yard gain. The Warriors got as close as the 12-yard line but Keansburg drove them back to force fourth down. Merlucci entered and calmly drove a 30-yard field goal through the uprights for a 3-0 New Egypt lead.

New Egypt then stopped Keansburg on three straight downs to force a punt. Senior quarterback James Valle, who also doubles as the punter, dropped a gem of a kick that bounced inside the 10-yard line and was downed at the New Egypt 3-yard line. That’s where the Warriors began to forge the game’s signature sequence.

 

The Drive

New Egypt began its first possession of the second quarter at its own 3-yard line, but a false start penalty on first down moved the ball back to the 1-yard line. From there, the combination of Burgos, Novatkowski and the offensive line led the charge on a mammoth 16-play, 97-yard drive that culminated with Novatkowski scoring on a 5-yard run for a 10-0 lead.

Novatkowski carried eight times for 40 yards, Burgos gained 33 yards on four carries, Alan Arce had one carry for six yards and Kowaleski connected with Goldberg for a 21-yard gain to the Keansburg 19-yard line.

“Our defense set the tone and then our offense kicked in on that 97-yard drive,” Fence said.

“The past two years, we couldn’t do that,” Burgos said. “We worked our tails off in the offseason, and huge credit to the O-line. They did a phenomenal job. That drive was all them.”

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Padding the Lead

An interception by Meleg late in the first half sent New Egypt into halftime holding a 10-0 lead. The Warriors added to their advantage midway through the third quarter when Meleg tackled Valle in the end zone for a safety.

A punt by Merlucci was downed at the 2-yard line and the Titans ended up going backward a yard before having to punt from the 1-yard line. The snap was high and Valle had to jump to prevent it from going out of the back of the end zone. By the time he settled his feet the punt rush was bearing down on him and forcing him to scramble, but to no avail.

Upon receiving the safety punt and starting their next drive in plus territory, the Warriors drove 44 yards in 11 plays to take a commanding 20-0 lead. New Egypt converted two fourth downs, the first on a 3-yard run by Novatkowski on fourth and two and finally when Ferris took a quick pass from Kowaleski and outran the Keansburg defense for a 29-yard touchdown reception on fourth and 20.

A penalty on Keansburg before the extra point moved the ball five yards closer, so the Warriors decided to go for the 2-point conversion and successfully converted when Kowaleski scrambled across the goal line.

 

Sealing the Deal

Keansburg didn’t go down without showing some fight.

Down 20-0, the Titans pushed the pace in the final 90 seconds of the third quarter and moved to the New Egypt 26-yard line on a 31-yard pass from Valle to junior wideout A’son Young. Two plays later, senior tight end Ja’Zier Wynn got behind the Warriors’ secondary and Valle found him for a 29-yard gain down to the 2-yard line. On the next play, junior running back Milan Mraz found the end zone and Kevin Perez added the extra point to make it 20-7.

New Egypt could not gain a first down on the next series and was forced to punt. Suddenly, the Warriors’ one time three-score lead did not seem so secure.

Runs by Valle and Mraz plus a 16-yard catch by Young moved the ball down to the New Egypt 13-yard line, but on second and seven, Valle’s pass to the end zone was picked off by Novatkowski to end the threat with 4:34 on the clock.

After nine carries in the first half, Burgos had just two in the second half leading up to the final drive. That was all part of the plan to keep he and Novatkowski as fresh as possible, and the decision paid off.

Looking to close out the game on the ground, Burgos had carries of 9, 19 and 7 yards before breaking off a 53-yard touchdown run that put the finishing touches on a historic victory.

 

Lucas Burgos rips off a 53-yard touchdown to put an exclamation point on a stellar debut for @NE_HSFootball.

Warriors lead 27-7 with 2:22 left. Burgos up to 141 yards rushing. pic.twitter.com/RjAyzmL5JN

— Bob Badders (@Bob_Badders) September 6, 2024

We have three good backs,” Fence said. “Alan Arce is a guy who came out last year as a junior. We didn’t really focus on him tonight, but we will. Eddie and Lucas gave us a great 1-2 punch and in Group 1 football where everyone is playing everywhere, to be able to alternate them and give them a break, I think in the fourth quarter that made a huge difference.”

“Maybe last year this is a game we have trouble with in the fourth quarter, but this year we continued to play,” Fence said. “I’m just so proud of the guys and proud of my coaches.”

Fence’s 36 career wins at New Egypt surpasses the previous total of 35 held by former head coach and the current Superintendent of Brick Township Public Schools, Tom Farrell.

 

What’s next for both teams?

New Egypt will travel east to face Asbury Park in Week 2 while Keansburg will host Neptune on Saturday in Week 2. The Warriors will move on to the game plan for the Blue Bishops on Monday. For now, they’re going to enjoy this one.

“All week we were excited about this game, excited about moving to the Shore Conference,” Burgos said. “This is a small town. New Egypt is all about what happens on this field and whatever we do can translate to the town. We wanted this win.”

 

 

Box Score

New Egypt 27, Keansburg 7

 

	Keansburg	New Egypt
First downs	6	13
Rushes-yards	17-43	40-215
Passing	6-12-2	4-14-0
Passing yards	77	53
Fumbles-lost	2-2	1-1
Penalties-yards	6-31	7-47

 

	1	2	3	4	F
Keansburg (0-1, 0-1)	0	0	0	7	7
New Egypt (1-0, 1-0)	3	7	10	7	27

 

Scoring Summary

NE – Tommy Merlucci 30-yard field goal

NE – Eddie Novatkowski 5-yard run (Tommy Merlucci kick)

NE – Safety, Stephen Meleg tackles quarterback in end zone

NE – Clyde Ferris 29-yard pass from Caleb Kowaleski (Caleb Kowaleski run)

K – Milan Mraz 2-yard run (Kevin Perez kick)

NE – Lucas Burgos 53-yard run (Tommy Merlucci kick)

 

Individual Statistics

RUSHING — K: James Valle 7-20, Milan Mraz 7-14, Zion Cooper 3-9; NE: Lucas Burgos 15-141, Eddie Novatkowski 23-70, Alan Arce 1-6, Caleb Kowaleski 1-(-2).

PASSING — K: James Valle 6-12-2, 77; NE: Caleb Kowaleski 4-14-0, 53.

RECEIVING — K: A’son Young 3-57, Ja’Zier Wynn 1-29, Nick Pisano 1-(-4), Zion Cooper 1-(-5); NE: Clyde Ferris 2-43, Evan Goldberg 2-15.

INTERCEPTIONS — N: Stephen Meleg 1-0, Eddie Novatkowski 1-0.