Spanola’s huge night helps No. 4 Point Boro hold off No. 5 Brick Memorial in Class A South thriller

BRICK TOWNSHIP —If there is one thing the Point Boro football program has learned over the past handful of seasons it’s that a dominant regular season with limited adversity is not the ideal recipe for postseason success. So when the Panthers found out they would be aligned in the Class A South division this season they welcomed the change with open arms.

“You can look at two years ago when all the teams we played in the regular season we beat 40-0. We faced no adversity,” senior linebacker/slotback Colin Obser said. “Now, we’re facing it every week. Being down or being in tight games teaches us to trust each other and build off it.”

“Some teams have to wait three or four weeks to get a big game,” Point Boro head coach Brian Staub said. “You can go almost every single week in Class A South and it’s a top-5 showdown.”

Friday night’s division contest versus Brick Memorial was another example of a challenging opponent, the Panthers’ fifth ranked team they’ve faced in six Shore Conference games so far this season. With some timely plays on defense, explosive runs and key third-down conversions, Point Boro found a way to pick up a gritty road win in a playoff-type atmosphere.

Sophomore slotback Nick Spanola ran for a career-high 147 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries and recovered two fumbles on defense, sophomore kicker Jack Sullivan connected on two clutch field goals and the Panthers, ranked No. 4 in the Shore Sports Insider Top 12, held off a fourth-quarter charge to defeat No. 5 Brick Memorial, 27-24, in a thrilling Shore Conference Class A South game on Friday night at DiFabio Field.

Spanola scored on runs of 7 and 15 yards when Point Boro (5-2, 3-1) built a 16-3 halftime lead. He added a 70-yard touchdown run in the third quarter as the Panthers grew their advantage to 24-3 and later 27-10. Brick Memorial rallied with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and got the ball back with 1:12 left, but Point Boro’s defense came up with a stop to clinch the victory.

“I’m so proud of my team, we buckled down,” Obser said. “It’s a huge win for us and for power points going into the playoffs.”

“This was big, no doubt,” Staub said. “You just find a way to win.”

 

The third option was the best option for Point Boro

Usually, it’s sophomore quarterback Jake Clayton and senior fullback Dylan Reitmeyer leading the way for Point Boro’s flexbone option offense. Brick Memorial gave those two little to no running room up the middle, so the Panthers looked to the outside to get their offense going. Spanola and Obser both had big runs on the edge, but it was Spanola who took over the game to help lead the Panthers to a double-digit lead. He took the first carry of the game for 22 yards on a toss, ran for 11 yards on his next carry and then scored on a 7-yard run when Point Boro marched 72 yards in eight plays to take a 6-0 lead on the game’s opening possession after the extra point was blocked.

Brick Memorial responded by moving inside the Point Boro 10-yard line but had to settle for a 28-yard field goal by sophomore Jack Marotta. Point Boro went back to work on offense from its own 30-yard line and drove to the Brick Memorial 33, but the Mustangs stopped the Panthers on downs to take over possession with 7:15 left in the first half. Brick Memorial was on the move at the Point Boro 29-yard line after a 16-yard catch by junior wideout Nyzier Matthews and a 15-yard run by junior running back Nazeer Whittaker, but the Panthers came up with a sudden change when the Mustangs fumbled at the mesh point and Spanola pounced on the loose ball at the 31-yard line.

From there, Point Boro went 69 yards in nine plays to take a 13-3 lead. Clayton converted a third-and-8 with a tough 8-yard run, and later on the drive made a great throw on the run to find junior fullback Calvin Videon-Perino for a 25-yard gain on third-and-9. The third-down conversion put the ball at the Brick Memorial 32-yard line, and after a 16-yard run by Spanola and a short gain by Clayton, Spanola took another toss and beat Brick Memorial’s defense to the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown.

“It was really the true meaning of the triple option,” Staub said. “Option 1, fullback: not there. Option 2, quarterback: not there. Option 3, get the ball on the outside: it was there. We had great perimeter blocking – our athletic tackles getting out there and Colin Obser is the best blocking slotback we’ve ever had – and Nick Spanola is a phenomenal athlete who can take it the distance any time.”

Point Boro took advantage of another Brick Memorial fumble on the first play of the ensuing possession. Again it was Spanola coming up with the recovery at the Brick Memorial 42-yard line with just 13 seconds left in the first half. The Panthers went a few pages deep in the playbook and called a reverse that senior Jacob Reitmeyer ran for a 32-yard gain down to the Brick Memorial 10-yard line. That set up Sullivan for a 25-yard field goal as time expired to give the Panthers a 16-3 halftime cushion.

 

Panthers strike quick to add to their lead

Brick Memorial received the kickoff to begin the third quarter but the Point Boro kick coverage team stopped the Mustangs deep in their own territory at the 6-yard line. That led to an odd play on second down that resulted in a safety and an 18-3 Point Boro lead. Obser pressured Brick Memorial junior quarterback Jason Lajara at the 1-yard line, and as Lajara tried to throw the ball away he was spun around by Obser and the ball went backward out of the end zone for a safety.

A booming safety punt pinned Point Boro at its own 17-yard line but it turned out to only provide more yards for the Panthers to eat up with their ground game. After Dylan Reitmeyer gained a first down with a 5-yard gain on third-and-2, Spanola took another toss to the right side and picked up key blocks on his way to a 70-yard touchdown run that gave the Panthers a commanding 24-3 lead with 9:20 left in the third quarter.

“We knew the safety was coming down and we had Colin Obser blocking in front of me,” Spanola said. “He pushed out the corner and I just had to make one move and I was gone.”

“We knew we couldn’t come out flat in the second half. We knew they were going to come out fired up. I think when it was 16-3 at halftime we knew we had to keep the momentum going.”

“Spanola’s a stud,” Obser said. “People don’t know about him as much but with our offense, everyone gets a touch on the ball. He also had two fumble recovers and should have had a third. He plays consistent every single game.”

 

Brick Memorial strikes back

Down by three touchdowns early in the third quarter Brick Memorial needed a response on their next possession. The Mustangs answered the call with a 7-play, 67-yard scoring drive. Whittaker ran for 13 yards on the first play and sophomore wideout Shawn Fowler had a 22-yard reception later on the drive to move the ball to the Point Boro 18-yard line. Two plays later, Lajara hit Whittaker with a shovel pass for a 13-yard touchdown that pulled the Mustangs within two scores at 27-10.

Point Boro once again went back to work on a long drive, this one spanning 57 yards across 11 plays after Brick Memorial attempted an onside kick. Point Boro had first-and-goal from the 7-yard line after a 15-yard catch by Obser on third-and-11 late in the third quarter, but Brick Memorial pushed the Panthers back to the 18-yard line. Sullivan came out and drilled an important 35-yard field goal to extend his team’s lead to 27-10 with 11:31 left in the game.

With little margin for error down by 17 with under 12 minutes to play, the Mustangs responded quickly to cut Point Boro’s lead to 27-17. Lajara hit senior tight end Matt Hillin for 13 yards and a facemask penalty tacked on moved the ball to the Point Boro 35-yard line. On the next play, Whittaker broke through the first wave of defenders and sprinted to the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown run.

Brick Memorial then forced a three-and-out to get the ball back at its own 41-yard line with 8:11 on the clock. The Mustangs nearly turned it over for a fourth time but were able to recover their own fumble near midfield. A 15-yard catch by Hillin and a 25-yard reception by Whittaker moved the ball to the 2-yard line where Lajara powered in for a touchdown. Marotta added the extra point and Brick Memorial was now within a field goal at 27-24 with 5:20 left in the game.

Point Boro gained only one first down on the next drive but was able to run over four minutes off the clock. They decided to go for it on fourth-and-5 from the Brick Memorial 35-yard line but Clayton’s pass fell incomplete.

Brick Memorial had the ball at its own 35 with 1:12 left and two timeouts at its disposal. Lajara found Ricky Dillon for an 8-yard gain to move the chains on third down, but the drive fizzled out near midfield. Videon-Perino broke up a pass on first down and then chased down Lajara for a quarterback hit that forced an incompletion on third down. Complicating matters for Brick Memorial was that Lajara was hurt on the play and, by rule, had to come out of the game on fourth down. The Mustangs put Matthews at quarterback and tried to hit a desperation pass downfield, but the throw was incomplete and the Panthers hung on for the victory.

 

Notable absences

Brick Memorial standout junior linebacker Trey Tallmadge missed his third straight game but hopes to return in Week 7. The Mustangs were also without senior running back Kevin Andrews, who was seen wearing a walking boot on the sideline. Whittaker was great as his replacement with 120 yards rushing and a touchdown on 15 carries and two catches for 38 yards and a touchdown.

 

The Student vs. the Teacher

Friday was just the second time Brick Memorial and Point Boro have played and the first time since the early 1980s. It was also the first time Staub has faced his alma mater and Brick Memorial head coach Walt Currie since he quarterbacked the Currie-led Mustangs to the 2008 NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 4 sectional championship.

“It was emotional in a good way,” Staub said. “Just so many great memories. Between Walt Currie and Ed Sarluca (now Brick Memorial’s principal), they are probably two of the biggest coaching mentors I’ve had. I’m just so appreciative and thankful.”

 

What’s next for both teams?

Both the Panthers and Mustangs have non-divisional games in Week 7 with Point Boro hosting old Thanksgiving rival Manasquan and Brick Memorial traveling to Detwiler Stadium to take on former Class A South rival Toms River South.

 

Box Score

No. 4 Point Boro 27, No. 5 Brick Memorial 24

 

	Point Boro	Brick Memorial
First downs	17	14
Rushes-yards	46-307	24-127
Passing	2-5-0	10-16-0
Passing yards	40	175
Fumbles-lost	1-0	5-3
Penalties-yards	5-35	2-10

 

	1	2	3	4	F
Point Boro (5-2, 4-1)	6	10	8	3	27
Brick Memorial (5-2, 3-2)	3	0	7	14	24

 

Scoring Summary

PB — Nick Spanola 7-yard run (kick blocked)

BM — Jack Marotta 25-yard field goal

PB — Nick Spanola 15-yard run (Jack Sullivan kick)

PB — Jack Sullivan 28-yard field goal

PB — Safety, Brick Memorial backward pass goes out of the end zone

PB — Nick Spanola 70-yard run (run failed)

BM — Nazeer Whittaker 13-yard pass from Jason Lajara (Jack Marotta kick)

PB — Jack Sullivan 35-yard field goal

BM — Nazeer Whittaker 35-yard run (Jack Marotta kick)

BM — Jason Lajara 2-yard run (Jack Marotta kick)

 

Individual Statistics

RUSHING —PB: Nick Spanola 8-147, Dylan Reitmeyer 16-52, Colin Obser 4-39, Jake Clayton 15-39, Jacob Reitmeyer 2-30, Team 1-0; BM: Nazeer Whittaker 15-120, Jason Lajara 9-7.

PASSING — PB: Jake Clayton 2-5-0, 40; BM: Jason Lajara 10-16-0, 175; Nyzier Matthews 0-1-0, 0.

RECEIVING — PB: Calvin Videon-Perino 1-25, Colin Obser 1-15; BM: Shawn Fowler 3-53, Matt Hillin 3-42, Nazeer Whittaker 2-38, Nyzier Matthews 1-34, Ricky Dillon 1-8.