By ANDY MENDLOWITZ
CoachesAid.com New Jersey Content Coordinator
HIGHLAND PARK—Brandon Ford didn’t know what the big deal was.
He just drilled a 22-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining to give Monmouth Regional a 23-20 win Friday over Highland Park.
So what?
“It’s basically an extra point,” he said with a shrug. “Yeah, you feel pressure but you just got to relax, you know, it’s like practice. We went over that like 100 times in practice.”
It was more painful to Highland Park and its star. As Monmouth celebrated and quickly boarded the bus, Superman wasn’t in the best of moods. But Nate Smith, aka Superman, strolled over for an interview, looking as if he just tasted a kryptonite cappuccino. Highland Park’s rally from a 20-0 deficit late in the third quarter to tie the contest wasn’t enough.
What could you say?
“We just kept fighting,” said the Highland Park senior in the locker room, sporting the Superman T-shirt he wears under his maroon No. 4 jersey. “We try to get that W but we fell short. But it’s OK, though, we’re coming back strong next week. … What I told the team was, ‘Yo we got this. Just follow me. We got this.’ Put them on my back and we took it. We just came short, though.”
Even in defeat, the legend of Nate Smith and Highland Park (3-2) grew a little. Smith’s folklore status has multiplied each week in his first season as a feature back. He entered Friday with 1,020 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in four games. His CV includes a 367 yard rushing performance and five TDs two weeks ago in a 44-21 win against Middlesex. Last week in a 41-28 win over Metuchen, Smith—who is the brother of former Highland Park star and current Baltimore Raven L.J. Smith—rambled for 341 yards and two scores, brought back a kickoff 99 yards for a score, tossed a 28-yard option pass and also had an interception return for a TD.
Highland Park star Nate Smith after the game
Friday in the first half, a relentless Monmouth defense slowed Smith (27 rushing yards on 10 carries) and the Owls offense. Monmouth’s lead expanded to 20-0 with 4:30 left in the third quarter. So, Highland Park coach Rich McGlynn inserted Smith in at quarterback for a last shot of adrenaline to his team.
The 6-foot, 225-pound Smith responded with three touchdown passes, often while scrambling out of the shotgun and sidestepping defenders. He went 5-of-5 for 119 yards as Highland Park tied it at 20-20 with 6:48 left. He finished with a block punt, an interception on a Monmouth two-point conversion attempt, a two-point conversion in which he dived over the defender and several “Wows.”
“The kid does it all,” Monmouth coach Monmouth coach Sal Spampanato said. “His nickname is Superman for a reason and he played a hell of game, but I’m so proud of our boys. ... I gotta give it to my coaching staff. We put in a lot of hours, burning the midnight oil trying to stop Nate Smith. He had some numbers that was off the charts. Our kids believed in what we were doing.”
Fans from around the state might be checking the box score to read about Smith. However, the game was filled with several great individual performances. Highland Park’s David Webb had three interceptions and caught a touchdown pass. Monmouth’s Maurice Dickerson had two interceptions and Devonte Thomas scored two TD’s off a pass and catch.
The game was a crossover matchup between Greater Middlesex Conference Group 1 Highland Park (280 students by the NJSIAA’s enrollment) and Shore Conference Group 2 Monmouth (815 according to the NJSIAA).
“I thought just physical size wise we were the bigger team, but they’re so athletic,” Spampanato said. “They got a lot of athletes we were worried about.”
The bigger boys took a 7-0 lead into halftime off a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback A.J. Visconti and Ford’s extra point with 5:25 left in the first quarter. Thomas set up the score with an 85-yard run down the left sideline.
The Falcons added two touchdowns in the third quarter. After a Dickerson interception, Monmouth went seven plays, capped by a 9-yard touchdown catch from Visconti to Thomas for a 13-0 lead with 8:36 left in the quarter.
On Highland Park’s possession, Brandon Ford blocked the punt giving Monmouth possession on the Owls’ 24-yard line. Thomas had a10-yard run, followed by a 14-yard run up the middle into the end zone with 4:30 left. Ford’s PAT made it 20-0.
Highland Park’s offense, which averaged 33 ppg, was getting shut down.
“We have a pretty strong defense,” Falcons defensive end Fernando Salazar said. “The base was just working wonderful. I was concerned. He’s a real good player. Everyone knows that. But we did our thing.”
Fireworks were heard in the background during portions of the game. On the field, Highland Park soon had some of their own fireworks.
Smith entered at quarterback and he completed a 54-yard pass to Webb, who was stopped on the 1-yard line. Smith then completed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Quawi Bachelor, in which he scrambled to his right, deftly avoiding a would-be a sacker. Smith then dove head-first over a defender on the two-point conversion run to cut the deficit to 20-8 with 3:49 left in the third quarter.
After Webb’s third interception, Highland Park scored on a 31-yard pass from a scrambling Smith to Mike McClain, who made a great catch in front of the defender in the end zone to cut the lead to 20-14 with 11:07 remaining.
The Owls forced a punt and took over on their own 44-yard line. Smith had three runs for 30 yards to move the ball. He later connected with Webb on a 15-yard touchdown catch with 6:48 left to tie the game at 20.
“There’s a testament to our kids,” McGlynn said. “I mean most teams would have cracked. We’re down 20-0 with 4 minutes to go in the third quarter. And we make a comeback and give ourselves the opportunity to win the game in dramatic fashion. As it was, they stuck to their game plan and they were able to put a drive together in the end and win. So that’s a testament to them, they’re a good football team.”
The winning drive took 11 plays and lasted nearly 6 minutes, keyed by a 27-yard pass from Visconti to Justin Ruiz. Ford calmly kicked the 22-yard field goal with 33 seconds left. Highland Park couldn’t get one more dramatic play off.
Unlike the comics, there was no happy ending for the super hero.
“I honestly felt we were going to win that game,” McGlynn said. “We started coming back. And once we put that second score on I could see it in my kid’s eyes, it was there. I said we’re going to win this game. I just had that feeling that they’re not going to stop us. And they put that drive together. I would have never thought they would have put that drive together there. Our kids had momentum. It’s a testament to their kids. They almost had victory taken from them and they found a way to win.”
andymendlowitz@coachesaid.com
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