The Alternative Press

UNION, NJ – Nobody expected it to go down like this.

The truth of the matter was that somebody’s winning streak was going to end no matter what. The Madison Dodgers and Summit Hilltoppers took to the field at Kean University’s Alumni Field with identical 11-0 records on the season. Both teams have seen long winning streaks in recent years, though Madison’s was at 24 straight entering Friday night’s NJSIAA/Sports Concussion Center of New Jersey North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 championship game, a streak that ironically started after a loss to Summit in the 2009 playoffs as the Hilltoppers were on their way to their own state championship.

The two former Suburban Conference rivals made the short trip to Kean University and their fans followed by the thousands. On both sides of the field the stands were packed. In a strange twist – since Madison and Summit share nearly identical team colors – everyone in the stadium was dressed as if they were rooting for the same team. It was clear from the seating arrangements and the cheers that echoed off the grandstands which side was cheering for what team. As cars packed every conceivable lot and borderline parking space for seemingly miles around the stadium, traffic backed up Morris Avenue all the way to the exit off the Garden State Parkway. For anyone unaware of the drawing power of high school football on their way to a dinner reservation in the area, they were certainly late and most likely confused by the epic mass of human beings and vehicles.

In other words, this was a huge game.

The atmosphere was electric and the temperature began to steadily drop once the game kicked off. Summit started out well enough and drove to the Madison 27 yard line before settling for a 44-yard Mike Badgley field goal attempt once the offense sputtered. In a perhaps ominous sign for the Hilltoppers, Badgley’s kick – though it had plenty of leg – sailed wide to the left. Though it seems outrageous to believe that even an above-average high school kicker should be better than 35 percent accurate on that kick, Badley has established himself as one of the top kickers in all of New Jersey over the last two seasons. Badgley himself looked more surprised than upset that he had missed the field goal attempt and missed a chance at putting early points on the board for Summit because the kick would have easily been good from nearly 50 yards out.

Summit’s defense held Madison to a three-and-out on the Dodgers’ first possession, limiting star back Justin Goodwin to just one yard on two carries. However, Summit would make their first of several mistakes on the night on their next offensive series. Quarterback Ryan Bringewatt threw a very questionable pass that was intercepted by Goodwin and returned all the way to the Summit 36. The next play would be the beginning of the end of Summit’s magnificent season and would prove once and for all that Justin Goodwin is far and away the best player in Group 2, North 2 and also hands-down one of the best players in the state.

Goodwin is a feared weapon in Madison’s backfield. Dodgers’ head coach Chris Cubik has a multi-weapon running game in Goodwin, quarterback Carson Lassiter and fullback Shone Register, yet there is only one Justin Goodwin. Not only did he break Madison’s all-time record for points scored in a season with his 34^th touchdown of the year after scoring twice on the ground against Summit, he followed his interception with a dazzling 31-yard touchdown pass to Joe Penney-Hadewycz on the very next play to give Madison and early 6-0 lead. The Dodgers failed to convert the PAT, but it would turn out to be an unneeded point on a night when Madison scored a bunch of them.

Things began to fall apart for the Hilltoppers in the second quarter after a series of uncharacteristic mistakes coupled with strong offensive and defensive play by the Dodgers. Though Madison played a game on Thanksgiving – their annual drubbing of Millburn – Summit head coach John Liberato said before the game that it wouldn’t matter in the least and that both teams would be more than ready come game day.

“You know, they played a game over Thanksgiving, we’ve had some time off,” Liberato said. “It won’t matter, both teams will be ready for this one. You can paint it however you like, they played, we didn’t, they had no time off, we had time off. It won’t mean anything come game time.”

Liberato was certainly correct in stating that the Dodgers would be ready at the opening bell, but Summit wasn’t its usual crisp self on offense all game long. Though they had the equivalent of a bye week to prepare for Madison, the Hilltoppers – and Bringewatt especially – could find no rhythm against a relentless Madison defense.

The second quarter was easily the turning point of the game. Madison ripped off 27 points to Summit’s seven and held an insurmountable 33-7 lead at the half. Goodwin ripped off a 20-yard TD run after taking a toss to the left on the first play of the second quarter. The Dodgers tried a two-point conversion, but the attempt was stuffed by the Summit defense and Madison led, 12-0 early in the second quarter.

After another quick offensive series with little progress, Summit was backed up and forced to punt from its own end zone. Goodwin called for a fair catch at the Summit 45 – excellent starting field position for any team, let alone one of Madison’s caliber offensively – and just a few plays later following another 20-plus yard run by Goodwin to the Summit 1, fullback Shone Register plunged in from that distance and the Dodgers went up, 19-0.

The Hilltoppers responded with the best drive of the night, a lightning fast five play, 75-yard march right through the heart of the Madison defense that culminated in Kyr’e Negron punching it into the endzone from 3 yards out. Badgley tacked on the extra point and the Hilltoppers looked as though they had found a bit of life and trailed by one 12 points with 6:26 left in the half.

Just like that, however, the game slipped away. The mistake didn’t seem like a major one, in fact it was the right coaching move. With Goodwin standing deep to return the kickoff, Liberato called for Badgley to squib kick to the front line of the Madison return team to keep the ball out of Goodwin’s hands and thus negating the chance for a big return. Badgley executed the squib kick perfectly, but Layton Lassiter snatched it up and returned it 35 yards to the Summit 25 yard line. It was a fatal blow, just as the Hilltoppers had managed to claw their way back into the game. Instead of allowing their defense plenty of room behind them to operate and have the chance to keep Madison on their own side of midfield, Lassiter’s return gave the Dodgers prime field position. The play seemed to suck the wind out of the Summit stands and sideline all at once. Five plays later, Lassiter’s twin brother – quarterback Carson – scored from three yards out to give the Dodgers a 26-7 lead with 4:16 still left in the half.

On their next offensive possession, Summit was again held to a three-and-out. At some point during the first half, Bringewatt endured a knee injury but gutted it out and impressively played through what had to be a fair amount of pain. The Madison defensive front was in the Summit quarterback’s face all night and sacked him five times, knocked down four passes and generally made life miserable with relentless, consistent pressure.

After Negron’s punt was partially blocked, Madison again took over with great field position – this time on its own 44-yard line. By this point of the first half, the Summit defense was completely gassed. Not even fresh, rested defenses can keep up with Goodwin and Co., but near the end of the first half, it was clear that the Summit defense had been forced to play far too much in the game’s opening half. The Hilltoppers were missing tackles that they would normally have made. They were just a step behind or a step off in the wrong direction, each of those lost steps could have meant the difference between a play blown up in the backfield or a positive gain for Madison. With just 25 seconds left in the first half, Goodwin punched in his second rushing touchdown of the half and Madison led, 33-7.

The Dodgers added two more touchdowns in the second half, but they were ultimately meaningless as Summit could not sustain their offensive drives. The Hilltoppers gave a valiant effort – as one would well expect from a team coached by John Liberato – but it wasn’t enough to keep the chains moving or get into the endzone. Early in the 3^rd quarter, Badgley made an unbelievable catch on a long pass by Bringewatt. It was the type of play that sparks a team and though it put Summit inside the Madison 10 for the first time since the Hilltoppers’ touchdown drive in the first half, Bringewattt threw four straight incomplete passes and Summit was forced to surrender the ball on downs, something that happened every time they touched the ball in the second half.

As the clock wound down and the stands emptied on the Summit side of the field, fans whooped it up and celebrated on the Madison side. While Liberato stood stone-faced watching the final few minutes of the game, Cubik was being Gatorade-showered by his players. When the clock hit triple zeroes, Liberato ran to the center of the field and fought his way through a gaggle of reporters and TV cameramen and several players and coaches who were lining up for the post-game handshake and embraced and congratulated Cubik. Two years earlier, it had been Liberato on that side of the handshake.

Very few people know – unless they’ve played in a similar game and experienced a similar outcome – how Liberato and his players feel today. Just a day after such a heart-breaking loss is no time to celebrate anything, let alone reflect on your season and be happy about it. Yet that is just what Coach Liberato and his players – when they feel ready and up to it, of course – should do. They should all sit down in the film room and relive all the wonderful moments of the 11 wins they racked up during what was truly a memorable 2011 season.

Congratulations to the Madison Dodgers on their second consecutive NJSIAA/Sports Concussion Center of New Jersey North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 championship. Congratulations to Coach Cubik and game MVP Justin Goodwin. Congratulations also to Madison High School and all the Dodgers’ fans who made the journey out to Kean to watch their team win a perfectly planned game and executed contest.

Congratulations, too to the Summit Hilltoppers. Though the pain of Friday night’s defeat is fresh and right now, it stings worse than anything these players have ever experienced on the field of play in their young lives, their coach, the man who leads them, knows the way back. He knows it and he will allow the returning players time to heal, time to get over this loss. He will congratulate and applaud his seniors for all that they accomplished, he will remind them that they went 11-1 and lost to one of the best, if not the best teams in the state. He will remind them to remember the positive things they did, how they won as a team.

And rest assured, he will lead them back.