Miscues costly for Cresskill in 10-6 loss to Becton

Miscues costly for Cresskill in 10-6 loss to Becton

Trailing 3-0 with a minute and half to go in the 1^st to Becton(4-1) at Arch Shaw Field on a foggy and misty Friday night, the Cresskill Cougars(3-2) were lining up for potential tying field goal on 4^th and 3 at the 2-yard line but in a flash Wildcats senior defensive back Gianni Failla made a huge defensive play came barreling through to block the kick. Sophomore linebacker Nico Failla scooped up the loose ball and darted down the left sideline to the Cresskill 33-yard line. Two plays later Sophomore QB Michael Boswell delivered a pass to a right corner of the end zone that incredibly deflected off a Cougars player into the hands of junior wide receiver Seven Strong for a 23-yard touchdown making it 10-0 with 1:05 left in the 1^st half.

“Great timing by Nico and in the right place at the right time” said Becton Wildcats Head Coach Jackie Maher” “The kids work hard during the week and are rewarded for that” added Maher.

Starting out at their own 37-yard with 59 seconds remaining, Cresskill moved the ball downfield as senior running back Brendan Coffey ripped off runs of eight and four yards. Junior quarterback Jack Maltby completed a 10-yard pass to junior wide receiver Thomas Garzino advancing the ball to the Cougars 49-yard line. A pass from Maltby intended for senior wide receiver Chris Riley was incomplete but a personal foul penalty was assessed against Becton for a late hit that kept the drive moving. After a false start set Cresskill back 5 yards, Maltby hooked up with Garzinzo on a 14-yard pass play and 8-yard pass to junior wide receiver John Connelly. However, with 2.1 seconds left Maltby’s pass to junior wide receiver Shane Fedorov in the end zone fell incomplete ending the half.

Becton received the 2^nd half kickoff and proceeded to chew up over 5 minutes of the clock. The Cougars defense held forcing the Wildcats to punt. With 6:33 remaining left at the 35-yard line, Coffey went back to work gaining 24 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, Maltby found his favorite target in Garzino for 15 more yards through the air. On 3^rd and 8 from the Becton 14-yard line, Maltby’s pass to Connelly in the end zone was incomplete but the Wildcats were signaled for a rougher the passer penalty giving Cresskill first and goal from the six-yard line. Maltby displayed creativity faking the handoff to Coffey and sneaked in for the score. Becton blocked the extra-point to make it 10-6 with 1:27 left in the 3^rd quarter.

“They made us earn everything as we moved the ball and then we would have a mistake and penalty,” said Cresskill Cougars Head Coach Kevin Quinn. “We’re doing too many things right now to hurt ourselves” added Quinn.

With four minutes remaining in the game the Cougars caught a major break as Wildcats sophomore running back Anthony Thomas fumbled the ball with John Connelly recovering the ball at the Cresskill 46-yard line. Brendan Coffey gained four yard on 1^st down but Becton’s defense tightened up forcing Maltby into two straight incomplete passes. The Cougars decided to go for it on 4^th and 6 at their own 42-yard line and Wildcats senior defensive lineman who came into the game leading the team in sacks registered his 6^th of the season ending the Cresskill drive. Gianni Failla salted the game away with a 6-yard run on 3^rd and 2 from the Cougars 37-yard line with 2:14 left.

“Gianni Failla is a quality tailback who knows how to run the football, stretch for the extra yard and cover up the ball with two hands” said Jackie Maher. “Our guys showed up to play tonight and we were able to get a push on defense” added Maher.

The Wildcats were able to string together a 16 play drive in the second quarter taking almost 6:58 of the clock that resulted in a 25-yard field goal by senior James Loremikan giving Becton a 3-0 lead. “The seven minute drive to keep the ball out of their hands and a quality possession to come out with three points was phenomenal” said Jackie Maher. “Our kicker James Loremikan is from London and that was his first added American field goal,” added Maher.

Cresskill was off and running from the opening kickoff as Coffey made an immediate impact carrying the ball the ball five times in the row moving the ball to the 47-yard line. A personal foul on Becton advanced the ball to the Wildcats 35-yard line. However, an illegal procedure penalty and sack by Loremikan pushed the Cougars back to their 43. On 3^rd and 18, Coffey managed to get some the yards back busting through for a 15-yard gain. On 4^th and 6 at the 31, Coffey was just stopped short of the 1^st down marker ending the drive. Coffey rushed the ball 27 times for 147 yards but Becton’s stingy defense kept him out of the end zone.

“They’re a good team and played better than us tonight” said Kevin Quinn. “Defensively we played great tonight by holding them to 10 points and we got stops when he had to” added Quinn. “You look at their scores, a field goal and on a blocked field goal that sets up good field position where a throw bounces off our guy into their guy’s hands” “Call it bad luck or good execution on their part but we’re pulling ourselves into holes and having a hard time fighting out of it”