Dayton Defeats Bound Brook

It was a wet, overcast Halloween afternoon when the Jonathan Dayton High School Bulldogs defeated the Bound Brook Crusaders at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Stadium, 20-7.

Dayton took the lead early and never lost it. A strong return on the opening kickoff and a couple of fierce runs by senior running back Kevin O’Connor drove the Bulldogs into Crusader territory. Quarterback John Hoehn capped off the dominant first drive with a rushing touchdown after being hit around the 5 yard line, dragging Crusader defenders into the end zone. After a botched PAT, the score was 6-0 Dayton.

The Bulldog defense came out strong as well, easily stopping the Crusaders’ first drive. The Crusaders answered with an impressive defensive series of their own, allowing the Bulldogs only 3 plays before they were forced to punt. The first quarter ended with the Bulldogs in the lead 6-0.

It appeared as if the Bulldogs were going to start the second quarter as they had the first, with an early touchdown, but Crusader defensive back  Marcus Wheaton anticipated what might have been a touchdown pass perfectly, intercepting the ball in the end zone to keep the Bulldog lead at 6.

The Crusaders offense continued to struggle. A sack by Bulldog defensive lineman Kareem Jackson for a loss of 11 effectively ended the Crusaders first possession of the second quarter, giving the Bulldogs another opportunity.

The Bulldogs capitalized on their next drive. After quickly fighting their way into Crusader territory, Hoehn connected with lightning fast freshman Anthony Cioffi for a 27 yard touchdown reception. A successful extra point by Max Kotler improved the Bulldog lead to 13 with 4:21 remaining in the half.

The Crusaders remained scoreless through the rest of the second quarter. As the halftime whistles blew, the Bulldogs entered the locker room with both the 13-0 score in their favor and the momentum of the game on their side.

The third quarter started with a few unsuccessful drives by both teams. Hoehn, playing both ways as quarterback and defensive back proved to be effective on both sides of the ball, picking off a Bound Brook pass to give Dayton the ball on the Crusader 13 yard line with 5:36 remaining in the third quarter.

Dayton looked poised to strike again. Back to back runs by O’Connor and Hoehn gave the Bulldogs the ball on the 3 yard line for a first and goal, but the Crusaders defense pushed the Bulldogs back to the 21. A long fourth and goal passing attempt was thwarted by good coverage and pressure from the Crusader defense, ending what had looked like a promising possession for the Bulldogs.

Another sack by Kareem Jackson left the Crusaders offense desperate. The third quarter ended with the Bulldogs still holding their 13-0 lead. A fake punt by Bound Brook was fumbled and recovered by Dayton lineman John Wortman on the Crusader 26 with 8:50 remaining in the game. Another touchdown by Hoehn on a QB keeper and another successful PAT from Kotler earned Dayton a 20-0 lead with time running out for Bound Brook.

A 13 yard touchdown reception by senior Crusader wide receiver Matt Smith proved to be too little too late.

Dayton improved to 7-1 and will face rival David Brearley High School on Saturday for the conference championship. The Bulldogs have already clinched a spot in the playoffs.

Hoehn looked tired coming off the field after the game, but when asked about facing Brearley he looked confident and said “We need to have a big week in practice to compete.”

Coach Joe Goerge summed up the Bulldog’s season so far: “These kids have played tremendously…I give credit to the whole team, but especially to these 10 seniors. They are the heart and soul of this team.”

The Bulldogs take on David Brearley High School this Saturday at 2 pm. Check here for coverage.