This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Summit Spooks North Plainfield 48-21

Hilltoppers Football Team Remains Unbeaten at 8-0

SUMMIT – The undefeated Hilltoppers took the field on Saturday against an unfamiliar, non-conference opponent, the North Plainfield Canucks. With the game eerily falling on Halloween, some wondered if it might be a scary day on the field for one of the state’s top teams.

Summit is enjoying a stellar 2009 season; the Hilltoppers entered Saturday’s game with a 7-0 record. They have shown tremendous ability, both offensively and defensively, scoring more than 40 points in 6 of their 7 previous games, and holding opponents to just a handful of points per game.

North Plainfield entered the game with a 2-4 record on the season.

Find out what's happening in Summitwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As the whistled sounded, the Hilltoppers looked anything but afraid. The powerhouse team seemed confident, poised, and prepared.

Summit started off red hot and never looked back. After just two minutes of play, Hilltoppers quarterback Joe Jaskolski threw a well-placed pass to senior Shawn Hillas, who then sprinted 40 yards for Summit’s first touchdown of the game. Kicker Alex Melendez converted the extra point for a 7-0 Summit lead.

Find out what's happening in Summitwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

After the score, Summit revealed their strategy: force turnovers. Instead of kicking the ball down field, the Hilltoppers attempted an onside kick. It worked, as North Plainfield special teams fumbled the wobbly ball and Summit regained possession.

As if it were an instant replay, Jaskolski again placed a perfect pass in the hands of Hillas for a 24-yard gain. Dwaine Dabney completed the drive with a 17-yard run into the end zone. Summit now led 14-0 with 8 minutes remaining in the first quarter.

The Hilltoppers stuck with their strategy and tested North Plainfield with another onside kick. The Canucks were again unable to hold onto the ball, and Summit recovered. Jaskolski then connected on a beautiful 32-yard pass to Marcel Godino for Summit’s third touchdown in less than 7 minutes. The score was now Summit 21, North Plainfield 0.

On the following play, the Hilltoppers recovered a third consecutive North Plainfield onside kick bobble. Just 14 seconds after their last touchdown, Dwaine Dabney ran 25 yards to make it 28-0 with 5:32 left in the first quarter.

North Plainfield’s quarterback, Erich Fredericks, had yet to take a snap.

“We wanted to set the tone, start strong,” said Summit head coach John Liberato. “We forced some early turnovers, and that gave us the momentum we needed for the rest of the game.”

On Summit’s fourth onside kick, however, North Plainfield held onto the ball. The Canucks maintained possession for the remainder of the first quarter, but were unable to score.

Despite the early lead, Summit refused to let up. With 3:58 left in the first half, Jaskolski hit Godino for another long TD pass. The first half ended with Summit leading 35-0.

On the opening play of the second half, we learned why Summit chose onside kicks when Canuck junior Vincent Green put North Plainfield on the scoreboard with an 85-yard kickoff return. The Canucks were unable to convert the extra point, making the score 35-6 with 11:45 left in the third quarter.

Summit responded, and responded convincingly. Senior Matt Rea broke several tackles for a 43-yard run, down to the 6 yard line. Rea completed the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run. Summit was unable to convert the extra point, making the score 41-6.

On the first play of North Plainfield’s next possession, Summit defender Jake Hall read the Canucks’ pass and made an interception. Dwaine Dabney scored his third touchdown of the game just seconds later with a 24-yard run. With 7:20 left in the third quarter, Summit was ahead 48-6.

To their credit, North Plainfield kept fighting. With five minutes remaining in the game, Mario Herrera sprinted downfield for a 53-yard touchdown run. The Canucks converted the two-point conversion with a pitch to Vincent Green. Summit’s lead was cut to 48-14.

Now, with more confidence on their side, the Canucks took a page out of Summit’s playbook and attempted an onside kick. The play was successful, as Summit fumbled the ball and North Plainfield recovered on their 48 yard line. After a few gains, Victor Smith ran for a touchdown with one minute remaining. The final score was 48-21, Summit. 

“We followed our game plan. We hustled, distributed the ball, and made some big plays,” said Liberato.

With the win, Summit can add another 40+ point game to their record book, as well as another convincing victory.

For their last regular season game, the Hilltoppers face Pingry School next Saturday, November 7th, at Metro Homes Field in Summit. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?