Colts Neck football stuns Jackson Memorial as 'workhorse' scores with :02 left
JACKSON – With the score tied and 1:17 left on a night when yards were hard to come by, the game seemed destined for overtime.
Chris Scully had other ideas.
The Colts Neck High School junior led a seven-play, 65-yard drive -- all runs -- and scored a touchdown with two seconds left as the Cougars stunned No. 8 Jackson Memorial 15-7 Friday.
Colts Neck head coach Matt Ahearn showed so much faith in the bulldozing Scully that he didn’t call a pass play and didn’t send out the field-goal unit. Everyone in the stadium knew what was coming, and yet Scully finished the decisive march with runs of 10, 22 and 2 yards.
“That’s a lot of trust in me and a lot of trust in our line,” Scully said. “Everyone else maybe thought we were going to overtime. I knew we weren’t.”
Scully finished with 121 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries and three catches for 32 yards as Colts Neck improved to 2-1.
“He’s a workhorse,” Ahearn said. “He’s tough to tackle, always got his legs churning. He did a very good job but it’s easier when people up front are doing what they’re supposed to do.”
After a scoreless first three quarters, Colts Neck’s line wore the Jaguars down over the final 12 minutes.
“We don’t get tired,” Scully said. “We just drove them off the ball.”
Jackson Memorial fell to 2-1. This was the first-ever meeting between these programs.
‘Defense played unbelievable’
Scully opened the scoring on a 4th-and-1 plunge across the goal line with 9:26 left in the fourth.
“Guys kept persevering, knowing eventually something’s going to come,” Ahearn said. “That’s football.”
Jackson Memorial punched back with a 13-play drive capped by a 3-yard touchdown run by Aidan Sweeney. Sweeney paced the Jaguars with 80 rushing yards. Quarterback Tai Mann ran for 47 yards and threw for 103.
All told, Colts Neck’s defense allowed just 3.6 yards per rush. The Cougars pressured Mann constantly, recording three sacks and turning numerous pass plays into short runs.
“Our defense played unbelievable,” Ahearn said. “Their quarterback is a very good player.”
Colts Neck’s quarterback, Dom Beninato, managed 55 rushing yards and 48 passing yards. He rushed for 21 yards on the game-winning drive.
“A lot of grit, a lot of heart on this team,” Scully said. “A lot of heart up front. That was real special.”
Up Next
Colts Neck plays host to Freehold Township (2-2) Saturday. The Patriots are coming off a 26-13 win over Howell.
Jackson Memorial plays host to winless Freehold Borough Friday night.
Colts Neck (2-1) 0-0-0-15---15
Jackson Memorial (2-0) 0-0-0-7---7
Fourth Quarter
CN: Chris Scully 1 run (Aidan Manasso kick)
JM: Aidan Sweeney 3 run (Alexey Tselichtev kick)
CN: Chris Scully 2 run (Lefkowitz run)
Individual Statistics
Rushing: CN: Chris Scully 24-121, Dom Beninato 9-55; JM: Tai Mann 19-47, Aidan Sweeney 16-80.
Passing: CN: Dom Beninato 7-9-1-48; JM: Tai Mann 11-14-0-103.
Receiving: CN Chris Scully 3-32, Matt Celli 2-16, Will Surdez 1-4, Aidan Manasso 1-6; JM: Albert D’Alessandro 4-31, Shaun Hubbard 4-45, Frank Castellano 1-12, Mike Cipriano 1-6, Jaiden Hernandez 1-9.
Interceptions: JM: Albert D’Alessandro.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Colts Neck high school football beats Jackson Memorial late