While most teams would be upset to see rain on the forecast for their game, this Raider football team could not have asked for better conditions. A team that likes to develop plays through the run game, this was their ideal situation. The SPF Raiders football team beat John F. Kennedy Memorial High School 39-0 on Friday night, Oct. 20 at Perry Tyson Field.
Senior quarterback Anthony Romano didn’t let not winning Homecoming King stop him on the second play of the game when he broke two tackles for a 44-yard touchdown run. Raider Nation was overjoyed to see some points on the board which only added to the intense atmosphere.
A successful two-point conversion conducted by running back Callum Fynes put SPF up 8-0 right from the get-go. The defense didn’t disappoint as Shane Hickey and Paul Boyle led the efforts to stop the run up the middle to force a punt.
While the offense put up big numbers, their success would not have come without a lights out defense. A quick slant at the 31-yard line was wrestled away from the Mustang receiver by junior cornerback Cooper Tamase. The Raiders sideline got even more hyped up, something that seemed impossible.
“It’s a great group of kids. They’re all about it. They really care about each other and it’s a great group to coach,” head coach Bobby Swercheck said.
Set up with great field position, Don Bosco transfer junior running back Jayden Richards powered through the JFK defense with a 15-yard run. Once again, Romano pranced his way through the defense into the end zone and put more points on the board.
“Our lineman blocked today. I think I got over 100 rushing yards and that was all because of the offensive line. Nothing was just because of me, but because of the offensive line,” Romano said.
Richards ran in for the two-point conversion and SPF was up 16-0 with four minutes left in the quarter. Tamase made another great play on defense as he plugged the middle of the field on fourth down to force a turnover on downs.
Richards wasted no time on offense by tearing through three defenders to score and put the Raiders up 24-0.
“The addition of Richards was a big, big help. We’ve been getting better and better every week and we finally got an opportunity to prove it,” Swercheck said.
The first quarter ended and smiles were the only expression that could be seen on the home sideline. Dancing, laughing, jumping, this Raider team was taking it all in.
After senior Noah Ricca moved the chains on a fake punt, the two main backs of the night, Richards and Fynes, created two big gains for a combined 45 yards.
The ball was placed at the five-yard line and guess who took it in for the touchdown– Romano. As if achieving their biggest lead of the season was not enough, the Raiders kept going.
The defensive line barely allowed any yards on the ground or the air and Hickey and Jake Fezza were batting down passes as if they were flies. The clock read three zeroes and the Raiders ran to the locker rooms.
Someone not at the game would have been able to understand what was happening with a couple of words: domination by the home team. While some teams might be sluggish coming out of the locker rooms with a sizable lead, the Raiders had the opposite demeanor.
Before SPF kicked off, Coach Swercheck could be heard from miles away yelling “finish this,” with all of his might. That is just what was done from the start.
Junior kicker Santiago Beccera had a nice squib kick that was muffed by the Mustangs and picked up by sophomore Ryan Gilligan in the red zone. Jayden Richards took the handoff and ran it in, putting SPF up 39-0.
“[Richards and Romano] make my life easy and it’s fun to watch. I could just buy some popcorn and watch those two all night,” Swercheck said.
The quarterback-running back duo definitely made a difference and kept the Raiders a step ahead of a lackluster JFK defense.
While the focus was on the players tonight, Bobby Swercheck was also awarded his first win as a head coach.
“It’s awesome, but it’s not about me. It’s about what these kids went through and what they worked through and they worked their tails off. It’s all about them,” Swercheck said.
With the win, SPF moves to 2-7 and will have one more game this upcoming week against South Plainfield. This game will not be forgotten though, by all the players, coaches and fans.
“It really felt nice that I could win in front of my home crowd and show them who I am. I really loved it and I’m going to remember tonight for the rest of my life,” Romano said.
