Scavetta's trifecta gives Washington Township long-awaited postseason win

WASHINGTON TWP. – When Giuliano Scavetta was sidelined with a lacerated kidney, the senior said it was the “darkest time” of his young life.

With the bright spotlight of the postseason on the Washington Township High School football team, Scavetta shined in his return to the field.

Scavetta hit the trifecta, rushing for a career-high 205 yards and three touchdowns, and guiding Township to the program’s first playoff win since 2011 with a 43-14 rout of Atlantic City in the Central Jersey Group 5 tournament Friday night.

The Minutemen rattled off 30 unanswered points, including 27 in the second half, to secure Township’s first second-round home game since 2003.

“The second half, we just pounded it,” Scavetta said. “I love my team, I love them to death.”

And Township loved having No. 44 Scavetta back in the lineup.

The senior had been sidelined since Sept. 29 when he was injured in a 28-7 win over Vineland. He played the whole game, but according to head coach Mike Schatzman, he was taken to the hospital the following day when he had blood in his urine.

Scavetta said he had a lacerated kidney.

“I was sitting in my room. I wasn’t able to do anything actually,” Scavetta said. “I was mentally training to come back and play.

“It was the darkest time, when I didn’t have football.”

Scavetta, who said he was cleared to return on Monday, never had a doubt that he was going to play when the postseason rolled around.

“In my eyes, I’m a tough kid,” he said. “I like to hit. I like to go through holes up the middle and if it’s open I just keep running. I’m not really thinking when I’m out there. I just use my football instincts and run hard.”

Scavetta had rushed for 485 yards and five touchdowns in his first six games of the season. Adding him into the mix with senior Jared Dzierzgowski gave the Minutemen a potent 1-2 punch for the ground attack.

“We were very excited to get Giuliano back,” Schatzman said. “He’s got fresh legs.”

Scavetta rushed for a 26-yard touchdown in the second quarter, which cut the deficit to 14-13. He added TD runs of 36 and 10 yards in the second half and also had a scintillating 81-yard run after intermission.

What it means

Washington Township earned its first-ever Group 5 postseason win. The team was 0-7 in first-round games in Group 5 before Friday. The program’s last playoff victory was a 42-23 win over Williamstown in South Jersey Group 4.

The sigh of relief at ending the postseason drought could be heard throughout the Township.

“This has been coming for a long time and to finally get one, it means everything,” said Dzierzgowski, who rushed for a pair of touchdowns. “This team is just electric. Every one of these guys, every one of these coaches, this is what we’ve been working for.

“We knew what the past was, but we didn’t let it get to us. This is a whole different team.”

The second-seeded Minutemen (8-2) will await Saturday’s Lenape/Rancocas Valley winner for a semifinal showdown next week.  The semifinal home game will be a first for Township since 2003.

“I wasn’t even in high school yet,” Schatzman said with a laugh.

Township's defense rolled the dice against AC

Washington Township’s offense provided the celebratory cannon with plenty of work on the warm October evening, but it was the Minutemen defense that really heated up the action.

Atlantic City (6-3) posted a stiff challenge for Township. The Vikings produced an average of 36 points per game this season and topped 45 points in four of their last eight games.

The Minutemen responded with interceptions by Dashawn Long, Jyair Moore and Dziergowski to go along with five sacks, including three by freshman Gabe Palaganas.

“I think our defense is one of the tops in New Jersey,” Dziergowski said.

Schatzman felt Township’s defensive line was going to be able to apply pressure and force The City into mistakes. He was right.

Palaganas played a key role as he constantly found his way into the AC backfield and created havoc.

“My teammates have worked me hard all season and my mindset was that nobody was going to stop me,” said Palaganas, who has five sacks on the season.

Schatzman said his freshman lineman has only gotten better with each game.

“He’s still learning and he’s raw, but he’s got a motor in him that never stops,” the head coach said. “He’s going to be special.

Play of the Game

Atlantic City held a 14-7 lead and was poised to get the ball back with a punt.

Washington Township had other plans, though. The Minutemen converted a fake punt and Caleb Palaganas picked up the first down. Three plays later, Scavetta scored his first touchdown of the game.

“The fake punt, it gave us energy,” Schatzman said. “In that situation, we worked on it all year in practice but had never run it. The kids busted my chops about it, when are we going to run it. We finally did and it worked.”

Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Washington Township earns long-awaited postseason win