Watchung Hills prevails in dramatic fashion without its starting quarterback
WATCHUNG – Saturday’s football game between Bridgewater-Raritan and Watchung Hills definitely looked overtime bound.
Steady rain had pelted the Turf at Tozier Field since the 2 p.m. kickoff, making a field goal attempt to break a 7-7 tie a low percentage shot in Watchung Hills’ coach Rich Seubert’s opinion.
With 16 seconds left in regulation and Watchung Hills facing a third down at the B-R 17, Seubert suggested a Mason Kelly pass into the end zone – only for the hands of receiver Jack Clintock.
More: Football live scoreboard, Big Central Conference coverage links: Week 4
More: Football results: Big Central Conference and area roundup for Week 4
“Our guy catches it, or nobody does,” said Seubert.
Clintock caught it just outside the end zone, but wiggled in for the score. Byron McCann’s PAT gave the Warriors a 14-7 lead.
That was the final, meaning the Warriors are 5-0 with a Big Central Conference Liberty Division showdown with unbeaten Montgomery (5-0) Saturday night at 6 p.m.
Watchung Hills played virtually the entire game without starting senior standout quarterback Aleks Sitkowski, who suffered a minor injury during the week and was rested. He did take one snap during the game when Kelly had to leave the game for one play because of a cut.
Kelly usually starts at cornerback. But once it was determined Sitkowski wouldn’t start, Kelly began working with the first-team offense. He answered the biggest moment of the game.
“They (the coaches) figured why not take a shot to our best receiver, we have one of the better receivers in the conference, he had good positioning, and I put the ball out there where he could only get it – either he got it or it was incomplete,” Kelly said.
Seubert said he would have tried the field goal if the pass was incomplete. But it wasn’t.
“Kelly made a great throw,” said Seubert.
Bridgewater-Raritan coach DJ Catalano simply said a standout player made an outstanding catch.
“We had safety help and a guy on him,” Catalano said. “There was no blown coverage. When they had to make a play, they made a play. That’s what great football players do; they make plays.”
Bridgewater-Raritan (1-4) lost its fourth straight game and returns to American Silver play Friday night with a game at Ridge.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Football: Watchung Hills beat Bridgewater-Raritan
