Washington Township offensive lineman Jordan Palmer (left to right), Gunner McFall and Jake Diridolfo open up a hole with blocking during the Minutemen’s 35-27 victory over Kingsway on Nov. 21.
More than 1,000 excited fans filled Tom Brown Stadium on the chilly evening of Friday, Nov. 21, to root for the Washington Township High School football team.
The crowd erupted as the Minutemen ran onto the field for a matchup between two of the best teams in Gloucester County – the township and visiting Kingsway – for a chance to play in the Group 5 championship game.
The game opened with a good drive by the Dragons, as quarterback David Oravetz completed four passes. But, after a penalty and a stop by the swarming Minutemen defense, Kingsway missed a 49-yard field goal.
Washington Township started its first drive running the ball, with the offensive line opening holes for running backs Colin Beeler and Andrew Osborne, as well as receiver Jyair Moore on an end around. The Kingsway defense made several stops, and on third down and 11 yards, quarterback Cole Aquino threw a pass to receiver Darion Joyner for 22 yards and a first down.
Then an 11-yard gain by Beeler set up a magical play. With the offensive line protecting him, Aquino threw a long, spiraling pass down the left sideline to Joyner, who caught the ball at full speed and raced for a 39-yard touchdown.
Joyner jumped for sheer joy in the end zone and kept running to the front of the stands pumping up the roaring crowd. It was the spark that led Washington Township to a 35-27 victory and a berth in the Group 5 championship.
But under the Friday night lights in Washington Township, the Dragons came right back to tie the score as Oravetz threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to receiver Christian White. The Minutemen responded in the second quarter with another efficient drive, capped off by a 29-yard touchdown throw from Aquino to Joyner for a 14-7 halftime lead.
Kingsway struck first in the third quarter, tying the game at 14-14 on a one-yard touchdown run by Oravetz. Washington Township came storming back with two touchdowns – a 12-yard run by Jaylen Robinson and a 21-yard touchdown pass from Aquino to Paris Pratt – for a 28-14 win.
Roaring fans had held their breath in the fourth quarter when Oravetz completed a 21-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Wands for Kingsway. But the cheers and confidence returned quickly when the Minutemen offensive line opened a big gap that running back Robinson raced through for an 80-yard touchdown and a 35-20 lead.
The Dragons never gave up, as Oravetz completed a nine-yard touchdown pass to White to make the score 35-27. They then stopped the Minutemen and got the ball back with one minute left and a chance to tie the game.
It was nail-biting time again for the Washington Township fans, and the defense responded by keeping Kingsway from a first down. After the final whistle, a huge celebration ensued on the field and in the stands, as the Minutemen earned their state championship berth.
Many thankful fans planned to make the trip up the New Jersey Turnpike for the state title game on Black Friday. As of press time, the undefeated Central Jersey Group V champion Minutemen were slated to play Passaic Tech at 1 p.m. at MetLife Stadium for their first state title.
