Fans forced to get medicated after Woodbridge victory, 21-15 Barrons!

By Josh Cohen
10/15/04

Woodbridge -- A football fan sits frantically in the bleachers, clenching his wife for support. His heart resembles the clock, tick, tick, tick. He subtly begs, prays and apologizes, "I will never do anything wrong again. Just please, let them score a touchdown, and I will never leave the toilet seat up again."

He starts rambling. "I can't watch anymore. No, I need to watch. Maybe I need a hot dog, no a beer, no I can't eat."

With sporadic downpours, and a field of glop at Woodbridge High School on Friday night, fans got outrageous, and deservedly so.

A breathtaking 21-15 overtime victory for the Woodbridge Barrons (4-2) stirred hundreds of drenched fans for more than 48 minutes.

"I can't even describe how good this win feels," said wide receiver Shamar Graves, who caught a seven yard eventual game-winning TD against the Old Bridge Knights (3-2) in overtime, while being mobbed by classmates, parents, and teammates. "It's just unbelievable!"

The Knights, who dominated for 35 minutes with dynamic defense and rugged rushing, were, to say the least, shocked after building a 15-0 lead.

Stefan Alexander, who rushed for 76 yards on 14 carries, impelled the Barrons with a 25-yard TD run, followed by an impressive three-yard two-point conversion late in the third to cut the deficit to 15-8.

"I had to make a spark," he said. "I just kept going, and didn't give up on any plays. Our defense really came through, and helped us stay in the game."

After head-spinning penalties, spine-chilling plays and a few heart attacks, the play of the year left spectators in disbelief.

A quick hit to Graves from quarterback Joe Skibar for eight yards on a huge third and 10 with less than a minute remaining in the game resulted in a 45-yard TD by Garrett Mozolic.

Graves pitched back to a soaring Mozolic after the catch, and put the awe in awe-inspiring.

"It was a designed play," Graves said. "We kept trying it and trying it at practice. Coach (Brian Russo) knew it would work, and we just had to keep working hard at it."

But despite the TD, and all the zest on the field, Woodbridge still needed the extra point to tie (or two-point conversion to take the lead). Two weeks ago, a roughing the kicker penalty allowed Sayreville to nail a game-winning field goal as time expired to defeat the Barrons.

For those who believe it, what goes around comes around. On the extra point attempt, Old Bridge was flagged for roughing kicker Rick Mozolic, who suffered an injury on the play. His brother, Garrett, subsequently nailed the game-tying extra point.

After Skibar found Graves for the TD in overtime, the Knights were unable to convert on their final possession.

"These kids have so much heart and determination," coach Russo said. "You can never count these guys out. I never thought for one second the game was over."

Justin "Bus" Hinds, who earned homecoming king at halftime, was a huge force on the defensive line.

"We were real confident we can come back," he said. "We have to bring the intensity to the highest level, and when we do, we win."

Skibar passed for 109 yards on 10 completions, while lineman Anthony Meier collected two sacks.