On Oct. 30, the Somerville Pioneers football team upset the Holmdel Hornets 27-26 in a Section 2, Group 3 quarterfinal.
The third-seeded Hornets got three touchdown runs from Anthony Serini, but it wasn’t enough to beat sixth-seeded Somerville, who stopped them on a two-point conversion attempt at the end of the game.
At the start of the second quarter, the underdog would score the first points of the game, a touchdown. James Hampton took the snap and ran to his left. Hampton got good blocking and was able to break a tackle from a linebacker to make it into the end zone to make it 7-0.
At the 10-minute mark of the second quarter, the first turnover of the game was committed by Holmdel quarterback Tommy Fletcher, who had his pass over the middle picked off.
Hampton took the snap again on the first play of the new drive and rushed the ball 10 yards. Then with the ball at the 10, Somerville’s Justin Bowen ran the ball into the endzone, doubling the Pioneer lead to 14-0 with 7:26 remaining in the first half.
Holmdel’s offense just could not get going on their next possession, and their punter sent a long punt deep into Pioneer territory. Then the Pioneers went three-and-out and had to punt, but they punted a very short punt that gave Holmdel the ball at the Pioneer 25-yard line.
Holmdel were on the verge of going three-and-out, but pass interference was called against the defense with less than two minutes in the half.
On third and five, Holmdel’s Matt Scheinman took the snap, broke a tackle and scampered into the endzone to cut the lead to 14-6.
Four minutes into the third, Fletcher threw his second interception of the night. Hampton returned it 18 yards to the Holmdel 12.
With 8:16 to go, Bowen rushed the ball into the endzone giving the visitors a 21-6 advantage.
Just 28 seconds later, Holmdel’s Anthony Serini took the snap, broke several tackles and ran into the endzone. Holmdel converted the two point conversion and just seven minutes inside the third quarter, Holmdel had cut their deficit down to seven points (21-14).
Holmdel closed the third quarter with a 20 yard rush from Serini and on the next play Serini ran the ball into the endzone for his second touchdown of the game. The Hornets missed the extra point and it was 21-20 Somerville with one full quarter left to play.
With 6 minutes left, Hampton handed the ball off to Bowen who tried to muscle his way through a few tackles. Holmdel’s Dylan Carri knocked the ball loose but Somerville was able to recover their own fumble. Several plays later, Hampton took the snap and ran the ball into the endzone behind some good blocking to make it 27-20 but they missed the extra point.
Serini faked a handoff to another running back and ran the ball 10 yards for the first down taking the ball to the 35.
But the Holmdel offense made a mistake on their next play as Serini wasn’t ready for the snap and it bounced off his hands. The ball bounced back to the 50 yard line where Serini was tackled.
On the next play, Fletcher aired out a long pass down the right side of the field that was caught by Charles Murphy for 40 yards.
Then they completed a pass to Serini inside the five giving the hosts first and goal.
A couple of plays later it came down Holmdel needing to score a touchdown on fourth and goal with 27 seconds left. Holmdel’s horse in the backfield, Serini, ran it around the edge and into the endzone to pull his team within 1 point of the lead. They would attempt a two point conversion.
Fletcher completed a short pass to 25 who got only about five yards before he was tackled.
Holmdel attempted an onside kick. One of their special teams players touched the ball before it had gone 10 yards resulting in a Somerville possession which ended the game.
Somerville will now face second-seeded Wayne Hills in the semifinal round. Wayne Hills recently ascended to the No. 18 ranking in the NJ.com Top 20 after a dominant win over Parsippany Hills in the quarterfinal round.
That game is scheduled for Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
