Vikings hold on to top rival Raiders
Big first-half effort leads to victory in rivalry game

Above left, South Brunswick's Ray Dasant makes the catch in front of North Brunswick's NickGambino and races for a 40-yard touchdown during the Vikings' win over the Raiders on Friday in North Brunswick.

In a game that was being billed as one of the most evenly matched contests in the storied rivalry's 32-year history, South Brunswick sure looked like the better team.

At least for a half anyway.

The Vikings, who traveled to North Brunswick to take on the rival Raiders on Friday, dominated the first half of play, racing out to a 21-0 lead, before the host team showed some signs of life in the second half before eventually falling, 28-12, to their neighbors to the south.

South Brunswick began to exert its dominance on its very first drive of the game, methodically moving the ball downfield in 12 plays,.before the Raider defense stopped the drive with an interception. But on their second drive, the Vikings hit paydirt, with Mohammed Sanu hitting Ray Dasant with a 40-yard touchdown strike for the early lead.

Above, North Brunswick's DeAndre Scott picks off a VIking pass, while below, Scott and South Brunswick's Mike Clark both dive for the ball at the goal line.

That lead ballooned to 21-0 on a Greg McClendon 23-yard run and a Joe Clancy three-yard plunge before the break.

While the Viking offense was finding little resistance, the South Brunswick defense was proving to be opportunistic, creating three first-half turnovers to help keep the Raiders in check.

Once the second half started, however, things began to chance.

The Raiders got on the board in the third quarter when quarterback Kamil Hage hit Darrion Patterson with a 13-yard TD pass to get within 21-6, the inched even closer when Hage hit Lavarr Molina from 11 yards out in the fourth quarter to close the lead to 21-12.

Meanwhile, the Raider defense was beginning to assert itself. After allowing over 200 yards of total offense in the first half, the North Brunswick defense held the Vikings to just 37 yards in the second, allowing the host team to play its way back into the game.

PHOTOS BY MIGUEL JUAREZ staff

North Brunswick appeared poised to inch even closer with a big defensive stop in the fourth when a muffed punt on their own five-yard line gave the ball back to the Vikings. Sanu then sealed the deal by plunging into the end zone from six yards out, giving the Vikings the comfortable 28-12 lead with time winding down.

With the win, South Brunswick ended its season at 4-6, a mark shared by the Raiders this season.

While Sanu finished the game 3-for-10 with the TD pass, it was the Viking ground game, led by Clancy's 65 yards on 15 carries and McClendon's 82 yards on 14 carries, which paced their attack in the first half.

For the Raiders, Hage finished 10-for-23 for 114 yards, while tailback Pushaun Brown paced the rushing attack with 61 yards on 18 carries, while also catching four passes for 41 yards.