Trojans move a step closer to .500 mark
BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer

EDISON — The Bishop Ahr High School football team upped its record to 4-5 with a 28-7 win over St. John Vianney Friday night in Holmdel in a NJSIAA consolation game.

The Trojans will look to pull to .500 when they wrap up the 2004 season on Thanksgiving Day when they play host to John F. Kennedy. Game time is scheduled for 10 a.m.

Bishop Ahr’s senior running back Shane Robinson stung the Lancers for 189 yards on 28 carries with a pair of rushing touchdowns. Robinson surpassed Metuchen’s Stephon Cooper as the leading rusher in the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) with just over 1,400 yards.

“Shane had another great game for us,” Bishop Ahr head coach Ron Hilliard said. “Our problem is that we are just one-dimensional. We haven’t completed a pass in three straight games.”

Luckily for the Trojans, they didn’t need the pass to get by St. John Vianney as Robinson’s teammate Joe Cruz rambled for 80 more yards on 14 carries. Cruz also ran for a score.

Eric Huber had a rushing score of 40 yards, bringing the Trojan rushing total over 300 for the game.

In addition to the lethal ground game, the Trojan defense had all the answers they needed to stop the Lancers. St. John Vianney was held scoreless in the second half while the Trojan backfield ran rampant.

“Our defense played exceptionally well,” Hilliard said. “They really dominated the game and our special teams did a great job for us.”

Sophomores Dan Hurley and Jerry Venturelli led the defensive assault. Hurley, a defensive tackle, finished the game with three fumble recoveries and Venturelli led the team with five tackles from his linebacker position.

The Trojan defense finished the contest with six takeaways, which helped turn a game that started close into a cruise-control victory. Bishop Ahr ended the first half with a 12-6 lead, but the defense kept the door shut through the third and fourth quarter.

Roland Howard sent a 32-yard field goal through the uprights to compensate for a couple of botched extra-point attempts that the wind wreaked havoc on.

“Overall, it was a good game for us,” Hilliard said. “We were 0-9 passing the ball, so it’s no surprise we will have to run the football to be successful against JFK.”

The J.F. Kennedy Mustangs enter the Thanksgiving Day contest with a record of 6-3. The Mustangs are coming off a 39-0 loss at the hands of New Brunswick in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II Playoffs. New Brunswick is the defending Central Jersey Group II champions, and one of the top teams in the state.

“JFK is having a very successful season,” Hilliard said. “They are coming off a disappointing loss in the playoffs, but I’m sure they will be ready to bounce back on Thanksgiving.”