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Chatham (7-4) |
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Madison (10-0) |
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The Chatham High football team fell to rival Madison, 29-0, in the semifinals of the North 2, Group II playoffs at Ted Monica Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Although the final score may not it indicate it, the game was much closer than scoreboard portrays.
Chatham forced three punts—including one three-and-out—had three sacks, recovered a kickoff, recovered a fumble and held a team that was averaging just over 43 points a game coming in to just 29 points, 14 of which came in the final four minutes of the contest.
For a full photo gallery from Saturday's game, click here.
The defense hung tough on Saturday, and senior quarterback Sammy Failla finished 2-for-8 for nine yards and added three yards on four carries with one fumble.
Sophomore running back Thomas Guida took some snaps in the Wildcat formation and tallied 19 yards on four touches, while senior running back Dylan Adams had three yards and a fumble on three carries and also dropped a pass down the field that would have been a sure touchdown in the first quarter.
Junior running back Vincent Ziccolella tallied 20 yards on eight carries and senior wide receiver Colin Brown had two catches for nine yards in defeat.
The offense had its work cut out for them, going up against a Madison defense that has allowed opponents just 11 points per game coming in.
The game started off in Chatham's favor, as a short kickoff was recovered at Madison's 38-yard-line. However, a botched snap and three broken plays would force Chatham to punt.
"It wasn't an onside kick, we just decided we weren't going to kick to [Justin Goodwin]," head coach Don Morgenroth said. "We worked all week just doing a short kick, and that's what we wanted."
The Cougars held their opponent to a punt on the ensuing possession but were forced to punt as well after getting the ball back.
On Madison's next drive, trouble struck. Goodwin, who had 215 yards from scrimmage and three scores, broke a 40-yard TD run to give the Dodgers a lead with 54 ticks left in the first quarter.
Chatham was forced to punt again on the following drive and Goodwin added a 57-yard TD run, which made it 15-0 after a two-point conversion early in the second.
"The big plays hurt us and that was just one or two misalignments," Morgenroth said.
The Cougars played solid defense for the next two quarters, but struggled to get anything going offensively.
Madison got the ball back with about 8 1/2 minutes left in the half, and the Cougars finally got to Goodwin, who fumbled on the first play. Starting at their own 30-yard line, the visitors marched to midfield but the drive stalled there and they were forced to punt.
"Our plan was to just put our athletes on their feet, and for the most part we did a great job against [Goodwin]," Morgenroth said. "I really commend our defense. We had a couple of breakdowns on allignment, which hurt us, and he got some big runs off of our corners getting caught inside. We said we were going to put people on their feet and try to avoid him getting through that first line, and I thought for the most part they did a good job."
Another huge defensive stop came in the waning moments of the half. A Goodwin reception brought the ball to the goalline with six seconds left. A touchdown would have given the home team a 22-0 lead heading to the locker room, but the "D" stood tall and denied Goodwin entry to pay dirt as time expired.
"Our kids did a great job, they ducked down and yelled out their gut check," Morgenroth said. "They showed their gut check, unfortunately the offense couldn't get it going."
Chatham ran only seven plays in the third quarter, but held Madison scoreless -a feat in and of itself- and had two sacks in the process. The final margin came from a 1-yard score from Madison QB Carson Lassiter and a 30-yard TD from Goodwin, both coming late in the fourth quarter.
Senior Matt Babakian and juniors Chris Peters and Will Weichert each finished with three tackles, including one sack. Senior Nick Ball and Brown had three tackles apiece, while senior Nick Palmer had two.
Peter
9:52 pm on Saturday, November 19, 2011
What a sham! Just found out as per Madison's #4 Justin Goodwin's facebook page that he is actually 19 yrs. old and still a junior in high school...What the heck! Are you kidding me! This kid should be a freshman in college by now. What a disgrace. No wonder no one can beat them. Just ridiculous. Is this a form of cheating on Madison's part or what?
Kevin Blair
11:10 pm on Saturday, November 19, 2011
@Peter-
If you didn't have the opportunity please check this link before you continue to disparage Madison's program and Justin Goodwin:
http://www.berecruited.com/maxpreps/football/1a4915a6-f0f9-43a7-b290-9f0697c21be4
KeepItReal
11:17 pm on Saturday, November 19, 2011
Yo Petey. Justin's public FB page says nothing about his birthdate. Is this a form of lying on your part or what?
Peter
7:29 am on Sunday, November 20, 2011
Haha! @ Kevin and KeepItReal...Must have struck a nerve. You'd have to "be friends" on Facebook with this guy to see that he himself claims that his birthday is October 6, 1992. The math is pretty easy, or is that too difficult for you folks? The truth bites, doesn't it? Check it out if you dare and prove me wrong. Believe what Justin Goodwin admits to on his own facebook page before you believe what's been "doctored up" on the above recruiting link.
Johnny
9:48 am on Sunday, November 20, 2011
Its simple folks, throw the ball to beat Madison. I hope Summit gets the memo!
Chatham senior QB Sammy Failla is a tremendous pocket passer surrounded by capable receivers.Not sure what the game plan was yesterday. All the same, great season Chatham. Good luck Madison.
George Washington
4:28 pm on Sunday, November 20, 2011
As a Chatham student who's disappointed with the win, it's not that big of a deal. Even if Justin Goodwin is 19 at the end of the day it doesn't matter. He's a great athlete and Madison deserved the win. They were the better team and I wish them the best in the finals against Summit and to Justin on his future football career. Oh and Peter, it's a little strange that your facebook stalking the kid to try and prove your point, move on and stop acting like the typical stuck up Chatham prick who can't handle a high school football loss.
matt
1:20 am on Monday, November 21, 2011
@Peter and anyone else who feels like making excuses for their team and being jealous...
I also am a Junior and have know Justin for a very long time. For those of you who dont know or have facebooks, it is not a serious social media site, and you can put whatever age you want on your facebook page, for example i could say i was born in 1820 and facebook wouldnt stop me. Clearly you dont know Justin or have any prof of what your saying so please stop wasting your time by posting on multiple Patch blogs and making a fool of yourself.
matt
1:33 am on Monday, November 21, 2011
and thank you to @george washington i didnt read your post untill now. I couldnt agree more, so thank you.
Jack
9:14 am on Monday, November 21, 2011
Wow! All the comments about Justin Goodwin. Who cares how old he's is? What a good high school athlete, but not a world beater. If he were smart, he should use his athletic ability to get a top notch education and play at the D III level where he will see playing time. Chatham's problem is its own coaching staffs' inability to utilize talent which transcends back to the Mike Judge and Don Dayon days. Not sure why you run the option when you have a QB like Sam Faillia that could have thrown for 2000 yards this season complimented with outstanding wide receivers such as Brown and Lynch plus a solid offensive line anchored by Ball & Cosgrove. All of these boys should be playing at the next level. Chatham seems to be in love with running the ball and trickery plays which works against weaker opponents. Chatham's win in the first round at Bernards had nothing to do with the coaching staff, it was the kids alone who brought that win home. A stingy tough defense led by Babakian and Wiechert, the senior QB's leadership, Adams' speed, Heidaran's tough running and of course Fuimara's leg. I feel sorry for Chatham, they are being out coached over and over again in big games. I feel sorry for this years team, they had a chance this year to go all the way. Summit might beat Madison due to the fact they believe in the forward pass. Good luck to Justin Goodwin, he has had a tremendous football career at Madison. Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Tony-O
12:06 pm on Monday, November 21, 2011
Jack...good commentary on Chatham HS football season. You're right I think if they threw more to the WR's...Brown, Fiumara (he had only four receptions and made a first down on all of his catches) and Lynch it would have a made a difference for their big play guys like Dylan Adams and Cory Heideran. Sam Failla has a good arm and should have thrown down the field more but that is the problem when using the option offense. It's run...run...run...
You're right who cares if Goodwin is 19 and a junior in HS because it is legal for him to play at the HS level per NJSIAA. He is good athlete at this level. My beef about this is a 17 year old freshman at the U. of Oregon scored a TD against USC while Madison HS has a player who possibly is 19 and still a junior in HS. The funny thing is lets see where Goodwin plays next year? Does he play at Madison HS (then the allegations about his age are false or does he play at a prep school next year. My guess he will play at the latter...Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
Madison Fan
1:48 pm on Monday, November 21, 2011
Chatham fans should listen to Johnny, Jack and Tony-O. A few of our Madison coaches attended the Chatham / Bernards game and comment how they hope Chatham doesn't come out throwing in the semi final game. Looking back at the game on Saturday Chatham should have tied the game 7-7 if not for a perfectly thrown dropped pass which might have made things interesting. I think Chatham's QB had three or four dropped passes, bad luck or playoff gitters? Interesting how the Chatham coaches gave up the passing game since they appear to have a strong QB with tall receivers. I guess Chatham coaches have a much in common with Forrest Gump....Run....Forrest...Run...Sorry Cougars, better luck next year.
Mike Pignataro
2:14 pm on Monday, November 21, 2011
Hi everyone,
Thanks for your feedback. Patch has confirmed from the Madison Athletic Department that Justin Goodwin is in fact 17 years old. We will now be closing the comments to this article.