Football: West Deptford beats Haddonfield on 'special night'

By Phil Anastasia

Inquirer Staff Writer

Clyde Folsom tried to tell his team what Nick Brandemarti meant to the West Deptford football program on Friday afternoon.

Again.

The coach was at a loss for words.

Again.

"He always tries to tell us but he always has to stop because he gets too emotional," West Deptford senior quarterback Nick Diaco said after the team's 10-0 victory over arch-rival Haddonfield in the Colonial Conference Liberty Division opener for both football teams on Friday night.

Folsom paced the sidelines in a throwback No. 44 jersey with "N. Brandemarti" on the back in honor of his former star player, who died while working in the World Trade Center in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Folsom said it was "something special" for his team to stun its fiercest rivals before an overflow crowd at Gateway High School on the 14th anniversary of the day when one of the program's most respected players was killed in a terrorist attack.

"I don't know how much these kids know," Folsom said, fighting back tears. "But the community knows. The people up there (in the stands), they know how special it was."

West Deptford got great work from players such as seniors Nick Diaco and Dave Hamilton and junior Gio Gismondi in the hard-hitting, highly-charged matchup between programs that have combined for nine South Jersey Group 2 titles and every Colonial Liberty crown since 2002.

"It was our work ethic," said Diaco, who sparked the Eagles' ground game from his quarterback position and also was a huge factor as a defensive end. "We kept working, kept working. We finished the game."

Gismondi played a strong all around game as a running back and defensive back and Hamilton scored the game's only touchdown on a 17-yard run that capped an 80-yard, 12-play drive to open the second half.

Hamilton also registered one of West Deptford's three interceptions.

"I'm so emotional right now," Hamilton said. "That team had beaten us three times in a row."

Hamilton said he knew the victory had extra meaning for Folsom and others in the West Deptford community.

"Nick Brandemarti was such a great leader," Hamilton said. "We try to follow in his footsteps."

Haddonfield had won 18 games in a row as well as the last two South Jersey Group 2 titles.

The Bulldogs were hurt by penalties as well as other offensive miscues.

"No excuses," Haddonfield coach Frank DeLano said. "Let's give them credit. They executed and did what they needed to do to win the game. They deserved to win.

"We can't let Week One define us and we won't. Our kids have too much character. They will bounce back from this."

Neither team could generate much offense in a physical flag-filled first half.

West Deptford took the second-half kickoff and methodically down the field, with strong work from its offensive line and hard running by Diaco and Hamilton.

On his touchdown run, Hamilton took a handoff to the right and cut back against the grain, jumping out of an attempted shoe-string tackle and racing to the end zone.

"Jump cut," Hamilton said.

Brandemarti's brother Jay and sister Nicole accompanied the team captains out for the coin flip.

Brandemarti, a 1997 West Deptford graduate, set a the program's still-standing record with 340 rushing yards -- ironically, in a game at Gateway -- and helped Folsom lay the foundation for what has become one of South Jersey's premier programs.

"It means a lot," Folsom said.

Haddonfield 0 0 0 0 -- 0

West Deptford 0 3 7 0 -- 10

WD: Mike Bilodeau 20 FG

WD: Dave Hamilton 17 run (Bilodeau kick)

-- Contact Phil Anastasia at panastasia@phillynews.com

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