Phil Anastasia: Delran's Justin McFadden and Zane Campbell connect to beat Florence

Justin McFadden never said a word to Zane Campbell.

But the Delran quarterback looked at the Delran wide receiver just before the biggest play of Friday night's game at Florence.

McFadden made a motion with his right hand. Campbell got the message.

"We have secret audibles that the coaches don't even know about," McFadden said after his 54-yard scoring strike to Campbell early in the fourth quarter lifted Delran to a 7-0 victory.

Campbell was supposed to run a post pattern. He ran a fly pattern instead, caught McFadden's perfect pass in stride, and ran into the end zone for the only touchdown of a fierce, physical battle between the Burlington County rivals.

"I had a feeling," Delran coach Pete Miles said. "We were looking to [throw to] the other side. We had three receivers on the left side. But I turned to one of our coaches and said, 'He's going to throw it to Zane.' "

It was an October night with November cold and December intensity.

Delran used a swarming defense that held Florence to 26 yards and two first downs in the second half to improve to 6-0 for the first time since 1990.

The Bears got great work from linebackers Cody Johnston and Josh Johnson as well as linemen Carl Schmitt and Steve Hawrylko, among others. Safety Zach Bautz snuffed Florence's last possession with an interception.

"We're coming into our own," Miles said. "These guys are starting to take ownership."

Delran took a big step. It's nice to go 5-0 and all, but this was something special.

This was a win over Burlington County's most fabled small-school program. This was a win over a 4-0 Florence team on its own field, in its own way - with defense, one big play, and more defense.

Although Delran's defense was terrific, somebody had to make a play on offense.

McFadden, a 6-foot, 170-pound senior, was 2-for-9 passing in the first half. He was knocked around all game by Florence's pass rush, especially ends Calvin Thompson and Nnamdi Njoku.

"They were hitting me hard," McFadden said. "I told them after the game. They are great players."

McFadden was 5 for 7 for 81 yards in the second half. He changed field position with a 43-yard strike to Campbell, converted a big third and 10 with a 12-yard pass to tight end Tim Macey, and sealed the victory by getting 3 yards on a sneak on fourth and 2.

He also made the play of the game, a scoring strike that started with a silent signal and ended up speaking volumes about Delran football and its quarterback.

Delran 0 0 0 7 - 7

Florence 0 0 0 0 - 0

D: Zane Campbell 54 pass from Justin McFadden (McFadden kick).