Gritty Lenape downs Trenton
TRENTON - It was just his third game as a starting varsity quarterback. So Bryce Long still had certain things he wanted to prove.
TRENTON - It was just his third game as a starting varsity quarterback.
So Bryce Long still had certain things he wanted to prove.
"My friends are always making fun of me," Long said, "telling me that I don't know how to run the football because I'm a quarterback."
Those friends have evidently never tried to tackle Lenape's senior quarterback.
Long led a gritty effort in a 27-7 win at Trenton Saturday afternoon in a West Jersey Football League Colonial Division showdown.
Looking more like a fullback than a quarterback, Long threw for pair of touchdowns and rushed for a pair of touchdowns. His two rushing scores helped seal the game in the second half. The first was a 5-yard push up the middle. The second was a 42-yard run in which he put his shoulder down and bulled over three defenders in the first eight yards.
"I'm not the type that's going to slide - especially not in that situation," Long said. "I had to prove that I could run some guys over."
Long finished the day 10-of-16 passing for 99 yards to go with five carries for 70 yards.
He was aided by his defense, which held Trenton in check while the Lenape offense exploded for 27 straight points starting late in the first half.
Trenton scored the game's first touchdown when Long misfired on a swing pass, throwing it behind a receiver, resulting in a live ball that Savion Willis picked up and ran for a 39-yard score.
The play gave Trenton (2-1, 1-1) a 7-0 lead over Lenape (3-0, 2-0) with 4 minutes, 5 seconds left in the first half.
It was emblematic of Lenape's offensive performance in the first half. The unit struggled with penalties and couldn't find a rhythm.
Conversely, the Trenton offense kept Lenape's defense on the field for long stretches in the first half. Trenton manufactured two methodical, hard-nosed drives in the first half - the first lasting 11 plays, the second lasting 12 plays - that both ended deep in Lenape territory.
"Our defense played its butt off, they kept us in the game," Lenape coach Tim McAneney said. "[Long] is a winner. He knows our offense. He's prepared. He's deceptively fast. He's strong. And he did what he had to do today."
If the first half was an exercise in bending but not breaking for the Lenape defense, the unit simply didn't bend in the second half, allowing just one first down.
The Lenape offense, largely thanks to Long, was equally dominant.
"I was mad about turning the ball over in the first half," Long said. "I should have made that throw. But our defense was amazing throughout the game. We knew at halftime that as an offense we had to play with more power, and we did."
Lenape enters a bye week before another division matchup with Allentown.
"This is huge right before our bye," Long said. "We were both 2-0 coming in, and Trenton is a great team. So it's nice to leave here with a win."
Lenape 0 7 13 7 - 27
Trenton 0 7 0 0 - 7
T: Savion Willis 39 fumble recovery (Richard Henries kick)
L: Ryan Shuts 1 pass from Bryce Long (Ben Harris kick)
L: Josh Flowers 11 pass from Long (Harris kick)
L: Long 5 run (kick failed)
L: Long 42 run (Harris kick)