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Stephens, Asbury Park clear first big hurdle
BY MATT PAIS - STAFF WRITER - NOVEMBER 14, 2009
ASBURY PARK — Only two
hurdles remain in Asbury Park's quest for a third straight state title after
dispatching visiting Shore Regional with ease Saturday afternoon.
As he has all season, senior tailback George Stephens carried the Blue Bishops,
accounting for all three of the team's touchdowns en route to a 22-6 victory in
the first round of the NJSIAA Central Group I playoffs.
"For the past couple of weeks we've started to play more as a team and work
hard," Stephens said. "I think we're starting to come together."
After rushing for 48 yards against the Blue Devils, Stephens is closing in on
his third straight 1,000-yard season, but it was his ability catch balls out of
the backfield that made the difference on Saturday.
Of the five passes Bishops quarterback Jamar Small completed on a wet and windy
day, three were to Stephens, including a 41-yarder for a touchdown in the third
quarter that put Asbury ahead 22-0 and effectively put the game out of reach.
That catch came after a 64-yard completion late in the second quarter that set
up Stephens' second rushing touchdown of the game to give Asbury Park a 14-0
halftime lead.
"We have to take what the defense is giving us and today it was that," coach Don
Sofilkanich said of Stephens' impact on as a receiver.
Stephens' three touchdowns were more than enough offense for the Blue Bishops,
who swarmed Shore ball carriers all day, holding the Blue Devils to 125 yards on
the ground.
Nearly half of those yards came on a single carry, when senior Thurston Cooper
broke two tackles late in the third quarter and outran Asbury's secondary for a
60-yard touchdown.
Other than that, the Blue Devils struggled to make anything happen on offense as
quarterbacks Chris Riley and Evan Ruane combined to complete only 5 of 20
passes.
"Defensively, we're starting to move around and get 11 hats on the ball and make
some plays," said Stephens, who tallied one of the team's three sacks on the
day.
Sofilkanich said the defensive effort in the driving rain on a muddy field
showed the character of a team that has worked to improve each week throughout
the season.
"I think our kids like playing in this," he said, gesturing to a pile of mud
along the sideline. "(Shore) is a good football team and they do a good job, but
it's the playoffs and we're moving on."