ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP BOWL
Lesch QB sneak in 2nd OT
gives Rockets 14-8 victory
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ROCKAWAY TWP. - A Jason Parisi TD and Joe Fullum 2-point PAT kick with nine minutes left in the game ... a Dylan Lesch quarterback sneak TD in the second overtime ... and a defensive stand after Lesch's TD gave the Rockaway Township Rockets junior varsity youth football team an exciting 14-8 victory over Roxbury in a Rockaway Township Bowl game played at Peterson Field here in the township on Saturday, Nov. 13.
The victory avenged the Rockets' only loss of the season - a 19-18 Morris County Youth Football League regular-season thriller won by the Junior Gaels on a last-season 27-yard field goal.
Roxbury took an early 8-0 lead with two minutes left in the first half on a 3-yard run and 2-point conversion kick and held the lead until the Rockets took possession on their own 36-yard line early in the fourth period.
On a third-and-6, Rockets' running back Sean Davis broke a run of 45 yards to reach the Roxbury 16-yard line. On a fourth-and-1, Parisi gained two yards to give the Rockets a first-and-goal on the 5-yard line.
Two running plays gained but a yard and, on a third-and-goal from the 4-yard line, Parisi lined up as the lone back in the backfield and bulled his way through the middle for the touchdown. Fullum followed with hit PAT kick and the games was tied at 8-8 with nine minutes still left on the game clock.
The rest of the game was scoreless with the Rockets Chad Reilly coming up with a big stop on a fake punt when he tackled the punter-runner two yards short of a first down that would have kept Roxbury's drive alive in Rockets' territory.
In the first overtime session, Roxbury got the ball first on the Rockets' 10-yard line but lost it on the first play when the exchange was fumbled and Joe Stango alertly pounced on the loose ball for the Rockets.
Roxbury stuffed four running plays by the Rockets and the game moved into the second overtime period with the Rockets getting the ball first this time.
Davis picked up six yards on first down; Lesch reached the 2-yard line on a second-down sneak; Parisi picked up a tough yard on third down; and then Lesch powered it in from the one on another QB sneak to give the Rockets their first lead of the game.
After blocking the PAT kick attempt, the Junior Gaels had their shot at tying the game only to suffer a five-yard loss on first down when Luke Drugac broke through the Roxbury defense to bring down the quarterback.
A second-down sweep picked up 10 yards with Parisi saving the touchdown with a open-field tackle at the 5-yard line. Reilly made another touchdown-saving tackle at the 1-yard line to set up a fourth-and-goal.
On the what proved to be the final play of the game, Roxbury tried to go off-tackle only to have Luke Drugac meet the runner at the line of scrimmage where Anthony Palma, Stango and Reilly filled in quickly to bring down the runner just short of the goal line to end a game that many in attendance said was one of the most physical, hard-fought and exciting youth football games they had ever seen.
Davis finished the game with 145 yards rushing on 18 carries and Parisi added another 62 yards on 17 tough carries; Lesch carried six times for an additional 11 yards.
Parisi was the leading tackler for the Rockets with five solos and two assists; Reilly had four tackles and an assist; C.J. Wales had three tackles, including two for losses, and two assists; Luke Drugac had three tackles, an assist and a sack; Dean Drugac finished with three tackles, including two for a loss, and an assist; Marquel Goodluck had three tackles, with one for a loss, and an assist; Fullum had two solos and two assists; Davis and Lesch each had two tackles; Stango had two solos, an assist and a fumble recovery; and Jake Purzak finished with one tackle and punted twice for a 34-yard average with each of his punts taking the Rockets out of bad field position.
The Rockets finished the season with an 11-1 record, including an 8-1 record in the Hills Division of the National Conference that was goof for the division title. Roxbury finished 8-2, including an 8-1 record in the Iron Division of the National Conference that left them in a tie with Randolph for the division title.
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Lesch TD, INT spark rally in 19-12 win over Randolph
ROCKAWAY TWP. - A fourth-quarter touchdown drive capped by a one-yard quarterback sneak by Dylan Lesch followed by a defensive stand capped by an interception by Lesch proved to be the difference as the Rockaway Township Rockets defeated the Randolph Bulldogs, 19-12, in a junior varsity Morris County Youth Football League game played at Peterson Field here on Saturday (Nov. 6) night.
The victory enabled the Rockets (8-1) to clinch the Hills Division championship of the National Conference, two games ahead of runnerup Twin Boro (6-3) which closed its regular season with a 30-0 loss to Roxbury.
The loss was the first of the season for Randolph (8-1), which finished in a tie with Roxbury (8-1) for the Iron Division championship.
Randolph took a 6-0 lead on it first possession, moving the ball 59 yards in 14 plays and scoring on a six-yard run. Jason Parisi blocked the PAT kick attempt.
Parisi then returned the ensuing kickoff 35 yards to the Randolph 45-yard line and Shawn Davis went off tackle on the first play from scrimmage for the Rockets' first touchdown. The PAT run was stopped and the score was tied 6-6.
Randolph scored a second-half TD on a 45-yard pass play and this time it was Jake Purzak who blocked the PAT kick attempt to leave the score at 12-6.
The Rockets were forced to punt on their next possession and Purzak boomed a 45-yarder that left Randolph at it own 10-yard line. Dean Drugac forced a fumble on a second-down play and Joe Fullum recovered to give the Rockets the ball on the Randolph 16-yard line.
A first-down pass pass attempt went incomplete and Lesch then ran quarterback sneaks that picked up 5 and 10 yards for a first-and-goal on the Randolph one-yard line, from where Lesch powered into the endzone on his third straight sneak. The PAT run was stopped short and the teams were tied, 12-12.
After a scoreless third period, the Rockets took over on their own 32-yard line when Parisi stopped a Randolph running back for a two-yard loss on a fourth-and-one.
Rockaway Township ran 13 running plays to reach the Randolph one-yard line where Lesch, faced with a third-and-goal, powered in for the go-ahead touchdown and Parisi ran in the PAT to give the Rockets a 17-12 lead.
Parisi carried the ball five times for 33 yards on the scoring drive; Shawn Davis picked up 20 tough yards on seven carries; and Lesch carried twice for six yards. The Rockets stayed on the ground, moving the ball behind the blocking of Luke and Dean Drugac, C.J. Wales, Joe Stango, Marquel Goodluck, Fullum and Purzak.
Randolph took the kickoff and, eight plays later, had a first down on the Rockets' 28-yard line, leading to the Rockets' game-ending defensive stand.
With time running out, Anthony Palma had a big first-down stop when he came up from his linebacker spot to stop a flare pass for no gain; Chad Reilly broke up a pass play in the Rocket secondary; and Palma's third-down blitz force an errant pass that was intercepted by Lesch to halt the drive and put an end to the game.
Davis was the team's leading rusher with 80 yards on 14 carries; Parisi added 53 yards on nine carries; and Lesch carried five times for an additional 22 yards.
Luke Drugac was the team's leading tackler with six solo tackles (two for a loss) and five assisted tackles; Parisi finished with six tackles (one for a loss) and two assists; Goodluck had five solos and three assisted tackles; Purzak had three tackles (one for a loss) and two assists; Lesch and Dean Drugac each had three tackles; Palma and Fullum each had two tackles and three assists; Davis had two tackles and an assist; Reilly finished with two tackles; and Wales had one.
The jayvees will face Roxbury in the seventh annual Rockaway Township Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 13, at Peterson Field with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m.
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Davis (3), Parisi (2) TDs help stop Jr. Colonials, 32-6
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Shawn Davis scored three touchdowns and Jayson Parisi added two TDs when the Rockaway Township Rockets junior varsity beat the Morristown Junior Colonials, 32-6, in a Morris County Youth Football game played at Morristown on Sunday, Oct. 31.
The game did not start out well for the Rockets as they fumbled the ball away on their first possession, but the Rocket defense forced a three-and-out and Rockaway Township made its second possession count when Davis scored on a 65-yard run on the Rockets second play from scrimmage.
Another three-and-out gave the Rockets the ball at midfield, from where they went on an eight-play scoring drive with Davis scoring on an 18-yard run and Joe Fullum adding a 2-point conversion kick for a 14-0 lead.
The lead became 20-0 when Dean Drugac forced a fumble that was recovered by Parisi to give the Rockets possession on the Morristown 24-yard line. Parisi gained 13 yards on a run, Anthony Palma picked up nine more, and Parisi got the rest with a 2-yard TD run.
Another quick three-and-out gave the Rockets the ball at the Morristown 49 and, after a short run and a penalty pushed the Rockets back to their own 45, Davis took a pitch from quarterback Dylan Lesch and took the ball 55 yards for his third TD of the half and a commanding 26-0 lead.
Parisi got the Rockets' only points in the second half when he scored on a 90-yard run after an interception by Chad Reilly gave the Rockets possession deep in their own territory. Parisi was set off on his TD run by blocks from Dean Drugac, Joe Stango and Davis.
Morristown's touchdown came on the last play of the game when the Colonials' Marquise Washington gathered in a punt on his own 15-yard line, broke two tackles, and sped 85 yards for the TD.
Davis finished the game with 165 yards rushing and three TDs on only five carries; Parisi carried 10 times for 116 yards and two TDs; Palma carried once for nine yards; Brent Costantino added five yards on one carry; and Fullum rounded out the scoring with his 2-point conversion kick.
The defense allowed Morristown a total of 37 yards from the line of scrimmage; recovered two fumbles (Parisi and Stango); and intercepted a pass (Reilly).
Luke Drugac had four solo tackles and one assist; Parisi had two solo tackles and three assists; Marquel Goodluck and Palma each had two solos and two assists; Davis had two tackles and an assist; Jake Purzak had two tackles; Dean Drugac had a tackle plus a tackle for a loss; Luke Gregg had a tackle for a loss; Stango finished with one tackle; and Reilly was in on one tackle.
The Rocket jayvees close out their regular season on Saturday, Nov. 6, with a 6:30 p.m. game at Peterson Field here against the Randolph Bulldogs.
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Davis, Lesch, Parisi help take divison lead
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Shawn Davis scored two touchdowns and Dylan Lesch added a third TD on a quarterback sneak but it took a late-game interception by Jayson Parisi to seal the victory when the Rockaway Township Rockets junior varsity held off the Twin Boro Bears, 21-13, in a Morris County Youth Football League battle for the Hills Division lead at Mendham High School on Sunday, Oct. 24.
The victory gave the Rockets (6-1) sole possession of first place in the Hills Division of the National Conference, one game ahead of Twin Boro (5-2) with two regular-season games remaining.
The Rockets can clinch at least a tie for the division title with a win over the Junior Colonials (1-6) when they play on Sunday, Oct. 31, in a 1:30 p.m. at Morristown's Streeter Pool Complex. Twin Boro travels to Long Valley (3-4).
Twin Boro scored first, connecting on a 68-yard pass-and-run TD play in the second quarter. The Rockets' Parisi blocked the two-point PAT kick attempt and the score remained, 6-0.
Davis answered with a 31-yard TD run and Lesch kept for the one-point conversion run as the Rockets moved out in front, 7-6, at the halftime break.
The Rockets scored the only points of the third period when Lesch scored on his QB sneak and Joe Fullum connected on a two-point PAT kick, giving the Rockets a 15-6 lead going into the final quarter of play.
Twin Boro scored its final TD and added on a one-point conversion run to pull to within two points of the lead at 15-13.
A Twin Boro onsides kick attempt was recovered by the Rockets' Jake Purzak and the Rockets went on a three-play, 53-yard scoring drive. The drive included two five-yard penalties and three runs by Davis for 43 yards, the last of which was an 18-yard touchdown scamper, to put the Rockets back on top 21-13.
With a little more than five minutes left in the game, Twin Boro brought the kickoff out to its own 35, ran one play for five yards, had a second-down pass play broken up by Chad Reilly, threw an incompletion on third-and-five, and Parisi intercepted a four-and-five pass to give the ball back to the Rockets with a little less than four minutes left.
Runs by Davis and Parisi enabled the Rockets to pickup two first downs as they ran out the clock.
Davis finished the game with 152 yards on 17 carries and Parisi added another 39 yards on 10 carries. Lesch carried five times for an additional eight rushing yards.
Parisi had the Rockets' best defensive effort with five solo tackles, two assisted tackles, his interception and his key block on a two-point PAT kick attempt.
Davis had four tackles; Fullum had two solos and an assist; Anthony Palma had one tackle and two assists; Luke Drugac had three solo tackles and two assists; Dean Drugac had two tackles, one for a loss; Marquel Goodluck had two solo tackles and two assists; Reilly had a tackle for a loss and an assist; Brent Costantino had one tackle; and C.J. Wales was in on one tackle.
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JVs lost to Roxbury on last-seconds field goal
ROCKAWAY TWP. - The Rockaway Township Rockets junior varsity team lost to Roxbury, 19-18, when Jack Clevenger kicked a 26-yard field goal as time was running out on their Morris County Youth Football League game played at Peterson Field here on Saturday, Oct. 16.
The loss - coupled with Twin Boro's 28-6 victory over Jefferson this past weekend - leaves both teams at 5-1 and tied for first place in the Hills Division of the National Conference of the MCYFL. The tie will probably be broken on Sunday, Oct. 24, when the two teams meet at Mendham High Scool for a 1:30 p.m. game.
The Rockets got three touchdowns from Sean Davis on runs of 73, 66 and 32 yards but could not convert a PAT after any of the three TDs.
Roxbury scored only two TDs but the kicking of Clevenger - two 2-point conversions and his game-winning field goal - accounted for the seven points that gave Roxbury the one-point victory.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Rockets got on the boardwhen Davis broke loose around the left side and ran the rest of the way for a 73-yard TD. Roxbury stopped the run for the extra point and the Rockets had a 6-0 lead.
After an exchange of punts, Roxbury got the ball back on an interception and returned it to just inside the Rockets 10-yard line. On a fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line, Craig Roumes scored and Clevenger kicked the 2-point PAT for an 8-6 Roxbury lead.
The Roxbury kickoff put the Rockets at their own 18-yard line with a minute to play in the first half.
Davis ran for 16 yards and, on the next play, followed blockers Joe Stango, Marquel Goodluck, Dean Drugac and Jayson Parisi around left end for his 66-yard TD run. The run for the extra point failed again and the Rockets took a 12-8 lead into the half.
Roxbury took the second half kickoff and struck quickly as quarterback Stephen Loreng ran a 55-yard bootleg in for a TD and, after Clevenger booted his second 2-point PAT, Roxbury led 16-12.
Roxbury got the ball again later and got to the Rockets' 14-yard line where, on a fourth-and-one, Anthony Palma broke through the defense to tackle a Roxbury runner in the backfield for a loss as the third period ended.
The Rockets then went on an 11-play, 85-yard scoring drive that was capped with a 32-yard TD run by Davis - his third scoring run of the day - to give the Rockets the lead at 18-16.
Roxbury went on the move again, completing a 15-yard pass to the Rockets' 25-yard line and then moving another 15 yards to the Rockets' 10-yard line on a penalty.
Three plays netted only one yard as the Rocket defense stiffened and, with a fourth-and-goal from the 9-yard line, Clevenger kicked his winning field goal.
Davis took the ensuing kickoff and was tackled as time ran out.
Davis finished with 204 yards rushing and his three TDs on only 11 carries; Jayson Parisi added 68 yards on 15 carries; and Dylan Lesch carried the ball three times for 13 yards.
On defense, Parisi finished with eight tackles with one for a loss. Shane Sharpe had two tackles, one for a loss; Jake Purzak finished with a sack and two assisted tackles; Goodluck had four tackles, one for a loss; Joe Fullum had a sack, one solo tackle and another tack for a loss; Luke Dragac and Palma each finished with three tackles, one for a loss; and Chad Reilly had two tackles.
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Paris, Davies each score 2 TDs in 27-14 vicory
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Jayson Parisi and Shawn Davis each scored two touchdowns to lead the unbeaten Rockaway Township Rockets junior varsity to a 27-14 victory over the Mount Olive Marauders in a Morris County Youth Football League game played at Mount Olive on Sunday, Oct. 10.
The victory was the fifth of the season for the JVs and enabled the team to stay on top of the National Conference's Hills Division standings, one game ahead of 4-1 Twin Boro.
Parisi opened the scoring with a 2-yard TD run and Davis ran in the extra point for a 7-0 lead to cap a six-play, 55-yard scoring drive that was set up when Dylan Lesch intercepted a Mount Olive pass on the Rocket 45-yard line.
Mount Olive answered with a 62-yard TD run and two-point conversion kick to take an 8-7 lead at the end of one quarter.
Davis scored on runs of 25 and 29 yards in the second quarter and Lesch and Davis added one-point conversion runs to put the Rockets ahead to stay at 21-8 at the halftime break.
Mount Olive (1-4) pulled to within at TD at 21-14 with another Judd TD plunge but Parisi scored his second TD on the game on a 2-yard run as time expired and the PAT was not attempted.
Davis finished with 214 yards rushing on 18 carries and Parisi picked up 66 hard-earned yards on 21 carries. Lesch added 17 yards on another three carries for the Rockets.
On defense, Dean Drugac led the way with seven solo (three for losses) and two assisted tackles. Peter Palumbo finished with three tackles (one for a loss) and two assists; Parisi had three tackles and an assist; and Lesch finished with one tackle and one assist to go along with his interception.
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Rocket defense stops Jefferson, 33-8
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Defense was the name of this game as the unbeaten Rockaway Township Rockets junior varsity came up with eight tackles for losses, four sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery to beat Jefferson, 33-8, in a Morris County Youth Football League game at Peterson Field on Saturday, Oct. 2.
The offense was just as productive as the Rockets averaged more than 10 yards a play in rushing for 287 yards on 27 carries.
The victory enables the Rockets to stay in first place in the Hills Division of the National Conference of the MCYFL, one game ahead of Twin Boro.
On defense, Marquel Goodluck and Luke Gregg each had two tackles for a loss and Davis, Luke Drugac, Dean Drugac and Robert Baglione each finished with one. Davis and Goodluck each had four tackles and an assist; Parisi had two solo tackles and one assist; Parisi and Chad Reilly each had a pass interception; Gregg finished with two sacks and a fumble recovery, Goodluck and Luke Drugac each had sacks; and Lesch had one tackle.
The defense was so dominant it stopped Jefferson's first possession on a three-and-out; the second was stopped before it started as Parisi intercepted a first-down pass; Gregg's fumble recovery halted the Falcon's third possession; and Goodluck and Gregg had tackles for losses to force a punt on Jefferson's next possession just before the half.
Shawn Davis led the offensive thrust with TD runs of 56, 57 and 51 yards to finish with 164 yards on only three carries. Jayson Parisi scored on a 24-yard run and added two one-point conversion runs; Dylan Lesch scored on a 1-yard run; and Luke Drugac ran in a one-point conversion to complete the Rockets scoring.
Also for the Rockets, Reilly had 41 yards rushing on only one carry; Anthony Palma rushed seven times for 33 yards; Parisi finished with 30 yards rushing on three carries; and Lesch rushed twice for four yards.
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Rockets win third in row as defense stops Broncos
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Four different Rockets scored touchdowns and the defense came up with big stops when the Rockaway Township junior varsity defeated Montville, 28-0, in a Morris County Youth Football League game played at Camp Dawson Field in Montville on Sunday, Sept. 26.
The victory keeps the Rockets unbeaten at 3-0 and with a one-game lead on top of the Hills Division of the National Conference. Montville is 0-3.
Shawn Davis scored on the Rockets' second play from scrimmage, breaking loose for a 45-yard touchdown run that was followed by Jayson Parisi's conversion run.
On the Rockets' next possession, Davis broke off a 37-yard run before being pulled down on the Montville 1-yard line, from where Chad Reilly bulled over for the touchdown. Quarterback Dylan Lesch added the PAT on a run and the Rockets held a 14-0 lead after the first quarter of play.
The Rockets scored in the second quarter when Lesch threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Palma and Joe Fullum added the two-point conversion kick for a 22-0 lead. Rockaway Township scored the only points of the fourth period when Parisi broke away for a 45-yard touchdown run.
Parisi finished with 88 yards rushing and one TD on six carries; Davis had 86 yards and one TD on only four carries; Lesch was 2-for-2 passing for 23 yards, including his 18-yard TD pass to Palma; Reilly carried the ball once, his 1-yard TD plunge.
Marquel Goodluck led a Rockets defense that finished the game with four sacks. Goodluck had two sacks and shared one with Dean Drugac; Luke Dragac had the team's fourth sack late in the game; and Dean Drugac forced a fumble that was recovered by Luke Gregg.
Goodluck finished with three tackles, one for a loss, to go with his 2.5 sacks; Luke Drugac had four tackles and an assist with his sack; and Dean Drugac was in on two tackles, forced a fumble and had a half-sack.
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Davis scores three TDs as Rockets win opener
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Shawn Davis scored three touchdowns and Anthony Palma added one when the Rockaway Township Rockets junior varsity team opened its Morris County Youth Football League season with a 27-6 victory over the Long Valley Raiders at Peterson Field in the township on Sunday, Sept. 12.
Long Valley took the opening kickoff and went on a nine-play drive that was stopped in Rocket territory when Joe Stango stopped a Raider runner for a 4-yard loss on a third-and-2 and then the Rocket defense held again on fourth down to take over on their own 32-yard line.
A running play gained six yards and then Davis went on a 62-yard run for his first TD with quarterback Dylan Lesch running it in for the PAT and a 7-0 Rocket lead.
After Long Valley had a quick three-and-out, the Rockets took over on their own 49 and, after runs by Jayson Parisi and Davis took the ball to the Raiders' 31-yard line, Davis cut off a trap block by Dean Drugac to score his second TD on a 31-yard run.
After the kickoff, Long Valley drove down to the Rockets' 15-yard line where Peter Palumbo and Chad Reilly caused a loss on a third-down sweep and Dean Drugac and Stango combined to sack the quarterback for another loss.
The Rockets took over with two minutes left in the half and, after Parisi broke loose for a 45-yard run, Davis took it the remaining 34 yards for his third TD of the game. Parisi's PAT run gave the Rockets a 20-0 halftime lead.
Palma's 2-yard TD plunge and Lesch's second PAT run of the day concluded the scoring for the Rockets.
Davis finished with 160 yards on eight carries; Parisi had 63 yards on eight carries; Lesch carried six times for 44 yards; and Stango added 30 yards on two carries.
On defense, Palumbo had four tackles with one for a loss; Reilly had three solo tackles, one for a loss, and one assist; Marquel Goodluck had three tackles; Luke Drugac had three tackles and one assist; Dean Drugac finished with two tackles, an assist, and one sack; Stango had two tackles, one for a loss and also had a sack and recovered a fumble; and Davis, Parisi and Lesch each had one tackle.
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Davis scores 4 TDs in 35-19 Kickoff Classic win
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Shawn Davis scored four touchdowns when the Rockaway Township Rockets defeated the Dover Tigers, 35-19, in the junior varsity game of the preseason Kickoff Classic held at Peterson Field here in the township on Saturday, August 28.
After Dover scored a first-period touchdown and ran in the extra point for a 7-0 lead, Davis scored touchdowns on runs of 65, 60 and 35 yards and Davis, Jayson Parisi and Dyland Lesch adding extra-point runs to give the Rockets a 21-7 halftime lead.
Dover scored a third-period TD to cut the margin to eight points at 21-13, but Parisi answered with a 1-yard TD run in the third quarter. Davis scored his final TD on a fourth-period 50-yard run with Joe Fullum kicking the 2-point conversion to complete the Rockets' scoring.
Dover accounted for the final points of the game by scoring a TD as time ran out. The The extra-point try was not attempted.
Davis finished with 257 yards rushing on eight carries and caught a pass for 14 yards. Parisi carried nine times for 40 yards and Lesch, the team's quarterback, was 1-for-1 passing for 14 yards.
On defense, the Brothers Drugac led the way as Luke finished with four solo and two assisted tackles and Dean had two solo tackles (one for a loss) and forced a fumble. Peter Palumbo was in on four tackles, three solo; Joe Stango had two tackles, one sack, and a fumble recovery; Jake Purzak also recovered a fumble; Fullum was in on three tackles, one of them for a loss.
Next for the Rocket jayvees is a Mayors' Trophy Game with the Junior Knights on Saturday, Sept. 4, at Wharton's Robert Street Field with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m.
