The Phillipsburg Stateliners made a trip down to Piscataway to face the Raiders of Hillsborough in the Rumble on the Raritan. They played in SHI Stadium at Rutgers University. Most of the game was in the rain, a condition both teams had to consider.
Going into this game the Liners had an undefeated record of 3-0, and the Raiders had a record of 3-1, with the one loss coming to Ridge. The Stateliners were clearly the favorites in this matchup.
Hillsborough acted quickly to start the game off. In the first, Jackson Jankowicz ran 18 yards into the endzone to get the first points of the game for the Raiders. The two-point conversion was good and the score was 8-0 for Hillsborough.
The run game for Hillsborough was the big highlight early in the game. They picked apart the defense and did a lot of things right. At the start of the second quarter, Shayne Powell had a three-yard running touchdown to give momentum to the Raiders. The two-point conversion was no good.
Just as the second quarter was ending, Jett Genovese tossed it up for Cameron Bohal and scored an 11-yard TD. Colin Hoey’s extra point made the score Hillsborough 14 – Phillipsburg 7.
The second half was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams. With the rain being on and off, both teams did not score in the third quarter. The time was ticking against the Liners. They treaded down the field and gave John Wargo the ball for a three-yard touchdown.
The Liners decided to try to take the lead with a two-point conversion and were unsuccessful in the attempt. Jett Genovese could not find a receiver in the endzone for the lead. Hillsborough ran the clock out for the win with a score of 14-13.
The Phillipsburg Stateliners came up short as the favorites of the game. It was an off day for the Liners, but they are not done yet. Pburg made a mistake at the end of the game, but this does not mean it is the end of the season. Phillipsburg will bounce back from this adversity and come back stronger than ever.
The Liners’ next game will be back home at Maloney Stadium against the Hunterdon Central Red Devils this Friday. This is the first home game in three weeks, so the fan base will be helping the Liners in this one. They need a win in this next one to get the momentum in the long run.
Junior QB Jett Genovese looks like he is getting more comfortable with his receivers more every game. This will assist the team in the passing side of the offense. Senior running backs John Wargo and Caleb Rivera are doing an amazing job in the gritty run game that Phillipsburg loves to do.
On the defensive side, all they need to do is fix up the run defense side and they will be amazing. They have great talent and experience on that side of the ball with Seniors Marvelous Shabi and Patrick Day guiding them.
Overall, the Phillipsburg Stateliners will bounce back and get back to their usual selves this Friday.
Final Score: Hillsborough 14 – Phillipsburg 13
