Football: Montclair Mounties keep rolling, beating East Orange 44-16—Rapid Reaction
by Andrew Garda
garda@montclairlocal.news
No Danny Webb?
That's no problem for the Montclair High School Mounties as they took another early lead, this time against the over-matched East Orange Jaguars, and won 44-16.
It's not completely accurate that the Mounties lacked the services of Webb, as he stepped in a few times in the first quarter, but for the most part he was rested by head coach John Fiore, leaving the heavy lifting in the backfield to Josh Crawford and Willie Matthews.
They were more than up to the task.
The Mounties also saw another solid outing by quarterback Tarrin Earle, as the senior once again picked apart an opposing secondary and showed off some of his mobility out of the pocket to extend a play.
The scoring started on defense, however, as the Jaguars stopped both of the Mounties first two drives.
After a shanked MHS punt, EO took over on their own 41 yard line. The Mounties immediately brought massive pressure on Jaguars quarterback Quadir Scott and in a panic, the sophomore coughed up the ball almost like a shovel pass into the waiting arms of defensive lineman Gary Robinson.
Robinson knew just what to do with that ball, returning it 24-yards to the end zone and a Mountie lead.
The Mounties would score on their next three possessions, with a touchdown catch by both Tysean Williams and DJ Williams, as well as a 12-yard touchdown run by Matthews.
Tysean Williams' touchdown reception was particularly impressive as Earle threw the ball where he knew only Williams would have a chance to catch the ball. The receiver did, extending himself for the catch.
Defensively, the Mounties strangled the EO offense in the first half, holding them to just 5 yards.
The Mounties subbed in a lot of their second and third string in the second half and, as has been the case in two of the previous three wins, they didn't perform as well as Fiore had hoped.
There is still some work to do in terms of the younger players, and we still have no real idea how the starters will perform with their backs to the wall late in the game. The true test for the Mounties has not taken place.
The Mounties will continue to work to make sure when it does occur, they will rise to the challenge.
Don't forget to vote for Tarrin Earle in USA Football's Heart of a Giant contest. Once a day from each device.
For a detailed recap of the game along with quotes and deeper breakdown, check out the October 19 print edition of the Montclair Local or the digital edition on this website.