Youth Football 8th Grade

Day	Date	Site	Opponent	Time	Results (9-2-1)
Sun	09/14	Away	Berkeley Heights	5:30 p.m.	Won 24-6
Sun	09/21	Home	Richmond Boro	Noon	Lost 7-6
Sat	09/27		Additional Game vs. Morristown	Noon	Tie 7-7
Sun	09/28	Away	Springfield	Noon	Won 34-0
Sun	10/05	Home	Millburn	Noon	Won 12-0
Sun	10/12	Away	Cranford	Noon	Lost 6-0
Sat	10/19	Away	New Providence	Noon	Won 28-6
Sun	10/26	Home	Scotch Plains	Noon	Won 20-6
Sun	11/02	Home	Chatham	Noon	Won 35-20
Sun	11/09	Away	!st rnd Playoffs vs Berkeley Heights	Noon	Won 28-13
Sun	11/16	Home	Semifinals vs Cranford	11:00AM	Won 34-6
Sun	11/23	Away	Super Bowl vs Scotch Plains	11:00AM	Won 13-12

Game One

Summit 24 Berkeley Heights 6

What a great start for the Summit 6^th grade team, after 16 preseason practices, Summit scored on it’s first play from scrimmage on a pass from Reed Shaffer and a great catch and run by Andrew Helmer. Helping Andrew’s glide were great downfield blocks by Matt Greenstein and Peter McKinlay. Summit was unable to convert on the extra point and led 6-0 within minutes.

Summit’s defense took the field and defended a tricky Berkeley Height's offensive scheme. An excited and “somewhat” vocal Coach Gob adjusted his defense mightily and stopped BH on 4^th down. Brian "not-really-a" Peck and Peter "Mount" McKinlay made great tackles to end BH's drive.

On Summit’s second series on offense, Will Huck scored on a beautiful 60 yard scamper. Great line blocks were made by Matt Greenstein, Alec Fuoti and Steve Rainero. Summit led 12-0 after failing to convert another extra point. (We need to work on this).

Summit’s defense stopped the BH offense on the next 2 plays with great tackles by the defensive line including Steve "who'll stop the" Rain-ero, Colin "maulin" Andrews and Eric "more-than-a" Kaufman. Then, John "rip" Cordrey stole the ball out of BH's running backs hands and "ski-dattled" 40 yard into the endzone. We are sending the clip to ESPN as we send this to print. Great job stripping the ball and great run Johnny "I like FB more than lax" Cordrey! Again, Summit missed the extra point..(We really need to work on this).

Summit's Defense stopped the BH offense for the rest of the first half. The entire D never jumped offsides despite repeated attempts by BH..no other 6th grade team in the land can boast this. Great defensive effort shown by Cordrey, Mike Maldonado, and Vincent Bonomo.

Summit scored again on the first play from scrimmage in the next series on a beautiful run by Chris “freight train” Zanelli. He was led into the endzone by a fierce offensive line including Charlie Pacilio, Taylor Dillon, Drew Higgins and Sean Andrews. Summit missed the extra point (Goodness gracious)

Summit ended the first half running only 5 offensive plays, scoring 4 TD's and zero extra points….24-0.
The second half was a defensive extravaganza. BH was able to score a TD on a solid effort by the BH running back. Defensive standouts included Jason "no-no" Novo, Cam Fuoti, Julian Butler, Gavin Briggs, Will Demartin and Zach Rissman.

Next week the 1-0 6th grade team takes on Richmond Boro, Sunday at Noon at Metro Homes

Game two

The Summit 6^th grade team suffered their first loss in a hard fought 7-6 battle against a tough Richmond Boro team. Again, Summit scored on their first play on a great pass from Reed Shaffer to Andrew Helmer. Andrew ran 60 yards into the end zone. Summit failed on their extra point attempt in what proved to be the difference in the game.The rest of the 1^st quarter was spent with Summit’s tough defense on the field. Richmond had 4 first downs in their “grind it out” style of offense. Great tackles were made by Andrew Helmer, Sean Andrews, Chris Zanelli, Peter McKinlay, Steve Rainero, Will Huck, Alec Fuoti, Colin Andrews, Reed Shaffer and Patrick Bauer.

Summit was three and out on their next series on offense. Eric Kaufman had a great punt to put Richmond out of easy scoring range. Summit’s D also stopped Richmond on just 3 plays. Jordan Gonzalez, Charlie Muller, Drew Mullholland and John Cordrey helped Summit’s defense with awesome defensive stops.On the first play of the second quarter, Summit’s 55 yard run was unfortunately nullified by a clipping penalty. Summit gained 21 yards on a pass from Chris Zanelli to Andrew Helmer which was followed up with a pass from Reed Shaffer to Chris Zanelli for a 25 yard gain but time ran out in the first half. Summit led 6-0.

Summit’s “bend but don’t break” Defense started the second half playing well. Great stops were made by Joey Abruzzo, Shaffer, Zanelli, McKinlay, Cordrey and Huck. Summit’s offense took the field and had a great play nullified by a holding penalty putting Summit deep in their own territory. Andrew Helmer made a “Division 1” catch on a pass from Shaffer for a first down. Summit then turned the ball over on an incomplete lateral that was recovered by Richmond.

But, as usual, Summit’s stingy defense gave Richmond a quick 3 and out. Summit’s offense took the field and had their luck change. Richmond somehow stole the ball out of Summit’s running back hands and took the ball into the end zone to tie the game at 6-6. Richmond’s extra point kick was good and Richmond led the game 7-6. Summit made two more “2 minute offense attempts” to try to regain the lead but was unable to put any more points on the board. Great effort by all.

Summit 6^th grade takes their 1-1 record to Springfield, Sunday in their first away game at noon in Springfield.

Game Three

The Summit 6^th grade team took their 1-1 record to a rainy, muddy Springfield grass field and came away victorious. There was not a clean uniform in sight. Summit’s captains Andrew Helmer, John Cordrey, Chris Zanelli, and Reed Shaffer inspired the 34-0 win. On their first possession Summit’s powerful offense achieved several first downs on great runs by Shaffer, Zanelli and Will Huck. The touchdown run came on an audible by Shaffer who ran 15 yards into the end zone behind fine blocking by Kyle Higgins, Steve Rainero, Matt Greenstein, Mike Maldonado and Helmer. Summit made their first extra point of the year on a hard run and great effort on a QB sweep by Shaffer. The Offensive line blocking was awesome on this scoring drive. Summit led 7-0.

Summit’s Defense was a stone wall in their shutout. Peter McKinlay made 2 outstanding tackles behind great penetration by defensive lineman Eric Kaufman, Jason Novo, Colin Andrews and Rainero. Summit’s defense forced a fumble and Andrew Helmer recovered. Andrew Helmer had a day! Read on for more.

On Summit’s second offensive possession on this rain soaked day, Summit saw a fantastic run by Zanelli called back on a penalty. On 3^rd and long Shaffer dropped back and hit tight end Helmer (yes, him again) over the middle. Helmer sprinted 52 yards for Summit’s second touchdown. This play will make the highlight reel. Summit missed the extra point run and led 13-0. Summit’s defense, once again, stopped Springfield on 3 plays with great tackles Kaufman, Rainero, Helmer, and Joe Abruzzo. 3 and out again! This tough defensive stand forced the Springfield Minuteman to punt. Punt returner Shaffer caught the Springfield punt, maybe he bobbled it a little, and scampered 53 yards into the end zone on great downfield blocking. Summit decided to kick this extra point and the kick was good. Summit led 20- 0.

Again, Summit’s defense had no problem with the rain. Springfield’s offense was stymied by great tackles from Will Huck including one key sack. Again, Springfield was forced to punt and again Summit returned the punt for a TD. This time speedy Jordan Gonzalez returned the punt 60 yards into the end zone. Great run Jordan! Summit successfully kicked th e extra point and led 27-0. The first half ended on a key interception by Cam Fuoti. Summit took their lead into the locker room, actually just to the corner of the end zone.

The second half was again dominated by Summit. On Springfield’s first 2^nd half possession Summit recovered a fumble. The second half saw great defensive effort by Julian Butler recovering 2 fumbles..just plain awesome! Also Cam Fuoti, John Cordrey, Charlie “score saving” Muller, Mike Freidin, Drew Mulholland and Seamus McFadden had great stops on defense. Offensively the second half saw hard running by Joey Abruzzo. Joe’s runs ultimately set up a great sweep by Jordan Gonzalez who ran in to the end zone for his second touchdown of the day. Will Huck made a tough run to score the extra point. Final score 34-0 Summit.

Next Sunday, Summit takes their 2-1 record back to Metro for a home game at noon against Millburn.

Unscheduled Extra Game

Summit’s 6^th grade team met a tough Morristown squad and fought them to a 7-7 tie. This game was loaded with extra effort, great blocks and a ton of hustle by the Summit 6^th grade team, not to mention the great announcing and the thump of AC DC from the booth. Great job by all. (The volunteer refs were applauded (or were those boo’s) for their help.

This game saw many new players “rise to the occasion” and show outstanding effort. Kyle Higgins recovered a fumble. Will Huck engineered multiple successful drives at QB. Jordan Gonzalez ran the ball with great might. Leland “sure-hands” Jones caught a great Huck pass and ran into the end zone for Summit’s only score. Shaffer’s extra point kick was good. Zach Rissman had several tackles on defense along with Charlie Pacilio’s “no tears” tough defensive fight. Joey Abruzzo ran his heart out and tired out most of the Morristown defense as well. Patrick Bauer made several tackles. Anthony Campanelli made great stops. Julian Butler was a force on offense and defense. Vincent Bonomo stopped a tough running game every time they “tried” to come to his side. The fans even saw Seamus McFadden carry the ball on several sweeps.

In the defensive secondary, Jimmy Birle, Brian Peck, Seamus McFadden, Drew Mulholland, and Josh Gully distinguished themselves with their “bend but don’t break” effort. Jim Birle made several key sticks on the Summit sidelines hyping up the fans and his teammates. The defensive line play by Mike Freidin at defensive end, Will Demartin at inside LB, Taylor Dillon and Gavin Briggs-Perez at DT crushed the Morristown defense. Great effort!

On offense Matt Fonseca blocked tremendous hole in the Morristown D line. Other great line play was turned in by Briggs-Perez, Dillon, Jason Novo, Will Cassin and Demartin at TE. DeMartin made a great catch on a short post over the middle for a good Summit gain.

All in all, this additional Saturday game was chock-full of outstanding effort by the Summit 6^th grade team.

Game 5

The Summit 6^th grade football team had another successful outing against Millburn on Sunday at Metro Home's field. This win brings the 6^th grade record to 3-1. On Summit’s first possession the offense had a solid workman-like drive with great runs by Chris Zanelli behind great blocks by Matt Greenstein, Kyle Higgins, Steve Rainero, Andrew Helmer, Mike Maldonado and Alec Fuoti. Unfortunately, after many first downs the offense turned the ball over on a fumble.

Summit’s defense had another great day. For the most part, Summit stingy defense has not allowed a legitimate touchdown all year. Once again Summit’s defense stopped Millburn’s offense after forcing a fumble. Steve Rainero recovered the ball after a great defensive stand. Other great tackles were recorded by Peter McKinlay, Chris Zanelli, Jordan Gonzalez and Eric Kaufman. Summit’s Offense took over and again moved the ball down the field but was unable to convert the long drive into points. The offensive line really came alive against Millburn and opened holes to allow many successful runs. On this drive Zanelli threw to Cam Fuoti for a 22 yard gain and Peter McKinlay gained many valuable running yards. At the end of the 1^st quarter, there was no score and Summit’s defense was again on the field, but only for 3 plays after tackles by Brian Peck, Joe Abruzzo and Sean Andrews.

Summit’s offense returned to the field and this time converted the drive into points. Chris Zanelli scored on a 35 yard well executed sweep. Great blocking by Will Huck, Andew Helmer, Kyle Higgins, Steve Rainero, Mike Maldonado, Matt Greenstein and Alec Fuoti. Summit was unable to convert on the extra point and led 6-0. Joe Abruzzo made a fantastic interception on Summit's next defensive stand ending Millburn’s drive after only 2 plays. Again the defensive players were the stars today. All day great plays were made by Jason Novo, Colin Andrews, John Cordrey, Charlie Muller and Charlie Pacilio. With only a minute and a half left in the first half Summit put their next points on the board on a great pass and catch from Shaffer to Andrew Helmer. Summit just missed the extra point attempt by hitting the cross bar. Summit took a 12-0 lead into the half.

The second half was again a story of long sustained offensive drives and hard nosed traditional Summit defense giving up no points. On offense, Chris Zanelli ran numerous times on sweeps gaining at least 8 yards on each run. Great blocks allowed the Summit running attack to come alive. Great line play by Taylor Dillon, Vincent Bonomo, Julian Butler, Gavin Briggs-Perez, Will Cassin, Anthony Campanelli was the highlight of the second half on offense. Jordan Gonzalez and Joe Abruzzo solidified the Summit win and shutout with great runs off-tackle to eat up the final minutes of the clock. Matt Dannenbaum, Charlie Muller and Cam Fuoti made great blocks at the wideout position. Defensively, in the second half, great tackles and hard nosed hits were turned in by Charlie Pacilio, Seamus McFadden, Matt Greenstein, Jim Birle, Matt Fonseca, Zach Rissman, Patrick Bauer, Drew Mulholland, and Mike Freidin. Final score Summit 12, Millburn zero.

Next week Summit takes their 3-1 record on the road to face an undefeated Cranford team.

Game 6

The Summit 6^th graders met a tough opponent in Cranford. Entering the game, Cranford was undefeated and unscored upon…leaving the game they were also undefeated and unscored upon. Summit lost 6-0 in a hard fought defensive battle. The Summit 6^th graders played their hearts out and hopefully will get another crack at Cranford in the playoffs.

Offensively, Summit found the Cranford natural grass littered with yellow flags, especially after a successful play. Summit struggled to dominate in the air or on the ground. Summit’s best offensive drive came at the end with less than 2 minutes to go in the game. Outstanding never-say-die play was turned in by the entire offense. This final drive came up short on yards and points but not short on effort.

Summit’s offensive line played well but always seemed to be a block away from breaking a big run. Great line play was made by Steve Rainero, Matt Greenstein, Mike Maldonado, Eric Kaufman, Alec Fuoti and Andrew Helmer. Great runs and blocks were made all day by Chris Zanelli, Reed Shaffer, Will Huck, Peter McKinlay and John Cordrey

Defensively, Summit had a day! Summit’s defense dominated Cranford. Major tackles were made by Cordrey, Jordan Gonzalez, Joe Abruzzo, Charlie Muller, Will Huck, Chris Zanelli, Brian Peck, Jason Novo, Colin Andrews, Eric Kaufman, Mike Maldonado, Sean Andrews, Patrick Bauer and Shaffer. Summit forced several “3 and out’s” for Cranford and held up their end of the bargain all day with outstanding effort. Cranford’s only score came on a pass to a halfback out of the backfield. Summit stopped the extra point attempt with outstanding play by Rainero, Colin Andrews and Zanelli.

Summit, now 3-2, will play their next game against New Providence away at noon on Sunday.

Game 7

Summit 6^th Grade had a great outing against New Providence, winning 28-6. Summit entered the game with a 3-2 record and needed a win to extend their march to the playoffs. Summit won the coin toss with a well coached call and the offense took the field. Summit’s first drive was chock full of nerves with several mistakes and more yellow flags. Chris Zanelli ran a great sweep with solid blocks by Alec Fuoti and John Cordrey gaining 10 yards. A nice pass by Reed Shaffer to Andrew Helmer resulted in another Summit first down. Zanelli ran many more times gaining valuable yards behind great blocks by offensive lineman Steve Rainero, Matt Greenstein, Kyle Higgins, Mike Maldonado, Fuoti and Helmer. Unfortunately, this drive ended with Summit fumbling the ball to New Providence.

Summit’s defense has held the line all year and gave New Providence more than they could handle with another 3 and out. Solid play by Sean Andrews, Rainero, Jason Novo, Colin Andrews, Helmer, Eric Kaufman, Zanelli, Peter McKinlay, Joe Abruzzo, Jordan Gonzalez and Charlie Muller kept NP’s offense off of the field.

On the first play of Summit’s second drive Chris Zanelli twisted and turned for a 50 yard touchdown. Again, this sweep was successful because of great line and wide receiver blocking including Charlie Muller and Cam Fuoti. Summit converted on the extra point (a rarity) on a pass from Shaffer to Helmer. 7-0 Summit. On Summit’s next defensive stand, Summit only needed 2 plays to turn back NP. Colin Andrews tackled NP’s shifty tailback on the first play and Joey “man, I made a ton of great plays today” Abruzzo intercepted a well-thrown NP pass to send NP’s offense to the sidelines.

Summit’s next offensive possession saw several great passes and runs but again Summit was unable to convert. Summit turned the ball over again on a fumble. Summit’s defense forced another 3 and out after tackles by Jason Novo and Andrew Helmer. Abruzzo broke up a well thrown ball to force a NP punt. Summit’s next offensive drive resulted in a score on a 70 yard run by Shaffer and the 1 point conversion on a solid run by Cordrey. Summit now led 14-0. For the first time this season, Summit converted on both extra points. The half ended, just like the coaches wanted, with Summit ahead 14-0

The second half saw a lot of players play many different positions. Summit started the second half on defense and again crushed the NP offense. Great tackles by Vincent Bonomo, Cam Fuoti and Charlie Pacilio forced NP to pass. Drew Mulholland was there to intercept the ball when NP’s QB put the ball in the air. Great play Drew! More from Drew later. Summit’s offense with Zanelli behind the center took over. Jordan Gonzalez got things going with a solid run. Zanelli took the ball for 13 yards on a broken play. Summit’s next pass was incomplete. Zanelli then dropped back and threw a dump pass to Joey Abruzzo. Joey darted and dodged and shimmied and shaked for 49 yards into NP’s endzone for a TD! Awesome run! Summit again converted on the extra point with a great snap – hold – kick by Rainero – Zanelli – Shaffer. Summit led 21-0. Wow 3 in a row.

Again, Summit’s defense controlled the drive. Great tackles were made by Cordrey, Pacilio and Patrick Bauer. NP punted again.Summit next drive was long and sustained. Abruzzo run for 13 yards. Zach Rissman carried the ball twice for 6 yards a clip. Anthony Campanelli carried the ball for some tough yards. Gonazalez scampered for 20 yards. Ultimately, Drew Mulholland caught a dart from Zanelli for a TD. The catch was all hands and awesome. Nice catch and TD Drew! Again Rainero-Zanelli-Shaffer converted on the point after. Summit now led 28-0.

The rest of the game saw all players getting a lot of time at many different positions. Great tackles by Mulholland, Butler, Gully, Matt Fonseca, Jim Birle, and Peck. Great runs by Mulholland, Rissman and Gonzalez. Great blocks by Butler, Dannenbaum, Jones and Fonseca. A great catch by Seamus McFadden for a Summit first down. All in all a great day for Summit.

Summit returns home against an undefeated Scotch Plains team featuring a 327lb lineman on Sunday at Noon.

Game 7

Summit 20 Scotch Plains 6

Goodness –gracious – me…what a game! The Summit 6th graders locked up a playoff spot with a decisive win over a previously unbeaten Scotch Plains C team. The C team won 20 -6 bringing their record to 5-2. Sunday’s game was played in front of a packed stadium, a tireless cheerleading squad and Varsity Coach John Liberato, all were seen giving hi-fives to anyone wearing Maroon and Gold post this important victory.

Summit again won the coin toss with a well-coached “heads” call and took the ball on offense. Immediately, QB Reed Shaffer audibled at the line of scrimmage, canceling the well thought out first play of the game, running for 22 yards. Several great runs followed by John “I’m not hurt” Cordrey, Peter “ain’t no stopping us now” McKinlay and Chris “holy guacamole, I scored 3 TD’s today” Zanelli. The touchdown run came on an 8 yard scamper by Zanelli behind great blocks all day by Steve “no rain on me” Rainero, Matt “show me the money” Greenstein, Kyle “I swim too” Higgins, Mike “silent assassin’ Maldonado, Alec “crusher” Fuoti, and tight end Andrew “I might just be better than my brother” Helmer. Summit’s offensive line owned Metro Homes field…all day. At times, they blocked “NFL-weight” defensive lineman.. (Not foolin, the kid weighed 327 lbs), at times they battled 2 blitzing LB’s…all the while saying “just doing what Coach Huck told me to do”. Great job all day O-line and Coach Tony Huck.!

Summit’s defense (man o man do we have to spend some time on this topic) just plain owned it! They played like a well coach Liberato varsity defense..or possibly a well-coached PSU , “linebacker U” defense…they were awesome! For the most part, Scotch Plains did not score until the last play of the game. Summit’s defense was led by Sean “better than my brother” Andrew, Colin “yeah but I’m prettier” Andrews, Rainero, Jason “nope not today” Novo, Helmer, Eric Kaufman, Zanelli, McKinlay, Joe “remember me from last game” Abruzzo, Charlie “Saturday was my birthday so I don’t run gassers” Muller, Jordan Gonzalez and John Cordrey. The defense forced 3 and outs almost all day and just plain out hit Scotch Plains down after down. This defense played so well and hit so hard, some of the parents were afraid to ride home in the same cars with them. Outstanding defensive effort. Our very own Punt Pass and Kick champion, Coach Gob was even seen with a smile on his face.

For the rest of the first half on offense, Summit’s O line opened up hole after hole against this undefeated team. Zanelli ran and ran, Mckinlay scampered for several large gains, Shaffer threw for some important yardage and finally Zanelli took a sweep into the endzone for a 75 yard TD. The blocking was excellent. Summit made its first extra point on a kick from Shaffer that could have been good from 30 yards. Summit took a 13-0 lead into half time.

The second half was again owned by Summit. Summit hit so hard you could hear it among the sobs in Columbus, Ohio (sorry, Buckeye fans). The defense and O-line controlled the rest of the game. Strong tackles were made by Zanelli (and some crazy awesome hits), Greenstein, McKinlay, Sean Andrews, Colin “I will tackle the lineman and the running back” Andrews, Helmer and Cordrey. Defensively, Scotch Plains was stymied.

Offensively, in the second half, Summit controlled the game. Summit unfortunately turned the ball over at key times, but the defense bailed them out. Summits final score came in the 4th quarter on a punt return by Chris “I scored 3td’s today” Zanelli. He darted and
dodged his way for a 37 yard TD. Great blocking and some fancy footwork made this return a TD. Again Shaffer kicked the extra point successfully and Summit took a 20-0 lead.

The Summit 6th grade team showed outstanding effort facing a tough opponent. What a great win behind a solid effort by many of the weekly “unsung” heroes, the offensive and defensive lineman – Rainero, Greenstein, Higgins, Maldonado, Alec Fuoti, Andrew Helmer, Sean Andrews, Jason Novo, Colin Andrews, Vincent Bonomo, Eric Kaufman, Taylor Dillon, Gavin Briggs-Perez, Julian Butler, Anthony Campanelli, Will Cassin and Charlie Pacilio. These kids show up, work hard day after day to just help the team win. Awesome effort boys and a solid win.

Summit faces a tough Chatham team next Sunday at home at noon. Great win!

Summit 35 Chatham 20

The Summit 6th graders entered their last game of the season with a 5-2 record. They faced a tough Chatham team who “had to win” to make it to the playoffs. Summit, after a slow start, showed why they are playoff-bound, winning the game with a score of 35-20. Great job by this week’s captain’s Jason Novo, Kyle Higgins, Chris Zanelli, and Reed Shaffer.

The “poorly coached” Summit coin toss was lost and gave the Chatham Cougars the ball to start the game. Chatham came ready to play and after several great runs, Chatham stunned the Summit defense with a TD and converted on the extra point. Chatham led 7-0. There were few tackles on this drive but some fine defensive play by Peter McKinlay, Steve Rainero, Jordan Gonzalez, and Andrew Helmer.

Summit’s offense took the field with great hope and left the field after 3 plays. Eric Kaufman had a fine punt to push Chatham back into their territory. Kaufman punted well all day, great job Eric! Summit’s defense quickly took the field again and quickly gave up another touchdown. Chatham led 14-0 before most parents parked their cars and found a spot in the stands. Summit was in desperate need of leadership and a Summit spark! Summit’s offense tried again. Reed Shaffer ran for 22 yards for Summit’s first first down. Summit’s drive was plagued by penalties and passiveness. Summit sent Kaufman in to punt again.

Summit’s defense created a desperately needed spark with a great fumble recovery by Peter McKinlay. Defensively, great tackles were made by McKinlay, Zanelli, Rainero and Mike Maldonado. With some momentum, 7 minutes left in the second quarter, Summit’s offense took the field. Zanelli started the drive with a 22 yard gain, McKinlay ran for another 8 yards and a much needed face-mask penalty was called against Chatham. Summit’s ball 1st and 10 on Chatham’s 19 yard line. Zanellli took the next handoff and ran it in for Summit’s first TD behind great blocking by Matt Greenstein, Rainero, Captain Kyle Higgins, Alec Fuoti, and Helmer. Shaffer’s extra point kick was good. Chatham still led 14-7 at halftime.

The second half was ALL Summit. Summit showed why they are playoff bound, scoring 3 times in the third quarter. Summit took the ball to start the second half. Chris Zanelli ran for 5 yards then 12 yards then 18 yards then 7 yards then 22 yards into the end zone, all behind awesome line blocking and great downfield blocking by Cam Fuoti, Will Huck, John Cordrey and Charlie Muller. Summit’s well-coached wide receivers blocked well all day springing several Summit TD’s. Thanks Coach McKinlay and Coach Fuoti. Shaffer’s successful extra point kick tied the score 14-14, early in the third quarter.

Summit’s defense did it again. On Chatham’s first play from scrimmage Chatham fumbled and Andrew Helmer recovered. Summit’s defense was led by solid defensive line play by Sean Andrews, Rainero, Captain Jason Novo, Colin Andrews, Helmer, Kaufman, McKinlay and Zanelli. Summit’s offense took the ball on Chatham’s 35 yard line. Again, great runs by Zanelli, McKinlay, and Huck. Summit’s TD came on a shifty run by Shaffer for a 24 yard TD. Shaffer’s successful kick gave Summit their first lead. Summit led 21-14.

Again, Summit’s defense gave Chatham’s offense a quick 3 and out. Offensively, Summit gave the ball to Will Huck on a reverse for 16 yards. Zanelli on a 10yard run, and ultimately Shaffer ran for a 4 yard TD and converted his extra point kick. Summit now led 28-14. Chatham never gave up and from the first play of their next series scored on a 65 yard run. Summit still led 28-20. Like any good team, Summit’s 6th grade team scored when they had too, like on the next drive. Zanelli, McKinlay, Gonzalez, Abruzzo, and Shaffer ran and threw the ball to Summit’s next TD. Shaffer threw a strike over the middle to Cam Fuoti. Cam made a great catch and sprinted into the end zone to the cheers of the Summit crowd. Again, Shaffer converted on his extra point kick created the final score of 35-20.

Defensively and offensively many great plays were made in the final minutes of the game by Patrick Bauer, Maldonado, Cam Fuoti, Charlie Pacilio, Zach Rissman, Seamus McFadden, Mike Freidin, Will Huck, Drew Mulholland, Brian Peck, Josh Gully, Will Demartin, Will Cassin, Anthony Campanelli, Jim Birle, and Vincent Bonomo.

Summit ended their eight game season with a 6-2 record, winning their last 4 games. Summit should take second place in their division and will play the first playoff game on Sunday at noon (location tbd)

Outstanding season and a special thanks to the excellent Summit coaches: Scott Gob (Defense), Mark Muller (Defense/D line), Mike Fuoti(Wide receivers/Db’s), Tony Huck (O line), Thom McKinlay (Wide receivers/Db’s), Phil Shyposh (all purpose coach), and Matt Zanelli (Offensive backs). Congratulations coaches and thanks for the time you’ve spent to send this well coached team to the playoffs.

Good Luck Summit 6th graders!

Summit 28 Berkeley Heights 13

The Summit Hilltoppers (or are they Highlanders Coach Gob?) took to the road for their first playoff game against Berkeley Heights. Summit had a successful outing winning the first round of the playoffs by a score of 28-13. Summit again successfully coached the coin toss and took the ball on offense to start the game. From the first play of the game it was all Summit. Reed Shaffer took the first snap from the 35-yard line and ran 65 yards into the end zone to score with only seconds off of the clock. Shaffer also converted on the extra point kick making the score 7-0 before most parents turned on their camcorders.

Summit’s defense continued their hard-nosed play by stifling the Berkeley Heights offense. Great tackles were made by Chris Zanelli, Peter McKinlay, Andrew Helmer, and Charlie Muller. Summit forced Heights to punt and boy, was that a mistake. Chris Zanelli fielded the punt and ran the ball 75 yards into the end zone for a second Summit score. Shaffer again converted the extra point. Zanelli’s run was awesome and came as a result of great blocks by Sean Andrews, Colin Andrews, Jason Novo, Steve Rainero and John Cordrey. Summit led after 4 minutes, 14-0. Summit’s defense again took the field and forced Heights to turn the ball over after 4 plays. Alec Fuoti, Colin Andrews, McKinlay, and Cordrey all made great stops to force the turnover on downs.

Summit’s offense took the field and returned to the sidelines after 3 plays. A pass from Shaffer to Zanelli gained 6 yards and run by Zanelli lost 2 yards and McKinlay was unable to get the first after a hard run gaining 2 yards. Eric Kaufman came in to punt and kicked a great ball into Heights territory. The Summit Defense held after several stunning hard-nosed tackles by Michael Maldonado, Will Huck and Helmer. The defense for Summit had a great day when it mattered. On offense, Summit took the field and scored again. Initially, the offense sputtered with Zanelli running for 2 yards on a sweep, then, Shaffer rolled out and was sacked for and 11-yard loss. Finally, Zanelli, subbing for a hurt Shaffer, took the ball 34 yards on a great scamper into the end zone. The extra point conversion was good on a Cordrey run and Summit led 21-0. Defensively, the rest of the first half was bend but don’t break….until the last 3 seconds when Heights scored. Great tackles were registered by Jordan Gonzalez, Joe Abruzzo, Brian Peck and Cam
Fuoti. Summit took a 21-6 lead into halftime.

The second half was, again, all Summit. The Hilltoppers took the field on defense and forced a 3 and out with tackles by Helmer, Zanelli, Huck, and Maldonado. Offensively, Summit and Zanelli took over and scored on a 42 yard run. The extra point kick by Shaffer was good. Summit led 28-6.

The great play by Summit in the first 2 ½ quarters gave every 6th grader a chance to see significant action. Great effort, tackles and blocks were registered by many of the C teamers including Vincent Bonomo, Seamus McFadden, Josh Gully, Gavin Briggs-Perez, Leland Jones, Patrick Bauer, Will Demartin, Taylor Dillon, Matt Fonseca, Charlie Pacilio and Will Cassin. The offensive line blocked well all day including Eric Kaufman, Steve Rainero, Kyle Higgins, Mike Maldonado and Alec Fuoti.

The ESPN “de-cleat, awesome pancake, oh my goodness – block of the day “ came from Andrew Helmer on an awesome block to generate a Summit TD. Great day and HUGE block Andrew. Anthony Campanelli, Michael Freidin and Drew Mulholland also played well on this sunny Sunday with great blocks on offense and stops on defense. Great job boys and great win.

The Summit 6th graders will likely take on Cranford (opponent still tbd as this goes to press) in the Semi-Finals of the playoffs at Metro Homes field in Summit this Sunday, time t.b.d. Come out and watch this great team on their way to a Super Bowl appearance.

Summit 34 Cranford 6 (Playoff Semifinals)

The Summit 6th graders took their 7-2 record to the Divisional Championship game against Cranford at “our house” (Metro Homes Field). During the regular season, Cranford beat Summit 6-0 in a “yellow flag” ridden extravaganza. Today, on our home turf, in front of hundreds of fans, several previous Super Bowl winning coaches and Head Varsity Coach Liberato…the 6th graders won decisively. Final score 34-6.

Summit 6th graders won the National Division and head to the Super Bowl in Scotch Plains, what a special group of kids! Great win!

Once again, after several coaches meetings, the Summit coaching staff coached a successful coin toss and Summit’s offense started the game. QB, Reed Shaffer, carried the ball on 2 tries for a first down. Then, Chris Zanelli took a pitch on a 55 yard sprint into the end-zone for Summit’s first 6 points behind great O-line blocking by Colin Andrews, Steve Rainero, Matt Greenstein, Mike Maldonado, Alec Fuoti and Andrew Helmer. Shaffer converted on the extra point and Summit led 7-0 with only 5 running minutes off of the clock. Summit’s aggressive defense took the field. Rainero, John Cordrey, Zanelli, Shaffer, Will Huck and Sean Andrews made tackles that sent the Cranford offense back to the Garden State parkway and almost headed home. Summit’s well-coached defense had been “the difference” all year, this drive was no different, and Cranford turned the ball over on downs.

Summit’s offense again took over with HUGE success. Zanelli ran for 9 yards behind great blocks by Peter McKinlay and Huck. Then on a play, that 6th graders can’t possibly run, Summit executed the perfect hook and lateral on a pass from Shaffer to Huck to Zanelli and Zanelli ran 56 yards into the end zone. Oh my goodness what a great play! Shaffer converted on the extra point kick and Summit led 14-0 with 2 minutes left in the first quarter. Just plain stunning!

Summit’s D stopped Cranford again. Rainero, Maldonado and Cordrey recorded great tackles. Very little “ink” in this paragraph for the “D” but a lot of pain felt in Cranford! Summit’s offense took the field again and sustained a long drive but was unable to put any points on the board. Zanelli ran for 9 yards, McKinlay ran for 8 yards, Shaffer ran for 2 yards, Zanelli ran for 11 yards and ultimately after several penalties, Summit turned the ball over on downs. Summit’s defense did what they were supposed to do, forced Cranford to punt. That was a mistake. Shaffer fielded the punt with only 2 minutes left in the half and ran it back for 6 points. Summit led 20-0. The first half ended, but only after Jordan Gonzalez intercepted a well-thrown pass. Nice interception Jordan. Jordan and team took a 20-0 lead into the half.

The second half saw several more scores and again saw all players seeing some time on the field. Summit’s defense started the second half with a stellar performance. Tackles by Cordrey, Colin Andrews, Rainero and Zanelli sent the Cranford offense back to the sidelines. Summit’s offense sputtered a bit with some penalties and missed blocks in the next couple series but again Eric Kaufman punted Cranford into bad field position. Ultimately, after Summit’s defense stopped Cranford and forced a punt, Summit took over. Shaffer scampered for 26 yards and Zanelli ran into the end zone for a 13-yard run. John Cordrey converted on the extra point run and Summit led 27-0.

Summit’s defense saw several great tackles by Patrick Bauer on a 2- yard loss, Matt Greenstein, and Cam Fuoti on a 10-yard loss forcing a punt. Joe Abruzzo stepped back to field the punt and took the ball 29 yards into the end zone solidifying a great Summit win and outstanding effort. Will Huck threw a strike, actually 2 times, to tight end Will DeMartin to convert on the extra point. Great catch and great throw Will and Will! We even ran it two times in a row, awesome effort!

Summit’s offense and defense played brilliantly. Jim Birle made several tackles at defensive back, Vincent Bonomo owned the Cranford runners, dropping them for a loss on several occasions. Charlie Pacilio played well on the O-line and snapped every extra point and punt with perfection. Jason Novo controlled the interior on the defensive line. Drew Mulholland played great at wideout and defensive back. Seamus McFadden never let anyone get outside at defensive end, while Captain Leland Jones stunned Cranford with great tackles. Kyle Higgins played well at center and Taylor Dillon controlled the D- line. Matt Fonseca forced several Cranford lineman to take several steps back into their own backfield and Mike Freidin controlled the perimeter at DB.

Summit won the game 34-6 and won the National Division Championship. Summit will play in the Super Bowl on Sunday at 11am at Scotch Plains High School. Summit will face a tough Scotch Plains team. Great season 6th graders and Good Luck in the Super Bowl… Congratulations.

Super Bowl

Summit 13 Scotch Plains 12

The Summit 6^th graders won the Super Bowl against Scotch Plains, Sunday, in an exciting 13-12 “never say die” championship game. Hundreds of Summit fans packed the stands to watch the season finale. Most fans set “vertical leap” records as Chris Zanelli scampered into the end zone for the winning score. It was a great victory for a great group of kids. Congratulations Super Bowl Champions!

The first half was all Scotch Plains. Summit’s offense turned the ball over several times but one crucial turnover came on a screen pass that was ruled a lateral and recovered by Scotch Plains. Scotch Plains took over on the 5 yard line and ultimately punched the ball in for the games first score. Summit’s defense stopped the extra point and Scotch Plains led the game 6-0. Summit’s offense continued to sputter and was forced to punt on several occasions. On one of those punts, Scotch Plains returned the punt for a touchdown. Scotch Plains “attempted” a kick on the extra point, but came up very short. Scotch Plains took a 12-0 lead into half time.

Summit got the ball to start the second half and was able to move the ball down the field but unable to put any points on the board. Summit’s tough defense stopped Scotch Plains forcing several “3 and out’s”. Then it happened, not sure how, not sure why…but it happened. The “never say die” Summit 6^th graders came alive. With approximately 8 minutes remaining in the game…Summit’s Zanelli ran around the end for 9 yards. Summit’s offense was in hurry-up mode and Reed Shaffer audibled at the line of scrimmage to a pass destined for Zanelli. Shaffer’s well-thrown ball and Zanelli’s “ Division 1” catch ended with Zanelli racing into the endzone for Summit’s first score. Summit still trailed 12-6. Charlie Pacilio’s snap to Zanelli’s hold to Shaffer’s kick ended with the pigskin flying thru the uprights. Summit got the much needed extra point and trailed 12-7 with 5 minutes remaining on the “running” clock.

No way, right? Never gonna happen. Never say never! Scotch Plains took over on offense on the 35 yard line. Charlie Muller made a great stop, Peter McKinlay made a great stop…then, on 3^rd down…Scotch Plains got the first down. With only 1 minute and 40 seconds on the clock, Scotch Plains took over on first and 10. Scotch Plains ran a simple sweep, but there was nothing simple about in on the Summit side. Peter McKinlay blitzed and hit the Scotch Plains ball carrier disrupting his "mo-jo", and Zanelli swarmed the runner jarring the ball loose. The ball popped into the air…then time stopped, the ball was up for grabs.... and Zanelli grabbed it and ran 62 precious yards in front of the Summit bench and fans and into the endzone for the score. The place erupted! Fans and players jumped out of their seats..Families hugged, players hugged, coaches hugged…Summit was destined to win…and they did. Summit won the championship 13-12. What a win, what a season, what a team and what a great bunch of kids.

The entire Summit team contributed to this win. All of their effort and hard work throughout the season’s 50 practices, 14 games and 88 gassers ended with a Super Bowl victory. Congratulations!

The Super Bowl Champions include: Joe Abruzzo, Sean Andrews, Colin Andrews, Patrick Bauer, Jim Birle, Vincent Bonomo, Gavin Briggs-Perez, Julian Butler, Anthony Campanelli, Will Cassin, John Cordrey, Matt Dannenbaum, Will DeMartin, Taylor Dillon, Matt Fonseca, Mike Freidin, Alec Fuoti, Cam Fuoti, Jordan Gonzalez, Matt Greenstein, Josh Gully, Andrew Helmer, Kyle Higgins, Will Huck, Leland Jones, Eric Kaufman, Mike Maldonado, Seamus McFadden, Peter McKinlay, Drew Mulholland, Charlie Muller, Jason Novo, Charlie Pacilio, Brian Peck, Steve Rainero, Zach Rissman, Reed Shaffer and Chris Zanelli.