Home sweet home: Freehold Boro blanks Lakewood in homecoming game
FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY – The Freehold Boro Colonials took care of business on homecoming Saturday at Cal D. Wilson Field with a 35-0 victory over the Lakewood Piners.
With the win, the Colonials improved their winning streak at Cal D. Wilson Field to eight games. The last time Freehold Boro lost a home game was on Thanksgiving Day in 2007 when the Colts Neck Cougars beat the Colonials 16-0.
Derrick Bender another solid day.
Photo by Steve Goldberg
For Lakewood, the loss extends their losing streak to 20 games. The Piners have not won a game since the third week of the 2007 season when they defeated the Central Regional Golden Eagles 17-14. Lakewood will try to break their losing streak when they host the Golden Eagles next Saturday.
Derrick Bender had a stellar performance for the Colonials, rushing for 103 yards and scoring three touchdowns. Bender has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the first three games.
Bender played quarterback and running back for the second week in a row. He said he felt more comfortable under center than he did in the loss to Neptune last week when he fumbled the ball three times.
“I had a lot more concentration, a lot more focus,” Bender said after the game. “Last week I had a bad performance and today I felt like I had to make a statement. I had to come out, stay disciplined, and do what I had to do.”
The Colonials got off to a quick start when Ramir Wright had a 5-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter.
“It was only a few yards but it did the job,” Wright explained. “I just do everything for my dad. This was his dream, and I have to follow his steps.”
Freehold Boro scored again in the first quarter on a 36-yard rushing touchdown by Derrick Bender. Bender scored two more touchdowns in the second quarter to put the Colonials up 28-0 at halftime.
Dashawn Perry
Photo by Steve Goldberg
Dashawn Perry scored his first touchdown of the season for the Colonials on a 20-yard run in the beginning of the third quarter. The Colonials rested their starters for the majority of the second half, and cruised to a 35-0 victory, holding Lakewood to only 58 total yards.
“Last week, we turned the ball over eight times. When you turn the ball over that many times, you’re going to lose the football game,” Freehold Boro Head Coach Mark Ciccotelli said. “Today we didn’t do that. We controlled the clock and we were able to pull this one out.”
The Colonials improve their record to 2-1, while the Piners fall to 0-3.
Freehold Boro will travel to “The Swamp” on Friday to take on the 3-0 Middletown South Eagles in a rematch of last year’s NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III State Championship Game. Middletown South is currently the No. 1 ranked team in the Shore Conference.
