MENDHAM - The Mendham High School football team walked off the field on the short end of a 18-12 loss Friday night, Oct. 6, in Morristown.
The ride home on Route 24 West was a foot or so away from being a joyous, raucous tone, not a somber, miserable one.
The Minutemen were almost stunning winners.
In the final moments, a pass toward running back Kevin King at the Morristown 35 was thrown slightly behind him. The pass fell incomplete and Mendham’s last chance at a stunning victory was over.
There was no one between King and the end zone on the play.
“If it is thrown two feet ahead of him, we score and at least tie the game,” Mendham coach Ethan Jeros said.
Morristown’s Oliver Casey-Acuna had just booted a 30-yard field goal to put the Colonials ahead, 18-12.
Mendham took the ensuing kickoff before King rushed for 50 yards to put the ball at the Colonials 35 before the drive stalled out.
“That was Mendham in a nutshell this year,” Jeros said. “We get a 50-yarder, a huge run, and then we get stuffed. Why not 5, 5, 5 and score a TD there? On three of those plays that Morristown stopped us, we had poor execution after King’s run. If one guy blocked his man, or one guy made the right step ... see, those things are the difference between winning and losing.”
But the Minutemen are still in the playoff hunt in North Jersey, Group III. They travel to Group IV Chatham next week. They are 19th and the top 16 get in.
“We have to keep working,” Jeros said. “That is all we can do. We are right there."
“We are still right in the playoff mix. Chatham is Group 4. We cannot lose to Chatham or Morris Hills (in two weeks). If we beat Chatham we are not in a bad spot. I told the kids that we are still in the mix. We are still fighting for our playoff lives, so we need play with desperation. We gave
Morristown momentum too many times by things we didn’t do. That cannot happen.
It was a fun game to be involved in. They are really good, but I think we are really good. We were moving the ball at times. We’re just very inconsistent. We gave them too many opportunities when we miss a block or a read and we did that multiple times. If we just can be more
consistent with execution we’d score more. We left a lot on the field. We have to keep practicing and keep working on the little things. I’m a very detail-oriented guy and we stressed things all week. But you watch the films and guys were not doing what we talked about and practiced. Something like a visual key, who are you supposed to be looking at. But at
the end of the day, no excuses. We have to keep hammering the message to them and hope they get it.”
Mendham had several bright spots, including young QB Cam Parrinello, King, Steven Lomelo on defense, safety-fullback Cole Capuzzi, D-Lineman
Ralph Langone, running back Robert Raimondo, who scored both Mendham TDs, and receiver Harrison Spence, who had a terrific night blocking on the edge.
"When we get perimeter blocking, we are tough,” Jeros said. “Morristown gets credit because their D-Line was better than our O-Line."
Jeros promised that Mendham will not go down quietly. That is not the character of this team’s players.
“I can tell you this,” he said: “Our kids’ effort is through the roof. I cannot reiterate it enough. It’s hard to be negative when you have so many positives. The effort is there. If it was lacking, I’d tell you, but it’s not for lack of effort, that’s for sure. The kids are doing everything they can.”