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Angelo Mangiro has had his sights on playing
for an NJSIAA playoff championship practically all of his life.
``I was there with my family when Roxbury played Plainfield at Giants
Stadium when I was 6,'' Mangiro said. ``I was so young I thought I was
watching Notre Dame against the Arizona Cardinals,'' he said. ``I've grown
up hoping have my own chance at getting a ring.''
Roxbury was matched against Fair Lawn last night in the semifinal round of
the NJSIAA/Gatorade North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 playoffs. And in a
performance that couldn't have much more dominant on each side of the
ball, Roxbury rolled to a 42-7 victory in Roxbury.
Chris Biank ran 11 times, gained 113 yards and scored four touchdowns for
Roxbury (10-1), which will play East Orange Campus, its former rival from
the Iron Hills Conference, for the state sectional championship in two
weeks.
Roxbury will seeking its first title since it defeated Plainfield,
7-6, in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 final on that day in 1998.
Plainfield is the Cardinals and its helmet is a replica of Arizona team's
of the NFL.
The entire second half was played with a running clock after Roxbury
commanded a 35-0 lead at halftime, behind three scores from Biank, a 5-9,
170-pound senior who now has 10 touchdowns on the season.
Fair Lawn (7-4) was outclassed by a Roxbury front that includes Mangiro
(6-4, 290), Trevor Bartol (6-6, 235) and Sean Moore (6-1, 235). The Bergen
County team ran 14 times for minus-3 yards over the first half, while its
quarterback was 2-of-9 passing for six yards.
Fair Lawn didn't get a first down until the third quarter, when Roxbury
was playing with its reserves. Robert Wallace, Shaun O'Donnell and Nick
Kaijala were among the other swarming defenders for Roxbury, which had
defeated North Bergen, 42-7, in its first-round game last week.
Roxbury, in contrast, rushed 21 times for 200 yards in the first half,
while quarterback Parker Gordon connected on 5-of-8 passes for 79 yards.
Roxbury had 10 first downs over the first two quarters.
``We held them to a three-and-out to start,'' Mangiro said. ``We started
blocking for our running backs, they found the holes and then we just kept
the throttle down.''
Roxbury's first possession began at the Fair Lawn 43 following a punt with
10:10 left in the opening quarter. Biank ran for 16 yards on first down
and gained a yard on the next play. Kevin Baker followed with a 23-yard
pickup to 3, with Biank scoring on the next play.
Roxbury extended its lead to 14-0 on an 11-yard run by Biank with 1:24 to
go in the quarter, wrapping a five-play drive that covered 66 yards.
Roxbury pushed its margin to 21-0 a 15-yard carry by Baker with 10:01
left. The five play drive covered 56 yards.
Fair Lawn was held to another three-and-out series, and this time Ryan
Roumes returned the punt 58 yards for a TD and 28-0 lead with 8:22
remaining in the half.
Fair Lawn gained two yards before punting again and this time Roxbury
moved 48 yards in four plays ending with an 18-yard TD pass from Gordon to
Biank at the 4:07 mark.
Roxbury began the the third quarter with a five-play, 57-yard trip that
ended on Biank's 15-yard carry with 8:28 to play. Its starting lineup on
both sides sat for the rest of the game.
Fair Lawn, which last week defeated Passaic, 39-38, for its first playoff
victory in 20 years, avoided the shutout when Travis Kubasta threw a
9-yard scoring pass to James Mallon with 9:33 left in the fourth.
The Star Ledger, November 20, 2009 10:50 p.m.
By Sean Reilly |
