Rebels set wins record with Turkey Day victory
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

Above, Howell’s Ryan McGuinness finds a hole during the Rebels’ Thanksgiving Day win over Freehold Township. Below, Freehold Township quarterback Jon O’Keefe looks for an open man downfield.

If Howell High School’s seniors have anything to say, the Rebels record-setting football season is just the start of good things to come.

“We were the building blocks,” said senior wide receiver Kyle Bukowiec. “Everyone has that winning attitude. They know what it takes to win. All the pieces are in place.”

Howell completed the school’s winningest season ever on Thanksgiving Day, when the Rebels traveled down Elton-Adelphia road to beat archrival Freehold Township, 28-7.

With the victory, Howell finished the season at 8-3. The eight wins are the most ever in a single season by a Howell High School team. This year’s team also has the distinction of winning the first state playoff game in school history.

“We’re pretty proud of what we did,” senior co-captain Ryan McGuinness said. “Winning eight games and being the first team to win a state playoff game go hand-in-hand.”

PHOTOS BY SCOTT PILLING staff

McGuinness, an all-purpose player who ran and caught the ball for the Rebels as well as playing defense, also believes that the 2005 season was not the culmination of a special senior class going out on a high note, but the start of a winning tradition. He pointed out that the team gained confidence with each passing week and that the records the ’05 team set raised the bar for future Rebel teams. It’s no longer enough just to win games and make the state playoffs. The next step is to go deeper into the playoffs.

“They [underclassmen] understand that they have to live up to what we did and keep it going,” he said.

The big difference between being 1-9 last year and 8-3 this fall, was winning the close games.

“Last year we were in a lot of close games,” said Bukowiec. “We made it a point this year and any game that was close, we had to put our mark on it.”

What fueled the turnaround was coach Cory Davies’ move to the spread offense where quarterback Sean O’Reilly threw the ball at will sometimes with no huddle and no one in the backfield

“It was a great call by coach Davies,” Bukowiec said.

In the season finale, it was the running game, not the passing, that powered the win. The Rebels rushed for 241 yards as they spread the wealth around like they did with their receivers. Eric Feehan ran for 84 yards on 12 carries, O’Reilly picked up 83 yards on 10 runs on his quarterback bootlegs and McGuinness added 47 on 10 rushes.

John Bunnicont picked up 27 yards on seven carries, but two of the runs were for touchdowns, four and five yards. O’Reilly ran for two scores, 15 yards and one yard.

Ahmir Martin made the Rebels work hard for the win as he gained 106 yards on 20 carries as Freehold Township (1-9) picked up 152 yards on the ground and did a good job of playing keep away with ball control.

Freehold Township’s touchdown was a 16-yard pass from quarterback Jon O’Keefe to Brian Brikowski in the first quarter that tied the game at 7-7.

Before their Thanksgiving Day game with Freehold Township, the Rebels were beaten by Brick Memorial, 28-10, in the semifinals of the Central Jersey Group IV playoffs on Nov. 18. It was Howell’s first appearance in the state sectional semifinal. The Rebels had scored their historic first-ever state-playoff win the week before at Sayreville, winning an overtime thriller, 32-31.

“The kids really wanted to win it,” Davies said of the Brick Memorial game. “They were very dejected.”

The Rebels, the sixth seed, spotted the second-seeded Mustangs a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. The first telling play of the game was Howell’s first play from scrimmage, when the Brick Memorial’s Steve Avon returned a pass interception 20-yards for a touchdown and a quick 7-0 Mustang lead.

“They were able to put pressure on us with their front five,” Davies said.

Pressure again led to a quick pass from Howell quarterback Sean O’Reilly and another Mustang interception by Mike LePore. The theft led to a short drive and a nine-yard touchdown run by Prince Young, and a 14-0 lead.

But Howell has been nothing if not resilient. O’Reilly was unfazed by the picks and kept throwing the ball. Howell bounced back to mount a pair of scoring drives in the second quarter. John Bunnicont’s one-yard plunge cut the deficit to 14-7, and after Brick Memorial took it back to 14-point lead (21-7) on a two-yard run by Young, Chance Carrick’s 27-yard field goal made it 21-10 at halftime.

Howell had one last chance to get back into the game driving the ball to the Mustangs 20. But a penalty pushed them back 15 yards and the drive stalled on downs.

Young’s third touchdown run of the game in the fourth quarter, sealed the win for Brick Memorial (9-1).

“They’re very, very skilled on offense with two strong running backs,” Davies said of the Mustangs. “Defensively they play a 5-3 and get pressure from their guys up front.”

O’Reilly, who was running for his life still completed 16 of his 32 passes for 142 yards, Kyle Bukowiec pulled down the most, six for 41 yards while Gus Borden pulled down five for 66 yards.

Davies noted that Howell’s bitter disappointment at the loss spoke volumes for the team. They weren’t happy just to be in the postseason they wanted more. What they can take out of the season is that they raised the bar for the Rebel teams that will follow.

One of the most satisfying things to come out of the 2005 season was the fan support it generated. Howell home games were SRO, and the fans traveled on the road as well. McGuinness said he and his teammates were perfectly aware of their presence, and it gave them an added incentive to win.

“We saw everybody,” he said. “We didn’t want to disappoint them.”