Rebels are flawless in state championship
Howell wins first football title, 46-13, over WWPS
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
They made it look oh so easy. From Chance Carrick's interception on the first play of the game, to Tim Lamirande's 47-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage in the second half to the hook-and-lateral that went for a touchdown, West Windsor-Plainsboro South (WWPS) never had a chance against a well-prepared and well-oiled Howell High School football team. The 46- 13 Rebel win Friday night at Rutgers Stadium was one of the most decisive in state playoff annals as the Rebels, a team in search of an identity, won the school's first football state championship.

JEFF GRANIT staff Left: Howell's Chance Carrick (l) and Jason Amato celebrate the Rebels' win over West Windsor South, 46-13, in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV Championship at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway. Right: Howell's Chris Puglisi (51) and Kyle Marlborough (49) tackle West Windsor South's David Twamley during Friday night's game.

"It's huge," quarterback Lamirande said of the Howell state championship. "I love everyone on this team. Everyone stepped up big for us."

For head coach Cory Davies, who has been coaching the Rebels for 17 years, there was a great deal of satisfaction in bringing home the school's first state title.

"It's extremely gratifying," he said. "We knew after last year that we would be very, very good. It's great to see them fulfill their goal."

The victory was the culmination of a yearlong quest by the Rebels. Ever since they walked off the same Rutgers University turf last year, losers to Hunterdon Central in the CJ IV final, the team's motto has been "complete the mission." Friday night was the fulfillment of that mission as the Rebels made their case for being one of the best teams in the entire state in 2007, finishing the season at 11-1 with the Shore Conference Constitution Division title in the bag as well.

Chance Carrick, who starred on both ends of the field for Howell, was quick to point out that it wasn't that easy as it looked.

"It took a lot of hard work to get us here," he pointed. "It's a great feeling for the team and the town."

The Rebels turned Friday night's NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV championship game into a tour de force.

West Windsor- Plainsboro South, which had ridden its running attack to the state sectional final, started the game by airing it out.

"The coaches did a great job preparing us for everything they would do," noted Carrick.

Still, the long pass on the first play was a bit of a surprise.

"I saw he [receiver] was going on a fly [pattern] and I went with him," said Carrick.

His interception elevated the spirits of an already fired up Rebel team. Lamirande promptly marched the Rebels 71 yards for the first score of the night. The team didn't face a third down on the eightplay drive and the ball never touched the turf as Lamirande went 4-4. The final 18 yards of the drive was his pass to Jason Amato in the left corner of the end zone.

"We've been getting off to quick starts and it was important to keep it going," said Lamirande of Howell's first drive.

Sometimes a quick opening score is fool's gold for offense, but not Friday night. The Rebels hit the mother load as the Pirates would not have an answer for Lamirande, who was brilliant. He was 16-19 for 246 yards and four touchdowns. He even improvised on a fifth touchdown when under pressure from the Pirate defensive line, he threw the ball backward to Dave Hayes, who turned the play into a 30-yard touchdown run.

"We didn't know how they would play us defensively," said Davies. "They lined up just as we thought they would [standard four-man front]. It was a matter of our kids making plays."

On Howell's second possession, Lamirande engineered a 64-yard drive. The Rebel defense had stopped the Pirates on a fourth-and-three run by quarterback Connor Farrell on the Howell 36.

In three plays, Lamirande had the Rebels on the 1-yard line. Two passes to Amato took the ball to the Pirate 44 and then he threw a strike to Rob Handy as he was cutting across the middle of the field. Handy took the ball down to the 1-yard line.

On third down from the Pirate's doorstep, Lamirande took the ball in himself tumbling into the end zone behind his solid offensive line.

The game was barely eight minutes old and, with Carrick's point after kick, it was 14-0 Howell.

It would be 20-0 by the half with Lamirande directing a 47-yard drive. A 29-yard pass to Carrick took the ball down to the 1-yard line, and from there he hooked up with Amato for the second time.

It was quite a contrast to last year's CJ IV final on the same Rutgers Stadium field when Howell fell behind Hunterdon Central 21-0 en route to a 42-24 loss.

"Having been there before there was not as much nervousness," said Davies. "We knew what to expect."

The floodgates would open in the second half. The Pirates were kicking off to start it and gambled on an on-side kick. The Rebels were ready for it, and Ian Harvey gathered the pigskin in on the Pirate 47. Howell struck on the next play on an audible at the line by Lamirande.

"I saw that their safety was cheating and I took a chance with the pass," he said.

The chance was with Mr. Chance Carrick, who hauled in the over-the-shoulder pass clear of the free safety, and in the first 16 seconds of the second half Howell had extended its lead to 26-0.

The Pirates would get their running game going with Dave Twamley racing 33 yards for a touchdown, making it 26-6.

But, back came Howell with some razzledazzle. With the ball on the Pirate 34, Lamirande connected with Brian Battaglia at the 25-yard line. Battaglia proceeded to lateral the ball back to Carrick, who headed toward the sideline and went untouched the final 25 yards for yet another Howell touchdown and a 32-6 Howell lead.

It was that kind of night for the Rebels.

"Just about anything we called worked," said Davies. "We had run the play in the first half but Brian slipped when catching the ball."

If at first you don't succeed, try again.

They tried it a second time; the play was there once again.

The points were coming fast and furious now as Amato stepped in front of a Farrell pass and returned it 36 yards for yet another Howell touchdown, extending the lead to 39- 6. It was all over but the shouting.

Farrell would throw a 33-yard touchdown pass to J.B. Fitzgerald, which made it 39-13.

The final score of the night was Hayes' 30- yard run on Lamirande's improvised play.

"Offensively, each week we've been getting better and better," said Carrick.

Hayes, who surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for the season with his 83 yards on 15 carries, said that "everything fell into place" Friday night.

Lamirande pointed out that "if we execute, no one can stop us."

You won't get an argument from the Pirates or Montgomery, Howell's semifinal opponent the Rebels hung 49 points on.

Not to be lost in Friday night's victory was Howell's defensive game. The Rebels intercepted three passes (two by Amato) and as they have all year, made the stops when they had to. When the Pirates marched down to the Howell 36 on their first drive, the defense made a stand on fourth down, turning the ball back over to the offense.

At the end of the first half, the Pirates marched 41 yards to the Howell 20 behind Twamley's running, but the drive stalled there and the Pirates did not get a late TD that would have given them some momentum heading into the second half.

"I think our defense plays incredible," said Carrick. "We give up yards, but, we keep teams from scoring when we have to."

Chris Puglisi, Joe Sabatello, Mike Fiorillo, Nick Riccio, Alex Killian, Harvey, Kyle Marlborough, Battaglia, Amato, Carrick and Hayes were among the Rebel defenders who shined throughout the season.

Howell has been riding an upward curve the last three years beginning with the 8-3 season in 2005 when the Rebels won their first playoff game. Last fall they were 7-5, but won two playoff games and made it to the state final for the first time in school history. That set the stage for 11- 1 and a 3-0 playoff log.

Ever since they were freshmen, this year's senior class has been marked with success (they were undefeated as freshmen). Carrick, Amato, Battaglia, Hayes and, of course, Lamirande were part of the class of 2008 that would bring the school its state title.

"We've been together since we were running around in diapers," said Hayes. "We've played Pop Warner since second grade. This is the big time."

Carrick said that Howell's greatest strength was the depth of its talent.

"We have so many athletes on both sides of the ball," he said.

West Windsor-Plainsboro South (10-2) was in the wrong place at the wrong time Friday, facing a veteran team that had been on a mission. Davies and his Rebels had toiled for so long to let a second chance slip away.

Howell's play in its final two playoff games made Davies re-evaluate his team.

"We played so well," he pointed. "I might have underestimated how good we are."

They were good enough by any measure to be state champions.