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Articles from the 2007 Season
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Flashes Seniors head out with a Freedom Title
FLORENCE — Coming off a loss to Highland Park in the Central Jersey Group 1 playoffs, coach Joe Frappolli knew his Florence High School football team needed a fast start yesterday against Riverside.
His talented group of seniors took care of that by completely dominating the first quarter on the way to a 42-7 win that locked up a seventh straight Burlco-Olympic Freedom Division championship.
Florence finished 8-2 for the season and hasn’t suffered a Freedom Division loss since 2000. Riverside was 1-9 under first-year coach John Tezik.
The Flashes took advantage of their superior line play and led 21-0 just six seconds into the second period as the two riverfront rivals met for the 66th time.
“It was a wonderful way to finish the season,” Frappolli said, “especially for the seniors. It was nice to come back and win the Freedom Division again.”
Playing their first Thanksgiving Day game on their new field, the Flashes took advantage of some punting problems by Riverside. Two rushed kicks traveled less than 10 yards and gave Florence outstanding field position.
Linebacker Chris Salaga led the Florence defensive push. He was credited with nine tackles and intercepted a pass. Ryan Ingham and Brian Cook also excelled up front for the winners.
A fourth-down pass from Jim Martinson to halfback Drew Johnson covered the last yard for the first touchdown. Tailback Quentin Loftin went 2 yards for the second touchdown moments later and the outcome was no longer in doubt.
Loftin, a three-sport sta-ndout, enjoyed a fine finale with the football squad. He scored two more touchdowns and finished with 135 yards in 19 carries. At halftime, Loftin was honored as the Florence Homecoming King.
“I went out with a bang,” he said with a grin. “It was a great way to wrap it up.”
Loftin raced 11 yards untouched on the first play of the second quarter, then caught a Martinson pass for two bonus points. On the next possession, Loftin cap-ped a 12-play drive by plunging in from the 4.
In between, Riverside got on the board when Marc Mount pulled in a perfectly thrown pass from Alex Chotalal for a 34-yard touchdown.
Any Ram comeback hopes were quickly dashed when Florence senior end Scott Meredith made a spectacular catch of a deflected pass from Martinson in the corner of the end zone. The 26-yard touchdown made it 35-7 with just 1:37 left in the half.
“I never made a catch like that,” said Meredith, who stayed with the ball after it apparently was knocked away by two defenders. “I looked up, saw the ball and dove as far as I could.”
Mount and Mike Grill led Riverside defensively, and Nick Lafranchi’s fumble recovery stopped one Florence drive.
Johnson scored the only second-half touchdown on a 9-yard run. Frappolli pulled his seniors with nine minutes remaining to a well-deserved ovation.
By BOB KENNEY
Burlington County Times
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End of an Era
FLORENCE — An old poem suggested how the end might come, “not with a bang, but with a whimper.”
The end to Florence High School's four-year run of Central Jersey Group 1 football titles was nothing like that.
Highland Park amassed 373 yards of offense, including 225 on three scoring plays.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The Owls fell behind twice and answered both times with next-play touchdowns — the second a 68-yard run by junior running back Bryant Fitzgerald that decided Highland Park's 20-17 win in yesterday's sectional quarterfinal game.
“You've got to give them credit,” Florence coach Joe Frappolli said. “They did what they had to do and made the big plays when they had to make them. They battled back.”
Fitzgerald carried 27 times for 216 yards. He scored on a 74-yard run on the Owls' first play from scrimmage in the second half.
Florence opened the third quarter with an eight-play, 56-yard drive. Quentin Loftin finished with a 25-yard touchdown through the right side of the line on a fourth-and-1.
Fitzgerald's answer came on a run around the right end.
A missed extra point left the Flashes ahead 7-6, and Florence got an opportunity to build on that lead after Mike Staton blocked a Highland Park punt and recovered it on the Highland Park 3-yard line. But two runs netted minus-5 yards, and Jim Martinson's third-down pass for Loftin fell incomplete, and the Flashes had to settle for Matt Belcher's 25-yard field goal.
Highland Park took its first lead of the day with 7:15 left in the game. Nate Smith — who is the younger brother Eagles' tight end L.J. Smith — grabbed a quick pass from Mike Hrapsky in the left flat, got around a defender and headed up the field for an 83-yard touchdown.
“I told the coach that the corner couldn't beat me,” said Smith, who caught four passes for 123 yards. “So just give me the bubble (pass) to the left side, and I'd do the rest. I just put a move on him and took off.”
The Flashes' offense calmly went back to work, though. A 39-yard run by Drew Johnson opened the next drive, and Martinson hit Loftin with a 32-yard pass on a seam pattern to set up the go-ahead score, a 3-yard run by Johnson.
But again, Highland Park needed just one play to answer. Fitzgerald's second touchdown came on an off-tackle run with 4:04 remaining.
“I went to the right and just saw an open seam to the left,” Fitzgerald said. “And everybody hit those key blocks. They're a tough team, but we just had that desire to come back.”
The Owls got sacks on consecutive plays from Rogilia Rojas and Charles Herrera on Florence's next possession. Martinson, Tyler Foehr and Loftin hooked up on the hook-and-lateral play on fourth down, but Loftin was pushed out of bounds after an 11-yard gain, and Highland Park took over on downs.
“We just knew it was going to be a real emotional game,” Fitzgerald said. “We had to come out like we wanted it.”
Neither team was able to score in the first half. Florence marched to the Highland Park 2-yard line on its first possession, then lost 12 yards on a toss play and missed a 30-yard field goal.
Highland Park then embarked on a 17-yard march that got the Owls as close as the Florence 1-yard line — but also included four Highland Park penalties, including three that negated touchdowns. That march also ended with a missed field goal.
“I thought the atmosphere at halftime was pretty good,” Frappolli said. “But I don't know; we just didn't have that fire today. We battled all day to try and get the lead. We just never got into a real good rhythm.”
By JOHN A. LEWIS
Burlington County Times
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Shocker in Cross
Delran — Florence’s legendary head coach Joe B. Frappolli got the biggest win in his coaching career. Well, that’s according to what he told the kids after the game.
After a week off due to TCA forfeiting their season back in August, Florence was well rested and ready to go against the way bigger Holy Cross Lancers. Yet, the undersized Flashes never gave up and was clearly in the game throughout the four quarters. And they even shocked the Lancers. The Lancers came into the game undefeated but Florence gave them their first loss on the season, with a 19-15 victory. The second win for Coach Frappolli over Holy Cross in four tries in his coaching career.
“Florence kids don't give up,” Frappolli said. “We never focus on the score on the score board. We go out there and play — that's what we are known to do. It doesn't matter if you are playing a big school, like Holy Cross, or a Group 1 schools, like we face during the season, we are going to come out and give it everything we have. We were able to pull off a huge victory [last night].”
With the win, the Flashes are likely to move to the No. 2 seed in the power points after spending much of the past few weeks towards the bottom of the standings. After their loss to Delran, they fell to the 7th-seed in the playoffs and was has high as the 5th-seed two weeks ago. They were the 6th-seed going into the game.
“This was a huge game for us,” Florence’s linebacker and defensive leader Chris Salaga said. “We wanted to win this game so bad. We knew we were towards the bottom seeds in the playoffs and that wasn't where we wanted to be. We wanted to be 1 or 2 when the playoffs start, so we could have two playoffs games at home before we go to Rutgers for the State Championship. Again, this was huge for us in getting those games at home.”
Curry gave Florence the lead and eventually gave the Flashes at least one playoff game at home next week. After a Dan Dash fumble, Florence received the ball on the Holy Cross 16-yard line with a little over 8 minutes to go in the game. Marcus Rawls had two runs for 5-yards, then Drew Johnson had two runs for 7-yard run, before Curry was calling on to get the ball. Curry received the ball and run the ball up the middle for a hard, fought 3-yard touchdown.
“Curry is a big back,” Florence junior running back Joe Price said. “Usually, he starts on the defensive line, where he has been all season long. He comes in to the backfield when we need a short-yardage play. He's been very successful doing that for us this year. And he did it again for us to win this game.”
The Flashes defense came up huge, even on the first drive of the game, in the big win. With less than a minute left, Tom Reilly was hurried before his threw a pass to his favorite wide receiver Mark Swinger. Swinger caught the ball and was immediately hit by two Florence players. Swinger was hit so hard that the ball popped out of his hands and popped into the air. Johnson happened to be at the right place at the right time for the interception. Three kneel-downs later, the game was over.
“I dropped back into coverage,” Salaga said. “We knew he [Reilly] was going to throw the ball, because they needed a touchdown to beat us. The linebackers dropped back into coverage with Curry and Johnson rushing from the ends. They hurried the quarterback so much that he didn't have enough time to plant his feet to get a good pass off. When the ball was caught, Kevin Linico and I rushed to the ball and hit the receiver seconds after he caught the ball. After we hit the receiver, the ball popped out of his hands and into the air into the hands of Johnson, who played a heck of a game. This win means the World to me.”
That was the only interception in the game. But Holy Cross did have 3 fumbles that were all recovered by the Flashes defense. Two Cross fumbles lead to a total of 13 Florence points, in two touchdowns, especially after half time.
“Our defense just wanted the ball more,” Salaga said. “We knew we had to recovered those fumbles to have a chance to win this game. We were lucky that we did not have a single turnover in this game, because we would have been in trouble.”
Holy Cross was held to 205 total yards. Florence allowed some long plays, yet none were longer than 26-yards. They got into Reilly’s head early on in the game and it showed throughout the game, while Dash couldn’t get anything going. He had two long runs of 24-yards and 20-yards, but he was also shut down, for the most part, by the Flashes defense.
“Coach Nick [Lubrano] played a lot of audibles,” Salaga said. “He let me call a lot of plays during the game like a quarterback would. I loved that time of the game. He had a lot of confidence in me to do that. Everything defensive-related was Coach Nick. He's a great defensive coordinator and had us ready to go [last night]. We played the best defensive game of our entire season.”
Florence only had a 151 total yards. Only 14 yards came on a pass by Jimmy Martinson to former Holy Cross player Tyler Foehr. Another former Holy Cross player, Joe Price, lead the Flashes in rushing with 45 yards. It was the first time both former Holy Cross players played a game at Tom Reilly Sr. Stadium since leaving Holy Cross during the summer of 2006.
“It was a good feeling to come back here,” Price said. “For Tyler and I to help Florence get this win over our former high school is a feeling that I can’t explain right now. I am so happy right now. It feels very good to beat Holy Cross. I know I was going to get the ball more with Quinton [Loftin] being out this week with a knee problem. I just wanted to go out there and give it my best. Many people did so many things in this victory.”
Price used to be the back up to Dash for one season. Dash had two touchdowns in the game on the ground. His second touchdown was a 24-yard run that gave Holy Cross a 15-12 lead with 2:33 left in the third. His first touchdown was a 3-yard run that gave the Lancers a 7-6 lead with 2:07 left in the second half.
“There were times when Dash got a huge whole for a big gain,” Frappolli said. “We knew that he was going to get his yards, but we knew we could stop him. We were lucky he didn't have one of those huge games that we've seen him have in the tapes that we've seen.”
Marcus Rawls would answer Dash’s second touchdown with an 11-yard touchdown of his own. It was his second touchdown in the game. He also had a 2-yard touchdown with 3:32 left in the first quarter. This is the first game that he has had two touchdowns in a game.
“Rawls came up huge for us [last night],” Frappolli said. “We need Rawls to have the biggest game of his high school football career, with Quentin being out. Some plays Rawls got stopped at the line of scrimmage, but there were others when he cut it outside for some big gains. His touchdowns kept us in the game.”
By Anthony Lawrence Caruso, III
NJ Sports Staff Writer
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flashes knock off Holy Cross
You could say the Florence High School football team took revenge. Or you could say that Holy Cross returned some favors.
Three Florence fumbles last year led to 21 points and a Lancer victory.
Last night at Tom Reilly Stadium it was the undefeated Lancers who had trouble holding on to the ball and the Flashes cashing in on the way to a 19-15 victory in their Burlington-Olympic Football League contest.
A pair of second-half miscues by the Lancers' special teams gave the Flashes a short field, and Florence turned both into touchdowns.
The first came with the Lancers ahead 7-6 early in the third quarter. A snap sailed over the head of Holy Cross punter Kevin Huelster, and Florence recovered on the Lancers' 11.
Marcus Rawls got around the left end on the next play for his second touchdown of the night and the Flashes had a 12-7 lead. Rawls was filling in for Quentin Loftin, who did not play because of a knee injury.
“I didn't find out I was going to start this week until practice started,” Rawls said. “It was a great opportunity for me. I never experienced something like this in my life. The coach trusted me with the ball, and everybody blocked and everybody did their job.”
Holy Cross answered with a seven-play, 70-yard march as quarterback Tom Reilly went 3-for-3 passing for 41 yards. Reilly hit Elijah Phillips twice on short outs on the drive to convert second-and-long situations. The second one set up a 23-yard scoring run off the left tackle by Dan Dash.
“They (the flat passes) were just something we saw during the game and took advantage of,” Holy Cross coach Charlie Pirrello said. “We get all kinds of looks. A lot of times we have to wait until the game actually starts to figure out what we're going to do.”
The Lancers' defense did its part early in the fourth quarter by forcing a punt from midfield, but Holy Cross mishandled the kick, and Florence's Jim Martinson recovered at the 15-yard line.
Five plays later, Florence's Marcus Curry bulled his way in from the 4 to put the Flashes on top to stay.
Reilly completed a pair of passes on the ensuing drive to move the Lancers across midfield, but mishandled a snap on first down at the Florence 36, and defensive end Tyler Foehr recovered.
Florence forced a turnover on downs with 2:01 left, and Drew Johnson intercepted Reilly's last pass off a deflection with 5.7 seconds remaining.
“It just popped up into the air and I grabbed it,” Johnson said. “Then I looked at the clock and I just fell to the ground. (Frappolli) just asked us how much heart we had; how much more we wanted it and how much it meant to us.”
Reilly completed 12 of 24 passes for 168 yards, but was sacked four times, including twice on the Lancers' first possession.
Rawls scored on a 1-yard run in the first quarter to open the scoring.
Holy Cross answered late in the second with a 3-yard run by Dash, then took the lead with Huelster's extra point.
“It was upbeat at halftime,” Florence coach Joe Frappolli said. “I told them, "Don't look at the scoreboard. Just keep playing and everything will work out.' And we kept playing and we found a win.”
And on some level, even that small-school football fan in the other locker room had to appreciate it.
“It was a great high school game,” Pirrello said. “Florence played a great high school game. They played with a lot of tenacity. They played without their best running back. How could you not give them credit for what they did tonight?
“They just played a tremendous game.”
By JOHN LEWIS
Burlington County Times
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Martinson's passes power Florence
Even Superman probably got his cape tangled in the phone booth door once or twice.
For most of the first half yesterday, the Florence High School football team didn't resemble much of the powerhouse team it has been in years past. For almost an entire half, the Flashes led Burlington County League Freedom Division rival Bordentown by just one score.
Then Jim Martinson played the quarterback position the way that the Flashes aren't typically accustomed to seeing. And, in the blink of an eye, it was just another sunny day in Metropolis.
Martinson struck twice in the final 2:09 of the first half to give the Flashes a comfortable halftime lead en route to a 37-0 victory over the Scotties. Martinson was 5-for-5 in the first half for 95 yards and three touchdowns. He finished 6-for-7 for 102 yards.
“Our running game wasn't at its best in the first half and we really struggled,” Martinson said. “They had an extra guy waiting for the run on the outside so we couldn't do much. I was happy to be able to pick us up a little bit by throwing.”
Martinson did just that. After connecting with Scott Meredith on a 51-yard touchdown pass early in the first quarter, the Flashes struggled to mover the ball until late in the second half.
Martinson found Tyler Foehr on a 12-yard TD pass with 2:09 left in the half, and again on a 22-yard score with just 20.5 seconds left before intermission.
“(Martinson) made a nice hitch and go,” Foehr said of his second touchdown. “After that, he just lofted it up there and I went and got it.”
In just two minutes of game time, the Flashes went from an uneasy 7-0 lead to a comfortable 21-0 advantage.
It happened because the Flashes' defense showed hardly any rust coming off a bye week. Florence allowed just 42 yards the entire game and 36 of them came on two passing plays.
“We had been working very hard the past two weeks at being more aggressive on defense,” Flashes coach Joe Frappolli said. “We hadn't been forcing many turnovers this season and that was something we needed to work on. We just weren't creating any turnovers but today we did a better job of that.”
The Flashes forced three fumbles and got an interception from Meredith late in the third quarter. The Flashes held the Scotties to just two first downs and six yards rushing in the game.
“We need to keep playing better defense,” Frappolli said. “Our next game is against Holy Cross (in two weeks) and they can give you so many different looks that we will have to be prepared for that.
“But overall, a lot of our guys weren't very confident after losing to Delran. You begin to doubt yourself a little bit. So we moved some people around and I think we are starting to get that confidence back now.”
Florence (5-1) will play Holy Cross after another bye week due to the forfeit by Trenton Catholic that is scheduled for next week.
“It's frustrating to be off another week,” Martinson said.
“We have some guys hurt, so it's good for that. But we just had a week off and we finally got back on the field and now we are off again. It throws off the timing a little bit but now we have two more weeks to get ready for our next game.”
Watch out for that phone booth door.
By MARK ZIMMARO
Burlington County Times
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Delran shocks Florence
Nick Cattolico provided the way and Will Murray followed.
Cattolico, a 6-foot-4, 320-pound right guard for the Delran High School football team, laid out the challenge to his teammates at halftime. And on the first drive of the second half, Cattolico opened enormous holes for Murray, who made it pay off with the tying score.
The Bears never looked back.
Delran scored twice in the third quarter last night to erase a touchdown deficit and captured a 14-7 Burlington Olympic Football League victory over Florence.
“We're a second-half team,” Cattolico said. “Even though I'm not a captain, it's my job to get the team fired up and ready to go.”
Cattolico did just that. After a rousing speech before taking the field for the second half, Cattolico and the offensive line bullied the Flashes down the field on the first drive, 74 yards, as Murray carried on all seven straight plays, including a 24-yard touchdown.
The drive erased a 7-0 deficit that the Flashes built on their first drive of the game. Quarterback Jim Martinson scored on a 1-yard keeper just 4 minutes, 44 seconds into the game. The Flashes racked up 65 yards on that drive but tallied just 75 the rest of the way as the Bears' defense slammed the door.
“We couldn't do much of anything offensively,” Flashes coach Joe Frappolli said. “It felt like we didn't even have the ball in the second half. They were big up front and they drove us into the backfield.”
Florence managed just one first down in the second half. Quentin Loftin, who led all of Burlington County with 14 touchdowns entering the game, was held off the board and limited to 35 yards.
“We knew we had to stop Loftin,” Murray said. “No one thought we would be able to do it but that was the key to the game. We needed to stop their running game.”
Murray, who had to leave the game temporarily after scoring his first touchdown, returned four minutes later in the third quarter to score the Bears' second touchdown. Murray ended up with 161 yards on 29 carries.
“Fortunately, I only rolled my ankle,” Murray said. “I've done it a bunch of times before so I knew I would be back. I was really just mad because I had to leave the game and I didn't want to come out.”
In his absence, quarterback Max Larson carried the burden by leading the Bears downfield by converting on third-and-long twice with his arm and his legs. Larson converted on third-and-9 with a 12-yard run and found tight end Mike Wojceichowski on third-and-5 for an 11-yard gain.
Larson finished up 7-for-10 for 66 yards in the air and both clutch plays kept alive what turned out to be the winning drive.
“Everyone had a part in this win,” Murray said. “We were looking forward to this game. We look forward to playing Florence every year. They have only lost twice now in the past (five years).”
It was just the second loss for the Flashes in their last 53 games—the other being Holy Cross last year—since a playoff loss to Paulsboro in 2002.
“(Florence) is a good team but they're not unbeatable,” Cattolico said. “You just need to have more heart. You won't find another team around with more heart than we have.”
By MARK ZIMMARO
Burlington County Times
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Loftin's 5 TDs propel Florence past New Egypt
The Florence High School football team probably figured it was done with the distractions for a while.
But after opening a new stadium and finishing off head coach Joe Frappolli's march to the all-time South Jersey wins record in recent weeks, the Flashes last night stumbled upon yet another potential diversion - New Egypt's Langston Lacroix.
Lacroix returned two kickoffs for touchdowns while the Warriors gave Florence a game for two quarters, only for the Flashes to dominate late and secure a wild 57-28 Burlington Olympic Freedom Division victory.
“We've got to do a better job on special teams,” Frappolli said. “That's the worst I've seen the special teams play. We should have squib kicked it after he ran the first one back.”
New Egypt gave Florence (4-0, 4-0) plenty to think about in other phases of the game, too.
The Warriors (1-3, 1-1) took the lead three times in the first half against a Flashes team that had shut out its previous two opponents and given up just one touchdown to an opposing offense all season.
Quarterback Dylan Rowley's 74-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter made it 7-0 New Egypt.
After Joe Price's 4-yard run tied it for Florence, Rowley connected on a 40-yard bomb to J.J. Levanduski for another score. The Warriors missed the kick.
A pair of touchdown runs by Florence's Quentin Loftin, one to end the first quarter and another to open the second, put the Flashes up 21-13. He finished with 160 yards and four scores rushing, along with 33 yards and a touchdown receiving.
But Lacroix answered the latter score with an 88-yard kickoff return. On the play, he bobbled a bouncing kick near the left sideline before beating the advancing coverage across the field and executing a couple of nifty cuts to break into the clear.
The junior's 32-yard field goal three minutes later made it 22-21 New Egypt.
Though Loftin's 3-yard touchdown run late in the half put Florence up for good, the Flashes couldn't have been happy about how that first 24 minutes unfolded.
The teams scored eight times in 10 combined possessions, the only exceptions being an interception of Rowley by Kevin Linico and a muffed kickoff by the Flashes that New Egypt's Dakota Havens recovered.
Rowley ran for 99 yards in the first half and 120 in the game. Lacroix added 53 rushing yards. His 95-yard kickoff return three plays into the fourth quarter was the Warriors' lone score after intermission.
“(New Egypt) ran a nice option offense. They're tough,” Frappolli said. “Our defensive coaches made adjustments at halftime.”
The Flashes will look to make a few more key adjustments this week leading up to next Friday night's showdown at Delran, their third of five consecutive road games.
“We've got to get ready for Delran next week,” Frappolli said. “We've got to do a better job on special teams. We've got the biggest game of the year next week.”
By BILL KENNY
Burlington County Times
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Frappolli defeats Burl. City for 231 career victories since 1974
It was typical of Joe Frappolli. Somehow he couldn't remember his first career win, but had no trouble recalling his first team.
When the clock ticked off the final seconds of Florence's 42-0 win over Burlington City at Raymond A. Costello Field last night, Frappolli became South Jersey's all-time winningest high school football coach with 231 victories. He surpassed John Oberg, coach of Delsea Regional High School in Franklinville, Gloucester County.
Minutes later, Frappolli was asked about that first W.
He struggled with the question for a minute, then said “I'm blowing a fuse right now.”
The answer? The Flashes defeated Bordentown, 20-0, on Oct. 5, 1974, in what has become a typical Flashes' game. Florence rushed for 212 yards, including 104 by Mark Panaro and 79 by Kevin Burley.
The Flashes held the Scotties to 76 total yards, including 46 on the ground, and Frappolli, again in a move that would become typical, deflected the credit to the players by naming every member of his offensive line.
John Frappolli, Kevin Hutchinson, Jim Tyree, Dave Deets, Nelson Hughes, Raymond Garganio and Joe Venanzi opened the holes that day 33 years ago. They also helped lay the groundwork for everything that was to follow.
“We took over a program that was really soft,” Frappolli said. “People just didn't tackle. There was no excitement. There was no energy. And I mean we banged every day. And we were just trying to create that rocks-and-bottles mentality. You still see the shirts today. It's about that mentality. It's about toughness. The Pit was a place, like I've always said, but it's about that mentality.”
That first team compiled a 4-5 record. The Flashes saw many brighter days in the years that followed. Many of those players returned to pass along what they'd learned.
Mikal Lundy, who was on the field for some of Florence's brightest moments, was there again as an assistant coach for Burlington City last night. His cousin, Najee, was on the field to hug his old coach after the game.
That raised a bigger smile than the dozen cameras and microphones around the coach.
“It's always about relationships and people you meet,” Frappolli said. “And you know what? In a selfish way — if you want to call it a selfish way — that's the joy I get out of it ... guys coming back and moving on, and getting a chance to see them as young men.”
By JOHN LEWIS
Burlington County Times
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Frappolli stands alone
Quentin Loftin will tell his kids about it, one day.
He was on the field on the night that Florence High School football coach Joe Frappolli became the winningest coach in South Jersey football history.
“It's going to be wonderful. I can't wait to tell my son, or my daughter,” Loftin said. “It's a great record; 231 wins is incredible.”
And Loftin wasn't just on the field. He was tearing it up.
Loftin ran for 105 yards on 20 carries and scored three first-quarter touchdowns as Florence crushed Burlington City 42-0 in last night's Burlington Olympic Football League Freedom Division game.
Loftin scored on runs of 3, 8 and 5 yards to cap the Flashes' first three possessions on the way to an early 22-0 lead.
“We did what we do every week,” Loftin said. “We run right at them and make them stop us. We basically tell them what we're going to do. We run the same plays, the same formations, and teams can't stop it. That's what we do.”
The Flashes scored on their first four possessions. Jim Martinson hit Tyler Foehr in stride on a post pattern for a 45-yard score early in the second quarter.
Florence held the Blue Devils without a first down in the first half.
City had just one first down in the game, on its first possession of the second half. The Blue Devils totaled minus-12 yards of offense and held the ball for just 17:53 of 48 minutes.
Linebacker Chris Salaga had a pair of interceptions for Florence.
The second one sparked a 54-yard drive that ended with Martinson's 9-yard scoring run on the first play of the fourth quarter.
“That (first one) was my first interception since Pop Warner,” Salaga said. “The second one, (City quarterback Kris Corry) was getting rushed by the D-line, which did great tonight. I saw the ball coming down, so I dove and I got it.”
Marcus Rawls scored the final Florence touchdown, on a 4-yard run with 4:33 remaining.
The win was the 231st of Frappolli's career, which began in 1974. He surpassed John Oberg, who was coach at Gloucester County's Delsea Regional from 1960-92. The Flashes have had 27 winning seasons under Frappolli and captured four Central Jersey Group 1 crowns.
The coach thanked the players after the game and reminded them, as he often does, that the most important game is always the next one.
“I've got mixed feelings right now, only because I guess I should feel more excited than I do,” Frappolli said, a moment later. “I'm still shivering a little bit from that ice cold bath I got.
“And I'm not trying to take it lightly, but I'm not one to reap all the benefits. It's really about these kids over here and all of our coaches and our whole school community.”
Burlington City fell to 1-2, with the only win an opening day forfeit over Trenton Catholic.
“Florence just has one heck of a football team,” City coach Tim Reardon said. “They were a lot quicker and stronger than we are. What did we learn about ourselves today? The kids didn't quit. They came back out in the second half and played a good half. It's the second game in a row we've been down big at halftime, and the kids haven't quit.
“They keep working, and they've got nothing to do but get better.”
By JOHN A. LEWIS
Burlington County Times
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Joe Frappolli ties the all-time South Jersey football wins record.
Burlington — Joe Frappolli ties the all-time South Jersey football wins record.
As expected, the Florence head coach tied the record in front of his home crowd, at the new Pit. Frappolli, who has been the Flashes head coach for the last 34-years, won his 230th game, which is the same amount of wins that former Delsea head coach John Oberg had in his coaching career. Frappolli’s Flashes beat the visiting Maple Shade Wildcats, 46-0, in the second Friday night game at the new school.
“We worked real hard over the years,” Frappolli said. “The longevity and success is truly contributed to all the players that have come through the program. Our whole school community, especially our fans — our fans have transitioned well into Friday night Flashes. It’s nice to see them all out. Also, our coaching staff, who have been here for a long time. I’m humbled by the whole thing; especially I could reflect on this and think for the grace of God, I probably wouldn’t be here.”
Frappolli was offered a head coaching job in Connecticut. Yet, he decided to stay at home and decline the Connecticut offer.
“I was offered a job up in Connecticut,” he said. “And I made a decision to stay here (in Florence). At that time, I never thought I would be a head football coach. I went to get my Master’s work and tried to be the best baseball coach I could be.”
Frappolli found out that being a football coach in his home town was more suited for him. Frappolli, who used to play for the Flashes football team, was able to have his family in attendance, including his wife, daughters, grandchildren, and son, who is also an assistant coach and the freshman head coach, as he tied the record.
Recently, he was able to get best wishes from Herb Kemp and Bo Ryan, the current Wisconsin head coach — both guys went to Wilkes University with Frappolli — and many former players.
“That’s special,” Frappolli said. “There’s no question about it. I’m a downtowner at Florence. And to marry my high school sweetheart, Donna, that’s special. It’s special to be the head coach and the Athletic Director at Florence Twp. Memorial High School.”
Yet, his parents were unable to be in attendance. But Frappolli had them with him in spirit.
“Before tonight’s game, I visited the grave of my mom and dad, which is something I usually do before each game,” he said. “I just hoped to carry their name and made them proud.”
And he has.
Quentin Loftin ran all over the Wildcats defense. He had 77 total rushing yards with 3 first half touchdowns. His second touchdown in the first half was a 39-yard TD catch.
“Quentin’s always good,” Joe Price said. “The line was blocking good, especially Chris Salaga and Ryan Ingham.”
The line was a big factor in the Flashes running the ball. The line helped Price get a 44-yard touchdown in the first half. Even with the backup line in, Kevin Linico and Marcus Rawls used the Flashes blockers to score touchdowns in the third and fourth quarter, respectively.
Jimmy Martinson barely was able to see time last season being the backup quarterback behind Sr. Robert Hutchinson, Jr. Yet, Martinson had his best game of the young season, in his second career start. Martinson had 7 completions for 40 yards, including his first touchdown on the season to senior Tyler Foehr.
“That just fell right into my hands,” Foehr said of his amazing 16-yard TD catch. “It got tipped by a Maple Shade player and I caught it in the end zone.”
On the other sideline was Tony Nicolino, who used to play against Frappolli in high school football games. Nicolino and Frappolli are friends, yet Frappolli started to feel bad for his friend.
“Tony’s trying to work real hard with his program,” Frappolli said. “There was a point tonight, when I felt that we were so dominant on defense, I been on the other side over the years. They played us pretty tough last year and they graduated a lot of players.”
The Flashes defense only allowed 18 yards of total offense for the Wildcats. The Flashes defense was so tough that it got into Chris Szymczak head. Szymczak was so frustrated by the defense that he got his self ejected in the 4th quarter. Szymczak was 0 for 5 passing for negative 1 yards.
Joe Quicksell came in for Szymczak. But the Flashes defense also stopped him. He only had one completion to Brian Schaefer for only 1 yard.
Florence (2-0)
Maple Shade (0-2)
Touchdowns
1. Loftin for 2-yard TD run at 7:12 first (6-0)
2. Loftin for 39 TD catch at 3:20 first (12-0)
3. Price for 44-yard TD run at 39.4 first (18-0)
4. Loftin for 40-yard TD 5:42 second (25-0)
5. Martinson to Foehr for 16-yard TD catch at 33.7 second (32-0)
6. Linico for 7-yard TD run at 5:18 third (39-0)
7. Rawls for 26-yard TD run at 4:49 fourth (46-0)
By Anthony Lawrence Caruso, III
NJ Sports Staff Writer
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Joe Frappolli bleeds blue and gold as much as anybody.
Joe Frappolli bleeds blue and gold as much as anybody.
Frappolli has spent nearly all of his life in his hometown of Florence. His only time outside of Florence was when he went to college at Wilkes University, in Wilkes-Barre, PA. And he was offered jobs outside of Florence; however, he decided to stay at home, in Florence. He turned down a job in Connecticut to stay at Florence.
Frappolli, a 1965 graduate of Florence Twp. Memorial High, was the head baseball coach when he was offered the Connecticut job. He would later give up the head baseball position to focus mainly on the football team.
He used to be a Flashes football player, and then became an assistant coach in 1970, under Joe Papp. He was an assistant coach under Papp for two years. The Flashes were 4-14 in Papp’s final two years at the school.
He would stay an assistant coach, when George Besette took over the head coaching position after the 1972 season. Besette would only last two years on the Flashes sideline. He would have a 5-13 record in two years.
The losing ways would change with one hire. Before the 1974 season, the Florence Athletic Department would hire Frappolli, as the new head football coach. And it’s turned out to be the best sports hire in school history.
“He’s very proud of being from Florence,” longtime defensive coordinator Nick Lubrano said. “That means he’s been here for a very long time. He was born and raised in Florence. To be born, raised, coach and teach here, it’s pretty rewarding for Frappolli.”
Frappolli has guided the Flashes football team for the last 34-years. Frappolli has had more winning seasons than any football coach in Burlington County. He has coached 26 teams that were .500 or better, while he has won 15 division titles. His team hasn’t lost a division title since 2001, when Burlington City won the Freedom Division.
Frappolli also guided Florence to the 1985 South Jersey, Group 1 State Championship.
His teams have won 49 of their last 50 games, with the only loss during this unbelievable streak coming last year at home to Holy Cross. Florence had a chance to win that game; however, fumbles caused an end to their 43-game win streak, which is the second-longest win streak in South Jersey history. The Flashes have won 4 straight Central Jersey, Group 1 State Championships.
Frappolli has recently won his 230th career game that ties the all-time South Jersey football wins record. He is currently tied with the former Delsea head coach John Oberg, who was 230-67-16 in his coaching career at one school. And Frappolli is expected to break the record in the very near future.
“Coach is not really an arrogant person,” senior running back Quentin Loftin said. “He doesn’t talk about it at practice — about him being a legend. He never mentioned that he has 230 wins coming. He just told us to come out and play our best. That’s the way he is. He really doesn’t care about how many wins he has. That’s why he’s a good person, also.
“I really think coach doesn’t care if he has 230 wins or not. He cares more about Florence, the program, the people, and the players. He just so happens to have 230 wins. He never really thinks about it (the record).”
Yet, his current players wanted to be apart of his huge accomplishment.
“It’s an accomplishment to know that he has 230 wins,” Loftin said. “We’re apart of that with him. It feels good to be apart of that. And to win this historic game for coach, means a lot to us.”
And he’s seen many players come and go. Yet, it’s always been about the team to him.
“It’s never about the person,” Lubrano said. “That was the way he was born and raised. Family always came first. That’s the way he’s always been.”
“We play as a team but we all play for this town,” senior guard and linebacker Chris Salaga said. “It’s all one big family. Coach always says family is a big part of it. He’s always preaching to us that we’re a family — a second family to him.”
Many of his former players stay close to the football program after they graduate high school. Most of them attend the football games throughout the season, while some former players are Frappolli’s assistant coaches, including his own son. Only one assistant coach didn’t graduate from Florence.
“It shows a lot about Frappolli,” Salaga said. “Most of the staff is made up of Florence graduates. They all want to be around the program. They all want to help us get better.”
By Anthony Lawrence Caruso, III
NJ Sports Staff Writer
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Loftin helps Frappolli reach milestone
Prior to the start of the season, Florence High School senior running back Quentin Loftin set his sights on the school record for touchdowns in a year.
At this rate, he might just get it.
Loftin added three more touchdowns to his total last night as the Flashes defeated Maple Shade 46-0 in a Burlington Olympic Football League Freedom Division contest. Loftin raised his total to six TDs in first two games this year but still has a long way to go before reaching his goal.
“My goal is 34 touchdowns,” Loftin said. “The record is 33 and it actually belongs to a friend of mine, Jorron Jenkins. It's a little goal I set for myself. I don't see why I can't get it.”
If the Flashes can produce the type of dominating game that they delivered last night, Loftin might be on to something. Loftin scored three of the Flashes' first four touchdowns, providing an easy night for Florence, which saw its coach, Joe Frappolli, tie the mark for the most career wins in South Jersey history with 230.
Loftin opened the scoring on a 2-yard touchdown run just 4:48 into the game. The next drive he took a pass from junior quarterback Jim Martinson 40 yards to make it 12-0.
After Joe Price scored on a 43-yard run for an 18-0 lead, Loftin struck again on a 40-yard run midway through the second quarter. It was the last time Loftin touched the ball.
“I knew I wasn't going to be able to play the second half,” Loftin said. “Coach (Frappolli) said that he was going to get a lot of different guys in the game in the second half.”
But before all the starters were out of the game, the Flashes managed to show off a strategy unfamiliar to recent Florence teams — a solid passing attack. Known for their relentless running game, Martinson went 8-for-11 for 80 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the first half. He ended his night with a 16-yard pass to Tyler Foehr.
“We're trying to mix things up a little bit,” Loftin said. “It keeps teams from always knowing what we are going to do. It definitely helps me because teams are always keying on the run and now they have to watch out for the pass.”
Even more impressive was the Flashes' defense. In the first half, Florence limited the Wildcats to just six total yards.
Maple Shade, which finished with 31 yards, got its only first down on a 13-yard run by Marithe Harris with 12 seconds left in the third quarter.
“(Florence's) defensive line won them that game,” Maple Shade coach Tony Nicolino said. “They pushed our line all around in the first half. After halftime, we played with a little more heart.
“Our offensive line is new and we are going to have to adjust. But we've been there before. We started off 0-2 last season and we had a nice run and made the playoffs. We just have to do it again this year.”
Florence (2-0) will meet Burlington City next week in a key Freedom Division matchup.
“We have a long way to go still,” Frappolli said. “We still have a lot of question marks and are still trying to get our mindset to focus on a high level. We will find out next week.”
By MARK ZIMMARO
Burlington County Times
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No Average Joe
Each time Ed Martin takes a stroll down memory lane, he can't help but think about Joe Frappolli. The man who stressed the importance of a college education to a high school senior. The man who soothed the broken heart of a soon-to-be law student stunned by the death of his father. The man who unexpectedly turned up at a raucous bachelor party, then turned a wedding day into a once-in-a-lifetime classic.
He rarely thinks of Frappolli as just a high school football coach.
“He's helped me through some of the toughest times in my life and some of the best times in my life,'' said Martin, a former Florence High School lineman who played for Frappolli from 1976-80 before moving on to Boston University. “When my dad died, he was the person I turned to. I knew I could just pick up the phone and call him. He was safe. He was secure. He was the sounding board that I needed. I knew he wouldn't lie to me.
“With Joe, what you see is what you get ... a man who is true to his word.''
Frappolli would tie the record for most wins by a South Jersey high school football coach if his Flashes get by Maple Shade tonight. In his 34th year at Florence, Frappolli would join John Oberg, the long retired coach at Delsea, atop a long list of distinguished names that include Howard (Skeets) Irvine, Tom Brown and Joe Corbi.
Names and numbers, though, really don't tell Frappolli's story.
Neither does football.
Although his numbers are staggering and his years of service admirable, Martin will tell you the 60-year-old with the salt-and-pepper hair and the Super Mario Brothers mustache is a lot more than a just a longtime winning coach on the brink of a milestone. Then again, most of Frappolli's former players will say the same thing.
Part coach, part father figure, part friend, Frappolli is someone they can count on. From one year to the next. From one generation to the next.
“He cares,'' said Steve Muchowski, who quarterbacked the Flashes in the mid-1980s. “He cares about his players, about his coaches, about his whole town.
“It's always about more than just football with Joe. He likes to talk to you about what's going on in your life, what's going on with your family. He's big on family. And he always tells you exactly how he feels. He's never been one to say something that he doesn't believe in himself.''
Frappolli, a 1965 graduate of Florence, took over the Florence program in 1974 and has enjoyed more winning seasons than any football coach in Burlington County history. His teams have finished above .500 an astonishing 26 times and have won 15 division titles. In the last four years alone, his teams have won 47 of 48 games and four straight Central Jersey Group 1 titles.
Maybe most impressive is the fact that, despite coaching 34 years and winning 229 games, he has yet to lose his 100th, going 229-99-5 since Gerald Ford replaced Richard Nixon in the White House.
Remember, though. Names and numbers don't tell the whole story.
“Joe is tough but he's fair,'' said Nick Lubrano, an assistant at Florence since 1986. “He gets on players if they screw up but he also kids around with them. He talks to them. He wants to know how they're doing in school, how their brothers and sisters are doing. He keeps in touch with players after they graduate. I think that's what sets him apart from other coaches. We don't even think about the record here.''
According to Lubrano, no special celebration is planned tonight at the Flashes' new field, should Frappolli win No. 230. There may be some type of festivity if Frappolli breaks the record next week, Lubrano said, but that game is at Burlington City and, for now, nothing is in the works that he knows of.
As for Frappolli, who has always downplayed his personal accomplishments, he would love if people would just forget about the record completely.
“Football, probably more than any other sport, is about building relationships,'' Frappolli said. “Because there are so many ups and downs, you try to build relationships with people. Share their experiences. That's important.''
That's something he's already doing with his current group of Flashes.
“He's not one of those coaches that always doubts you,'' senior Marcus Curry said. “If you make a mistake, he won't yell at you, he'll just tell you to pick your head up and get ready for the next play. I think he's a real good coach. I can see myself keeping in contact with him even after I graduate. He that's kind of person.''
Martin and Frappolli have stayed close for over two decades now, even though Martin has lived in Boston since he graduated from Florence in 1981.
Frappolli and his wife Donna visited Martin, his wife and their three children this summer. Martin, an attorney in Boston, comes back to his hometown every Thanksgiving to visit friends and family, and to catch the Flashes' annual holiday game against Riverside. And he always stops by Frappolli's home, which is not far from where he grew up.
Of course, there's also the occasional phone calls back and forth the rest of the year.
It's been that way forever, it seems.
“I remember when I got married I had to have Joe there,'' said Martin, who tied the knot 16 years ago. “As most guys know, a groom really doesn't have much say when it comes to planning a wedding. The only thing I asked for was that we had to be married by the early part of August. We had to be married before football season started because I wasn't getting married unless Joe was there.''
By JEFF OFFORD
Burlington County Times
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Florence finds new home to its liking
FLORENCE — Ever since its final game at The Pit some nine months ago, the Florence High football team had to hear folks talk about how great the field was.
But all the while the Flashes knew that their old home field's true greatness lay in the spirit of the people who inhabited it.
Last night, that spirit found a new home.
Florence christened its new Cedar Lane stadium with a decisive 28-12 victory over Palmyra in an Olympic Conference Freedom Division season-opener.
It was the first night game in school history, but certainly not the first time in the win column for head coach Joe Frappolli, who moved within one victory of tying Delsea's John Oberg for No. 1 all-time in South Jersey.
The 60-year-old Frappolli has a 229-99-5 record in his 34th season, all with the Flashes. Florence will host Maple Shade next Friday night and visit Burlington City on Sept. 21.
And as if that weren't enough milestones for one night, the victory marked the 400th in the history of Florence football.
But as one might expect, the Flashes aren't too focused on the past at the moment as they seek their fifth straight Central Jersey Group I title and strive to continue a tradition that transcends time or place.
“If you tell us to play in a parking lot, that's where we'll play,” Frappolli said. “It's all a mentality. The Pit was a place and this is another place. (But) "The Pit' is a mentality.”
It's a hard-nosed, disciplined, scrappy and resilient mentality at that.
Florence was all of that as it dominated both sides of the ball until the outcome of the game had long been decided.
The Flashes reached the end zone on four of their first five possessions, while allowing the Panthers only a fluke fumble return score on a first-quarter kickoff return.
With Florence up 7-0, Palmyra's Quron Pratt took the kick at his own 11 and raced to the Florence 40, where he was met with a crushing hit. The ball came loose, only for Panthers quarterback Lynden Alfred to scoop it up and sprint the distance.
“We caused a turnover and they get the bounce. We'll give them that,” Frappolli said.
Other than that, it was all Florence.
Senior running back Quentin Loftin scored the first three touchdowns on runs of two, 14 and five yards. He led the Flashes with 54 yards on the ground.
Junior Anthony Krause pounded in the fourth score with a six-yard run on the first possession of the second half.
Florence out-rushed Palmyra, 216-11, for the game.
Prior a 47-yard scoring pass from Morris Atkins to Pratt with two minutes left in the game, the Panthers didn't get within 25 yards of the Florence end zone.
“The key was (assistant) coach (Dan) Hegarty and (assistant) coach (Nick) Lubrano,'' Florence linebacker Chris Salaga. “They had all of our (defensive) audibles set. Our defense was set up to contain them inside so their speed was useless.''
By BILL KENNY
Burlington County Times
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It's all about team for Frappolli
Florence players hit the blocking sleds under the watchful eye of coach Joe Frappolli. The veteran Frappolli needs just three victories to become South Jersey's all-time winningest football coach.
Joe Frappolli, the pride of Florence High, is on the verge of becoming the winningest football coach in South Jersey history.
But you would never know it by hanging around the Flashes' practices.
"He hasn't mentioned it at all," said Nick Lubrano, a longtime Florence assistant. "But it's a great achievement, and it means a lot to everybody in Florence."
Frappolli, 60, begins the season with 228 wins - two shy of equaling the record set by John Oberg, the retired coaching legend from Delsea.
"We haven't talked about it, but you know it's out there," Frappolli said. "But, hey, there are some great coaches right behind us."
He said, "us."
Perhaps that, in a microcosm, explains Frappolli's success. He doesn't consider the milestone to be his.
It's Florence's.
When it happens, it will be for all the players, coaches and fans who have been around during his 34 seasons.
Including six volunteer assistants, there are 12 coaches on Florence's staff. Nine of them - Frappolli, his son, Joe (Zepe) and his brother, John; Cesar Pereda; Don Nemeth; Dan Hegarty; Tony Luyber; Fred Dunphy; and Pepe Piechette - are Florence graduates. Two others, Lubrano and Steve Ordog, grew up in the Florence area. That makes assistant Ross O'Neill, a Triton grad, the only "outsider." But he has been with the program eight years, long enough that he seems like a Florence guy.
Put it all together and you have a commitment to continuing Florence's amazing consistency. The Flashes have a 228-99-5 record under Frappolli since he became the head coach in 1974.
"It's a longevity thing," Frappolli said of his march toward the South Jersey record. "You hang in there and try to persevere through the ups and downs."
Lately, there have not been many downs. Florence is 47-1 over the last four seasons, during which it has won four Central Jersey Group 1 titles.
"The biggest thing is that, over the years, he's consistent with the kids," said Lubrano, a Florence assistant since 1986. "He's real tough. But at the same time, he's fair with them, and he's able to adapt to whatever kind of kids we've had. When we had [quarterback] Brian Opre [in the early '90s] and [wide receiver] Dion Bernardini, we must have thrown 50 times a game. Now we don't throw 50 times a year."
Lubrano let out a hearty laugh.
"He's just able to adapt to the kids' talents and put a plan together for the type of athletes we have," he said.
Lubrano said Frappolli is unique in that he encourages his players to participate in other sports and doesn't have them on year-round weight-lifting programs as do some coaches.
"We have a program that we give to the kids, but we don't do anything until mid-July," Lubrano said. "The kids lift on their own, but it's not a mandatory thing like it is at a lot of schools. That's one thing Joe does. He lets the kids be kids and enjoy the summer and work down the shore or work wherever. [At several schools], there's a lot of pressure for kids to start [football workouts] right after school ends. We don't do that. We don't want to burn them out, and we encourage them to play other sports. We tell them to play basketball instead of lifting. We want them involved in team sports."
Senior guard/linebacker Chris Salaga, who is in his third year as a two-way starter at football-crazed Florence, said Frappolli knows when to be serious and when to lighten up.
"He's no-nonsense, and when it's time to work, we work," Salaga said. "And he knows when it's time to kid around. We'll be doing our stretching exercises and his stories are a little insane. He'll talk about the dreams he had at night . . . or how it was when he played. He said the players never got water [breaks] back then and the people who drank water were little girls."
Salaga smiled.
"But he gives us plenty of water breaks."
Salaga, one of the team's leaders, called Frappolli "a great motivator. His speeches always fire me up. He played for Florence, and he knows what the community is all about and knows what to say."
This year's team will play its home games at the new high school. No longer will games be played at The Pit, the famed sunken-down field that was the site of many dramatic Saturday afternoon games. In addition to a new field, Florence will now play its home games under the lights on Friday nights.
Florence opens the season with home games against Palmyra and Maple Shade. If it wins those contests, Frappolli will have tied the win record and would have a chance to break it on Sept. 21 at Burlington City.
"I don't get swept up in those kinds of things," Frappolli said. "We're playing a lot of new people this year, and we're just trying to get ready for opening night. That's our biggest concern."
Frappolli says the players, assistants and fans are a major part of the record, along with his family. "I've been blessed to have pretty decent health, and my family has been so supportive," he said. "When you coach, you end up spending a lot of time with other kids."
Long after they graduate, those "other kids" frequently return to Florence and stay in touch with The Frapper.
"That, to me, is more rewarding than breaking any records, especially as I get older," said Frappolli, a former Florence quarterback. "When you're young, you're gung-ho and you take everything so personally and you're full of so much emotion. Not that I don't have emotion now. I do. But there's more gratification to have my [former] players stop by with their families. That's the rewarding stuff."
By Sam Carchidi
Inquirer Staff Writer
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Articles from the 2006 season
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BCT Defensive Player of the Year
CHERRY HILL — Consider what the Florence High School defense accomplished this year, and then consider what Flashes coach Joe Frappolli said about Shaquan Virgil.
Florence rolled up an 11-1 record and a fourth consecutive Central Jersey Group 1 championship. Exactly half the Flashes games this year were shutout victories, and Florence held 11 of its 12 opponents to 14 points or fewer.
There were two games in which they didn't give up a first down and three in which opponents were held to negative rushing yard.
And Virgil?
Frappolli called him “the glue that held our defensive unit together,” which is as good an explanation as any, for Virgil's being named Burlington County's Defensive Player of the Year last night at the 36th annual William Gordon-George Masters Memorial Burlington County Football Club Awards Banquet.
“He's the cornerstone,” Frappolli said. “He understands the schemes. He understands the coverages. He knows where people have to be. It was very noticeable when he wasn't on the field.”
Even at those times, Virgil stepped forward as a leader. When knee and hamstring injuries kept him off the field for the Holy Cross game on Nov. 4, Virgil was on the sideline, encouraging teammates and trying to provide what spark he could.
“He wasn't a real demonstrative leader,” Frappolli said. “He was quiet and assertive, but when he said something, it had significance.”
Virgil credited Frappolli and his coaching staff for the part they played in his development as a player, and the success of the 2006 edition of the Florence defense.
“I have to thank my coaches, because without any one of them, I wouldn't have been up there tonight,” Virgil said. “Especially Coach Nick (Lubrano, the defensive coordinator). He gets me in the right position every play.”
All well and good. But in addition to being where he needed to be, Virgil had to make the tackle. There were few players around who could match his mobility, and even fewer who could shut down a play like Virgil could.
Virgil was a key player on offense, too.
He ran for 335 yards and five touchdowns on 45 carries, and was one of the people opening holes for Tim Bihlear, a 1,000-yard rusher.
Virgil was one of the feature running backs in the offense before Bihlear's arrival. Frappolli loved the way he found other ways to contribute afterward.
“He sacrificed on offense,” Frappolli said.
“He never said he wanted the ball more. He said you want me to block on the wing? I'll block on the wing? I'll do whatever you want.”
As recruitment calls and letters pour in, Frappolli said they represent final proof to the team of how hard work and dedication can pay off.
“All of a sudden, he's been offered by Villanova, New Hampshire, Richmond was in today, William and Mary, Monmouth. They keep calling,” Frappolli said.
Virgil feels there's one guy, in particular, who gets it. He expects a teammate to claim the defensive hardware next season, too.
“I also thank Chris Salaga,” Virgil said, pointing to the Flashes all-county offensive lineman.
“He's the other linebacker and I think he had more tackles than I did.
“He's a great player and I think he can win this award next year.”
By JOHN A. LEWIS
Burlington County Times
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Bihlear is the real deal
When Tim Bihlear transferred to Florence, it didn't take him long to earn his stripes.
The senior had built a reputation while at Willingboro as a hard-nosed, aggressive player. He had big-play potential and would make the Flashes an even better football team in the second half of the season.
"He had to earn his spot a little bit, but we knew he was the real deal," senior Shaquan Virgil said.
Bihlear was the X-factor, that special player who made things happen.
On Friday night, in what would be the final game of his abbreviated season, Bihlear demonstrated again just how much of an impact player he is.
As Shaquan Virgil said, he proved he's the real deal.
Bihlear rushed for 190 yards on 23 carries -- including a 71-yard touchdown run the first time he touched the ball. He caught two passes for 34 yards, which included a 29-yard TD reception to ice the game in the fourth quarter. He also stepped in on defense to help Florence (11-1) capture its fourth straight Central Jersey Group 1 title at Rutgers Stadium.
His performance in the 17-6 victory over top-seeded South River (8-4) left no doubt as to his importance to this team.
"Tim is special. He can break any type of run, any time," two-way end Malcolm Jenkins said. "You just block for him and keep fighting.
"He sets the level every game. He's just one of those special players. He helped us get here and win the game."
South River marched 80 yards on the game's first possession, taking a 6-0 lead with 5:34 to play. No one moved the ball against the Flashes' defense like that all season. And this was not the time for it to happen.
Enter Bihlear.
On the Flashes' first play, the 5-foot-10, 195-pounder slipped around the left side . . . and he was gone. Down the sideline untouched, Bihlear tied the game and went over 1,000 yards for the season in the process.
What took South River nearly seven minutes to do took Bihlear just 12 seconds on one play. Uncle Mo turned and really never left.
"That was probably the biggest play of the game for us," Bihlear said. "When a team gets on a drive like that, it takes the life out of you. An 80-yard drive, it makes you feel like they're overpowering you and making you weak. Coming back was great and our team picked it up right from there."
Bihlear cracked the 1,000-yard mark when he crossed the South River 46, and would finish his short career at Florence with 1,163 yards on 125 carries with 15 touchdowns.
"Timmy's a playmaker," coach Joe Frappolli said.
"That says it all. It got us pumped up," Virgil said.
"Every time he touches the ball, he has the ability to go all the way," quarterback Rob Hutchison said. "We just love that about him.
"He's not selfish, but he's a competitor and wants the ball. When other people get the ball, he doesn't make a big deal about it. He's a great player, great teammate and outstanding athlete. He was another weapon, and he's good."
A weapon every team needs when looking to win a championship.
"Players told me they would block and carry the load. I just did what they asked me to do," Bihlear said.
Bihlear closed his high school career with 702 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in his final three games. He rushed for better than 200 yards three times in seven games and came into the final with back-to-back games of 256 yards.
"This was great, but sad that it's my last high school game," he said.
"This is probably the greatest atmosphere you can play in. The people treat you nice. They're behind you 100 percent -- players, parents, alumni, people that don't even have kids on the team. It's heaven."
By: Kevin Minnick
Courier Post
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State Champs...Again
There's something about playing South River that brings out the best in Florence senior tackle Dahvis Blakney.
On Friday night at a windy Rutgers Stadium, Blakney put on a prime-time performance. His fumble recovery at the South River 20-yard line in the fourth quarter set up the game-clinching touchdown in Florence's 17-6 victory, which gave the Flashes their fourth straight Central Jersey Group 1 title.
"That was a big play," said Florence coach Joe Frappolli of Blakney's fumble recovery. "It's ironic but he made some big plays in this game last year, too. He's a big-play kid."
Last year, Blakney played one of his best games of the season against the Rams in the Central Jersey Group 1 semifinals to help Florence prevail 38-7 before the Flashes defeated David Brearley for the title.
Blakney, a 5-foot-9, 226-pounder playing in his final high school game Friday, was thrilled with the fumble he recovered but failed to take all the way for a score.
"I've been thinking about running a fumble back all year," said Blakney, who also was credited with six tackles. "The first thought that entered my mind was to get into the end zone but my legs cramped up and I couldn't do it. But I knew I had given us a chance to wrap it up."
Two plays and two penalties -- both against Florence -- later, the Flashes did wrap it up when senior quarterback Robert Hutchison tossed the ball to classmate Tim Bihlear, who took the ball away from a defender at the 1-yard line and inched across the goal line to make it 16-6 with 9:22 left in the game.
Matt Belcher's second placement provided the final point of the game.
It was Hutchison's eighth TD pass of the season.
"It was the best feeling in the world, seeing Tim make that catch," Hutchison said. "It definitely was my biggest touchdown of the season."
Frappolli saluted Hutchison's leadership over the past two years. "We're 23-1 with Bobby at quarterback," the coach said. "That pretty much tells the story of what he's meant to this team."
Frappolli, who increased his career coaching victories to 228, praised Bihlear for a performance that also included a 71-yard touchdown run on Florence's first play from scrimmage. He finished with 190 yards on 23 carries.
"Tim is a big-play guy, a grinder," the coach said. "And he's not afraid to block, either. He does anything to help the team."
South River (8-4) took the opening kickoff and driving 80 yards on 12 plays and grabbing a 6-0 lead on quarterback Markeith Dobbins' 3-yard run. The extra-point kick failed, but the drive used up 6:36 and made a statement for the Rams.
"Nobody had put together a drive like that against us all year," Frappolli said. "They were a tough opponent, certainly one of the toughest we played all year."
It took Florence exactly 19 seconds to retaliate on Bihlear's 71-yard run around his left end and Belcher's extra point gave the Flashes a 7-6 lead, one it would never relinquish.
Belcher's 21-yard field goal with no time left in the second quarter gave Florence a 10-6 lead at halftime. South River took two consecutive timeouts in an effort to rattle Belcher, but his kick into a stiff wind went through the uprights.
Blakney's fumble recovery and Hutchison's pass to Bihlear put the exclamation point on Florence's 11-1 season, which includes a No. 2 ranking in the Courier-Post Small School rankings and a fourth straight Central Jersey Group 1 championship.
By WALT BURROWS
Courier-Post Staff
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Fun-loving Flashes set their sights on another title
FLORENCE — Nick Lubrano pulled up in a new car — or at least a different one — and set off all kinds of speculation.
Florence football coach Joe Frappolli asked a group of players standing on the track which one had been boosting cars for coach Nick.
One player wondered aloud if Lubrano works during the day at a car dealership. He doesn't. The same player brought out a question from a civics class as Lubrano — who had, in fact, borrowed a car because of a dead battery in his own — walked on the field.
“Coach, can you name your governor and your senators?”
“Our senators? Frank Lautenberg's one,” Lubrano said. He paused for a second. “And we just elected one. (Robert) Menendez. You see? I'm on top of things.”
“Who's our governor?” the player asked.
“Christie Whitman,” a smiling Lubrano said.
You shouldn't infer from this that Florence hasn't seriously gone about the business of preparing for Friday night's Central Jersey Group 1 championship meeting with South River High School. The Flashes will go for their fourth consecutive sectional title when they meet the Rams on Friday afternoon at Rutgers Stadium.
What is apparent is that the Flashes are making it a point to enjoy their fourth straight trip to the state's biggest stage.
“We talked to them about that a little bit,” Frappolli said. “Sometimes you get so caught up in everything that's going on that you forget to enjoy it. We want them to enjoy this week together as a team. Friday night is the last game of the year. It's the last time that some of them will ever play football. We'd like them to look at it from that standpoint and just enjoy the preparation.”
Lubrano, who, by the way, is fully aware that Jon Corzine is the governor, is the Florence defensive coordinator. He'll have a big hand in the preparation as the Flashes prepare to take on an offense that's been explosive at times this season. South River brings an 8-3 record into the game, including a three-game win streak.
They also bring in a running back, in junior Jarvis Crandell, who leads Middlesex County in both rushing and scoring. Crandell has 218 carries this season for 1,305 yards. He's scored 18 rushing touchdowns.
“They're a pretty balanced team,” Frappolli said. “They like to spread you out and run up the middle, and they can throw out of a lot of different sets. They're big up front on both lines.”
They also have a capable quarterback, in Markeith Dobbins, who can hurt you with his arm. Dobbins has completed 81 of 138 passes for 1,088 yards and 10 touchdowns. Five of them have gone to senior Brandon Hodges, who has 28 catches for 377 yards.
The Rams also use Eric Seawright and Kwasi Bell as wideouts, and have a blue-chip prospect at tight end in Josh Williams.
Florence counters with a defense that hasn't surrendered a point in its two playoff games. The Flashes blanked Metuchen, 35-0, in the quarterfinal round, and Shore Regional, 21-0, in the semis.
One of South River's losses this season was a 14-12 setback to Metuchen on Oct. 14.
“They've hurt themselves with some turnovers and things like that. We watched the Metuchen game, and it was a weird game. South River was behind, then they came back, then they shot themselves in the foot a little bit. They had a chance to win, and they just didn't,” Frappolli said.
Florence is 10-1, with a 34-28 loss to parochial power Holy Cross as the only blemish.
Tim Bihlear has become the heart of the Flashes' offense since his early-season transfer from Willingboro. Bihlear has 973 rushing yards in just six games played this season. Quentin Loftin has also shouldered the load at times this season, as have Shaquan Virgil and Marcus Curry.
They'll face one of the bigger defensive units they've seen this year.
“Defensively, they're very strong inside. We're hoping we get to play on a fast field, because our speed is real good — especially our defensive quickness. But they're a formidable foe,” Frappolli said.
Of course, so are the Flashes.
“I think the kids are real focused. They know what's at stake. Many of them have played at Rutgers before. They won't be holding anything back,” Frappolli said. “Against a Group 1 school, you generally have the same guys on both sides of the ball. It becomes a war of attrition, and we've been good at winning that war.”
FACTS & FIGURES
THE COACHES: Florence, Joe Frappolli, 33rd year, 227-99-5; South River, Rich Marchesi, 20th year, 148-57-2.
THE HISTORY: Florence's 37-7 victory in last year's sectional semifinal was the first meeting between the teams.
THE SKINNY: Florence has won three straight titles and is a four-time sectional champ. Among Burlington County teams, only Cherokee (seven) has won more crowns. Delran also has four.
This game is something of a rarity in that it will pit the Flashes against a team with an even more storied history. South River is making its ninth straight playoff appearance and its 23rd overall. The Rams are a 15-time finalist and have won nine sectional titles; the last one in 2001. They have a 29-13 playoff record.
By JOHN A. LEWIS
Burlington County Times
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Stingy Florence 'D' awaits next challenge
FLORENCE — Obviously, somebody's making plays.
Take a look at what the Florence High School football team, and in particular, its defense has accomplished on the way to rolling up a 10-1 record, and the conclusion is inescapable.
Six shutouts.
For Palmyra and Burlington City, no first downs.
For Bordentown, one first down and minus-47 rushing yards.
Shore Regional; 14 attempts, no completions.
73 points against them all season.
After eight games this season, Florence had more first downs (137) than its opponents had total rushing yards (99).
Obviously, a lot of people are making some plays on defense, but according to Flashes coach Joe Frappolli, the chemistry of that defense has changed a little bit. A team that's always been known for its linebackers lost one of the best tandems it's ever had after last season, when Abree Jones and Joe Spahn graduated.
This year, the Flashes defensive line took up the challenge, and those are the guys — seniors Dahvis Blakney and Marcus Curry, and juniors Malcolm Jenkins and Ron Edmonds — who've carried the flag in this year's march to a fourth consecutive Central Jersey Group 1 title game.
“Joe was an awesome player,” Jenkins said. “He's one of the best who ever played for Florence. So we knew what we had to do this year. We had to pick it up.”
Do the job right, as Blakney pointed out, and another awesome player would emerge behind them.
“When our linebackers get to plays, it's because of the line,” Blakney said. “We cause clogs in the middle of the line, and they come and fill the gaps.”
They've grabbed some glory for themselves with some big sacks along the way. Jenkins, at 6-foot-5, has also been adept at swatting down passes.
“They're a tough unit. It's all started with the coach, Peppi Piechette,” Frappolli said. “He was an outstanding player for us, who went on to Temple and played there. He was honored by the (Burlington County) football club after he graduated.”
In his senior season at Temple, Piechette was a teammate of Dan Klecko, who now plays for the Indianapolis Colts. Klecko's father, Joe, who had 771/2 sacks over 12 seasons with the New York Jets and Colts, worked at the time with the Owls' defensive linemen.
“My senior year was Dan's freshman year, and after practice, (Joe) would always show us different techniques,” Piechette said.
“I learned stuff from Temple, but most of what I learned, technique-wise, I learned from him.”
What Piechette learned from Klecko, he brought back to Florence, where the Flashes linemen put it into practice.
Now he's got his defensive linemen working on the practice field with hand weights, and working on the blocking sleds.
“A lot of it is just different hand techniques, ways to get off the ball and go after linemen.'' Piechette said. “A lot of people like to read linemen with their eyes. It's almost impossible to read a lineman with your eyes
“What Mr. Klecko taught us was how to read with your hands. You get off with your hands first, get your hands on an offensive lineman and you can read with your hands.”
Jenkins credited some of the technique that he learned from Piechette with a sack he had against Metuchen on Nov. 5.
“There have been a couple plays like that,” Jenkins said. “In the last playoff game, the lineman was kind of big, and kind of strong, but I came around the edge. I just used one of the things he taught me, a simple rip move; and I got to the quarterback.”
It's the kind of play that Frappolli's come to expect from a unit that's only allowed as many as 100 total yards twice this season.
“They're all a good size and weight,” Frappolli said. “They play with good leverage and they do a great job of playing inside as a unit. They don't get a lot of recognition, because a lot of times, they're buried in the heap.”
At the end of the day, though, it's their opponents who are buried. The Flashes hope South River becomes the 47th in 48 games on Friday, when they meet in the Central Jersey Group 1 championship game.
In the meantime, they're sticking to the sleds and the hand weights.
“We're just trying to prepare and focus on this game and do our normal routine,” Blakney said. “It's another football game, really. We don't think of it as anything different. It just has a title; championship.”
By JOHN A. LEWIS
Burlington County Times
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Freedom Division Title, All To Ourselves
RIVERSIDE — The Florence High School football team had a bigger feast on its mind.
And it wasn't a Thanksgiving meal.
The Flashes are whetting their appetite for a chance to win their fourth-straight Central Jersey Group 1 championship next week. Yesterday's annual Thanksgiving rivalry meeting with Riverside was just an appetizer.
Florence went to work and played a nearly flawless first half in defeating the Rams, 39-6, in a Burlington-Olympic Football League Freedom Division contest.
Flashes running back Tim Bihlear racked up all of his 256 yards and three touchdowns in the first half as Florence rolled to a victory. Florence (10-1 record) held the Rams (2-8) to just nine yards of offense through the first two quarters.
“We did our best to get the job done today,” Flashes defensive lineman Ron Edmonds said. “Even though we are playing for a championship next week, this is still a rivalry. I did start thinking about the championship but we try to do our best to take one game at a time.”
Florence showed its focus early and often. Bihlear scored on a 12-yard run just 4:07 into the game and followed with a 41-yard touchdown run with 3:44 remaining in the opening quarter.
Quentin Loftin broke into the scoring column 1:11 into the second quarter with a one-yard run. After Bihlear contributed his third score of the game — a 30-yard run — Loftin scored on a 17-yard pass from quarterback Rob Hutchinson with 1:01 left before halftime for a 32-0 advantage.
With most of the Florence starters getting a rest in the second half, sophomore running back Joe Price took over the bulk of the carries. Price rushed for 69 yards including a 19-yard touchdown run with 2:23 left in the third quarter.
“It felt good to get some carries in the second half because I usually don't see the ball a whole lot,” Price said. “I'm only a sophomore so I'm just waiting out my time but I'm happy to be able to contribute.”
Price helped lift the Flashes' total rushing yards to 434 in the game and 457 total yards. Aside from 65 yards in penalties, Florence made mistakes infrequently.
One of the only blemishes for Florence was when Riverside running back James Hozier broke over the goal line for a six-yard score with 5:53 left in the game. Hozier finished with 21 yards, second to teammate Brendon Griffin who had 59.
“I was happy to be able to score a touchdown to get us on the board,” Hozier said. “But I really wish it could have been one of the seniors to get it since it was their last game. I love the seniors on this team and it was a fun season for everyone.”
And though the conditions were a bit dreary as the field soaked in rain for the past couple of days, it made for a memorable afternoon for both squads.
“I love playing on Thanksgiving,” Edmonds said. “You have to love a field like this where there is water and mud everywhere. There is nothing better than this.”
By MARK ZIMMARO
Burlington County Times
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Back to the 'Ship
FLORENCE — The Flashes said goodbye to the “Pit” and hello to a sectional championship game.
The Florence High School football team bid farewell to its longtime home field yesterday, but not before showcasing another fine performance in front of its faithful fans one last time.
The end result was an impressive 35-0 victory over Metuchen in the Central Jersey Group 1 semifinals in the last game scheduled at Florence's beloved home. Florence will attempt to capture its fourth straight title when it faces South River in two weeks in the C.J. Group 1 state championship game at Rutgers University (date and time TBA) before moving to its new home next season.
“It feels great to be able to win our last game here,” Florence junior offensive lineman Chris Salaga said. “I'm going to miss this place. I have been playing here forever, ever since Pop Warner. It's going to be weird playing on actual grass next year.”
In all actuality, the Flashes won one of their biggest games at the “Pit” partly because of a guy who has been there the least amount of time. Running back Tim Bihlear, who transferred from Willingboro High School at the beginning of the school year, rushed for 256 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries.
Bihlear scored the Flashes' lone touchdown in the first half — a five-yard carry with 6:51 left in the first quarter — and followed it with two more scores in the third quarter to put Florence up, 21-0.
“It was a close game in the first half,” Bihlear said. “We were only up by a touchdown. But our coaches told us to step it up and the best came out of us on the second half. We left everything on the field today.”
The Flashes' offensive line took over in the second half as Florence racked up 204 of its 388 rushing yards in the contest.
Quentin Loftin contributed 55 yards and Joe Price added another 44 and a fourth-quarter touchdown.
“Coach Nick (Lubrano) had us very prepared for this game,” Salaga said. “He is the line coach who comes up with all the schemes that we run and I felt that we really controlled the line all day.”
The defense did its part too. After Loftin forced a fumble on a crushing blindside blitz, senior Shaquan Virgil scored on a 16-yard run two plays later to give the Flashes a commanding 28-0 lead with 1:16 left in the third quarter.
Loftin's big hit caused the third of four Metuchen turnovers, but none seemed to be as important as the last one that occurred in the waning moments of the final quarter.
After Florence's Chris Foehr fumbled on an attempted punt return, Metuchen had an opportunity to dent the scoreboard as it recovered on the Florence 43-yard line.
The Bulldogs drove down to the Florence 11, before Foehr redeemed himself with his second interception of the game on the goal line with 1:33 left.
“We were thriving on a shutout,” Foehr said.
By MARK ZIMMARO
Burlington County Times
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Virgil's return helps spark Florence
FLORENCE — A week ago, for the biggest high school football game in the area, Shaquan Virgil had the best seat in the house.
Most people would have killed for Virgil's spot at “The Pit”, but it was just killing him.
Virgil is a senior linebacker for the Florence High School football team, and thanks to injuries to both knees, he was forced to stand on the sidelines last week when his team fell to Holy Cross, ending a 43-game winning streak.
“I was dying to get out there, I was begging anyone who would listen,” Virgil said. “I know they wanted to wait until I was better to get out there, but I wanted to play so bad. I liked how we played, but I didn't like watching it.”
The decision to rest Virgil, who missed Florence's final three regular season games, against the Lancers was a good one. And yesterday, he got back to doing what he loves to do best.
Virgil made eight stops, including two for losses, as the Flashes downed Shore Regional, 21-0, in the first round of the Central Jersey Group 1 playoffs. It might not be the streak everyone's been talking about, but Florence has now won 10 straight playoff games.
On Saturday, they'll host Metuchen in a semifinal.
Offensively, the Flashes were led by running back Timmy Bihlear, who rushed for 125 yards, including touchdown runs of two, two and 14.
His first touchdown came midway through the first quarter, his second occurred shortly before halftime and the final score came with three minutes remaining in the game and erased all doubt of a Blue Devils comeback.
Bihlear was the offensive hero, but the defense led the way.
Shore, which runs the same wing-T offense as the Flashes, ran just four plays in Florence territory.
The furthest it advanced the ball was to the Flashes' 46-yard line.
“This was great, it was weird because none of us knew what it was like to play after a loss,” Virgil said. “I think we came out a little slow, but we scored right away.
“I think (the defense) played great, the offense played well. This was fun.”
The Flashes defense limited Shore to 110 total yards, all of which came on the ground. Blue Devils quarterback Gary Knoeppel attempted 14 passes.
Two of them were picked off and the other 12 fell incomplete.
But still, the Flashes know they can play better.
“I think we came out a little flat today and we kind of figured that would happen,” Florence coach Joe Frappolli said. “No matter what you say, last week was an emotional game.
“But at the same time, I'm happy with the way we played. Hey, Shore is a good team.
“They're a tough team, they're well coached and they're very good up front. This was a good win.”
It was also nice to get another win, something that hasn't happened it two weeks.
“We kind of fell out of our routine a little bit because we had off a couple of days from school and that threw off our schedule. Now, it's nice that we have that behind us and it's nice that we're coming off a big win.”
It's also nice that they have their standout linebacker back where he belongs — right in the center of things.
“For myself, I'm very, very happy to be back out there, it's fun,” Virgil said. “It's important to me to be out there. But it's more important to me and for the team that we won. Last week was something we never experienced before, so I'm really glad we had a chance to pick up a win.
“It never crossed our mind that this could be it. Coach told us long before last week that no matter what happened, we had to be ready for the playoffs. I think we were prepared and that's why we're still going for the (championship).”
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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Instant Classic
FLORENCE — Charlie Pirrello threw down the gauntlet in front of his troops.
“I told them they could lose and be a part of history,” the Holy Cross coach said. “Or win, and make history.”
The Holy Cross football team took up the challenge.
And Florence High School's four-year, 43-game winning streak?
History.
Holy Cross converted three Flashes fumbles into 21 points and got a clutch performance from wideout Rob Lane, whose four fourth-quarter catches netted 57 yards and a touchdown, on the way to a 34-28 Burlington-Olympic Football League interdivision victory in the last regular-season game at Florence's fabled field, “The Pit.”
Holy Cross quarterback Tom Reilly threw a pair of touchdown passes. The first, an 11-yarder to Dan Dash, tied the score after Florence had marched 65 yards to take the lead on its opening drive.
Florence fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Lancers took the lead with a three-yard run by Rick Maerten three plays later.
Another fumble ended the Flashes' next possession and paid off even quicker. The ball came loose as Jeff Longley wrapped Florence quarterback Rob Hutchison up for a sack. Lancers' defensive end Jerome Williams picked it up and sprinted 51 yards to give the Lancers a 21-7 advantage.
“I saw Longley coming through, and it looked like he had him stopped, and I was going to stop, but I kept going,” Williams said. “It was a hustle play, and I saw the ball pop out, picked it up and ran.”
Florence battled back in the second half with a nine-play, 50-yard touchdown drive. Tim Bihlear carried seven times for 37 yards on the march, and finished the day with 225 yards on 25 attempts. Florence's Quentin Loftin ran 17 times for 104 yards.
Florence cornerback Jeff Perro put the ball back in his offense's hands on the very next play, when he grabbed his second interception of the day. This time, the Flashes responded with 11 straight runs, including a four-yarder by Loftin that tied the game with 11:58 left.
“I'm not going to lie. We were scared,” Dash said. “We were a little shaken, but we just came out there with a little more momentum.”
It stayed tied for just 31 seconds. Dash got loose on a straight dive for a 61-yard touchdown that put Holy Cross back on top, 28-21.
“It was sweet. It felt good,” Dash said. “It was iso left. We called the play before they got set, then went out and ran it.”
The Lancers (7-1) recovered a Loftin fumble to set up their last score, on a 20-yard pass from Reilly to Lane.
Bihlear went off right tackle for a 67-yard touchdown to cap the scoring with 6:41 left. Florence coach Joe Frappolli said he didn't give any thought at that point to an onside kick.
“We were kicking the heck out of the ball. I thought we'd kick it in the end zone,” he said. “But we had to come up with a stop, and we thought we had them stopped. But they do so many things, so well.”
Florence never saw the ball again. A 24-yard pass from Reilly to Lane with 2:47 left converted a fourth down and set the Lancers' celebration in motion.
“We'd just been calling stops,” Lane said. “I'd been just getting the first down, stopping and catching it, and we figured they'd be waiting for it. So this time we said stop and go. We figured they'd bite on the stop and it'd be open, but Tommy got pressure, he threw it up. Quentin was on me. It could have gone either way.”
Florence fell to 7-1. The Flashes will probably host a first-round playoff game, but aren't guaranteed a three-game run at home in the Central Jersey Group 1 tournament.
“I don't know how I feel right now,” Frappolli said. “I wish I could have given them a few more plays to make, and we had another six minutes on the clock, because I think we were going to score again. When they missed that extra point, we were ready to set up for something offensively that we thought had a shot. I'd have liked to give them one more chance offensively.”
WHAT HAPPENED: Holy Cross High School defeated Florence, 34-28, to end the Flashes' 43-game win streak in their final regular-season game at Bud Marter Memorial Field, more commonly known as “The Pit.”
WHY IT HAPPENED: Three Florence fumbles led to 21 Holy Cross points. The Flashes had more first downs than Holy Cross by a 20-14 count and outgained the Lancers, 341-245. Florence also had a pair of 100-yard rushers. But the Lancers passed for 168 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and gleefully scooped up the goodies they were given.
WHAT YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW: Florence hadn't allowed as many as 34 points in a game since a 50-0 loss to Paulsboro on Dec. 7, 2002. The Flashes, of course, went on to win their next 43 games. ... The Flashes' 28 points equals the offensive output of Holy Cross' first six opponents this season. ... Holy Cross hadn't surrendered a lead all season prior to this game. The Flashes hadn't trailed all year. ... Florence held the ball for 9:23 out of 12 minutes in the third quarter. Holy Cross had it for 9:35 in the fourth.
STUD PLAY OF THE GAME: In the years to come, they'll call it “Danny's Dash.” Holy Cross running back Dan Dash got loose up the middle early in the fourth quarter and ran 61 yards for a touchdown that broke a 21-21 tie.
DUD PLAY OF THE GAME: Pick a fumble. Take away the touchdown that followed. Now what's the score?
QUOTABLE: “For us, the biggest thing was, we were going to punch them in the mouth and just come after them. You try to take chances. We took chances. Some of them worked, and some didn't.” — Florence coach Joe Frappolli.
WHAT'S NEXT: Both teams are 7-1 and awaiting official word on an opponent for next weekend's first round of the playoffs. Florence will begin its quest for a fourth straight Central Jersey Group 1 title, while Holy Cross tackles the non-public Group 3 bracket.
By JOHN A. LEWIS
Burlington County Times
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'Pit' finale was more than just a football game
FLORENCE — In between deliveries a few blocks from Florence High School's football field, a mail carrier paused and looked around.
“All this for a high school football game?” he muttered to anyone that would listen.
Not just any football game — the football game.
The perennial powerhouse Holy Cross Lancers came trotting into town in an attempt to strip Florence of its 43-game winning streak. The small school Flashes were defending their turf during the last regular-season game at the place they proudly call, “The Pit”.
And though Florence has always been known as a town that loves its high school football, the atmosphere for this one had a little extra pizzazz.
A couple hours before the 2 p.m. kickoff, the town was already jumping, covered in balloons, signs, and of course, the Florence faithful. Others started a bit earlier.
“We actually started setting up last night,” said Paul Krause, who throws the weekly parties at the corner of Pine and East Fifth Street. “We did some running around this morning around 7 (a.m.) and started up around 9. I knew this was going to be a big game when I saw the schedule in August.”
And a big party.
If you've been to a Flashes' game, you know the house. It sits overlooking the corner of the end zone opposite the school. No matter who the Flashes play, spectators hang out on the roof catching a glimpse of their beloved home team.
“There's no place like “The Pit”,” Krause said. “It's a great community here and everyone knows each other.
“You're not just a number in Florence, you're one of us. You don't get that in the bigger towns.”
It's also why they take so much pride in their football.
“Win or lose we will be out here every week,” Florence resident Chris Vogel said. “It's all about the blue and gold and it's all about pride.”
“We've been doing this every week for the past 21 years,” Krause said proudly. “It's just a matter of replenishing the food.”
Krause and Vogel both knew the importance of yesterday's game, which turned out to be a thrilling, 34-28, Lancers victory. But the upsetting outcome didn't put too much of a damper on the festivities in the surrounding areas. Krause's gathering included a pig roast, cheese steaks and bacon bread among a couple hundred people filtering in and out.
Makes one wonder what will happen next year when the Flashes are scheduled to open their new field on the other side of Route 130.
“We're hoping the field isn't ready by next year,” Krause said without hesitation. “This is the best here. Nothing compares.”
But even if the Flashes are ready to make the move at the start of next season, it's certain that tradition will follow them across the highway.
“I go to every game and I will continue to go to every game,” said Al Wirth, a 1978 Florence graduate. “All my sons went to Florence and played football so I have been here every week since. And wherever they play we will go.”
By MARK ZIMMARO
Burlington County Times
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Streak ends to Holy Cross
FLORENCE -- Perhaps it’s only fitting that on the day the Florence High School football team saw its 43-game winning streak come to an end, the Flashes probably earned their greatest respect of all.
It wasn’t so much that Florence came very close yesterday in a 34-28 loss to a Holy Cross squad (8-1) that was much bigger and deeper than the Group I juggernaut.
Rather, it was that Florence (7-1) was able to keep hanging in despite making some uncharacteristic mistakes and playing shorthanded at critical times in front of a massive and pumped-up throng in the last regular season game at "The Pit.’’
This was one of those games that will remain in the memory banks for a long time as there were all kinds of big plays and turning points. Although it was the Lancers taking a knee as the final seconds ticked off, there was no reason for Florence to be overly depressed about it.
"There were no losers today,’’ said Florence coach Joe Frappolli. "A loser is when you stay down and don’t get up. The sun will come up tomorrow and we will get back up.’’
It started about as expected with Florence’s power running and Cross’ passing game proving difficult to stop.
Behind the hard running of Tim Bihlear, Florence stormed right down the field on its first possession, only to see the Lancers reply with a 76-yard drive of their own and a 10-yard scoring pass from Tom Reilly to Dan Dash.
It was at this point, where things started going terribly wrong for the Flashes.
First they botched the ensuing kickoff, allowing Cross to recover at the 19 yard-line and quickly score on a 3-yard run by Rick Maerten.
What followed was even worse as Cross sacked Florence quarterback Robert Hutchinson and forced a fumble. On the play, Jerome Williams scooped the ball up, ran 52 yards and just like that Holy Cross had what appeared to be a commanding 21-7 lead.
Instead, it was Holy Cross that started making mistakes at the start of the second half. In this case, a botched snap out ofshotgun formation that forced the Lancers to punt from deep in their own territory.
Florence took full advantage with a 50-yard drive and a 7-yard touchdown run by Quentin Loftin. With The Pit in a complete uproar, Florence was shortly right back in business when Jeff Perro made a sensational diving interception for his second pick of the game.
Eleven plays later the game was tied as Florence marched 56 yards and scored on a 4-yard run by Loftin. During this stretch, however, something very damaging started happening to Florence. Namely, some two-way players started cramping, most notably Bihlear.
Holy Cross regained the lead right away as Dash exploded on a 61-yard touchdown run. With Bihlear still sidelined, Florence then fumbled and Holy Cross increased its lead to 34-21 on a 20-yard pass from Reilly to Rob Lane.
"I didn’t think it was over at that point,’’ recalled Holy Cross coach Charlie Pirrello. "Florence just has too much pride.’’
He was right about that as Bihlear came off the bench and torched Holy Cross with a scintillating 67-yard touchdown run with 6:41 remaining to draw Florence to within 34-28.
It was here that Florence finally appeared to wear down as Holy Cross ran out the clock behind three completions by Reilly. The last was a 24-yard, fourth-down pass to Lane, who is from Florence.
"I didn’t think it was ironic, but I was hoping it would be me,’’ said Lane of his pivotal fourth-quarter catches in his home town. "That was the greatest game I’ve ever been involved in. I’d say these teams are about as even as you can get.’’
Florence actually outgained Holy Cross, piling up 338 yards on the ground despite the fact it was missing one of its top backs in Shaquan Virgil with a knee injury. Bihlear was outstanding with 231 yards on 26 carries against a Cross defense that didn’t do a very good job of protecting its flanks.
Reilly, meanwhile, completed 10 of 19 passes for 165 yards for a Holy Cross squad that’s very young and will be even more formidable next season.
"We had some turnovers that killed us,’’ said Frappolli. "But the kids came back and played their hearts out. As coaches, you can’t ask for anything more than that.’’
Florence’s winning streak is history, but like The Pit itself will not be forgotten. Win or lose, it was a great way to go out.
BY: RICK FORTENBAUGH
Trentonian Newspaper
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Curtain Call Flashes saying farewell to 'The Pit'
FLORENCE — Somewhere else, somewhere down the road or across the county, at a different high school in a different town, it would just be an old field, a place to play catch, to fly a kite, to toss a dog a stick. But not here.
Here it's hallowed ground, the only high school sports ground in Burlington County known simply by its forbidding nickname.
“The Pit.”
A blue-collar home for a blue-collar football program and its ardent blue-collar fans, “The Pit” has never been flashy, even though it's been the home of the Flashes since 1948.
It's never had a fancy scoreboard or fluorescent lights. It's never had painted lines or chalk numbers. Its field is more dirt than grass, its goalposts a few lengths of old pipe, its stands barely big enough to hold a small band and a few hundred fans.
Situated behind a simple, brick school building, surrounded by homes whose roofs have often doubled as skyboxes, “The Pit” — a nickname coined, as the story goes, by a visiting coach decades ago — hasn't gotten better with age like a fine wine. Yet, it's priceless, a place like no other in the area, with a name as famous as any local sports star.
NFL Hall of Famer Franco Harris once played football at another field not far from this place. His high school career lasted four years.
“The Pit” has been around forever.
“This field is what it's all about,'' said Nick Lubrano, a longtime Florence assistant coach who played at “The Pit” as a youngster. “That's the best way to put it. There's no grass, there's no nothing. We just strap on our helmets and play football here every day, every year. Nothing changes.''
Until next year.
Florence will formally say goodbye to its famed field today when it faces Holy Cross in the final regular-season game ever at “The Pit.”
As if the game didn't already hold enough meaning, the small-school Flashes will put their four-year, 43-game winning streak on the line against the much larger and very talented Lancers, who are 6-1 overall. One of the most anticipated games of the season, today's finale is expected to attract a crowd of over 6,000.
Win or lose, the Flashes are assured of a Central Jersey Group 1 playoff spot, which means the Flashes will likely have another game at “The Pit” before completely moving their football operations into their facility at the new high school that opened in September.
The new stadium — complete with sod and lights — will certainly be better than its predecessor. Yet, something will be missing.
“I started playing on this field when I was five years old and it will always be a part of me,'' Florence senior Josh Scassero said. “Everybody thinks it's a crappy field because there's no grass and no crown but I just love it.
“This field just shows you how much we love football. We'll play on whatever we have to play on. We have the new field and the new school but I'm just so happy that my senior year I still get to play here.''
The Flashes have certainly made the most of their home field in recent years. The last time they lost at “The Pit” was in Week 6 of the 2002 season when they fell to nearby rival Burlington Township, 32-24.
Since then they've bettered their opponents by a combined score of 846-130 in 26 games. Their average margin of victory at home during that stretch is just over 27 points.
“I think the home field advantage in (high school football) is overplayed, unless you really have to travel,'' said Holy Cross head coach Charlie Pirrello, who has coached half a dozen games at Florence during a 25-year career. “But if any team has it, it's obviously Florence.''
So many great Florence football players have graced the “The Pit” that it would be impossible to name them all. A list would include the Morton brothers, Roger and Ulysses; the Muchowski boys, Mickey and Steve; Lionel Barther, Dion Bernadini, Bryant Moore, Joe Spahn, Ed Martin, the Lundys — Mikal, Jamaal, Najee and Wali.
The list goes on and on.
The same goes for games. It would take the next five paragraphs to list the dramatics of just the last 20 years, let alone 58.
Even when the Flashes weren't very good, “The Pit” put on a show, like the time it hosted Riverside on a snowy Thanksgiving morning in which every other game on the holiday schedule was postponed.
“When I grew up in Florence I didn't idolize Bob Griese playing in the Orange Bowl, I idolized old Flashes playing at "The Pit,' '' Steve Muchowski said. “There's nothing like walking down those steps and running on to that dirt. There's nothing like it.''
Nothing at all.
“I played high school baseball here, I played high school football here, I've spent my entire coaching career here, so it's tough to see it end,'' said Florence athletic director and head football coach Joe Frappolli, who has spent the last 33 years roaming the sidelines at Florence.
“There's the memories of all the great coaches and all the great players here. There's a storied history, a lot of folklore,'' said Frappolli, the Flashes' quarterback in the mid-1960s. “There's been a lot of conversations about games played here over glasses of orange juice and bottles of beer. But we're moving into a new complex, so it's going to be a lot better for the kids.''
Frappolli said there were discussions, even after the plans for Florence's new high school were approved, to refurbish the old field. But it just couldn't be done.
“The truth of the matter is that it's dead,'' Frappolli said. “The field really is dead.''
Dan Hagerty, a 1978 Florence graduate and an assistant coach at the school for 21 years, watched as the Flashes went through their usual practice routine at “The Pit” the other day.
Like Frappolli, Hagerty isn't thrilled with the idea of the Flashes playing on another field next year, but he understands it's for the best.
“You know,'' said Hagerty with a smile. “Maybe we'll just turn this old field into a cemetery for former players. How about that?
How appropriate.
By JEFF OFFORD
Burlington County Times
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Veteran Coaches Ste For Battle
Charlie Pirrello thought he had Joe Frappolli all figured out.
The year was 1987 and Pirrello was leading the Northern Burlington High School football team against Florence and Frappolli's Flashes. Pirrello had worked long and hard to devise a defense that would stop the Flashes' bruising wishbone offense.
Plug the gaps, schemed Pirrello, and stop the fullback on every play.
That was the plan.
“The first play of the game their fullback runs for 50 yards,'' Pirrello said. “My defensive coordinator Hank Kearns looks at me and says, "We're in for a long day.' ''
On Saturday, Pirrello and Frappolli will face off once again when the Holy Cross visits Florence for a Burlington-Olympic Football League game. Including their 1987 matchup — which went to Florence, 40-7 — the two have met a total of 15 times. Yet Saturday's matchup, this time between Pirrello's Lancers and Frappolli's still bruising Flashes, will be like no other.
Big school versus small school.
White collar vs. blue collar.
Parochial powerhouse vs. public school dynasty.
Pass vs. run.
Mini streak vs. monster roll.
No wonder Saturday's matchup is the most hyped game of the season.
Not only is mighty 6-1 Holy Cross taking on tiny 7-0 Florence, but the Flashes are playing their final regular-season game ever on their legendary home field, known throughout the county as “The Pit.”
The Flashes' 43-game winning streak — which now spans four seasons — is also on the line.
Yet, of all the stories within the story, the most intriguing might be between the coaches.
Talk about a heavyweight bout.
Combined the two have 58 years of experience, 374 wins, a .672 winning percentage, 20 division titles and six sectional championships.
Not only is Frappolli the county's winningest football coach with 224 wins, he's also just seven victories shy of taking over the top spot all-time in South Jersey.
Pirrello has 150 wins, good for fourth place all-time in the county. One more win and Pirrello will tie Rancocas Valley icon Bill Gordon for third.
Staggering statistics.
Legendary coaches.
“Joe just has a passion for football,'' Pirrello said. “There's a difference between having emotion for something and having a passion for something. Emotion is a temporary thing. Passion is forever. Joe has a passion for football.''
And it shows.
Florence hasn't lost a regular-season game since Week 6 of the 2002 season. The last time they lost — period — was in the South Jersey Group 1 final against Paulsboro that same season.
Since then, they've rattled off 43 straight. The Flashes now hold the second-longest winning streak in South Jersey history.
“I remember one time Joe and I talked about retirement and he was almost in tears,'' Pirrello said. “I just think he's a driven man. When you truly love something, it's easy to give of yourself. But he's knowledgeable, too. One year he's throwing the ball all over the place, the next year he's running a wishbone and they don't skip a beat. He's tremendously gifted at adapting to his team. I think that more than anything has kept Florence so successful over the years.''
Pirrello has shown his ability to adapt as well.
Pirrello, who retired from Northern after the 2001 season, was known as a run-first, pass-maybe coach during his 24 years with the Greyhounds. He would rather shove the ball down your throat than pass the ball over your head.
Times, though, have changed.
At Holy Cross — famous for its passing attack over the years — Pirrello has thrown the ball much more.
“His attention to detail is great,'' Frappolli said about Pirrello. “He stresses fundamentals. His teams are always so sound. Right now, he's probably doing a lot more things than he used to do, but that's because he's at Holy Cross. It's the nature of the athletes they have over there.''
Pirrello will no doubt make good use of those athletes come Saturday.
On paper, Pirrello's Lancers have a clear advantage over the Flashes. The Lancers are bigger, and many play just offense or defense, unlike the smaller Flashes, who have to go both ways.
The Lancers, winners of two straight, will have history on their side. Through 15 meetings, Pirrello has won 10 against Frappolli.
Yet, Pirrello isn't about to chalk up the victory just yet.
“Those guys will come out prepared, not doubt about it,'' Pirrello said. “When you go against a Joe Frappolli team, you can count on them ready for anything.''
By JEFF OFFORD
Burlington County Times
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Flashes roll to 43rd straight
HAMILTON — When you hear “43-and-counting” on the Florence sideline, the three-time Central Jersey Group 1 champions aren't necessarily talking about their county-record football 43-game winning streak. It can also mean the score when the Flashes clean-shirt squadron of second- and third-team players are getting their chance to show what they can do.
Yesterday, the Florence backups had 23 minutes to show their stuff and tacked on a pair of touchdowns to a 54-7 win over Trenton Catholic High School. The win gave the Flashes at least a share of the Burlington-Olympic Football League Freedom Division title and left them 7-0 overall (6-0 in the Freedom) going into their meeting next week with Holy Cross.
“The biggest thing, especially for our starters, is to try to stay sharp and focus on the things you need to do,” Florence coach Joe Frappolli said. “You want to come out of this with a win and staying as sharp as you can be.”
The Flashes didn't completely achieve that goal — they fumbled twice and threw an interception — but the starting units did post 41 unanswered points.
Tim Bihlear scored on runs of 11 and seven yards. Shaquan Virgil (30 yards), Chris Foehr (seven) and Marcus Curry (28) each had touchdown runs. Malcolm Jenkins and quarterback Rob Hutchison combined for a 14-yard scoring pass.
Once Curry scored his touchdown on the second offensive play of the second half, backup QB Jim Martinson led his unit on the field.
“When we get in there at the end of the game it's our turn,” Martinson said. “We set the tone for what we can do next year. We get to show the coaches what we have.”
The fact that 14 different Florence players have scored touchdowns and, now, 18 have run the ball, means the Flashes are spreading the ball around. Yesterday, the second-half chores went mostly to freshmen Kory Linico and Shaquan Gaynor. In the second half, six players carried for a total of 76 yards and a touchdown (a two-yard sneak by Martinson). Martinson completed his only pass, a 22-yard touchdown to Zach Carugno.
“When we go out there at the end of the game, we're usually up by a lot so there's really no pressure,” Martinson said. “We just have to try to do everything right and give it our all. It's great that we can get younger people in and participate like that.”
The starting units don't just sit back and enjoy the autumn afternoon. To a man, the Florence starters watch the player in their position and encourage their backups.
“You know those guys want to be out there playing,” Frappolli said. “Our older guys are good that way though. We have a thing where we try to have our older guys be mentors to our younger guys. We had two freshman running backs out there. It was nice to see the guys cheering them on and our linemen coaching the younger linemen.
“They understand that they are the guys that hold the bags and run through the same drills as the starters. It's like a handing off of the leadership and wanting them to do well.”
At winless Trenton Catholic, the goals are more incremental than purely wins or losses.
The Iron Mikes had no expectations of winning the game. They did meet some of their other expectations.
“We try to make our kids believe that no team's invincible,” Trenton Catholic coach E.J. Nemeth said. “We forced them into some situations that they didn't like. We hit them in the mouth for a few plays. If anybody's going to beat Florence, they have to go toe-to-toe with them. We did that a little but Florence is Florence. That's what they're kids are raised on.”
By TOM RIMBACK
Burlington County Times
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Bihlear is here
FLORENCE — Tim Bihlear would have liked to have played more. But he's just happy to be playing.
Bihlear, a senior on the Florence High School football team, transferred from Willingboro a little more than a month ago after he moved to Florence. Yesterday after sitting out his required 30 days, Bihlear finally stepped onto the field to join his teammates.
“It's just good to be playing football again,” Bihlear said. “It was tough having to watch the past few weeks but it's just great to be playing again. I hadn't been able to play in a game situation since scrimmages in August.”
Bihlear made the most of his opportunities, scoring on his first touch — a 30-yard run two minutes into the game — to spark Florence to a 61-0 Burlington-Olympic Football League Freedom Division victory over Bordentown.
“I knew Tim would be ready to go when he showed up this morning already suited up,” Flashes coach Joe Frappolli said. “He has been anxious to get his feet wet with us and he did a great job. He is going to fit in very well here.”
However, because of the lopsided score, Bihlear's debut was limited to just a half as the Florence starters watched the second half from the sidelines. Bihlear finished with 58 yards on four carries but had two touchdown runs called back on holding penalties.
“It was tough at first getting the mindset of playing again but I have been able to fit in real well here,” Bihlear said. “The guys on the team took me right in and made me feel welcome right away.”
And the Flashes supplied Bihlear with a nearly flawless welcome party. Florence piled on 54 points before halftime and finished with a 424 to minus-22 advantage in total yards.
Junior running back Que-ntin Loftin did most of the damage on the offensive side of the ball. Loftin rushed for 124 yards on just three carries, including touchdown runs of 47 and 60 yards.
Kevin Reeder caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from Rob Hutchison and Zachary Carugno, Jerome Davis, Joe Price and Chris Foehr all found the end zone on TD runs to help Florence reach 6-0 for the season and its 42nd straight win over the last 31/2 years.
Though the Flashes won easily, it was still another monumental victory for Frappolli. With yesterday's win, Frappolli moved into a tie for second place all-time in South Jersey.
Frappolli has 223 victories in his tenure, tying the late Skeets Irvine of Collingswood. Frappolli needs just seven more to catch former Delsea coach John Oberg.
“It's an honor to be mentioned with the likes of some of the great coaches in South Jersey,” Frappolli said. “But I always say you have to have the players to do it. We have been blessed with some great players, a fantastic coaching staff and great support from our community.”
And with the current success of Florence's program, it shouldn't be long before Frappolli is atop the list.
“We're on a great run right now but we always say that our next game is our biggest game,” Frappolli said. “We play Trenton Catholic next week and we will go from there.”
By MARK ZIMMARO
Burlington County Times
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Flashes Survive!!!
FLORENCE — They call it “Buffalo right, Daffy Duck pass.” And even though it's named after a Looney Tunes character, there's nothing loony about it.
It was, in fact, the play that helped restore order yesterday in the Florence football team's 41st straight win, 21-14, over Delran High School in their Burlington-Olympic Football League interdivision game yesterday.
Basically, it's a flea flicker. Florence quarterback Rob Hutchison handed off to Quentin Loftin, who stopped, turned and pitched the ball back. Hutchison then sent a pass down the left sideline for Malcolm Jenkins, who came back and leaped to take it over a Delran defender for a 21-yard gain.
“He just threw it up there,” Jenkins said. “I was up against a shorter defender. I had to come back to it, then I just had to go up and get it.”
Two plays later, and with 1:23 left in the game, Loftin got around the right end for a six-yard touchdown.
“The play was designed to go up the middle, but since they were blitzing, I took it outside,” Loftin said. “I was one-on-one with their cornerback, and I just put up a stiff arm and rolled into the end zone.”
Loftin finished the game with 148 yards on 26 carries. He got loose for a 45-yard touchdown early in the third quarter that gave Florence a 14-7 lead.
Delran (2-2) rallied to tie the game early in the fourth quarter. Max Larson rolled to his right and hit Matt Kreider for a 23-yard gain that converted a third and 10. Travis Karpen dove over the pile from the 1 two plays later to tie the score with 5:44 remaining.
It was the second time in the game that the Bears answered a Florence score.
Jenkins caught a nine-yard pass from Hutchison in the first quarter to get the Flashes on the board first.
Delran answered on the first play of the second half, when Jim McHugh scooped up a Florence fumble and raced 27 yards for a touchdown.
“I was proud of the way they came out in the second half,” Delran coach Pete Miles said. “Going in at the half, there was some frustration. To come out, have a big hit, scoop and score — that really changed the momentum.”
In between those two plays, though, were some missed opportunities that the Bears will regret all week.
A third-down completion to Rex Workman got Delran to the Florence 15 early in the second quarter, but the Bears fumbled a handoff two plays later and the Flashes' Jeff Perro came up with the ball.
Larson hit Kevin Dobes on the right sideline four minutes later, and Dobes turned his short out upfield for a 61-yard gain, to the Florence 6. This time, it was a fumbled pitch that stopped the Bears, and Chris Foehr fell on it.
“I thought we battled very well today,” Miles said. “(There were) a couple of mistakes in a couple of situations. Getting inside the 10 twice and not getting it in the end zone. But we don't put the ball on the deck all year long.
“We just had a missed exchange there. But I can't fault our kids for that. Four games, there was one fumble. That's not a bad deal.”
The Bears' final turnover came on their last possession. Karpen returned the kickoff 34 yards after Loftin's go-ahead score, and Larson had three completions — including a fourth-down hookup with Workman that got them to the Florence 26.
“That kid's a heck of a quarterback,” Florence coach Joe Frappolli said. “Three-step drop, release, play-action — we didn't get to him a whole lot. We're a pretty good defensive team, but they put four people in the pattern and they create some problems for us.”
But Florence's Anthony Kraus ended the threat with his second interception of the day, at his own 1-yard line.
By JOHN A. LEWIS
Burlington County Times
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Florence takes to air for 40th straight win
FLORENCE — On the occasion of the 40th consecutive win for the Florence Flashes, head coach Joe Frappolli broke out a new facet of his football team's offense — the passing game.
Yesterday, in a Burlington-Olympic Football League Freedom Division game, Florence rolled to a 49-0 win over New Egypt High School. While the win wasn't a total surprise, the method the Flashes used to win was.
Have the Flashes become a passing team?
“I don't know about that,” Florence senior quarterback Rob Hutchison said. “This week in practice we did a little more throwing than we normally do. We were executing well so coach told us that we were going to pass more. I told coach I was ready.”
Hutchison helped kick off the scoring with an eight-yard toss to Chris Foehr. Three minutes later the Flashes made it 14-0 on a 14-yard touchdown pass to Quentin Loftin. For the day, Hutchison was 5-for-5, for 97 yards and the games first two touchdowns. Those numbers don't exactly put the Florence attack into Air Frappolli territory but the offense surpassed the total number of passes and completions the team had compiled in its first thre wins.
“We throw the ball in practice,” Frappolli said. “In the wing-T there are a lot of sets that you can use. In fact we were going to go to a spread offense right before the end of the half but they had trouble in their punting game so we kept it on the ground.”
Hutchison closed out the first quarter with a one-yard touchdown. Loftin and Foehr had their second touchdowns of the day from six and one yards out before halftime. Marcus Curry and backup quarterback Jim Martinson (7-for-7 on PATs) each had one-yard third quarter touchdowns to close out the scoring.
With 211 rushing yards, Florence hasn't exactly abandoned its running attack. Rather, the Flashes are preparing for a time when they just might need to be able to do more than grind out a win.
“We had plans to throw more against Maple Shade but it was too muddy,” Frappolli said. “Against Burlington City we usually try to control the clock more to keep their offense off the field. Today, on a fast field, we felt we could open it up a little bit. Hutch played really well. He made good decisions and that's good to see.”
If that time comes when the Flashes need to go to the air, they'll be ready. Better still, they'll be confident.
“Our line was excellent today,” Hutchison said. “We're all ready for what ever it takes to win. We're playing well.”
New Egypt lost its fourth game overall. Yesterday they played without wide receiver Dakota Havens, an important part of the Warriors offense. Next week, New Egypt has a much-welcomed bye. The Warriors will return to action against Burlington City, with the anticipated return of starting quarterback Stephen Panasuk a healthier, more dangerous team.
“This is part of the game,” New Egypt coach Tom Farrell said. “That's a great team, in their place. It's a great challenge. We didn't put a good product on the field. That rests with the head coach, period. Regardless of injuries and who's playing it's my job to get us ready.
“We're going to go back to work. I don't think you can screw up a bye week. I guess it gets better from there.”
By TOM RIMBACK
Burlington County Times
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Florence routs City for 39th straight
FLORENCE — No first downs, 33 total yards.
It's hard to imagine a better way to explain the Florence football team's 21-0 Burlington-Olympic Football League Freedom Division win over Burlington City High School yesterday than that.
The win was Florence's 39th in a row — a streak that bridges four seasons.
The Blue Devils lined up for 34 offensive plays and averaged roughly two feet, 11 inches per play over an entire game. They also turned the ball over three times in their own end of the field to set up all three Florence touchdowns.
“We're just struggling offensively right now,” Burlington City coach Tim Reardon said. “We're not taking care of the football and we're not moving the ball.”
Quentin Loftin's 34-yard touchdown late in the second quarter was not only a one-play drive — it was the longest scoring drive of the day for the Flashes, who fell on a pair of City fumbles and intercepted three passes.
An interception by Loftin set up the first score, on a four-yard run — also by Loftin.
“The first touchdown, I was running the sweep, and I got a good block by my wide receiver, Jeff Perro,” Loftin said. “He blocked them down, and I had a nice hole on the outside. The second one, Marcus Curry opened the hole up for me. There was a lane and I was off to the races.”
It was Perro's interception that set up the final score, on a 27-yard run by Shaquan Virgil in the fourth quarter.
“It was good blocking, the offensive line did a nice job. We were running power to the right side. Their defensive line is tough, but they started getting tired,” Virgil said. “We started gaining some momentum towards the end of the game.”
Loftin was the Flashes' leading rusher, with 95 yards on 20 carries. Virgil added 71 on nine attempts — most of them to the left side. Loftin's long touchdown run also went around the left end.
“We felt coming in like we could run left,” Frappolli said. “We ran left pretty good in the first series, but then we got away from it, because they were flopping people over there. And then we were trying to guess what they were doing and where they were lining people up.”
Florence had 209 rushing yards, including 75 in the first half. The Flashes had just nine first downs.
“Defensively, the kids played an excellent game, but they scored after each one of the interceptions,” Reardon said. “We had three interceptions, they had three touchdowns.”
The story of the day was the Florence defense, though. Chris Foehr set up Loftin's second touchdown with an interception and also recovered a fumble in the second quarter.
Loftin chased down City quarterback A.J. Reed for a 10-yard loss after a bobbled snap in the shotgun formation and Virgil came up with a sack late in the third quarter. Chris Salaga also had a sack for the Flashes.
“All the credit goes to the defense today,” Frappolli said. “I'm surrounded by excellent coaches. Even Pepe Piechette, who played for us and was one of our college players of the year for the football club. He was taught by (former NFL great) Joe Klecko, because Dan Klecko was there at Temple with him, and now he's teaching the same techniques to our defensive linemen. And they're a tough bunch.”
Burlington City-Florence in a nutshell
WHAT HAPPENED: Florence High School defeated Burlington City, 21-0, in a meeting between the two teams that have won every Freedom Division title since 1997.
WHY IT HAPPENED: Defense. The Flashes held City to just 33 yards of offense and held them without a first down. City running back Derrick Price Jr. had just eight on six carries.
The Blue Devils' defense also acquitted itself well, but couldn't get off the field — City turned the ball over five times.
WHAT YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW: No. 33 in street clothes on the Florence sideline was Tim Bihlear, who rushed for over 1,000 yards for Willingboro last year. Bihlear has to sit out for 30 days under the transfer rules, but will be ready for the Flashes' stretch run. ... Florence's eight-game win streak is the longest by either team in the long history of this series, which the Flashes now lead, 24-20-2. ... City's two longest gains of the day — a nine-yard run in the second quarter and an eight-yarder in the third quarter — both ended with fumbles, which Florence recovered. ... City hadn't thrown as many as three interceptions in a game since Sept. 20, 2003. The Blue Devils fell to Florence, 35-12, on that day. ... The Flashes threw just one pass in the game, but actually called two — City's Kris Corry chased Bob Hutchison down for a sack late in the second quarter.
ATTRITION: Two Flashes players, Jim Narkun and David Traynor, were taken off the field in ambulances — Narkun with an apparent knee injury and Traynor with a shoulder. Florence also lost running back Kevin Reeder to an apparent elbow injury.
“It was nice to come home and win our first game, but it's a little bit bittersweet, because all the years I've been associated with Florence football, we've never lost guys that way. I guess it's just that kind of a game, and some of the hitting out there was ferocious on both sides,” Florence coach Joe Frappolli said.
STUD PLAY OF THE GAME: Jeff Perro leaped to intercept a pass with his back to the City sideline, then looked down and somehow got his feet down in bounds. That pick set up the final touchdown of the game.
DUD PLAY OF THE GAME: A play-action pass the Blue Devils threw in the third quarter. Florence bit on the fake and City wideout Michael Pruden was open for an easy first down, but the pass was overthrown and Chris Foehr got himself an easy interception.
QUOTABLE: “The defense came to play. It's a big game. It's Burlington City, man!” — Shaquan Virgil.
WHAT'S NEXT: Florence will try to make it 40 in a row when it takes on New Egypt at home. The Warriors were the only team to hold a lead against Florence last season and had a chance to beat them late in the game before succumbing, 14-10.
Friday night when Burlington City hosts Riverside, the City of Burlington Athletic Department will conduct a re-dedication of the football field and athletic complex at the Wilbur Watts Intermediate School site.
The field was dedicated to Raymond A. Costello, former coach and principal at the high school, on Oct. 28, 1995. It has since been re-graded and renovated. The track has been upgraded and re-surfaced and new bleachers have been installed on both the home and visitor's sides.
The re-dedication ceremony will be held at 6 p.m., with the kickoff to follow at 7.
By JOHN A. LEWIS
Burlington County Times
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Florence tames pesky Wildcats
MAPLE SHADE — Tony Nicolino can remember all the blowouts.
The Maple Shade High School football coach doesn't have to jog his memory real hard to recall all the lopsided decisions that his Wildcats have endured the past few seasons when they face the Florence Flashes.
Yesterday's contest won't be grouped into that catagory. The Wildcats scraped and clawed but were finally defeated by Florence, 27-12, in a Burlington-Olympic Football League game on the rain-soaked field at Maple Shade.
“The kids did a great job today and they left the field with no regrets,” Nicolino said. “Obviously we are here to win. But on Florence's behalf, they are a great football team and (Florence coach Joe) Frappolli is the best coach around.”
The Flashes, who captured their 38th straight victory to move into second place on the South Jersey all-time list, held a 20-0 advantage heading into halftime.
Shaquan Virgil got the Flashes on the board just under seven minutes into the game on a five-yard touchdown run. The Flashes followed with a 10-yard touchdown run 1:35 later by Drew Johnson. Quentin Loftin scored with 8:24 left in the first half on an eight-yard dash and it appeared the Flashes were heading for an easy afternoon. Florence held Maple Shade to 12 yards of offense in the first half.
But the Wildcats showed intensity and made a game out of it in the second half. Terrence Birmingham returned a punt 40 yards for a touchdown with 7:11 left in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 20-6.
But Loftin struck again for a four-yard touchdown run with 9:09 left in the final quarter to give the Flashes some breathing room. The drive was set up by quarterback Rob Hutchison's 28-yard pass the previous play. It was Hutchinson's only attempt on the afternoon.
“I knew we needed a big play there and if we could get it, I knew we would be able to put the game away,” Hutchinson said. “We ran a lot because it was tough to throw today because the ball was wet and the field was so muddy. It made it hard to get your feet set.”
The Flashes depended on Loftin's 16 carries for 88 yards to carry the main load. The Wildcats got a spark from quarterback Matt Brickner, who threw for 58 yards and a touchdown to running back Hector Bonilla with 4:12 left in the game.
“We came out a lot better in the second half,” Brickner said. “We had much more confidence and we accomplished a lot of our goals. We aren't comfortable with losing but we were happy we didn't get blown out.”
The Wildcats have a week off before facing Bordentown. Florence will face rival Burlington City next Saturday.
“We really didn't play our best today,” Hutchison said. “We played hard but we fumbled a lot and didn't make some plays that we should have. We have Burlington City next week so we better get our act together before then.”
By MARK ZIMMARO
Burlington County Times
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37 and Counting
PALMYRA — The biggest preseason question surrounding the three-time defending Central Jersey Group 1 champion Florence Flashes was how in the world they were going to deal with the graduation of Abree Jones and Joe Spahn.
After a 49-0 Burlington-Olympic Football League Freedom Division win over Palmyra High School in which nine different running backs ran for 355 yards, the biggest Florence question mark remaining is whether there are enough footballs to keep the Flashes stable of running backs happy.
“We always knew we had two very good backs in myself and Q (Quentin Loftin),” Florence senior Shaquan Virgil said. “We also knew we have five or six other guys that have a lot of talent back there we can use at any time.”
Loftin led the Flashes in yards and carries, rushing for 110 yards on 16 carries. Virgil had nine carries for 67 yards.
Loftin (twice), Virgil (once), and sophomore Anthony Kraus (twice) also found the end zone.
The Flashes ran their county- best winning streak to 37 games.
“We still haven’t found our identity yet,” Loftin said. “Today was the first test for us.
We pulled through. We never worry about what other people say we just play hard and do what we have to do.”
Quarterback Rob Hutchison was an efficient 3-for-4 passing for 59 yards and a 25-yard touchdown pass to Malcolm Jenkins, which answered another offensive question.
If there were any defensive questions about the Flashes, consider these facts as an unqualified answer. Palmyra managed just five total yards of offense and not a single first down. Drew Johnson got the Florence defense into the scoring act with a 34-yard fumble return touchdown and Chris Foehr was inches away from another defensive touchdown with a 19-yard fumble return that ended when his foot grazed the sideline at the 4 on his way to the end zone.
“Once again they’re the best team in Group 1 and in our division,” Palmyra coach Ty Belford said. “We don’t have to play them every week. They are and have been the gold standard. We just weren’t ready to come out against them.
“We’re still very young and we’re not ready to take them on yet. In two years it should be different. Thank heavens we don’t have to play Florence every week.”
Next week, the Flashes take on Maple Shade. The fivetime defending Freedom Division champions will try to get one step closer finding their new identity.
“We had our concerns but guys graduate all the time,” Florence coach Joe Frappolli said. “Guys just have to step up. We had an extra week because our last scrimmage was rained out, so our guys just wanted to get out and play. I don’t think we could have had another practice. We just needed to put the guys out and play.”
By TOM RIMBACK
Burlington County Times
E-mail: trimback@phillyBurbs.com
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Flashes set for season opener
Some coaches need size, others need speed, and still others just need players who can put on a helmet right.
But what Joe Frappolli needs is some camouflage to hide the bullseye that continues to stick out on his team’s uniforms.
“We are marked,” said the legendary Frappolli, now entering his 33rd year as Florence coach. “We are always marked. Everyone wants to knock us off. Sooner or later, all teams drop a game or so. We just try to work and play and bring it again, one game at a time.”
Being marked is tough, but Florence would have it no other way.
The Flashes, who move onto a new playing field this year, sent the legendary “Pit” out in style last December when they claimed their third consecutive Central Jersey Group I championship while winning their 36th straight game.
Florence now moves to the other side of Route 130 and hopes that new surroundings won’t take away that old magic.
It won’t be easy, as Florence must replace the three-headed cornerstone of that championship foundation — Abree Jones, Joe Spahn and Anthony Cardone, who were starters during all three title years.
But there is a ton of talent returning on both sides of the ball, along with an infusion of players from JV and freshman teams that went a combined 11-3.
Senior Malcolm Jenkins (6-foot-5, 220 pounds) is a tight end/defensive end that Frappolli terms “an outstanding big-time two-way player.”
Senior Shaquan Virgil (6-0, 195) can play linebacker, running back and quarterback.
“He’s very strong in the weight room,” Frappolli said. “He ran a 4.43 at a combine and is very smart. He’s another big-time player.”
Senior Rob Hutchinson returns as the starting quarterback and looks a lot stronger, according to the coach.
The offensive line is anchored by senior Irv Perkins (6-4, 255) and junior Brian Cook (6-4, 220), who both started last year. Also returning on the line are seniors Kevin Watts (6-6, 260), Dahvis Blakney (the team’s strongest player at 5-9, 226) and Josh Scassero (5-11, 265), who’s considered the “glue of the line” by Frappolli, and juniors Fritz Miller (5-10, 190, center), Chris Salaga (5-10, 180), Marcus Curry (5-10, 200) and Ron Edmonds (6-0, 255).
Junior Quentin Loftin takes over as starting tailback, while seniors Kevin Reeder and Chris Foehr are the running backs. Senior Jeff Perro and junior Matt Belcher are back as receivers.
Defensively, Jenkins, Watts, Blakney, Perkins, Cook, Ron Edmonds (6-0, 255), Miller and Scassero are on the line, Virgil, Reeder, Foehr, Salaga and Drew Johnson are at linebacker, while Hutchinson, Perro and Loftin are in the secondary.
Frappolli also feels that a number of varsity newcomers can contribute, including Holy Cross transfers Joe Price and Tyler Foehr, and seniors John Golab, Rodney Chambers and Lester Cliver.
With a veteran cast in place, Frappolli is confident that the historic numbers being put up by his program will hardly cause over-confidence.
“Our overall team work ethic is good, and we have a strong, veteran coaching staff,” Frappolli said. “The team has a competitive nature, persistence, pride and tradition. Our attitude each week is to win, and we play with passion. We’re taking no one lightly. Right now we’re only thinking about Palmyra on opening day and gearing up for that.”
AT A GLANCE
Coach: Joe Frappolli
2005 division record: 7-0, BOFL Freedom champs
2005 overall record: 12-0, C.J. Group 1 champs
Lettermen lost: 3
Lettermen returning: 16
Strengths: An intimidation factor that comes from winning 36 straight games and three straight sectional championships, and vast experience on both sides of the ball.
Weaknesses: Very few, although the Flashes will need to replace the hard-nosed running of Abree Jones and the leadership of Joe Spahn, both four-year starters.
By RICH FISHER
Burlington County Times
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Articles from the 2005 Season
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Spahn was Mr. Everything at Florence
CHERRY HILL — Joe Spahn wasn't just a linebacker, quarterback, defensive back, fullback or tailback.
He was all of the above.
The Florence High School senior was the team leader and one of the big reasons the Flashes won all 12 of their games this year, including a 19-6 victory over David Brearley in the Central Jersey Group 1 championship game.
For his career, the four-year starter won all but three games.
During his four-year career, the team won 45 games, four Burlington-Olympic Football League Freedom Division championships, and three C.J. Group 1 titles. And the Flashes are currently in the midst of a 36-game winning streak.
For all those reasons Spahn was selected as the Burlington County Times Team Achievement Player of the Year award at the Bill Gordon-George Masters Memorial Burlington County Football Club Banquet last night.
“I just finished my career and I can honestly say that I already miss playing football for Florence High School,” said Spahn, who was named the Defensive Player of the Year last year. “This award means a lot, everything I've accomplished here means a lot, but really, when I look back, I think I'll treasure the friendships more than the championships.”
Spahn had a knack for making big plays throughout his career.
Three of his seven touchdowns this year came in the championship win at Rutgers University.
In that game, he played both running back and quarterback and led the team with 90 rushing yards. He also threw for all 21 of the Flashes' passing yards.
“Offense was fun no matter where they put me,” Spahn said. “Honestly, I loved offense, but I liked defense a little more. You know I love to hit, I like to hit people and I like to make big stops.
“We always said that we didn't want to look back at everything we accomplished, we wanted to look at the next game. Well, my career is over now, and I can look back. And now, I'm very proud of what we accomplished as a team this year and all the years I was here.”
His head coach Joe Frappolli felt the same way.
“Athletically, he was very gifted,” Frappolli said.
“But his leadership qualities, his ability to come through in the clutch and his ability to lead, get everyone else to follow him, that's what made Joe and the rest of the seniors so special. This was a unique group and Joey was a huge part of that.”
Next year Spahn hopes to continue his football career, unless he decides to play baseball at the next level. Whether he continues to play football or not, he'll always have fond memories of playing for the Flashes.
“It's special, you can't explain it, you have to live it,” Spahn said. “I'm very lucky, I had a great career and this award is a nice ending to a great time. I'm really going to miss my coaches and teammates, the guys who I really owe everything to.”
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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Jones leaves mark at Florence
CHERRY HILL — Joe Frappolli calls it a pecking order.
Year after year, the long time football coach at Florence High School recalls so many great names that pass through the ranks. This year was Abree Jones' turn to make history.
With just a handful of seniors on the team this season, Jones helped settle any doubts whether the Flashes would be as dominant as they were the last two seasons in capturing back-to-back Central Jersey Group 1 championships.
This season, the senior running back rushed for 1,352 yards and 19 touchdowns as the Flashes captured their third straight title. Last night at the Bill Gordon-George Masters Memorial Burlington County Football Club 35th Annual Awards Banquet at the Cherry Hill Hilton, Jones received the 2005 Burlington County Times Offensive Player of the Year award for his achievements.
“I was really surprised to win this award,” Jones said. “There are a lot of great backs in this county, a lot of guys who went over 1,000 yards. It was an honor to receive it with all these great athletes here.”
Jones moved to Florence from Bordentown in the sixth grade and had never played football before entering the seventh grade. Proving he was a quick learner, Jones compiled 2,696 yards on the ground and 37 touchdowns during his four years as a Flash. He also caught four passes for an extra 51 yards as Florence went 45-3 during his career.
“Abree, like the other two captains I had this year (Joe Spahn and Anthony Cardone) expected to win,” Frappolli said. “He set a great example for the younger kids. I was truly blessed this year.”
This season was much different from the last two for Jones. With such a young team, he was forced to become a leader.
But he was quick to pass the credit to the understudies.
“Everyone talks about the three seniors leading this team to a Central Jersey title,” Jones said. “But it was the younger guys that made it happen. They would follow the example. If they saw us working hard and giving 110-percent, they would do the same.”
But the quest for their third title and the eventual 36-game winning streak put a lot of pressure on the seniors.
“I didn't know what was going to happen at the beginning of the season,” Jones said. “Joe (Spahn) didn't play the first scrimmage game and I was getting hit behind the line of scrimmage a lot. I admit I was a little worried. But once we got going the first game against (Burlington) Township and had a nice long drive, I knew everything was going to be OK. We just started building confidence.”
Though Jones hasn't narrowed down his college choices just yet, the talented back is eager to start the next chapter of his life.
“I had a great time at Florence,” Jones said. “I'm not sure what is going to happen next year, if I will play basketball or football. I grew up playing basketball and just kind of fell into football. I'm still waiting to get my SAT's back and see how I did. But it's exciting and I just want to get going and see what lies ahead.”
By MARK ZIMMARO
Burlington County Times
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Flashes defend title
PISCATAWAY — Joe Spahn said the whole season flashed before his eyes.
All the planning, all the effort and all the execution that resulted in 11 straight victories was at risk for just one moment last night, as David Brearley High School's Darrell Brown raced 87 yards for an apparent touchdown on an interception return.
It might have tied the game, or worse, with 5:21 left.
It might have brought an end to what is now a 36-game win streak, and to the Flashes' bid for a third straight Central Jersey Group 1 championship.
But it didn't count.
An illegal block penalty negated the return.
The Florence defense got the ball back and Spahn got loose on a 48-yard scoring run that sealed a 19-6 victory for the Flashes (12-0) in the Central Jersey Group 1 title game.
“We were going good, and then they came back and scored,” Spahn said. “They almost took it to us, when I got hit on that throw to Shaq (Shaquan Virgil, the intended receiver on the play), but luckily, they got a penalty. It was a close game. We weren't ready for this. Everything flashed in front of my eyes, of course, but after I scored that last touchdown, it was all gravy.”
That the defense came through shouldn't have come as any surprise. That unit had helped turned a pair of Brearley miscues into a 13-0 lead in the opening moments of the game.
The Bears (10-2) opened the game with a three-and-out, then snapped the ball high to punter Jake Floyd, who got it under control at his own 11-yard line, only to be pulled down by Florence linebackers Anthony Cardone and Chris Salaga.
Three runs by Abree Jones got the Flashes close, then Spahn finished the drive on a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1.
Three plays later, another high snap escaped Floyd's grasp, and again, Cardone and Salaga wrapped him up in the shadow of his own goal post.
“After we got the first one, I lined up, and I saw I had a clear shot at him and just went all out,” Cardone said. “My first thought was just take down the punter, and let one of the other guys jump on (the ball). It was just the most secure thing to do.”
This time, the Flashes needed just one play to convert. Spahn got in from 3 yards out on an option keeper with 6:18 left in the first quarter.
David Brearley answered with a drive that ate the rest of the first-quarter clock, but Cardone forced a Floyd fumble at the Flashes' 19 and Jones recovered to preserve Florence's lead.
Brearley had just one more first down over the balance of the first half, and didn't manage another one until the fourth quarter.
“Coach Nick (Lubrano's) defense really came to play. We took some things away from them, and they're a really good football team,” Florence coach Joe Frappolli said. “They scheme well, they run the option well, and when you think about it — we were opportunistic, and then we gave them the ball down here, and they scored. They were opportunistic too.”
A Florence fumble with 1:07 left in the third set up Brearley's only touchdown. Bears' quarterback Anthony Evans scored on a 4-yard option keeper on the second play of the fourth quarter.
The Florence drive that followed burned more than six minutes, but ended with Brown's interception.
Spahn's final score of the game also came on an option keeper. He found a gap in the defense and outraced two defenders up the left side for his third touchdown.
“I didn't know how close they were. How close were they? I had a couple guys coming, so I tried to zig-zag,” Spahn said. “I knew they were on me, but I got there.”
Spahn, Jones, Cardone and Gary Carugno are the only seniors on the Florence roster, and a corps of playmakers that's tough to match.
“Spahn's a great athlete, and so are Abree Jones and Anthony Cardone,” Frappolli said. “My hat's off to them. My hats off to David Brearley, and most importantly, to our fans, who came up here to support the blue and gold.”
By JOHN A. LEWIS
Burlington County Times
WHAT HAPPENED: Florence defeated David Brearley High School, 19-6, in the Central Jersey Group 1 championship game. It was the third straight sectional title for Florence, which has now won a Burlington County record 36 consecutive games. It was also a milestone night for Flashes coach Joe Frappolli, who overtook longtime Washington Township coach Tom Brown by earning the 217th win of his career. Frappolli is now third on the all-time list in South Jersey.
WHY IT HAPPENED: Florence got a pair of gift touchdowns in the first quarter, as the Bears twice lined up in punt formation and mishandled snaps inside their own 20-yard line. Flashes quarterback Joe Spahn converted those miscues into short scoring runs and added a 48-yard touchdown on an option keeper in the fourth quarter that sealed the game.
WHAT YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW: The Flashes are the first county team to win three consecutive sectional titles ... Florence didn't allow a single point in the third quarter this season, and allowed just seven in the first quarter ... Abree Jones had a four-game streak of three-touchdown games ended, while Spahn had his first multiple-touchdown game of the season ... Jones finished the season with 1,352 rushing yards — Florence opponents had 1,138 ... New Egypt was the only team to hold a lead on Florence this season. The Flashes played 576 minutes of football, and trailed for about nine of them ... Florence held an opponent under 100 rushing yards for the seventh time this season.
STUD PLAY OF THE GAME: Spahn's third touchdown came with 2:20 left in the game, as Florence tried to control the ball and run the clock. He faked a handoff, rolled to his left and outran everyone to the end zone.
DUD PLAY OF THE GAME: Take your pick. Brearley's first two attempts to punt in the game netted minus-39 yards and set up 13 Florence points. Dud plays indeed — when you consider that the difference in this game was 13 Florence points.
QUOTABLE: “I am blessed. I've got a lovely wife and family, great loyal supporters, great coaches and tremendous kids, who have so much pride, passion and desire — they just didn't want to be denied today.” — Joe Frappolli
By JOHN A. LEWIS
Burlington County Times
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Florence claims third straight title
PISCATAWAY
Joe Spahn saved his best game for the last one of his brilliant four-year high school career.
Spahn scored all of his team's touchdowns and was a tower of strength on defense with nine tackles -- including seven solos -- Friday night as the Florence football team posted a 19-6 victory over David Brearley at Rutgers University to win its third straight Central Jersey Group 1 championship.
The victory was the 36th straight for the Flashes, No. 2 in the Courier-Post Small Schools Top 10, and capped another 12-0 campaign. Their last loss was to Paulsboro in the 2002 South Jersey Group 1 final.
By WALT BURROWS
Courier-Post Staff
"That was an All-State performance," said Florence coach Joe Frappolli, alluding to Spahn's all-purpose effort. "It's hard to describe how he played tonight, but you couldn't ask for anymore from a high school kid. He was simply fantastic."
It was Spahn's 48-yard run that iced the game with 2:20 remaining and the Flashes holding on to a perilous 13-6 lead.
Only moments before, Spahn was involved in a play that, at first, appeared to be a David Brearley touchdown run by Darrell Brown. Florence had possession on the Bears' 4-yard line when it attempted a rare pass.
Spahn was blind-sided as he looked to the flat for Abree Jones. The ball popped into Brown's hands and he was off to the races. An over-zealous teammate was called for a block-in-the back at midfield and the ball was brought back to Brearley's 40.
"Everything flashed in front of my eyes as I watched him running down the field," Spahn said. "We're lucky we got the penalty."
Although the David Brearley fans voiced their displeasure with the call, head coach Scott Miller agreed with it.
"It was a good call," he said.
Frappolli had called the play from the sidelines but told Spahn he had to release the ball quickly, that he wouldn't have much time.
"We're not a passing team, but I thought it was there," Frappolli said. "I still think it was, but give the other team credit. They got to Joe real quick and he didn't even see the guy coming."
Florence jumped out to a 13-0 lead on a pair of lucky touchdowns -- both resulting from bad snaps on punting situations by the Bears' center.
The Flashes got possession of the first one on Brearley's 11-yard line and Spahn covered the final two yards on a fourth-and-1. Matt Belcher kicked the PAT and it was 7-0 with 8:02 left in the first quarter.
Florence's defense -- a strong factor all game -- held Brearley on the ensuing series and forced another punt. This time, Chris Salaga and Anthony Cardone jumped on would-be punter Jake Floyd at the 3-yard line. Spahn scored on the first play with 6:18 left in the quarter.
"Thank God we scored so quick," said Spahn, "or it might have been a different game."
Florence sported a 224-120 edge in total offense, which prompted Frappolli to say, "the defense did it again for us. Those kids have been great all year."
Senior cornerback Cardone, who symbolizes the heart and soul of the Florence team at 5-foot-5, 150 pounds, led the team in tackles with 14. A sophomore, Salaga added 10.
Brearley's touchdown followed a fumble recovery at the Florence 15 and it took the Bears four plays to send quarterback Anthony Evans into the end zone. Reach Walt Burrows at (856) 486-2424 or cpsports@courierpostonline.com
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Such a big game worthy of the 'Pit'
This is not the time to be politically correct.
It's time to get up on the soapbox and poke fun at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association once again.
Why in the world does Florence and its faithful have to pack up and head to Rutgers tonight for the Central Jersey Group 1 championship?
Sure, Rutgers is a fine venue. But, it sure won't have the atmosphere of the famed "Pit' at Florence.
The Flashes, as the top seed, earned the right to play at home and deserve to play at home.
Apparently higher-seeded teams no longer get the choice of a home game as they once did. The state association has decided to play all of the Central and North Jersey sectional title games at either Rutgers or Giants Stadium.
While great venues, those stadiums are simply too big and the high school atmosphere is lost in the shuffle. And, that's what Florence is losing.
And what's up with a 5 p.m. start?
A championship game should be just that. When was the last time a high school football game started at 5 p.m? Just another reason why this game should be in Florence.
Florence coach Joe Frappolli says he doesn't mind heading up to New Brunswick. He says the Flashes are treating it like a bowl game, playing under the lights in a big stadium.
This is Florence's third straight trip to the Central Jersey final. The Flashes won their first title at Keyport, then won at home last year. Now, they've got to hit the road again.
Frappolli's take on the venue seems fair and reasonable.
Somehow, though, deep down, my guess is he'd much rather be playing tomorrow in the friendly confines of the “Pit' with the field surrounded by Florence's loyal legion of fans.
By WAYNE RICHARDSON
Burlington County Times
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Flashes set to defend Title
FLORENCE — The clock won't be the only thing running tonight.
Florence High School will face a mirror image of itself when the Flashes take on David Brearley in the Central Jersey Group 1 final at Rutgers University at 5 p.m.
The Flashes have won 35 straight, spanning three seasons, by beating teams on the ground. The Bears, of Union County, have reached the brink of another sectional title by utilizing a conservative game plan that includes plenty of handoffs.
“They're a very good team, they're a quality program and they're very well coached,” Florence coach Joe Frappolli said of Brearley. “They don't make a lot of mistakes and they like to run the football, like to run option.”
The Flashes graduated 18 seniors from last year's championship squad and many were two-way starters. Still, the Flashes are led by two of the most experienced playmakers in the state.
Four-year starter Abree Jones has rushed for 1,266 yards and 22 touchdowns. There's also hard-hitting senior Joe Spahn — another four-year vet. Spahn plays almost everywhere on defense and doubles as the team's part-time quarterback, part-time fullback.
The Bears have some talented players, too.
Two-way star Jake Floyd is Brearley's most explosive player, rushing for 881 yards and 18 scores. He also has 71 tackles on defense. Robert Shippy also excels running the ball, rushing for 1,088 yards and 10 TDs.
“This is fun, it should be a fun test for us,” said Brearley coach Scott Miller, whose team is playing in its first Central Jersey title game since 1991. “We're always excited to play a good team and I'm just happy to still be coaching at this time of year. We played them last year, so we're somewhat familiar with them. They're a good football team, so it should be a fun game.”
“We run a multiple pro-I. We like to run option and we like to mix it up and throw the ball a little bit.''
“We like to move the ball on offense and play solid defense, but in the past few weeks, when our offense wasn't playing well, our defense has done a great job. They've kept us in games and we'll need them to do that this week.”
Tonight's game will be a rematch of last year's C.J. Group 1 sectional semifinal. Florence defeated Brearley, 33-20, to advance to the final, where it downed New Providence, 35-7.
The game itself should provide enough motivation, but there's another reason for the players to get a little excited. The game will be played under the lights in a college stadium.
“Honestly, I wouldn't mind playing at Florence because that has the exact atmosphere a Group 1 football game should have,” Miller said. “But playing at Rutgers, it's closer and it's going to have a great atmosphere.”
“We're approaching it like it's a bowl game,” Frappolli said. “We practiced under the lights and had a great practice.
“And to be able to play at a state university, our state university, it's a real honor for the players and we're all looking forward to it.”
Oh, by the way, there's another reason tonight's game might be one of the most anticipated sectional finals in the state.
The Streak.
The Flashes have won 35 straight since losing the South Jersey Group 1 final in 2002.
The Bears would love to be the team that stops the streak, but not for the sake of giving the Flashes a loss.
“If this were a regular-season game, I might talk about their streak as a way of motivating the guys,” Scott said. “But this is a championship. They don't need motivation. They want a championship and the only thing that stands in their way is a very good football team. We just have to go out and play well and we'll see what happens.”
MORE ABOUT THE GAME
THE COACHES: David Brearley, Scott Miller (34-8); Florence, Joe Frappolli (216-98-5).
THE HISTORY: Florence won the only previous meeting, 33-20, last year in a Central Jersey Group 1 semifinal.
ON THE AIR: The game will be broadcast live on WBCB 1490 AM.
THE SKINNY: Florence is riding a 35-game winning streak, longest in county history. It's also tied for the longest active win streak in the state, with Middletown South (North Jersey Section 2, Group 3 finalist). More importantly, the Flashes are 8-0 in Central Jersey playoff games. This is the fourth straight year the Flashes have advanced to a sectional final, winning the past two Central Jersey crowns and losing in the 2002 South Jersey Group 1 final. This game will be won on the ground; Florence's leading passer, Joe Spahn, has thrown for just 319 yards this year. That's just 100 less than Bears quarterback Anthony Evans' output. With a win, Frappolli would surpass Washington Township coach Tom Brown for career victories among South Jersey coaches.
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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Florence focuses on another championship
FLORENCE — It's a good thing they have a good memory.
If not, there's no way the seniors on the Florence High School football team would remember their last loss.
That loss was an embarrassing 50-0 defeat at the hands of Paulsboro in the 2002 South Jersey Group 1 championship game.
Current seniors Anthony Cardone, Abree Jones and Joe Spahn were freshmen that day. Since then, the Flashes have been extremely successful.
How successful?
How about 35 wins in 35 games.
In the process, the school has claimed three Burlington-Olympic League Freedom Division championships and two Central Jersey Group 1 crowns.
The Flashes have to wait until Friday before they get an opportunity to win No. 3, when they play David Brearley in the Central Jersey Group 1 final at Rutgers University.
The streak, the championship and all the wins are something the seniors take a lot of pride in.
But they always remember the bus ride home from Paulsboro.
“It was terrible,” said Spahn, a four-year starter who plays linebacker, quarterback and fullback. “We got on that bus and we all thought we never want this to happen again.
“You think about the wins and all and we remember all of them and we enjoy all of them, but we don't think about them. Sometimes, we think about the loss, but the game we worry about is the next one. We don't care about anything else.”
Ah, the task at hand.
For years, Florence coach Joe Frappolli has always been extremely happy that his players have the uncanny ability to focus on the task at hand. They enjoy the wins for a little while, but then they start to prepare for the next game.
“We usually play on Saturday, so we enjoy the win on Saturday night and all day Sunday,” said Cardone, a wingback/outside linebacker. “But come Monday, it's back to work. We know that if we don't play hard, we don't win.
“All the coaches stress how important the next game is and how if you look at the past, you won't be successful in the future. It doesn't matter if it's Bordentown or Brearley, we have to worry about the next game.”
That's not always easy, especially considering the Flashes have the longest winning streak in South Jersey.
With their 38-7 victory over South River in the semifinals, Florence won its 34th straight game.
That was one win more than Bordentown Military Academy's streak that ended in 1963.
“Occasionally, someone in school will say something about it, they'll say, "you guys have won all those games,' ” Spahn said. “But we don't ever talk about it. It's not that we don't care about it, it's that it's not important right now. I don't think I ever thought about winning this many games in a row and it's cool that we've done it, but we'll worry about that when we're done playing.”
The next win is the only win that matters.
That's the attitude that has made the Flashes so successful and it's the way they're going to continue doing things.
Thinking about the past will only hurt future success.
And the only thing that matters right now is a win over Brearley, a team that they defeated last year, 33-20, in a C.J. Group 1 semifinal.
Last year, the Flashes were supposed to be a dominant team. They were supposed to compete for the championship. This year another championship wasn't such a gimme.
Florence graduated 18 seniors last year, many of whom were key players and some were two-way starters.
This year's team only has four seniors and one of them, Gary Carugno, is a hard working reserve defensive end.
“I was nervous in August because we were such an unknown,” said Jones, who has rushed for 1,266 yards and 22 touchdowns so far. “We had Spahny, Ant Cardone and me, but we didn't know how good the underclassmen would be, how good they'd be on varsity.
“But they're playing great, they're the reason we're here. If we had three good seniors and that's it, we'd be three good seniors on a bad team. That's not what we are, we're a good team and that's why we're still playing.”
And that's what makes Frappolli so proud.
He loves the wins, the championships and everything that comes with being a part of a winning program.
But that's secondary.
It's the family feeling, the atmosphere and the good things his players do after they take off the blue and gold that matter.
And it does him proud that his four seniors exemplify that Florence attitude.
“Our seniors, you look at them all individually and they've done a lot of good things for the program,” Frappolli said. “But they understand that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. They have done everything to help the program, always putting the team first and we're happy they've been so successful.
“This past four or five years, we've been very lucky. I know there's parts of the world, parts of South Jersey that have something special with their school and their community. And we know we're lucky to have that same thing here. It's hard to explain, but the players, the community, we have a good thing here.”
C.J. Group 1 Championship
Florence vs. David Brearley Friday at Rutgers, 5 p.m.
Florence will play in its fourth straight Group 1 championship game. The Flashes lost to Paulsboro, 50-0, in the South Jersey Group 1 title game in 2002, then won back-to-back Central Jersey crowns in 2003 and 2004. They defeated Brearley, 33-20 in the semifinals a year ago. This is the second straight year the Flashes are playing the team they beat in the semifinals the year before in the championship game. This year, Florence's closest game was an 8-0 victory over Palmyra on Oct. 8.
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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Flashes slip past Riverside
Special to the BCT
FLORENCE — Florence High School's football team overcame some unusual jitters and an inspired Riverside Rams unit yesterday to extend its county-record winning streak to 35 games.
The Flashes used three second-half touchdowns to overcome five lost fumbles and locked up their fifth-straight Burlington Olympic Football League Freedom Division title, while extending their lead in the Thanksgiving Day rivalry to 40-23-1.
The 33-19 triumph didn't come easy and Florence didn't clinch the decision until the final five minutes.
A determined goal line stand, one of three by the swarming home team defenders, stopped Riverside on the one-yard line and two plays later sophomore Quentin Loftin bolted free over left tackle and raced 81 yards for the clinching touchdown.
Although they moved the ball well, the Flashes hurt themselves with the fumbles and twice lost the ball in the end zone. Riverside took advantage behind some powerful running of junior Brendon Griffin to keep the outcome in doubt.
“We had more turnovers today then we had all season combined,” said Coach Joe Frappolli. “We were coming off a short week with an eye on the championship game coming up. Give Riverside credit, but our kids were up to the challenge.”
Florence will meet David Brearley for the Central Jersey Group 1 title on Dec. 2 in a 5 p.m. game at Rutgers Stadium in New Brunswick.
Griffin carried 29 times for 206 yards and finished the season with a school-record 1,505 yards. He also caught two passes, one for 52 yards and a touchdown, and returned four kickoffs for another 135 yards.
“We talked about this Wednesday night,” said Jeremy James, Riverside's two-way guard. “We decided this would be the last time together for us seniors and we wanted to at least make sure Florence would know they were in a tough football game.”
They did. McNeil Wrice, Ryan Grob, Ryan Schumm and Doug Hinds recovered fumbles and Hinds added his second recovery when he grabbed a loose ball in midair and returned it 83 yards for a Riverside touchdown.
Twice the Rams used touchdowns by Griffin to tie the game. The first came when he pulled in a 52-yard pass from Wrice to make it 6-6. The second came after Griffin's 43-yard return of the second half kickoff and a 55-yard dash down the right sideline that made it 13-13.
“Riverside came to play,” said Joe Spahn, who alternated his time between fullback and quarterback. “But we got up to speed when we had to; everybody knew what was on the line today.”
With score tied at 13, Abree Jones took control. He recorded his second and third touchdowns in the third quarter and finished the day with 180 yards and 1,266 for the season.
“We talked to each other at the half,” Jones said. “We were a little careless and we knew we had to step up. Nobody got upset we just came out and played like we knew we could.”
Thanks to the Rams effort, Florence was forced to.
“We made them play four quarters,” Riverside coach Bruce Lazaruk said. “It isn't always fun when you're 2-8, especially when you lost the last six in a row. But these kids came to work every day and played hard. A coach can't ask for more than that.”
By BOB KENNEY
Burlington County Times
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Back to the 'Ship
FLORENCE -- There are teams that win championships and teams that consist of champions.
The Florence High football team falls into both categories.
The Flashes will be gunning for their third straight sectional title when they meet David Brearley in the Central Jersey Group I final in two weeks.
But a lot of teams win championships. Very few do it without ever losing. And when that happens, you know you’re dealing with kids who are champions.
They win, but don’t get caught up in anything but the next game.
Ever since a humbling, 50-0 defeat at Paulsboro on a frigid December day in 2002, Florence has not lost since. Yesterday’s 38-7 victory over South River put the Flashes in the record books, as it was their 34th straight.
That broke the Burlington County record set by Floyd Little’s Bordentown Military Institute teams, way back when Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer was a BMI man. It is the third longest streak in South Jersey history, trailing two long ones set by Paulsboro.
Ironically, it was that loss to Paulsboro in the 2002 South Jersey Group I title game, that has helped fuel this current streak that no one on Florence really wants to talk about.
"We walked off that field that day, and it was an embarrassment," said Abree Jones, who played as a freshman. "You walk with your heads down, and I never wanted to feel like that again."
And they have not, as the players usedit as incentive.
"There are a couple of memories from that game, it’s all in the back of my head, and you never want to go through a game like that," said linebacker/offensive back Joe Spahn. "If you can lose a game that big, of course you’re going to kick yourself in the butt and tell yourself you never want to lose again. That’s what everyone did. They kicked themselves in the butt, and now we’re taking it to everyone we play."
If you don’t believe Spahn, just listen to the Flashes latest victim.
"They were relentless," South River linebacker Ron Litz said. "They just go hard, every play. They get off the ball, they do the little things."
"They play 100 percent every play," Rams quarterback Kevin Feaster said. "They’re always looking to hit somebody. They deserve to be where they are right now."
They are on the brink of another title, but must first beat Riverside in the annual Thanksgiving Day war. And that’s why Florence is Florence. Because it’s all they care about right now.
"We try to downplay everything for one simple reason," coach Joe Frappolli said. "We’ve got a lot of young kids playing and I try to keep them focused on the game at hand, and they’ve really handled that with a lot of maturity.
"They know they broke a record today. Believe me, they’ll think about that in years to come. What was important for them, they wanted to get back to the ‘ship (the championship game) and win this one game."
But when prodded, two players who have been a part of all 34 wins, did admit to a good feeling.
"When you’re in the moment, you really don’t see the big picture," Spahn said. "But maybe in a little bit, we’ll look back and see what we’ve done. It’s a great accomplishment. Hopefully the whole town sees what we’ve done. It’s for the town. We play to win, that’s what it is."
Asked to explain what the record meant, Jones smiled.
"I guess it just says we have a lot of kids who are just hard workers," he said. "That’s what we’re going to continue to do."
It is what they’ve been doing, ever since that fateful day in Paulsboro.
"We played a lot of young kids that day," Frappolli said. "We got trampled and we got hurt. Those guys went into the weight room next year and they felt they could play and beat everybody.
"Anthony Cardone, Joey Spahn and Abree Jones, all three of them are tremendous players and leaders. I think it’s a great tribute to them, that they’ve created an identity.
It’s a one-word identity, the one all athletes look for.
By Rich Fisher
Trentonian Newspaper
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One more for the record
FLORENCE — One more for the record.
Two more for the ring.
The Florence High School football team moved closer yesterday to breaking one of the most hallowed records in Burlington County scholastic history and securing yet another Central Jersey Group 1 title.
The Flashes tied the county's all-time mark for consecutive victories by routing undermanned Highland Park, 42-7, in a C.J. Group 1 quarterfinal contest.
The win was the Flashes 33rd straight spanning three seasons, tying the record set by the Bordentown Military Institute 42 years ago. Florence's consecutive win streak stands third all-time in South Jersey history.
Yesterday's lopsided victory — typical of many of the Flashes' wins during the streak —advanced Florence into a C.J. Group 1 semifinal contest against visiting South River on Saturday.
“If we can win three championships in a row, that would be something that we'll have for the rest of our lives,'' Florence senior Abree Jones said. “That'll be something that I'll look back on when I'm older and think, yeah, that was great. I can tell my kids that I won two state championships. But now I can tell my kids that I played for a Florence team that set a lot of records, too.''
Florence already holds the county's modern day record for most wins in a row. The Flashes broke that mark two weeks ago when they won their 31st straight.
“I don't want to call our kids robots, but we're so focused and so conditioned at taking care of the task at hand that we sometimes don't pay attention to records, but I'm very humbled by what we've accomplished,'' Florence coach Joe Frappolli said.
“Because we downplay everything, because we play for the moment and we don't get caught up in all the hoopla, this kind of stuff has become part of our makeup. But this is humbling. This is a tribute to all of our coaches, our school, our community, our fans, but most especially, our players.''
The Flashes (9-0 record) took care of business early yesterday. Blocking a punt late in the first quarter, the Flashes scored their first touchdown on a five-yard run by Jones with 34 seconds left in the quarter.
Florence took advantage of a Highland Park fumble less than a minute later. Recovering the miscue on the Highland Park 28, Jones ran to the 1 on the Flashes' first play of the second quarter, then walked into the end zone on the next play to put the Flashes up by a pair of touchdowns.
Florence added another TD in the period to lead by 21-0 at intermission. Jones then took the opening kickoff of the third quarter 85 yards for another score to seal the win.
“I told our guys before the game that we had to score off our kicking game, but they (Florence) did,'' Highland Park coach Joe Policastro said. “I told our guys we had to score off a fumble, but they did. And I told our guys that we couldn't give up a long TD. And we did.''
Junior Shaquan Virgil scored the Flashes' final touchdown of the second quarter on an inside counter that went for 66 yards.
“We have a young team but we keep winning,'' said Florence senior captain Joe Spahn.
Spahn and Jones, who have combined for over 1,500 yards of total offense this season, combined for 102 yards on the ground yesterday. Spahn played just over two quarter. Jones missed some action in the first half with an ankle injury and was pulled for good in the third.
Florence had eight rushers amass 392 yards on the ground. Kamal Cooper had 84 and Jvon Harrison, nephew of Philadelphia Eagles tight end L.J. Smith added 44 for Highland Park.
Highland Park (4-6) dressed just 21 players yesterday due to injuries and illness.
“I thought we worked hard but that's as good as any team we've played this season,'' Policastro said. “Their backs are good, their line is big, and they have talent.''
By JEFF OFFORD
Burlington County Times
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32 consecutive wins worth talking about
It's getting serious now.
Sure, it's playoff time, but that isn't what we are talking about here.
We are going to quietly talk about Florence's winning streak.
With a win tomorrow at home against Highland Park, the Flashes will equal the longest streak in Burlington County history. One that has stood for 42 years.
Now defunct, Bordentown Military Academy won 33 straight games spanning the 1958-1963 seasons. Now the Flashes are on the brink of joining them.
To put the record in proper perspective, BMI's streak is currently third-longest in South Jersey history and the amazing Flashes are on the doorstep. Only Paulsboro, twice (63, ending in 1998; 37, ending in 2003) has compiled longer streaks. And, Paulsboro's amazing streak of 63 may never be approached.
Don't expect Florence to get caught up in all of this. The Flashes have remained focused on the task ahead. And tomorrow it will be Highland Park. Coach Joe Frappolli, his staff and his players have said all the right things during the streak.
And you can take it to the bank they mean it. Winning 33 straight games is a remarkable feat. Focus, determination, good coaching and good athletes have all played a role in this accomplishment.
Tomorrow, it will be just another game for the Flashes. The community and student body will celebrate if the streak is tied. And perhaps, the coaches and players will finally take a well-deserved bow for a minute or so and then start thinking about next week.
By WAYNE RICHARDSON
Burlington County Times
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Florence youngsters get chance to shine
FLORENCE — Ronnie Edmonds and Chris Salaga are enjoying their new roles.
Last year as freshmen, neither player saw the field often during varsity games for the Florence High School football team. The Flashes were loaded with seniors and on their way toward their second straight Central Jersey Group 1 championship.
This year is much different. As the Flashes reloaded, coach Joe Frappolli has had to insert younger kids into key positions. Now as sophomores, Edmonds and Salaga have become forces on the defensive line.
“Our defensive line is getting better every week,” Salaga said. “We lost a lot of key players from last year's team but I'm excited to be in there playing now.”
Yesterday, the Flashes' defensive line kept Maple Shade's offense in negative yards for over three quarters and posted a 31-8 Burlington-Olympic League Freedom Division victory over the Wildcats at “The Pit.” Florence held the Wildcats to 66 total yards, and minus-four yards entering the fourth quarter.
Maple Shade's only score came with 1:12 left in the game on a one-yard pass from Matt Brickner to John Diggs. Most of the Florence's starting defense was done for the day at that point.
“We did a good job upfront today from the start,” said Edmonds, who attends school at Westampton Tech. “We just try to take one game at a time.''
Edmonds and Salaga, along with fellow d-line members Drew Johnson (sophomore) and Malcolm Jenkins (junior) caused 11 Wildcat plays to go for a loss. Their constant pressure helped cause a pair of Florence interceptions by Jeff Perro and Johnson.
“Our defense played very well today, especially in the first half,” Frappolli said. “We tried to shuffle some people around and we were able to get some of our veterans out of the game.”
Florence took care of business early with a pair of five-yard touchdown runs from Quentin Loftin that sandwiched a 26-yard field goal from Matt Belcher.
Senior quarterback Joe Spahn hooked up with Jenkins on a 12 yard pass to put the Flashes up 24-0 before the homecoming ceremonies began at halftime.
On the Flashes' first possession of the second half, junior running back Chris Foehr scored on a one-yard run for a 31-0 advantage.
Loftin finished with 110 yards rushing and Spahn racked up 79 in the air to pace the Flashes' offense. Steve Taylor led the Wildcats with 40 yards on the ground and Brickner finished with 44 yards passing.
More significantly, Florence tied Millville for the fourth longest all-time winning streak in South Jersey with its 31st straight win. The streak has stretched over three seasons and only four players on the current team were enrolled at the school when the last loss took place.
“It's great to be a part of all this,” Salaga said. “It's incredible that we have now won 31 in a row.”
Edmonds agreed.
“It's a great feeling,” Edmonds said. “I just kind of take it as it goes. But I always wanted to play Florence football and its great to be a part of it.”
By MARK ZIMMARO
Burlington County Times
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Spahn proves he’s a two-way threat again
FLORENCE — Joe Spahn was just glad to get things back to normal.
The senior linebacker and running back for the Florence High School football team hadn't been full strength following an ankle injury suffered a few weeks ago. Recently, Spahn had been serving his normal role as the punishing tackler on the defensive side of the ball. But on offense, his role had diminished as a ball carrier while the Flashes' coaching staff tried to get him back healthy for the bigger games arriving later in the season.
Yesterday was one of those games.
With a Burlington-Olympic League Freedom Division title, a potential 30-game winning streak and Central Jersey Group 1 playoff seedings all on the line, Spahn reinvented himself as a force on the offensive side of the ball. He was rewarded with a 21-0 victory over Burlington City and a part of history as the Flashes tied Cherokee's county record for consecutive wins.
“We didn't think about the streak or any of that stuff,” Spahn explained. “It's just about winning. I was just happy to be able to contribute in a tough game like that.”
Spahn was able to chip in with 26 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown on eight carries to help take some pressure off fellow senior back Abree Jones. Jones still lugged the ball 22 times for 118 yards and a score but was noticeably limping most of the second half.
“We are glad to have Spahn back healthy,” Flashes coach Joe Frappolli said. “Without him, we were like a gun with just one bullet. Spahn is a terrific blocker and he brings so many elements to this team. He really takes the pressure off Jones.”
The Flashes thrive on a balanced running attack. Yesterday they piled up 258 yards and all three scores came on the ground.
Spahn seems poised to make the same push into the post season that has brought two sectional championships back to Florence in as many seasons.
“I'm feeling a lot better now,” Spahn said. “I'm able to play a lot more now that it's not hot out anymore. It's easier to breathe and that really helps me when I need to play a lot.”
Spahn's leadership on offense was missed as much as hit crushing hits on defense.
“He's the guy who really gets everyone pumped up for the games,” sophomore running back Quentin Loftin said. “He's been a little nicked up lately but he is a great player to have out there.”
The Flashes will also regain senior linebacker Anthony Cardone for the playoff drive. Cardone suffered an ankle injury against Palmyra but the severity of the injury was not as great as what was originally feared.
“Everyone thought I broke my ankle,” Cardone said. “But I just tore ligaments. I was just cleared to play but I'm not sure when I will actually get into a game. I am just happy to be able to go for the playoffs.”
And Frappolli will need all his troops if another championship drive is to take place.
“You can ask anyone, that's what we do here. We run the football,” Frappolli said. “We need all these guys to be able to do it. We have wanted to open up the offense for the past three weeks, but you are going to get (unpleasant) playing conditions like this. And that's when you run the football. That's Florence football.”
By MARK ZIMMARO
Burlington County Times
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There are rivalries, then there is City vs. Florence
Every football game is important.
This one is very important.
Burlington City will travel to Florence for the annual battle between two of the most successful high school football programs in the area.
One of these teams has claimed the Freedom Division championship every year since 1992. Both come into tomorrow's game with 5-0 records.
Oh, and let's not forget Florence is riding a 29-game winning streak.
This one means just about everything and both teams know it.
“You don't have to blow bugles to let everyone know this is important,” Florence coach Joe Frappolli said. “Our guys know every time you put on the blue and gold uniforms, it's important.
“But in the week leading up to Burlington City, this is a game that we circle on our schedule every year and I'm sure they do the same. It's always a great game because it's always two good football teams with great fans. It's why you coach and why you play.”
Both teams come into this week's meeting with unblemished records and pretty impressive winning streaks.
Florence, which defeated Burlington City twice last year (second time was in the sectional playoffs), has won 29 consecutive games. Its last loss came in the 2002 season.
City, meanwhile, has lost three times since Tim Reardon returned as coach prior to last season. Other than the setbacks to the Flashes, the only other failure was a 14-6 loss to Cinnaminson last season.
“Every year, this is a great week,” Reardon said. “Florence is a great football town with great athletes, and we like to believe we have a good football team and we have great fans. So this game is always a great experience.”
Because both teams were hit hard by graduation last June, it's somewhat surprising that they are again battling for supremacy. Then again, maybe it's no surprise.
“I think we're both traditionally pretty good football teams because we have hard-working athletes,” Reardon said. “I'm not surprised they're doing very well. They're very well coached and they have a great program.
“I do know they lost a lot, but I also know they have two very good athletes in (tailbacks/linebackers Joe Spahn and Abree Jones). But what also impresses me is their new guys. They have a lot of guys who weren't there last year who are playing very well. They have a good team.”
While the Blue Devils have to worry about Spahn and Jones, the Flashes also have plenty to be concerned about. Burlington City comes into Florence with the most successful running game in the county, led by talented tailback Derrick Price Jr.
And there's another stat that could potentially distract Florence. Its 29-game winning streak is just one shy of the modern day county record set by Cherokee in 1983.
Frappolli isn't worried that the pressure of keeping alive such a long streak will affect his players. He's not concerned with history.
“When you worry too much about the past, you tend to not take care of the present and then your future is dictated by somebody else,” Frappolli said. “We're not thinking about the streak. I think the only people talking about the streak are people who aren't involved with the football team.
“We're worried about Burl-ington City and what they can do to beat us. This is just another football game, another game that we want to win and another game on our schedule. They're a good team. That's what our coaches and our players are worried about.”
Frappolli feels execution is the key to the game.
“Games against Burlington City always come down to one or two plays,” he said. “You have to avoid turnovers on offense and create turnovers on defense.
“I know what they are going to do on offense and they know what we're going to do on offense. We're both looking to run the ball effectively. Whoever is able to control the line of scrimmage will be successful in this game.”
“We know we want the ball in our hands,” Reardon said. “You want to keep their offense off the field and hopefully move the ball when we have it. Our defense has done very well so far, but we haven't played a team like Florence. This will be a fun test.”
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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Center's job gets slippery when wet
Fortunately, Florence coach Joe Frappolli isn't as harsh a critic as his center, Fritz Miller.
As an offensive lineman on a day like Saturday, you've got to deal with the elements as much as your opponents. If you're a center, the elements can really make life miserable, because you're handling the ball every play.
"I had a couple of penalties today," Miller said. "One came because I didn't have a good grip on the ball. Another one - I don't know. And I had a fumble. The ball's real slippery, your hands get waterlogged, and you start to get concerned about if he (the quarterback) gets it or doesn't get it."
Most linemen like the mud, because they're doing more run-blocking. But that one extra element makes it tougher on the guy in the middle.
"You've got to be quick off the ball, especially in the mud. You've got to snap it and go," Miller said. "If someone pulls, you've got to be quick getting back, before they get across the line. It's just a lot of pressure."
Miller's labors bore fruit on Saturday, though. Florence ran the ball for 215 yards, including 181 on 38 carries by Abree Jones.
"Am I satisfied with the team? Yes. But for myself? Not really. Penalties, fumbled snaps. It could have been better," Miller said.
Maybe, but Frappolli didn't feel that way.
"That (procedure penalty) was a rookie mistake," Frappolli said. "He said he couldn't snap the ball, and he should have asked for a new one. We had plenty of balls available. But he plays tough, and he's a sophomore. And if that's the only mistake he makes all day ..."
Frappolli didn't finish the thought. He just smiled.
You should try it too, Fritz.
Ugly Trendld>
Two weeks in a row now, a star running back has turned in a big rushing performance and offered kudos after the game to his offensive line.
This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. That's what running backs do.
But two weeks in a row now, a reporter has said "what are their names?" and seen the smiling star of the game draw a complete blank.
Come on, now.
Isn't being an offensive lineman anonymous and thankless enough? Now you've got to open holes for Mr. Superstar all night, and not even get your name in the paper for it?
If you're an offensive line coach, you might want to take your leading rusher aside and drill him on this. You might be surprised.
If you're carrying the ball, try this once in a while:
"Great block, 72! Say - what's your name?"
Go, Go, Go!
Frappolli said the thought of postponing Saturday's game never entered his mind, for a couple of reasons.
The Flashes already have a short week to prepare for Friday night's game at New Egypt. Moving the game back to yesterday, or even today, would have only made the week shorter. And there's already no school today because it's Columbus Day. Besides, there was rain forecast throughout the weekend. Waiting another day wouldn't have significantly improved conditions.
"We thought it's game day, and it's meant to be played in the elements, and we squeak-ed it out," Frappolli said.
The other reason was historical. The last time the Flashes postponed a home game because of the elements was in 1985. Burlington Township ended up winning that game, 13-7.
Florence came back to beat the Falcons, 19-18, in the South Jersey Group 1 final that season.
"I'm a student of history," Frappolli said. "In fact, Steve Ordog, my assistant coach, who's a history guy, came up and said 'coach, I just want to remind you,' I said what are you going to remind me of, '85?"
He knows.
This goes for you underclassmen, too. Don't look out the window. Get your gear on.
"The young kids who come up, their thing is - first thing they do when it's like this on a practice day (is ask if there's a practice)," Frappolli said. "I don't want to hear it. Unless the ground opens up and swallows us, never ask me if there's practice or a game. Our inclination is that we're going to practice or play, all the way."
Fun With Numbers
Riverside's Brendon Griffin had his second four-touchdown game of the season Saturday against Trenton Catholic. He kicked three extra points and ran for a 2-point conversion, for 29 total points, in the Rams' 47-24 win. He had 27 points against Bordentown in a 35-12 win over Bordentown Sept. 30 ... Burlington City's Derrick Price has 785 yards on 95 carries and has scored three times on runs of over 50 yards, but the Blue Devils' longest run of the season was turned in by quarterback A.J. Reed, who rambled 69 yards for a score against New Egypt on Sept. 30. City's longest pass of the season was also a 69-yarder, from Brandon White to Kareem Diggs against Delran ... Maple Shade had 653 rushing yards through four games prior to Friday night's loss to Burlington City. The Wildcats totaled 616 all last year ... There have been 10 kickoff return touchdowns in the county this season, but none on opening kickoffs.
By JOHN A. LEWIS
Burlington County Times
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Florence slips past Palmyra
FLORENCE - You know how sometimes they say appearances can be deceiving?
Well, this isn't one of those times.
Florence High School running back Abree Jones was soaked to the skin from head to toe after the Flashes' 8-0 Burlington-Olympic League Freedom Division win over Palmyra yesterday.
He had a big smile on his face, though.
"I like (playing in the mud) a lot," Jones said. "You get all dirty and you look like you did something."
Jones more than looked like it.
The Flashes, who notched their 28th straight win over three seasons, ran 56 offensive plays, compared to 27 for the Panthers. Jones carried the ball 38 times for 181 yards and the only touchdown of the day, on a five-yard run midway through the third quarter.
Jones also helped set up that score by returning the second-half kickoff 46 yards.
"It seemed like I touched the ball a lot today," Jones said. "I don't know how many yards, and it really doesn't matter, since we got the win. But you've got to be in shape and keep coming. Games like this, you're going to be running between the tackles and you might get a lot of carries. I'm exhausted right now. But whatever it takes."
It was the Flashes' fourth foray into Palmyra territory. A fumble ended the first one at the Panthers' four-yard line in the second quarter. Another ended with Gerald Walker's sack of Joe Spahn on a swinging-gate play on fourth down.
The third ended when the second-quarter clock expired.
Chris Wymes stopped Spahn short of the goal line on a fourth-down quarterback sneak in the fourth quarter, but the Florence defense responded with a safety, when Irving Perkins tackled Palmyra running back Will Brown in the end zone.
The win improved the Flashes' record to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the division.
"We came here to win the football game," Palmyra coach Ty Belford said. "No 'we just came to play.' They beat us, (by lopsided scores) two years in a row. And we came here to win the football game. I take that on myself, because I'm the offensive coordinator and we didn't score enough points. We couldn't score any points.
"Any time we get shut out, that's my fault."
The Panthers (1-3, 1-2) managed just 51 total yards and two first downs. Their deepest offensive penetration of the day was the Florence 34-yard line.
"You've got to give our defense a lot of credit," Florence coach Joe Frappolli said. "We shut down a lot of things that they did. They can throw the ball. They've got two backs who can carry the ball. They've got one who can go the distance on any play. But I thought coack Nick and his defensive squad did a great job. I thought we did a nice job of knowing all their tendencies."
For the last five minutes or so, Florence's best defense was its offense. The Flashes ran out the clock with 10 straight running plays, including eight by Jones for 33 yards. They were facing a second-and-goal on the 1 when time expired.
"I'm proud of my kids," Belford said. "Those kids played outstanding football today. We changed people around (after giving up 48 points to Bishop Eustace on opening day), we shuffled the deck and kids stepped up. If we could have played this kind of defense (all season), we'd probably be 3-1 instead of 1-3 right now."
By JOHN A. LEWIS
Burlington County Times
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Defense sets fast start for Florence
Last week, Florence had 19 points before its offense spent a minute on the field.
In Saturday's win over Bordentown, the Flashes had seven before they ran an offensive play.
Anthony Cardone recovered a bad snap in the Scotties' end zone for a 7-0 lead after just 2:30 of play.
Florence blocked another punt four plays later. The Flashes also scored on a 1-yard, 1-play drive after an interception and a 19-yard return by Joe Spahn.
Football's a pretty easy game, when all you have to do with your offense is hold the other team.
"We pride ourselves on defense, and come out looking to improve every time," Cardone said. "We like to come out first on defense and get momentum, especially in a game like this. It's a rivalry, and that gets the whole team even more pumped."
Cardone said that as a senior, he came out even more excited. This was the last time he'd face Bordentown. He's doing everything for the last time - which seems a heavy load to carry from play to play.
"You are always (aware of it)," he said. "I just try not to think too much about it. You take one game at a time and one play, but it is my senior year, so I'm trying to give it some extra every time."
A Different View
Florence's offensive approach was basic on Saturday - Abree Jones said it was off-tackle runs and outside runs that accounted for most of the Flashes' 354 yards rushing.
Jones also said he had some input into some of those calls.
"We've got coaches up in the booth, telling the coaches what's there, and what we need to run," Jones said. "Then they come back to us and ask us what we see, and what's open. Today I said we ought to go outside. Try the toss sweep. And we got good yardage with it."
Does this mean he'll be another addition to coach Joe Frappolli's staff in a few years?
Jones laughed.
"Maybe. I think it would be fun to come back here and coach," he said. "It means a lot, coming up through here as a freshman, working with the team, and seeing all that tradition. You want to be a big part of it. You want to be bigger than the guys who went before you.
"But first I think I'll go somewhere else and play a few more years."
Jones has drawn interest from Tennessee, Iowa, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Penn State and Rutgers. He's leaning toward the Nittany Lions, as decision time comes closer.
3-0, But Not Perfect
Frappolli was less than happy with his team's performance in the win over Bordentown. He said Cardone's early touchdown "started us off well, but I think sometimes we go out after something like that and take things a little for granted."
By JOHN A. LEWIS
Burlington County Times
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Cardone makes big impression against Trenton Catholic
FLORENCE - Lightning sometimes comes in small packages.
Just ask Anthony Cardone. Better yet, try running at him. The 5-foot-5 Florence High School linebacker is the smallest player on the Flashes' roster. But what he lacks in size, Cardone makes up with determination.
"You always get guys on other teams that think that they can get a good hit on me because I'm smaller than them," Cardone said. "But they usually get hit right back harder. I like being underneath the radar. Let them think what they want."
Cardone displayed his aggressive style yesterday, jarring the ball loose from Trenton Catholic quarterback Nick Carlough on an outside blitz. Cardone's teammate Shaquan Virgil picked up the loose ball and ran it back eight yards for a touchdown - one of two defensive TDs Florence scored yesterday - as the Flashes defeated the Iron Mikes, 46-0, in a Burlington-Olympic League Freedom Division game.
"I didn't get to see the touchdown," Cardone said. "I just buried the quarterback and caught a face full of dirt."
Cardone is one of just four seniors on the Flashes' roster. With fellow seniors Joe Spahn and Abree Jones handling the bulk of offensive duty, Cardone sees plenty of time on defense.
"He's a tough son of a gun," Flashes coach Joe Frappolli said. "Over the years we've had a lot of great smaller players who played big. Anthony is one of those guys. He doesn't know he's small when he's out on the field. He has endless energy."
Unfortunately for Cardone, most of that energy had to be bottled up for next week as the Flashes built a 40-0 lead before halftime. Cardone, along with several other starters, left the shoulder pads in the locker room and viewed the second half from the sidelines.
"It's tough to have a game like that and not to let down," Cardone said. "Our coaches do a good job making us take one game at a time. We have to be able to look at every game on the schedule and treat it equally."
Florence built its immense first-half lead as Jones found the end zone three times. Jones rushed for 105 yards on six carries and Spahn added 58 yards and a score on three rushes. Chris Foehr topped off the first half with a 55-yard interception return to put the Flashes comfortably ahead.
Cardone chipped in a 29-yard run on his only carry. Although he knows he could contribute offensively as well, Cardone is satisfied with his presence on defense and as a captain for his team.
"It's great being a captain at Florence," Cardone said. "I think back to all the people I looked up to my first three years like Jorron Jenkins, Matt Ordog and Dave Havens and how I looked up to them. I just want to set an example for the younger guys like they used to do for me."
By MARK ZIMMARO
Burlington County Times
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25th Straight
BURLINGTON TWP. - Let the countdown begin.
The Florence Flashes took a giant step toward breaking one of the most enduring records in Burlington County high school sports last night, downing longtime rival and Burlington-Olympic Football League foe Burlington Township, 29-19, on a picture perfect night for football.
The Flashes were led by seniors Abree Jones and Joe Spahn. Jones finished with 205 yards on 30 carries and scored two touchdowns.
Spahn rushed for 110 yards and threw for another score to help Florence capture its 15th win in their last 16 season openers.
More importantly, the Flashes captured their 25th consecutive win spanning three seasons and are now just five wins away from tying Cherokee's mark of 30, which stands second all-time. Florence needs nine more wins to break the county's all-time record of 33 set by the Bordentown Military Institute 42 years ago.
"We only have three seniors returning so there's a lot of pressure on us,'' Spahn said. "Our team is really young. We just have to keep working hard like we did tonight."
Although Florence won by a comfortable 10 points, the Flashes struggled in the first half. The Flashes put together an impressive 15-play drive to open the game to take a 7-0 lead, but the Falcons came right back, tying the game on their second play from scrimmage on a 64-yard run from Bobby Giles.
Florence opened up a 15-7 lead on a three-yard scamper by Spahn and 2-point conversion, but Giles, who finished with a 148 yards on the ground, tied the game on the Falcons' ensuing drive. The Falcons failed to covert on their extra-point attempt and trailed 15-13 at intermission.
The second half, though, belonged to the Flashes.
"I wasn't worried about the streak, I was just worried about how we were going to play tonight,'' Jones said. "We weren't playing as a team, as one heartbeat, in the first half and that hurt us. The second half we picked it up. Our offensive line really started opening up some big holes to run through. They're young but they've been in the program since they've been freshmen. They showed a lot of heart tonight. A lot of heart.''
Spahn fumbled on his own 40 on the Flashes' first play from scrimmage in the third but the mistake didn't come back to haunt the Flashes. After the Falcons were stopped on four plays - including a 15-yard sack by Spahn on fourth down - the Flashes went back to work.
Starting from the 50, Florence put together a four-minute, nine-play drive that culminated in a bizarre touchdown pass from Spahn to Jeff Perro.
Still leading by only two, Spahn tossed up a pass toward the end zone that seemed like a sure interception. The ball, though, bounded out of the hands of a Township defender at the goal line and right into the waiting arms of junior Jeff Perro for a score.
Jones capped the win early in the fourth, breaking free for a 55-yard touchdown.
"Everybody has been asking us about the streak, and like I said before, we haven't talked about it all year,'' Florence coach Joe Frappolli said. "Actually, we talked about it for the first time tonight together. We heard some people shout out 25 in a row and things like that, and we just said that we're still not going to talk about it. We just want to concentrate on Trenton Catholic next week. We still have a lot of growing to do.''
So do the Falcons.
"I really don't know what happened,'' Giles said. "We played well in the beginning, but we just didn't get it done in the second half. They're a good team. Give them credit.''
Florence-Burl. Twp. in a nutshell
WHAT HAPPENED: The Florence High School football team opened its season with a gritty 29-19 win over Burlington-Olympic League rival Burlington Township. Senior tailback Abree Jones led the Flashes with 205 yards in 30 carries. He added two touchdowns. Senior Joe Spahn rushed for a TD and threw for a score. Spahn finished with 110 yards on the ground. The win extended the Flashes' winning streak to 25 in a row spanning three seasons.
WHY IT HAPPENED: The Flashes took advantage of a fine effort from their offensive and defensive line that consisted of all underclassmen. The o-line opened up big holes for Jones and the d-line pressured Burlington Township quarterback Matt Jeffers all night. The Flashes - like all good teams -also took advantage of a little luck. Leading by just two points, 15-13, Spahn tossed up a pass toward the end zone that seemed like a sure interception. The ball, though, bounded out of the hands of a Township defender at the goal line and right into the waiting arms of junior Jeff Perro for a score.
WHAT YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW: Florence ran off 26 plays in the first quarter compared to just four for Township, yet the game was still tied, 7-7, at the end of the period Tailback Bobby Giles accounted for 83 of the Falcons' first 99 yards of offense Florence had a punt of minus six yards in the fourth quarter Spahn's four-yard pass to Jones late in the second quarter was Florence's first pass completion against the Falcons in two years Giles had 75 yards on his first two carries and 73 on his next 18 The win was Florence's 15th opening day win in the last 16 years.
STUD PLAY OF THE GAME: Giles' 64-yard TD run on the Falcons' second offensive play not only tied the game at 7, but put a real scare in the Flashes.
DUD PLAY OF THE GAME: After a quick punt on third down by Jones from his own 22, the Falcons threw a pass on first down on the ensuing drive, despite the fact that Giles had been averaging 12.5 yards per carry. Trailing 15-13 at the time, the Falcons went three and out and didn't score again until the 7:48 mark of the fourth quarter.
QUOTABLE: "As a coach, you can tell when your team is ready to play,'' Florence coach Joe Frappolli said. "We just looked ready tonight.''
WHAT'S NEXT: The Falcons visit Northern Burlington on Friday night. The Flashes look to extend their winning streak next Saturday when they play host to Trenton Catholic.
By JEFF OFFORD
Burlington County Times
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Florence Season Opener 2005
It begins tonight.
It could also end tonight.
Florence High School's pursuit of a third straight undefeated season and a place in history kicks off this evening with a gut-check game against longtime rival Burlington Township, starting at 7.
Rarely has a season opener meant as much as this one. Not only have the Flashes won 24 straight since the start of the 2003 season, their streak is the third-longest in Burlington County history. Another 10 wins in a row and the Flashes will break the all-time county mark, which has stood for 42 years.
First things first, though.
Before the Flashes can even think about finishing undefeated and breaking a record that has endured for decades, they first have to get past the Falcons.
"We're just concentrating on Burlington Township," Florence coach Joe Frappolli said. "Honestly, I don't think anyone here has even talked about the streak or anything like it all summer."
The Flashes may not want to talk about it now, but a few more wins and their streak will become the talk of the football season.
The Flashes need just six more wins to tie Cherokee for second place all-time. The Chiefs won 30 straight in the early 1980s.
Bordentown Military Institute holds the all-time mark. BMI, long defunct, won 33 straight before finally losing in 1963.
"We always like to go into every season with a clean slate, no matter what happened the previous season," Frappolli said. "This group of players will have to create their own identity."
Although Florence returns just three starters from last year's team that went a perfect 12-0 and captured the Central Jersey Group 1 title, they still have one of the most talented small-school lineups in the state.
That, however, doesn't mean the Flashes are a lock to win tonight. Far from it.
The Falcons, who lost to Florence on opening day last year but rebounded to win seven of their final eight games, will no doubt give the Flashes' all they can handle. Township's offense - one of the most pro-style high school offenses anywhere - will utilize multiple formations and a fast, quick passing game.
Few teams like to pass the ball as much as the Falcons, who racked up over 1,600 yards in the air last year.
As much as they like to pass, the Falcons will also want to establish the run. Senior Bobby Giles gained 829 yards a year ago. Giles could be a key to the game, considering the Falcons will have a new starter at quarterback.
Junior Matt Jeffers, young-er brother of last year's QB Jim Jeffers, will get the start tonight. Matt Jeffers and Tony Morgan, though, have shared starting during scrimmages.
"We'll do what we do best," Burlington Township coach Tom Maderia said. "I don't think anything we do will be a surprise to them. And I'm sure, outside of a few new wrinkles here and there, nothing they will do will surprise us. It's going to come down to what team executes the best."
The Flashes - like they've always done under Frappolli - will no doubt try to grind out a win with their ground game and hard-hitting defense.
Joe Spahn will key both the Flashes' offense and defense tonight. Spahn is one of the most productive running backs around. Last year he gained 441 yards on just 48 carries. He's also a dominating defender who can play almost any position. He helped lead a Florence defense that posted six shutouts last season.
"Florence has a style and they play it well," Maderia said. "The kids are brought up on it when they're little. It's tradition. By the time they get to high school they know it inside and out.
"Florence is a football town. They'll play anybody anywhere. They don't care if it's the Philadelphia Eagles. I really wish this wasn't the first game of the season. I think it gives them an advantage. But I'm really looking forward to it. It should be a great game."
MORE ABOUT THE GAME
THE COACHES: Florence, Joe Frappolli (32nd season at Florence, 204-98-5); Burlington Township, Tom Maderia (3rd season at Burlington Twp., 14-7, 90-28 at Holy Cross).
THE HISTORY: Florence leads all-time series, 25-14.
THE SKINNY: The Flashes have won 24 straight and 14 of their last 15 openers, two stats that don't bode well for the Falcons. Here's two more: Since losing the 2003 South Jersey Group 1 final to Paulsboro, 50-0, the Flashes have given up a grand total of 134 points (5.6 per game). Last year the Flashes opened with a 28-7 win over Township. Interestingly, the Flashes collected 227 yards of offense in that contest, all on the ground. The Falcons, who rebounded to finish 8-3, will once again rely on a pass-heavy attack.
Last year the Birds totaled 1,635 yards in the air, fourth-highest in the county. Expect those numbers to rise this year under new offensive coordinator Joe Taffoni.
By JEFF OFFORD
Burlington County Times
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Articles from the 2004 season
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CHERRY HILL - Matt Ordog proved a lot on the football field the last four years. He's also been turning a few heads off the field.
Ordog, who quarterbacked the Florence High School football team to two consecutive Central Jersey Group 1 championships, has been recognized for all his accomplishments on the gridiron the last four years. Last night, he was honored for his outstanding work in the classroom with the Burlington County Times' Scholar Athlete Award.
Ordog was one of two county athletes honored last night at the William Gordon-George Masters Memorial Burlington County Football Club Banquet for their contributions off the field. Cherokee High School's Eric Donovan received the Joseph T. Cancellieri Unsung Hero Award.
Ordog's achievements included a 4.75 grade-point average while taking advanced placement courses designed to prepare students for college. Ordog managed near perfect grades while being a standout athlete on the football, basketball and baseball teams his entire high school career.
"I do everything I can to stay on top of things," Ordog said. "I don't have time to just go home and sit there. I have practice then I do my homework and go to bed. I have been doing it since I was a freshman."
Ordog threw for 930 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, and he rushed for three more touchdowns.
But Florence head coach Joe Frappolli believes there was much more to Ordog than just stats.
"He refuses to lose," Frappolli said of his senior quarterback. "He really represents his senior class well. He works so hard in the offseason and it showed. This team really bought into a system.
"Family comes first. Faith is always important. The team always is important and giving back to others who care about us. This group of guys were generally just good people."
Ordog was sad that the season was done but he admits his career at Florence could not be topped.
"I can't think of a better way to end my football career," Ordog said. "I'm just going to go on to the next sport and hope to do the same thing."
By MARK ZIMMARO
Burlington County Times
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Spahn continues to gather awards
CHERRY HILL - If you saw a Florence High School football game this season, there's no way you could have missed Joe Spahn.
Spahn, a junior, was the 5-foot-11, 200-pound linebacker that made play after play on defense for the Flashes. Whether it was running from sideline to sideline to knock an opponent's running back out of bounds or it was bursting through an offensive line to sack the quarterback, Spahn was always on the move and always giving maximum effort.
It's because of his intense play that Spahn was named the Burlington County Times' Defensive Player of the Year last night at the 34th Annual Williams-Gordon-George Masters Burlington County Football Club Awards Banquet, held at the Cherry Hill Hilton.
"My heart was racing when I heard my name called," Spahn said. "But it feels good to win the award. I didn't expect to win, but it's exciting. It's truly an honor."
Spahn, who has been a three-year starter, was the leader of a Florence defensive unit that allowed only 60 points in 12 games and posted six consecutive shutouts during the year. The Flashes held opponents to less than 100 yards rushing eight times and less than 100 yards passing in every game.
He collected over 120 tackles on the year, with his best performance of the season coming against Burlington City on Nov. 13, where he had 16 tackles and registered 4 1/2 sacks in a 21-6 win over the Blue Devils.
"I didn't really think I could come up with those kinds of totals this year," Spahn said. "I just play game by game. Some games you're doing good and some games you're not, so I guess it all evens out. But overall, I think I had a good season."
Although the individual stats are nice and the Burlington City game was huge, Spahn's most memorable moment of the season came in the Central Jersey Group 1 sectional championship game when the Flashes beat New Providence, 35-7, to cap a second straight 12-0 record and second consecutive sectional title.
"The best part of the season was our championship game," Spahn said. "Even though all the other games led up to that, it was special. The whole season was pretty cool and it's just good to win again; to go back-to-back."
Spahn attributes much of his success to the Florence coaching staff, especially defensive coordinator Nick Lubrano.
"He taught me everything I know on defense," Spahn said. "He has us doing drills that are done in college practices and plays that college teams use. He has taught me a lot of things."
And just as Spahn has a high opinion of his coaches, they too, feel the same way about him.
"He's an exceptional player; an exceptional talent," Florence head coach Joe Frappolli said. "He plays like a torpedo. He's very strong, very physical and very competitive."
Added Lubrano: "Joe is a very tenacious player; very fiery. Joe is one of those guys where if he's not around the ball, he's mad at himself. He's one of the finest linebackers that we've ever had at Florence
By KEVIN CRANSTON
Burlington County Times
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Flashes win big
FLORENCE - Everyone agreed that the second time around was much more difficult.
But playing at "The Pit" made hoisting the sectional championship trophy even sweeter.
The Florence High football team survived a shaky first quarter and cruised past visiting New Providence, 35-7, to secure a second straight undefeated campaign and NJSIAA Group I Central crown yesterday.
Playing in front of a frenzied home crowd, the Flashes (12-0) scored 20 points in the third quarter to give head coach Joe Frappolli his second postgame water cooler shower in two seasons.
"This one is even better," admitted Frappolli. "I told them this one would be sweeter and especially after the way (New Providence) started out. They jumped up on us and I told our guys there was a lot of game left."
Penalties cost the Flashes early, as New Providence used a short field on its first possession to take a 7-0 lead.
The score remained the same until midway through the second quarter, when Abree Jones made a play that changed the entire game.
The junior broke through the New Providence protection and blocked a punt, recovered the loose ball at the 1-yard line and fell into the end zone.
Jones missed the extra point, but the play swung the game's momentum and New Providence never recovered.
"That was a huge momentum shifter," said Jones, who rushed for a game-high 93 yards on 20 carries. "I told Coach (Frappolli) I was going to get it and he told me to go do it."
While Jones put the pressure back on New Providence, defensive end Ryan Lee quickly dealt the biggest blow to the Pioneers.
Quarterback Brandon Doyle rolled to his right on the first play after the touchdown and was hauled down by Lee, injuring his knee in the process.
Doyle never returned and New Providence didn't convert another first down until the final minutes of the third quarter.
"That was a real special moment," said Lee, who caught a touchdown pass in the Flashes' third-quarter outburst. "You get that feeling in your stomach and, from there on out, you have more energy."
Jones kicked a 24-yard field goal to give Florence a 9-7 halftime edge, and it was all blue and gold in the third quarter.
Zack Rinaldi caught a quick hitch and ran 11 yards to paydirt to push the lead to nine, and senior quarterback Matt Ordog connected with Lee on 4th-and-5 on their next possession for a 23-7 lead.
When Jeff Erlston forced a fumble and Pat Montalto ran it in from 1-yard out with 1:22 left in the quarter, the Flashes could pretty much begin the celebration.
"I think everyone knows who the best team in Central Jersey Group I is," said Frappolli. "We thumped them."
Florence held a 329-102 edge in total offense, 14-8 advantage in first downs and didn't allow the Pioneers to cross midfield after their opening possession.
"Once we got the momentum," Frappolli said, "all of a sudden our kids picked it up and put the pressure on them."
The convincing win is the 24th in a row for the Flashes, who became the first Times-area squad to win consecutive sectional titles.
"Coach (Frappolli) told us all year that winning this year would be even bigger, but I guess I didn't believe him," said Rinaldi. "He was right - this is almost three times as big (as last year's title)."
By STEVE TUCKERSON
Staff Writer Trenton Times
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Flashes cap off season
In one 15-second sequence Saturday afternoon, Florence High School went from a reeling football team to one well on its way to a second straight Central Jersey Group 1 championship.
A big defensive play and a key injury during that span late in the second quarter helped Florence erase a 7-0 deficit and roll to a 35-7 win over New Providence.
The victory enabled the Flashes to complete their second straight 12-0 season and extend their winning streak to 24 games.
"That tells you something about the kids we have here at Florence," Flashes coach Joe Frappolli said while accepting congratulations from the hundreds of fans who swarmed the field to join in the celebration. "This also says a lot about the loyal fans we have in this town with the support we get."
But things didn't look rosy for the home team during the early going. New Providence (10-2) scored an early touchdown for a 7-0 lead behind the strong running of Jim Muench, who had 52 of his 86 yards in the opening quarter. Meanwhile, the Pioneers' defense was holding Florence in check.
Then, late in the second quarter, things changed in a hurry. With 4:59 left before halftime, Florence's Abree Jones broke through and blocked a New Providence punt. And, after a mad scramble in the end zone, Jones recovered the ball and Florence had cut the lead to 7-6.
"I just cut down my angle to the punter," Jones said of his block. "I was able to find an opening and get a piece of the ball. But I couldn't find the ball at first, and then I saw it rolling around in the end zone and fell on the ball."
Just 15 seconds later, New Providence received a crushing blow as quarterback Brandon Doyle was dragged down by Ryan Lee, injuring his left knee. He was done for the day, and with Doyle gone, the Pioneers were never the same.
"You don't lose half your offense against a good team and expect to win," New Providence coach Frank Bottone said. "After that, we just weren't the same on either side of the ball. Don't forget, Brandon is our best player in the secondary also."
"No question, when that kid went out, the whole complexion of the game changed," Frappolli admitted. "When he went out, our kids began to smell blood. Our kids went right after them.
"I know what Frank was going through over on the other side. I know, that's happened to me in championship games. But that's the nature of football."
With Doyle out, the New Providence offense was helpless. Two backup quarterbacks ended up being thrown for losses eight times, totalling 61 yards.
With 1:03 left in the half, following a poor New Providence punt, Jones hit a 24-yard field goal to give Florence the lead for good at 9-7.
Then, the Flashes poured it on in the second half. Senior quarterback Matt Ordog, who was 9-for-12 passing for 157 yards and two touchdowns, picked the Pioneers' defense apart.
He hit Zach Rinaldi with a 12-yard scoring pass and then Lee with a 23-yard strike as Florence upped its lead to 23-7 by late in the third quarter.
"I was getting great protection all day," Ordog said. "It gave the receivers time to get open. Funny thing coming into the game, I didn't expect us to be passing as much as we did. But they were stopping our running game early, so we had to open things up a bit."
With just 1:22 left in the third quarter, Florence scored again as senior tackle Ryan Arroyo scored his first-ever touchdown when he fell on a fumble.
By BOB VIGGIANO
Courier-Post Staff
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Seniors took care of Business
FLORENCE - Last year was special because the Florence High School football team won its first Central Jersey Group 1 championship.
This year was special because most of the key players on the Flashes won their last.
The Flashes had just six seniors on the roster a year ago when they went out and won all 12 of their games - including a victory over Keyport in the sectional title game.
Yesterday, the returning members of that team made it two straight championships and in the process completed their second perfect season in a row. The end result this year was Florence 35, New Providence 7.
And for the second year in a row, it was much of the same heroes from a year ago.
But unlike last year, most of these players will not be back to defend their crown.
"This is by far the better of the two," senior quarterback Matt Ordog said. "Last year was awesome. It was fun because we didn't win the year before and we really wanted a title.
"But this year, we did it at home. Everyone in the whole town is here. I love it here and I can't believe I'm leaving this field for the last time."
Every senior member of the current Flashes' roster was elated when the final whistle blew, signaling the end of the game. The sound marked the team's second straight undefeated season and meant another trophy would grace the halls that they so loved.
But the seniors did shed some tears after the game ended.
The victory was the final time they walked off the field with their best friends and teammates that they were with every day during the fall for the past four seasons.
"I really don't want to leave," Florence running back Mo Calhoun said. "If we have to leave here today, I'm glad we're doing it like this, but this actually hurts a lot."
That was the consensus opinion.
Every member of the team left the field with tons of great memories.
Still, it's never easy to say goodbye.
"We've been together since (the Pop Warner youth program)," Florence wideout Zach Rinaldi said. "We've been walking to the field together forever. I can't remember when I wasn't playing ball with these same guys.
"I think that's what made this year so special. Last year was great, but we knew we'd all have a chance to do it again. This is it for most of us. They'll be back next year, but as far as (the seniors), this is our last chance to do what we love to do. I'm just happy we went out the way we did."
The final game was fitting for the Flashes.
The offense did its part, rolling up 329 total yards.
The specialty teams also contributed, as Abree Jones blocked a punt in the second quarter and then picked the ball up and ran for a touchdown.
But it was the defense that led the way.
After surrendering an early touchdown, the Flashes shut the Pioneers down. They registered five quarterback sacks, and limited New Providence to just 74 yards of total offense. The defense also added a third-quarter touchdown for good measure, when Jeff Erlston caused a fumble and Pat Montalto recovered the ball in the end zone.
According to many members of the Flashes defense, that was the perfect way to go out.
"We live for our defense and that's what has carried us all year," said linebacker/defensive end Ryan Lee, who had a pair of sacks during the game. "We love our defense. That's how we try to win our games. The offense and special teams played well, but we try to win on defense."
"This is how we win, and that's why the whole town loves Florence football," said linebacker Brett Burg, who made 11 stops. "We love hitting people. We don't try to hurt anyone, but we love to get a good shot on people. That's what I'll miss most about playing here.
"Everyone's philosophy is to make tackles and hold opponents to as few yards as possible. And that's why we've won 24 straight."
Another year, another banner, another successful season. But the players on this team know they accomplished something special. And they will never forget their days at the Pit.
"It's been awesome," Ordog said. "I don't have one bad memory about playing here. It's something we're all lucky to be a part of. And the championships make it just a little bit better."
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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Championship in a nutshell
WHAT HAPPENED: Florence earned its second straight Central Jersey Group 1 championship and in the process completed its second straight 12-0 season, defeating New Providence, 35-7. The Flashes, who started very slowly, got down 7-0 after one quarter, but proceeded to score the final 35 points of the game en route to the lopsided victory.
WHY IT HAPPENED: The Flashes defense simply shut the Pioneers down in the second half, limiting New Providence to minus-1 yard after intermission. The Flashes offense was its usual balanced self, spreading the ball around to just about everyone. Quarterback Matt Ordog led the way, throwing for 142 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Mo Calhoun grabbed one pass for 48 yards. Leading the rushing attack was junior tailback Abree Jones, who ran for 84 yards on 19 carries.
WHAT YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW: Florence won the game despite being flagged for 100 yards in penalties. New Providence was flagged for just 17 yards ... Ordog completed 8 of his 11 passing attempts, and for the season, he has connected on 46 of 67 ... Florence has won 24 straight games and became only the second Burlington County team to have back-to-back undefeated seasons. The other one was Cherokee, which went unbeaten in 1981 and 1982 ... On the year, the Flashes outscored their opponents, 432-60.
STUD PLAY OF THE GAME: Jones, using the same hand he broke earlier in the season, blocked a New Providence punt on the Pioneers 23-yard line. Jones then scooped the ball up on the Pioneers 1 and dove into the end zone. The touchdown was Florence’s first points of the game and ignited the surge that saw the Flashes score the final 35 points.
DUD PLAY OF THE GAME: New Providence punter Dave Anderson shanked a second-quarter punt. The ball traveled just six yards and gave the Flashes the ball at the Pioneers 14. Five plays later, Jones booted a 24-yard field goal to give Florence the lead for good.
QUOTABLE: “We’ll never forget this. We can always look back and remember playing here. We had the support of the town, the coaches and the other players. We’ll miss it, but everyone will always remember this team. That’s what’s so cool about playing football for Florence.” — Ordog on winning consecutive championships.
WHAT’S NEXT: For the football players who play basketball, hoops practice begins tomorrow at 3 p.m.
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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BACK TO BACK STATE CHAMPS
FLORENCE - Abree Jones was genuinely surprised by the question.
It was something he hadn't given a single thought.
The second-quarter punt that Jones blocked and fell on for the first Florence touchdown in a game the Flashes eventually won, 35-7, over visiting New Providence High School - had he swatted it down with his broken hand?
Jones looked incredulously at his right hand and said with a grin "you know what? I think it was."
So the same hand that cost Florence's leading rusher three games this season was the one responsible for turning the tables at Bud Marter Field yesterday and helping to bring his team its second straight Central Jersey Group 1 championship game.
"When we called a timeout before that, I told the coach 'I'm getting this punt.' The first one they had, I almost got. So I just cut down (his pursuit angle) a little bit and went. I looked up, and everybody was yelling 'ball!' Then I looked in the end zone and just dived on it."
Those six points were the first of 35 that Florence would score without an answer from the Pioneers, but they'd been a long time in coming.
Florence's first drive ended with a three-and-out. The second one ended with a fumble.
Between those two possessions, New Providence put together a 10-play, 64-yard touchdown drive. Jim Muench carried seven times for 27 yards on that march and finished it on a dive from the 1.
Florence marched to midfield and punted again before Jones' big play, but afterward, it became an entirely different game.
Pioneers' quarterback Brandon Doyle left with an apparent ankle injury after Ryan Lee pulled him down for a sack on the very next play. A missed handoff led to a sack and a 6-yard loss on the Pioneers' next play, and backup Chris Mulrane wasn't seen again after that.
The first New Providence punt had traveled 57 yards. The second was was the one Jones blocked. The third was a six-yarder that sailed out of bounds at the Pioneers' 14. A 24-yard field goal by Jones five plays later gave Florence a 9-7 lead.
New Providence, which was held to just 74 total yards, and all of them on the ground, didn't cross midfield again after that.
"What was uncharacteristic of us was early in the game, we played our defense on a short field," Florence coach Joe Frappolli said. "They play the same kind of game we play. They like to rely on their defense and give their defense a big field to work with, and they were doing that. But after that block, they were shanking balls. I thought the field goal before the half was big. We got some momentum back. And then obviously, we found some things that we could do offensively in the second half, with the way they were playing us."
Matt Ordog threw a pair of third-quarter touchdown passes to break the game open. Zach Rinaldi hauled in a quick flat pass and turned it into a 28-yard touchdown with 7:25 left. Ordog hit Ryan Lee over the middle for a 22-yard score about five minutes after that.
"We saw some things come open and we realized if we got the ball outside to the receivers, they could make some things happen," Ordog said.
"We saw when we were in that formation that the corner rolled all the way back. If nobody's on Zach, he's going to make something happen real fast."
On the second one, it was Ordog who had to make something happen. Dave Havens, the primary receiver on the play, was covered.
"They picked up the fullback on that, and I saw Ryan coming across wide open. I just got him the ball and he made a clutch play to get in the end zone," Ordog said.
Lee lowered his head at the goal line and bulled his way in over a defender.
The Flashes next score came 71 seconds later, when Jeff Erlston stripped the ball from New Providence quarterback Derek Gibbons and Pat Montalto fell on it for a touchdown.
That same combination set up Florence's next touchdown as well. This time Montalto fell on the ball at the New Providence 9. Bobby Render got in from a yard out three plays later.
"Coach Frapp told us during the week that if we win this game, everything's going to be better, and it was," Ordog said.
In the course of explaining, the coach who stresses "we're trying to win one game, 12 times," finally acknowledged the big picture.
"Absolutely. The second one is always better," Frappolli said. "This was one of the hardest years. Everybody's expectation was that we'd be at this point. All the pressure, which we never talked about, but we knew it was there. We just took it. It's a remarkable group of kids."
By JOHN A. LEWIS
Burlington County Times
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IT'S TIME!!!
Brett Burg remembers the bus ride very well.
He was a sophomore on the Florence High School football team and their season had just ended with an embarrassing 50-0 loss to Paulsboro in the South Jersey Group 1 title game. The up-and-coming Flashes were outplayed. Burg and his teammates didn't like the feeling.
"It was so quiet," said Burg, now a senior linebacker at Florence. "We just sat there and thought about what we did and more importantly what we did wrong. You never like to lose, but when you play defense at Florence, you hate to get blown out."
The bus rides have been more enjoyable since then. Florence has won 23 times without losing. Tomorrow, the Flashes attempt to complete another 12-0 campaign.
And while strong play on the offensive side of the ball has been explosive and the specialty teams have provided great field position, but it's the defense that keeps everything together.
Burg, who plays alongside fellow linebackers Matt Ordog, Joe Spahn, Abree Jones and Bobby Render, has been a big part of the defensive support. On the season, the middle linebacker has helped the Flashes hold six opponents scoreless and they have outscored their opponents, 397-53 on the year.
"Every game, our goal is to get a shutout or at least hold a team down to as few yards as possible," Burg said. "We have a very good defense. We have a lot of guys who can make plays, the linebackers have been together for three years now and we're real comfortable about playing together.
"It's good because when one of us messes up, we know the other one has our back. It lets us worry about the offense because we know we don't have to worry about the defense."
This week, the Flashes have a great offense to worry about.
Florence will host New Providence tomorrow in the Central Jersey Group 1 championship game.
The contest is a re-match from last year's semifinal game, which was won by the Flashes, 7-3.
Like Florence, New Providence returns most of its starters. Their key contributors in the wing-T offense are quarterback Brandon Doyle, who has tossed 13 touchdowns and ran for five, fullback Jim Muench, who has rushed for nine TDs and halfback Scott Savarese. Savarese has scored 10 touchdowns on the year, catching five passes for scores and rushing for the other five.
Florence coach Joe Frappolli knows that their opponents are explosive.
He knows that they love to run right at you and dare you to stop them.
And he knows they can hurt you on the ground or in the air.
But he also knows that his team has one of the best defenses in the area.
"When you think of our team defense, you think of our linebackers," Frappolli said. "They are our bread and butter and we have seven or eight guys who can fill in and do a great job there. But our entire defense is what puts the linebackers in position to make plays.
"Our defense is very sophisticated. Nick Lubrano does a very good job preparing these guys for the game. They are very good at making adjustments and they are really very smart football players.
"Some of them came up from Pop Warner as aggressive football players, but now they know how to stay in control while being aggressive."
That's something that Burg has learned along the way.
And even though he's now a stay at home linebacker, he still loves to run out and make a big play in the opponents' backfield.
"I'm a hitter," Burg said. "I like to smash people. All of the linebackers can hit but they can also play smart. You can't win if you go out and try to just run over people. It's fun to do that, but it's better to win a championship."
Not only will this be Burg's last chance to win a championship, it will also be his last chance to play at the infamous Pit.
Florence, the higher seed, was selected to host the game by the NJSIAA. And that suits Burg just fine.
"It would have been cool to play at Rutgers or something like that," Burg said. "But if we had our choice, it would be right here.
"This is our last day. It's (one) day and counting. You never forget playing there. I can't believe my days playing there are almost over. But if we can go out with another championship, everything would end perfectly."
MORE ABOUT THE GAME
THE COACHES: New Providence, Frank Bottone (287-107-7); Florence, Joe Frappolli (204-98-5).
THE SITE: Florence, 1 p.m. tomorrow.
THE HISTORY: Last year was the first time these two successful programs met. In that game, a Central Jersey Group 1 semifinal, the Flashes emerged victorious, 7-3, en route to their first C.J. championship.
THE SKINNY: Since last year's meeting, these two teams have combined for just one loss. Florence comes into the game unbeaten in its past 23 games. New Providence lost earlier in the season to Butler, which tomorrow will play for the Group 1 title in North Jersey Section 1. New Providence has held six opponents scoreless and another team scored just four points via a pair of safeties. The team features a wing-T offense that is run to perfection by senior quarterback Brandon Doyle, who has 13 touchdown passes and five TDs rushing.
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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Florence set for tough New Providence Team
This one has all the ingredients of a state championship game.
Of course, it isn't but it surely could be viewed along those lines considering the location of the schools' hometowns.
Consider that Florence is in Burlington County and North Providence is in Union County and you understand the North-South tie-in.
Those two schools - Florence and visiting New Providence - will vie for the Central Jersey Group 1 championship at 1 p.m. Saturday at The Pit, as Florence's home field is affectionately known.
Under the NJSIAA's alignment that divided the state into four equal sections for football, Florence moved from the South to Central and New Providence went from North 1 to Central and this unusual rivalry developed last year, when the Flashes defeated New Providence 7-3 in a tough, hard-fought semifinal game.
"That was the toughest game we had last year," said Florence linebacker Joe Spahn, who is expected to be a major player in Saturday's game. "I thought they were tougher than Keyport (the team Florence beat in the championship game last year).
"That was a close game and we're expecting another just like it. It's going to be a defensive battle and we'll be ready. Our defense has been ready all season."
Spahn, a junior, is one of four Florence linebackers expected to play big against the Pioneers.
Brett Burg joins Spahn as an inside backer, with Abree Jones and Matt Ordog (quarterback on offense) playing the outside on a Florence defense that changes up a lot and confuses the opposition with an abundance of blitzes.
New Providence has featured defense in its 10-1 season as well, recording six shutouts and three in its last four games.
This could be a long afternoon with a low number of points keeping the outcome in the balance until the final seconds, maybe with a late field goal providing the victory.
If offense is to suddenly break out, both teams have their favorite weapons.
Florence has a potent passing game with Ordog counting Zach Rinaldi as his favorite receiver. Mo Calhoun, Jones and Spahn have combined to contribute commendable running games. So the Flashes have the potential to crack New Providence's rock-like defense.
Jim Muench and Cory Cattano (three touchdowns) formed a solid one-two punch when New Providence blanked top-seeded South River 33-0 in the semifinal game that earned it a berth in Saturday's title game.
"We've got our work cut out," Florence coach Joe Frappolli said. "New Providence is very tough and has a lot of veteran players.
"They have a very diversified offense with a good power game and they can throw the ball as well. It's a no-nonsense team, very disciplined and very well coached. We've had reports on them during the year, and we know a little more about them than we did last year."
Frappolli does see an advantage that could tilt the scales in Florence's favor.
"They have a number of talented players, but we might be a little faster," he said. "I'll say one thing: We'll be ready to play."
By WALT BURROWS
Courier-Post Staff
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Florence dismantles Riverside
RIVERSIDE -- Even before the Turkey was done defrosting, this one was over. With a Freedom Division title there for the taking, Florence dismantled Riverside, 54-6, in their annual Thanksgiving showdown.
The game was a tune-up for the Flashes, who will host New Providence next Saturday in the Central Jersey Group I Championship.
"It’s always a big game when we play Riverside," said Florence defensive coordinator Nick Lubrano. "It’s means a lot to our boys and especially a lot to the people in Florence."
Florence dominated from the start, and a Riverside first-half drive summary is all anyone needs to know about the game: interception, fumble, blocked punt, interception, punt, interception anda fumble on a kickoff. The Rams giftwrapped the game for the Flashes, as all seven of Florence’s possessions began in Riverside territory, including four inside the 30-yard line.
"We wanted to take away their big plays," said Lubrano. "We put some pressure on them and were able to take away what they were trying to do."
One player who took things away was Matt Ordog, who plays quarterback as well as defensive back. Ordog picked off two passes on defense, while also tossing for two scores on offense.
"Matt does an excellent job of managing the game," said offensive coordinator Steve Ordog, Matt’s father. "That’s all we want him to do. He controls the game very well."
The defense set the tone early in the game as Florence forced three turnovers in the first quarter to jump out to a 20-0 lead after the first break. Anthony Cardone and Maurice Calhoun scored on runs, while Ordog hooked up with Zach Havens for the other Florence TD.
"Our defense set up our offense, especially in the first quarter," said Lubrano. "Our offense didn’t have to go that far to score.
The offense sure didn’t, as the Flashes drives began on the 28, 25- and 5-yard line.
Florence kept pouring it on in the second quarter, as Ordog found Dave Havens from 14 yards out for another score, putting his team up 27-0.
After Ordog’s second interception gave Florence excellent field position at the 28, the Flashes scored four plays later.
Things went from bad to worse for Riverside, as the Rams fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and once again, gave Florence good starting position. The Flashes again found the end zone in four plays, taking a 41-0 lead into the half. The only time Florence didn’t score was when it defeated itself with back-to-back holding penalties.
"Our whole team got the job done in the first half," said Lubrano. "We stepped up when we had to and made plays."
Next on Florence’s plate is the Central Jersey championship next Saturday.
The Flashes are familiar with its opponent, New Providence, as Florence earned a tough 7-3 playoff win over them last year.
"We tell the kids one day at a time," said Lubrano. "That’s what we preach. Last year’s win was close one. They’re a very good team, but we will be ready."
JARED VICHKO, Staff Writer
The Trentonian Newspaper
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Florence heads to 3rd straight State Final
FLORENCE — Matt Ordog didn’t worry for a second.
Ordog, the starting quarterback and linebacker on the Florence High School football team, didn’t seemed too concerned that his team trailed for the first time all season in the second quarter.
But that’s probably because he and his teammates didn’t have much time for anxiety.
Just 25 seconds and one offensive play after facing the first deficit of the season, Florence running back Mo Calhoun raced 53 yards to tie the score midway through the second quarter.
Less than two minutes later, Ordog tossed a 48-yard scoring strike to Zach Rinaldi to put the Flashes up for good.
The end result was a 33-20 victory over Brearley in the semifinals of the Central Jersey Group 1 playoffs. The Flashes, who have won 22 games in a row, will face New Providence in the championship in a rematch of last year’s semifinal. Time and location of the championship affair will be determined tomorrow.
“It was great because we haven’t been down since last year’s championship game,” said Ordog, who threw for 77 yards and made nine stops on defense. “We didn’t really have time to think about it because we scored to tie it at 14 right after they scored.
“This was a fun game because we knew they had an explosive offense and we think we have a really good defense. So we were looking forward to the game.”
The Flashes’ defense, which was led by senior Brett Burg’s 17 tackles, allowed the Bears to rush for 293 yards.
And while the Bears controlled the clock, Florence controlled the game thanks in part to big plays.
Leading the way for Florence’s offense was junior tailback Abree Jones, who rushed for 169 yards and two touchdowns. “We kind of figured this game was going to be a shootout,” Florence coach Joe Frappolli said. “And it really was.
They have a very good football team and I thought our guys went out and executed very well.”
Burg agreed. “I have a headache but it was worth it because we pla-yed so well to-day,” Burg said. “We want to go back to back and we knew this team was supposed to have the best offense. And they were very good.
“I think after they scored a few points on us, we woke up a little. We made a few mistakes and they took advantage of us. But we made up for it and now we have a chance to repeat. It’s a great feeling and we know that because we did it before.”
Last year, Ordog and Burg were both key contributors to the Flashes, so they are enjoying their second go-around this year.
But Rinaldi, who had to sit out the first 30 days of last season because he transferred from Holy Cross, is enjoying being a prime-time player for the first time during the playoffs.
Last year, Rinaldi was a third-down running back because the offense was playing so well without him at the start of the year, he never cracked the starting lineup. This year, he’s the go-to receiver and enjoying every minute of it.
“This is a team thing, but I’m real happy,” Rinaldi said. “This is my year. Last year was great, but I wasn’t a starter. This year, I feel like I’m doing more, so I guess it means more to me.
“That’s why I was so excited after my touchdown. I knew if we could get the momentum back, we’d have a good chance at winning. And now we’re going back to the championship.”
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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Florence rolls past City
FLORENCE — It’s starting to feel a little like last year. After winning its first eight regular season games, the Florence High School football team is ready to make another long run through the Central Jersey Group 1 playoffs.
Yesterday, Florence showed Burlington City why it’s the defending champs by downing the Devils, 21-6, in a first-round contest yesterday. Aided by Abree Jones, who rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown, and Maurice Calhoun, who went for 70 yards and two scores, the Flashes pounded Devils, and in the process, advanced to the semifinals for the second time in as many years.
“It’s starting to feel a little like last year and that’s good,” said Jones, who scored his touchdown early in the fourth quarter to put the Flashes up 21-0. “Last year we had to work hard to get here. So if it feels like last year, we know we have to do it all over again. And today was a fun game because it was against them.”
The Blue Devils were certainly not the team Florence wanted to meet in their first playoff game.
The Flashes’ closest game of the regular season was a 10-0 win over the Blue Devils. And all week the team was preparing for a tough game from their neighborhood rivals. “They are a lot like us, and I figured they’d come out and play the way they did,” said junior linebacker Joe Spahn, who recorded 13 tackles during the game. “They fly to the ball. They come after you. Their defense is really tough and on offense they’re fast. It really reminds me of playing ourselves.
“It’s a tough game and it would have been cool to play them later on. But this was good. It’s real nice to start things off with a win over them, now we can start looking at next week’s game.”
Florence pretty much dominated the line of scrimmage for the first quarter, forcing City’s first of three fumbles and a pair of punts. The Flashes maintained great field position because City’s first two punts went for a total of 19 yards.
By the time City first entered Florence’s territory, it was the second quarter and the Flashes were enjoying a 7-0 lead.
“The wind was a big factor and they had us pinned pretty good,” Burlington City coach Tim Reardon said. “But their defense had a lot to do with us. They crushed us. They’re very fast and they fly to the football. It’s not easy putting a nice drive against them because they’re such a great unit and they play with such intensity.” Reardon’s comment was music to Spahn’s ears.
The Flashes defense had held their last seven opponents from scoring and yesterday they were 13 seconds away from doing it again. But a Matt Morris touchdown pass from A.J. Reed spoiled their fantastic streak.
“We take so much pride in our defense,” Spahn said. “We love keeping people off the scoreboard. We knew it would be tough to shut them out again and it’s disappointing that we gave up those points (with 13 seconds left). But we did our part and by the time they scored, it was over. So we’ll just have to start a new streak.”
Florence coach Joe Frappolli wasn’t disappointed to see the streak end. He’s happy his team can now focus on the playoffs.
“The one thing about this team is that they are always focused on the task at hand,” Frappolli said.
“You know, a lot of people have high expectations for us. They say we won it last year, we have a lot of guys back, so we should just go out and win it again. And the fans think that way, but the players are great at focusing on the next game. Today, I thought we did that.”
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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Jones, Spahn lead Flashes to another shutout
FLORENCE - One is a powerful back in a run-first offense, while the other is a dependable defensive stopper.
Regardless of what side of the ball Abree Jones and Joe Spahn are playing on, the two Florence High School football players are always in the middle of the action making things happen.
The two juniors have been doing it all season long and they delivered once again yesterday as they led the Flashes to a 26-0 victory over Delran in a Burlington-Olympic Football League game, which marked Florence's 20th straight win. It's the team's sixth consecutive shutout and in those contests, the Flashes have outscored their opponents, 198-0.
Jones was the offensive spark for Florence (8-0 record), as he rushed for 125 yards on 19 carries and scored two touchdowns.
Equally as important to the win was Spahn's play at linebacker. He was simply all over the place, chasing down Delran running backs Anthony Riess and Kevin Dobes.
Spahn finished the game with 10 solo tackles and had a hand in countless other stops.
Through the first 24 minutes, the Flashes came out a bit flat. The offense didn't have trouble moving the chains, but it couldn't punch the ball into the end zone.
Then, with less than three minutes to go before halftime as Florence lined up to punt, Delran (1-7) was penalized five yards for an illegal substitution, giving the Flashes a first down.
Five plays later, Jones scored his first TD from four yards out to put his team up, 6-0.
"It felt good to get that first touchdown," Jones said. "It gave us some momentum heading into the second half and let us know we could come out on top."
With that momentum, the Flashes started to click on both offense and defense in the second half. Brett Burg opened up the half with a 25-yard interception return, which gave the Flashes some breathing room. That was followed by quarterback Matt Ordog completing a 50-yard TD pass to wide out Zach Rinaldi. Jones capped off the scoring with his second TD run in the fourth quarter.
Although it was another loss for his team, Delran coach Pete Miles couldn't complain with the toughness his team showed.
"We felt we played well," Miles said. "I think we played with a lot of intensity and emotion and that's what we wanted to do. The interception at the start of the second half kind of took the wind out of our sails, but we hung in there."
As for Florence coach Joe Frappolli, it may have been a slow start for his team, but a win is a win.
"We asked the offense to step up today and it took a little time to score, but they got it done," Frappolli said. "All our defensive players also played well. We're happy to be where we are and we're looking forward to the second season (the playoffs)."
If projected playoff pairings are correct, the Flashes will host longtime nemesis Burlington City next week in a rematch of a game two weeks ago. Florence won that game, 10-0.
By KEVIN CRANSTON
Burlington County Times
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Frappolli makes History
Maple Shade - It was business as usual for the Florence High School football team Saturday afternoon, right down to the postgame huddle.
"Don't change our routine," Flashes football coach Joe Frappolli said as he knelt among the players at midfield afterward.
But this was not a routine game.
The story here isn't the game, won by Florence over Maple Shade, 40-0.
The story is about a man who has dedicated his life to a small school in the small town he grew up in, and his achievement of his 200th career win on this cloudy, damp day on a soggy field.
With this victory, the undefeated Flashes' seventh this season, Frappolli joins an elite group. He becomes just the fourth coach in South Jersey history to have won 200 games, joining Delsea's John Oberg (230), the legendary Collingswood coach Howard "Skeets" Irvine (223), and the only other active coach on the list, Washington Township's Tom Brown (205).
As is his nature, the coach deflected the attention away from himself.
"I'm happy for the young guys," he told the team. "I'm happy for the seniors. I'm happy to coach you guys.
"You know how I feel. It's about all of you guys. Nobody is bigger than the program, not one coach, not one player. It's all about the program and the community."
But on this particular day it was about the man who defines the program, and that fact wasn't lost on his players.
"It's a great achievement for coach Frap," said senior quarterback Matt Ordog, who hit senior wide receiver Zach Rinaldi for a 61-yard touchdown on the Flashes' first offensive play of the game.
"I've only been here four years but I'm happy to have the chance to help out and do my part to help him get this. I know it's special for him."
Frappolli never wavered from the task at hand. Even as the first quarter score moved to 21-0, thanks to a Maurice Calhoun 2-yard run, a safety and blocked punt that Jeff Erlston fell on in the Maple Shade end zone, he was always into the game, saluting solid play and admonishing sloppy effort and poor penalties.
In the second and third quarters, Florence scored touchdowns on a 61-yard punt return and an 86-yard run up the middle, both by junior Joe Spahn, sandwiched around an Abree Jones 5-yard run.
When it was over, his team presented him with a trophy commemorating the occasion, and many among the Florence faithful wore a shirt that read "Simply the Best" over a picture of Frappolli with his team on the front and "200 Wins and Counting" on the back.
"The good lord has blessed me with a great family," Frappolli said. "My wife and kids have been so supportive.
"Our coaches, they're the ones that should get all the credit. They do all the work. I just sort of steer the boat.
"That's what makes it special. My family, the coaches, the people in the community. . . . There have been a lot of great people who have all supported me. I'm truly humbled by this and blessed."
By CHARLIE SPRANG
Courier-Post Staff
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Congrats to Coach Frapp
Many great coaches have blessed Burlington County athletes over the years.
Some like Rocky Cancellieri, George Masters Sr., Bill Gordon, Charlie Pirrello and Jim Horner reached legendary status for not only how they and their teams conducted themselves on the field, but off the field as well.
Wins and losses are never the driving force behind the great coaches. They are humble in victory and humble in defeat. What matters most is compassion. A genuine concern for the athlete is first and foremost to these men. They create a family atmosphere, and once a family member, always a family member.
This is the exact atmosphere Joe Frappolli has created in Florence. This is why he is now mentioned with the legends.
By now, everyone knows "Coach Frapp" has been stalking the sidelines for 31 years and currently stands with a 199-98-5 record. Tomorrow against Maple Shade, Frappolli likely will join only three others in the history of South Jersey to reach the 200-win plateau. It is a remarkable achievement.
But trust me, the wins are not what drives Frappolli. After tomorrow's game and the Flashes have secured a likely victory, Frappolli will not talk about the wins. He will talk about the program. The young athletes who are playing for him now and who have played for him over the years. The ones that still follow the team as closely as they did when they played.
He will genuinely praise the efforts of the outmanned Wildcats. He will not take any credit. The credit will go to the players and how hard they have worked. The credit will go to the coaches, the loyal coaches who have been with him through thick and thin. And he will thank his wife and family for being so supportive over the years.
But, those inside the program know who deserves some credit. Though he won't take it, let us be the first to say "congratulations, Coach Frapp!''
Take a bow and enjoy the moment. Those who know you best are enjoying it with you.
By WAYNE RICHARDSON
Burlington County Times
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Life lessons mean more to Frappolli than wins
Outsiders only know half the story.
Those beyond the Florence community can look at Joe Frappolli's career record, his championships and his division titles, and would recognize that he is a very good football coach.
And a glance at Florence High School's athletic program speaks volumes about Frappolli's job as the school's athletic director.
But when you talk to people close to the program or close to Frappolli, they rarely mention his success as coach.
Sure, they love to celebrate the Flashes' victories and they recognize who leads them to all of the celebrations, but that's not why Frappolli is a special football coach.
It runs much deeper than that.
"He's just a great man and a great coach," said Florence quarterback Matt Ordog, who led the Flashes to the Central Jersey Group 1 title last year. "He's a great coach, but he cares more about the other stuff. Every year, he comes up with a few sayings, and they all involve football. But that's not why he does it, because when you think about those sayings, it's more about life.
"We see him so much, it's like he's always with us. If any of us have a problem, we can go to him. And he's real big on discipline. I mean if one of us messes up in school or anything, we know our teachers will go right to him. He loves to win football games, but he's more concerned that we're disciplined and that we're doing right as a person."
Frappolli has done right as a person and as a coach during his 31 seasons at Florence.
His career record is 199-98-5, and Saturday when his Flashes oppose Maple Shade in a Burlington-Olympic Football League Freedom Division matchup, Frappolli can become the fourth coach in South Jersey history to win 200 games. It will put him just 30 games shy of the South Jersey record, which is held by John Oberg, who coached at Delsea.
The only active coach with 200 or more wins is Washington Township's Tom Brown, who has 205 victories.
A victory would clinch at least a share of the Freedom Division championship this year, which has become the norm for Florence. In his 31 years as coach, Florence has won 12 division titles, including six of the past seven.
And winning games is almost the most important thing in Frappolli's life.
"He always says the three most important things are family, faith and the team," said Florence assistant coach Nick Lubrano, who has been with Frappolli since 1986. "He really loves football, or Florence football, but he's very family orientated. That's absolutely the most important thing in his life. Then it's religion, then comes Florence football.
"He cares about everyone who goes through the program. He loves to win and he loves to teach. Florence football is hard to explain. It's really special, and I guess you would say he's the maestro. He sets the table for everyone else to enjoy the success."
As a coach, Frappolli cares what his players do for 48 minutes every weekend in the fall. But as a father figure, he cares about what his players do 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for the rest of their lives.
"He always checks in on us, during the summer and during the offseason," Ordog said. "You can always count on him for anything. He's actually like a second father. He's always there to give you advice, or just to talk to. He's our coach and we respect him for that, but when you see what he'll do for you, it makes you want to do everything for him."
Ordog's father, Steve Ordog, has a different slant on Frappolli's influence on the players.
Steve, who has coached with Frappolli since 1978, has had two sons, Steve Jr. and Matt, who have gone through the program.
He sees first hand, as a peer and as a parent, the influence that the legendary coach has on the players.
"As a parent, I don't think there's a guy I'd rather have coaching my sons than (Frappolli) because he does so much for them in every aspect of life," Steve Ordog said. "He's more than just a coach. He's terrific at what he does and the record he has speaks for itself. The fact that he's going to win his 200th says so much about what he's done with this program.
"But how many kids come back to help out? I don't think we could count. Once you play for Joe, you are drawn to him. He's very involved with the community, the Pit Club, which he started. He's done everything.
"And the amazing thing is that if a kid comes back, he always remembers them and really cares what they're doing now. He loves every kid who comes through this program, and that's why I'm very glad both of my boys had the chance to play for him. He really is a special man."
Former Florence athletic director Ron Luyber sees the same qualities in Frappolli.
Luyber, who coached Frappolli's defense for 28 years, enjoyed working with the head coach because of his passion for the game and his passion for his players.
"Joe is a Florence guy who grew up there and always loved the community," Luyber said. "As a coach, he was very good at game planning and then delegating power. He let his coaches do their job and he did a great job with his. If things weren't going right, he would find out why and correct it. I think he's so successful because he's a great leader and because he cares so much about the team."
It seems everyone has a different name for Frappolli.
He's been called the maestro.
He's been called a father.
He's been called a leader.
He's been called a special man.
And while those nouns are all accurate, it still doesn't tell the true story of what Frappolli has meant to the Florence community.
In fact, the only ones who truly know what he's meant to that town is those who live and die Florence football.
"You have to experience it, because it's too hard to put into words," Matt Ordog said. "When you win a game and the whole town gathers around to hear what he's saying, they're there because they want to hear what he has to say. You have to be there. Anything that's good, that's him. I think that's the easiest way to explain it."
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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Florence find a way to win
FLORENCE - Somehow, it always ends up this way: Music blaring over the loud speakers, fans flooding the field, the Florence High School football team celebrating yet another win.
The Burlington City Blue Devils did everything they could to stop the Flashes' two-season long winning streak yesterday. And still it wasn't enough. Against this gritty group of Flashes, nothing ever seems to be enough.
The Blue Devils outgained the Flashes, and at times, outplayed the Flashes. But in the end, it was Florence that turned a perfect fall afternoon into a perfect Burlington-Olympic League Freedom Division win.
The Flashes, taking advantage of four costly Burlington City turnovers and using a defense that sometimes bent but never broke, took control of the Freedom race by blanking the Devils, 10-0, in front of an estimated crowd of 3,500.
Florence, winners of 17 straight coming into the contest, received a 30-yard field goal and a one-yard touchdown run by junior Abree Jones in the first quarter. The Flashes' defense did the rest.
Florence (6-0 overall, 5-0 division) now holds a one-game lead over the Devils (5-1, 4-1) in the Freedom.
The Devils came into the game having won nine straight over two seasons.
"We knew they'd be tough,'' said Jones, who blocked a punt to set up the game's only touchdown. "But I think a win like this just shows the pride and hustle of our team. Every time a team keeps getting closer and closer to us we just use some strong 'D' and stick together.''
City held Florence to just seven first downs and 113 yards of total offense.
The 113 yards marked the Flashes' lowest offensive output since the program's 110 total yards against Paulsboro in the 2002 South Jersey Group 1 final.
By the way, that was the last time the Flashes lost.
"It was a great chess match today,'' said Florence coach Joe Frappolli, who captured his 199th career win. "We probably played a lot more vanilla than we normally would, but we knew it was going to be that type of game.
"We knew it was going to be a game of field position. How many turnovers did our defense have today? Four. They just made things happen.''
Led by junior Joe Spahn, who played a part in 16 tackles and registered 41/2 sacks, the Florence defense allowed the Devils just two real scoring opportunities, the final one coming with just over three minutes left in the third quarter. The Flashes stalled that drive on the Flashes' 18.
City got as close as the 8 but a delay of game call on first down, a seven-yard sack by Spahn on the following down, and a four-yard sack by Spahn on fourth-and-goal ended the 13-play drive.
City's offense finished with 181 yards - 125 on the ground - and 11 first downs. After going four-and-out on their first two possessions of the afternoon, the Blue Devils put together a 17-play drive that spanned eight minutes. That drive, too, produced no points, done in by a fumble on the Florence 10.
"I'm not sure we outplayed them but we certainly hurt ourselves a little bit,'' Burlington City coach Tim Reardon said. "We did what we wanted to do. We ran the ball and had a little success.
"But you can't take it away from Florence. They did a great job when they had to do a great job.''
Florence, which ran off just seven plays in the third quarter, sealed the victory in the fourth, picking off a pass to end the Blue Devils' final drive at the City 45 with just over a minute remaining.
"They're a good team and we knew that coming in,'' Spahn said. "They're a bunch of big guys. But we knew our defense had to take it to them and we did.''
By JEFF OFFORD
Burlington County Times
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Flashes Jones gets back in swing of things
FLORENCE - It almost amounts to sandbagging.
Sure, Florence football coach Joe Frappolli and New Egypt High School's Tom Farrell exchanged films. They're friends who share information throughout the season.
It's just that the Florence films showed precious little of Abree Jones, who'd been limited to kicking duties since breaking his hand on opening day.
Yesterday, Farrell had to deal with every headache he'd seen on those films, plus a junior running back who celebrated his return with 14 carries for 106 yards and recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown. That play gave Florence a 13-point lead in a game the Flashes went on to win, 35-0.
"Mo (Calhoun, who carried 14 times for 72 yards) is a slashing, power, in-your-face runner, and Bree can do the same thing," Frappolli said. "But Bree, because he's rested - his legs are fresh and his change of direction is just unbelievable. Plus, he kicked everything into the end zone."
This was the third consecutive shutout for Florence (5-0 overall, 4-0 Burlington-Olympic Football League Free-dom Division), which took a 7-0 lead on its first possession - an 11-play, 53-yard march that ended with Matt Ordog's five-yard scoring pass to Ryan Lee. The blocked punt came four plays later. Shaquan Virgil knocked it down and Jones recovered to make it 13-0.
"He blocked it and it bounced in the air. I went up with my teammates and we fought for it," Jones said. "I was the one who came down with it."
From a momentum standpoint, that might have been the turning point.
"Take away the blocked punt and maybe it's 14-0, or even 12-0 at halftime," Farrell said. "But I don't know (if that was the big play) because we really didn't get anything moving offensively. We were bending but not breaking defensively, but we were on the field a long time."
Jones saw extra duty in the fourth quarter. The Flashes went to him five times on their final drive and Jones responded with 49 yards. He dove across from the 2 for the game's final points.
"I was a couple of plays into the game and I felt a little bit shaky," Jones said. "I didn't get used to it until I got the ball and got hit pretty hard. Maybe five minutes into the game. I was surprised (at getting so many carries) late in the game. He (Frappolli) probably wanted to get me back into it a little bit."
That was exactly what was on Frappolli's mind.
"This was the first week that he could actually do anything but kick the ball. We don't hit in practice." Frappolli said. "He hasn't been hit by anybody since opening day.''
Ordog threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Calhoun that gave Florence a 21-0 halftime lead. The Flashes added a 23-yard scoring run by Joe Spahn with 8:20 left in the game.
Florence held New Egypt to a season-low 104 yards of offense, including 56 on 23 carries by running back Lee Hopkins, who began the game with a division-high 653 yards.
"That is the best high school team I've seen in a long time," Farrell said. "Physically and athletically, that's a superior team. I was proud of the way our boys played physically for four quarters."
By JOHN A. LEWIS
Burlington County Times
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Powerful Florence mows down Palmyra
PALMYRA - There might have been a little concern that a team eyeing up its second str-aight Central Jersey Group 1 championship might be looking past its trip to Matt Curtis Stadium.
There might have been some apprehension that an extra week off might have taken the edge off the Florence football team.
Perhaps some people had some misgivings about a letdown.
You needn't have worried.
Matt Ordog threw for three touchdowns - two of them to Zach Rinaldi - and the Florence defense held Palmyra High School to just 43 total yards on the way to a 55-0 bruising of their Burlington-Olympic Football League Freedom Division rivals yesterday.
"We really try to go game to game," Ordog said. "We look at the schedule and say we want to win one game 12 times, and we prepare for every one as if it's the biggest game of the season. This time, we had two weeks to prepare, so we were definitely ready to play."
"Thursday, we were so sharp on offense, and especially defense, that we were hurting each other," Florence coach Joe Frappolli said.
Yesterday, they put a world of hurt on Palmyra instead.
Ordog threw just six passes, but his first, second and sixth ended up in the end zone. He hit Rinaldi on a post pattern on the Flashes' sixth play from scrimmage and found Joe Spahn on a crossing pass on their 12th.
Those were the two longest scoring drives of the day for Florence, which took a 21-0 lead on Dave Havens' 31-yard interception return and padded it to 28-0 on the first of Maurice Calhoun's two touchdowns, a one-yard plunge on the first play of the second quarter.
Florence added a 64-yard run by Joe Spahn on its first play of the third quarter, and Ordog hooked up again with Rinaldi for a 65-yard score on the second.
"We did a lot of sprint out stuff," Ordog said. "I'm not real tall, so it's hard for me to look over everybody. We were just trying to get around them and look outside."
The Flashes added another touchdown on their fourth and final play of the third quarter - a 38-yard jaunt by Calhoun on a simple belly run. Freshman Quinton Lofton added the Flashes' final score when he cut back across the grain for 29 yards on what started as a sweep to the right.
Palmyra was held to 29 yards in the first half. The Panthers' longest gain of the day came on a 25-yard pass from Nick Strom to Gerald Walker early in the third quarter. Strom completed two more passes on that possession, but a first-down sack by Jeff Erlston and Pat Montalto and a three-yard loss on a second-down draw helped bring an end to one of only two trips the Panthers made across midfield.
"They have a very good football team, and we're very young," Palmyra coach Ty Belford said. "We knew it was going to be an uphill battle. We knew we were playing the No. 1 team around here, and we aspire to get where they are."
By JOHN A. LEWIS
Burlington County Times
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Rinaldi keys Flashes' triumph
FLORENCE - Zach Rinaldi has lived through a strange couple of years.
Rinaldi started as a defensive back for Holy Cross High School's football team as a sophomore. But as happy as he was to be a contributing member of the talented squad, he wanted to come home. So prior to his junior year, he transferred to Florence.
After sitting out the first 30 days of the school year per state law, he served as a multi-purpose backup for the rest of the season.
And that suited him just fine.
"I think I started two games but I always got in," Rinaldi said about his junior season. "I liked Holy Cross, but I love Florence. I wanted to get back with my friends and I wanted to by football for Florence. I love it here."
Yesterday, the Florence faithful loved what Rinaldi did for their team.
Rinaldi grabbed four passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns, he rushed one time seven yards and he snagged an interception, helping Florence defeat Bordentown, 32-0 in a Burlington-Olympic Football League Freedom Division game. The win was the 15th in a row for the Flashes.
Other offensive stars for Florence were Matt Ordog, who completed six of nine passes for 160 yards and a pair of touchdowns, plus another score on the ground. Joe Spahn went for 77 yards on nine carries and Mo Calhoun gained 53 yards on just seven carries.
Though the Flashes victory was impressive, Rinaldi pointed out that the team didn't play its best game of the season. After all, the team committed two turnovers and 75 yards worth of penalties.
"I'm happy with the win but we could have played better," Rinaldi said. "Maybe we didn't work hard enough in practice or something like that. We have a bye next week, so we'll work real hard to get everything down.
"I guess I'm happy with my game today. Last year, I was happy because we won and I really didn't care that I didn't start because I got in and we won. I love playing football, I love winning games and I love playing for Florence. So last year was great and so far, this year has been going great."
Like his star wideout, Florence coach Joe Frappolli had mixed emotions about the play of the team.
"This wasn't our best game by any stretch," Frappolli said. "We had too many penalties, and anytime you put the ball on the ground, you can't be happy.
"I thought the defense played well. We had some problems with our specialty teams and the offense had some breakdowns, but a win is a win.
"Next week we're off and anytime you play a game like that, you want to get back out and do it. We'll work hard in practice, but when you don't play your best football, the best thing to do is to get back out there. Now, we have to wait two weeks."
While Frappolli was disappointed with the play of his troops, Bordentown coach Jack Yost was pleased with the improvement his team showed.
"I couldn't be prouder of my guys," Yost said. "We went out and played our hearts out. We did a lot of good things and we're getting better every week. I'm very happy."
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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Florence flexes its muscles
HAMILTON - Ryan Arroyo remembers it all too well.
Last year, after Florence High School's Central Jersey Group 1 semifinal victory over New Providence, Arroyo was so excited that he couldn't help himself. He began jumping up and down, up and down. Up and down he went until he went up and down one too many times. The result of his jubilation was a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
"Stupid injury, it ended my season right there," Arroyo said. "I was so upset when they told me my season was over. But right before (the championship game versus Keyport), I cried my eyes out. I was so upset that it was all over.
"I felt pretty dumb. How many people get hurt celebrating? I couldn't believe I just played a tough game and then, because I wanted to jump around, I ended my season."
Luckily for Arroyo, the injury just ended his senior year.
And the 6-foot-6, 290 pound two-way tackle is back for his senior season. And this year, he hopes to be in on the playoff run and lead the Flashes to another championship.
Last night, Arroyo was one of many Flashes who helped the team dispose of McCorristin, 63-14, in a Burlington-Olympic Football League Freedom Division game that was completely dominated by Florence from opening kickoff until the final whistle.
Arroyo anchored an offensive line that helped Florence running back Maurice Calhoun rush for 110 yards and three scores. Also contributing to the offensive cause were quarterback Matt Ordog (6-for-6, 127 yards, touchdown), Joe Spahn (seven carries, 72 yards) and Zach Rinaldi, who caught three passes for 85 yards including a touchdown, and rushed two times for 21 yards and two touchdowns.
The Flashes, who won their 14th straight game, put up the offensive fireworks without starting halfback Abree Jones, who was forced to sit out with a broken hand, but the junior still handled the kicking duties.
The defense also did its part, allowing just two first half first downs. They also forced three first half turnovers and blocked a punt for a safety.
The Flashes' starters would have likely posted even more impressive numbers, but they exited the game after they took a 43-7 lead with just over three minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
"Tonight was great," Arroyo said. "It feels so good to be back out there, and back playing football for Florence. And we're ready to play. We play so well as a team."
Florence coach Joe Frappolli agreed.
"We played very well as a team tonight," Frappolli said. "Our running backs did very well, and Zach is certainly a playmaker and without Abree, we wanted to get him the ball eight to 10 times. Well, we got him the ball and you saw what happened. He's a playmaker and he just made plays.
"But I'm happy about a lot of things. I was concerned that when we got up and put our second team out there, we could struggle, but that wasn't the case. Those guys did a fabulous job. And McCorristin has a lot of athletes, but you give our defensive coaches time and they'll find away to disrupt anyone."
Arroyo is just happy to be back on the field.
"It feels so good to be a senior on Florence," Arroyo said. "We work harder than anyone. We want another championship, but we look at every game like it's our championship. We play every game as hard as we can and that's why we're successful."
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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FLORENCE - Too amped...Sept. 12, 2004
If the Florence High School football team had a problem in yesterday's 28-7 Burlington-Olympic League win over Burlington Township, that was it.
The numbers coach Joe Frappolli wanted to see were there. The Flashes had 227 rushing yards to just 76 for the Falcons in winning their 13th straight game. They put the ball in the end zone twice before Township had a first down, got sacks from Brett Burg and Jeff Erlston and forced a fumble.
There were also some things Frappolli didn't want to see.
The Flashes were penalized 11 times for 112 yards and had a pair of touchdowns called back.
Even on a touchdown that stood - Zach Rinaldi's 46-yard jaunt around the left end on a counter - Florence drew a flag, because Rinaldi was a little too demonstrative in his celebration. They had to try the conversion from the 18-yard line.
"Zach told me, 'coach, I just got excited.' Several guys said they were just trying too hard," Frappolli said. "You know what? They're still kids. They're still going to be kids. Zach's a talented young man. We're going to have to find more ways to get the ball into his hands."
His first touch resulted in a 28-yard catch for a touchdown early in the second quarter that was nullified by a holding penalty. The next came on an interception.
He picked off a Jimmy Jeffers pass and returned it 36 yards - though another penalty erased the bulk of that runback.
Florence built a 14-0 lead on its first two possessions. Matt Ordog got around the right side on a bootleg rollout for a 13-yard score with 6:58 left in the first quarter.
A 28-yard sweep by Abree Jones made it 14-0 less than three minutes later.
Jones struggled to keep his feet in bounds after getting into the secondary. When he got across the 5, he dove just inside the pylon.
"That's called a Green Bay," Jones said. "When I got the ball, I thought I was going to get hit in the backfield, but I just kept my legs moving. I saw the end zone was close and I dove."
Rinaldi's touchdown - the one that counted - capped a four-minute drive at the start of the second half and gave the Flashes a 20-0 lead.
Burlington Township answered at that point with its only scoring drive. Jeffers hit Kash Moore on a deep sideline pass for a 40-yard gain to set up Doug Billingsly's one-yard scoring run four plays later. Township managed just one first down over the rest of the game.
"What was the problem with out offense? You can't drop touchdown passes," Burlington Township coach Tom Maderia said. "You've got to execute. There were two that we dropped in the first half, and you can't do that. Our problem was execution."
One of those drops came midway through the second quarter, when Jeffers found D.J. Golden for what would have been a 25-yard touchdown. The ball went through Golden's hands. The senior appealed to the officials for a pass interference penalty and was promptly ejected for his second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty of the afternoon.
"I don't like penalties," Maderia said. "No coach likes penalties, but there are some you have to live with. It hurt us to play most of that game without our top receivers, but the reason we were without them is stupidity. You can't be a championship team and lose your poise."
Jones, who finished with 79 yards on 11 carries, added the final points of the game on a five-yard run. Maurice Calhoun gained 74 on 17 tries.
Jones said he was impressed, but not surprised, by the intensity of the Falcons.
"They play a tough game," he said. "They're a tough team. I give them a lot of credit. They (the coaches) warned us people are going to be coming after us because we're the defending champs, and this team did. There's some pressure on us this year."
By JOHN A. LEWIS
Burlington County Times
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Former Florence coach Joe Papp dies
There will be one less booming voice on the Florence High School football sideline this fall.
Joe Papp, the Flashes head coach from 1959-71, died early yesterday morning after a short hospital stay. He was just short of his 80th birthday.
Papp was best known outside of Florence as a football coach. His teams were 69-45-1 and won five division titles in his 13 seasons.
County sports fans knew him also as a baseball and track coach, and as the school's athletic director. For five years after his retirement in 1988, he was an assistant football coach at Lacey Township.
At one point in Papp's career he served as an advance scout for the New York Jets.
Sports were only part of his life. Generations of Florence students knew him best as one of the school's finest teachers for 30 years.
"My dad loved this town," Doug Papp said. "He was Florence born and bred. This town is what he cared about - this town and Florence football."
Joe Papp returned to the area to live with Doug, one of his three children, after losing his wife of 54 years, Pat, to cancer two winters ago.
"He was a great man," Doug Papp said. "He was stubborn. He had his own mind on things. When he thought he knew how something should be, that's the way he expected things to be with all of us."
That aspect of Papp's private personality is no surprise for the people who played for him or were taught by him. In many ways he left a portion of himself with everyone he came in contact with.
"Joe Papp was Florence," said Ron Luyber, also a former Florence athletic director. "When I was growing up you automatically associated Florence with Joe Papp and Joe Papp with Florence.
"He had an extremely strong personality. He was an imposing figure. He was exactly what he was, in private and in public."
Luyber was a student with Papp for three years and played both baseball and football for "Coach." For Luyber and many others in the Florence community, Papp will always be known as Coach.
"When I got the call at 8 a.m., it was a real shock," Luyber said. "He was at a couple of games last fall. He was still getting ready to write a book about defense. I think he always had it in mind that he would be on the sidelines again as an assistant coach."
Funeral arrangements were incomplete.
By TOM RIMBACK
Burlington County Times
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Back to Work
He stands hunched over, hands on his knees, intently watching his running backs perform a footwork drill. As each player passes by the old-school coach encourages each to protect the football.
"We don't lay the ball on the ground,'' barks Florence High School's Joe Frappolli. The next time through, each ball carrier grips the ball a little tighter.
A casual observer might conclude that the Flashes have been practicing together for weeks, as the team moves from one phase of practice to the next without missing a beat. But that's not the case. This is the first practice of the season and the Flashes are already in midseason form.
Frappolli walks around the field with complete control of his team, calling out different plays and formations. His players respond to every one of his words, executing one drill after another with precision. There's only one way to describe Frappolli and the Flashes.
Ready.
The Flashes are coming off a memorable 12-0 season, which included a Burlington County League Freedom Division crown as well as the Central Jersey Group 1 title. Last year marked the team's first sectional championship since 1985 and first undefeated season since 1950.
"We basically have the same guys back," said senior defensive tackle Pat Montalto. "We lost a couple good players, but it's the same as it was last year. Our defense is the same, our offense is the same and we got everyone back."
With last fall's season behind them, this year's Florence team is now gearing up for what they envision as being another successful run.
So how does a team that accomplished so much in one season prepare for a new one with hopes of defending its titles? The only way Florence knows how to: With hard work.
Team captains organized workouts throughout the summer to keep everyone in condition. Official practice began Friday with double sessions.
The Flashes lost only a handful of lettermen to graduation. As in past years, the Flashes will have talented returnees at every position.
"(Last year) was just one of those years where it seemed like everything came together," said Frappolli, who is entering his 31st year. "The fact that we only had a handful of seniors, I thought that they were super leaders. I thought it was a very unselfish group of players that had good team chemistry.
"We had an unbelievable defensive year. Our takeaways versus giveaways were like plus 28 on the year. We didn't put the ball down a lot, we caused turnovers, our specialty teams did a great job and injuries were to a minimum. We also had depth, which we haven't had for a while."
Since Florence returns so much experience from a team that went undefeated, it will surely have a target on its back. The players know they're expected to win again, but they don't see it as pressure. They know if they play to their capabilities that they will win their fair share of games.
"I think there are a lot of expectations," senior Ryan Lee said. "But I think that as long as we come out and stay focused and work hard like we did last year, and everyone stays level-headed, I think we will be just as successful as we were last year."
It still remains to be seen how well the offense and defense will be, but all the pieces are there. With players such as Matt Ordog (quarterback, outside linebacker), Joey Spahn (full back, outside linebacker) Maurice Calhoun (running back, cornerback) and Abree Jones (running back, free safety), the fire power is present and their just waiting to get back onto the field for another shot at greatness.
Although getting back to the Group 1 final will in the back of everyone's mind all season, for right now the Flashes are keeping the objectives simple.
"Our goal, as always, it to just build week by week," Frappolli said. "Right now, we're just getting ready for opening day. We're going to have a tough opener against (Burlington Township), a team that has just about everybody back.
"Do we have a shot (to repeat as Central Jersey Group 1 champs)? Obviously, we do. We should be right there. Our goal is just to win one game 12 times."
Back to work
By KEVIN CRANSTON
Burlington County Times
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Articles from the 2003 Season
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A season full of Flash and brilliance
December 14, 2003 --
For the second year in a row, the Florence High School football community walked off the field with tears in its eyes.
But there was a big difference this year.
This year, their eyes were filled with tears of joy.
Florence, by virtue of its 21-14 victory over Keyport, won the Central Jersey Group 1 championship. It's the schools first sectional title in football since 1985 - its first undefeated team since 1950 and with 12 victories, its winningest season ever.
But the prize didn't come without plenty of pain. Last year, the Flashes were humbled by Paulsboro, 50-0, in the South Jersey Group 1 championship, and in 1999, the team dropped a 14-7 decision to Glassboro in the finals.
And in 2000 and 2002, the team, coaches and fans were disappointed. An appearance in the finals is a very good accomplishment, but it's never a good feeling when you lose your final game of the season. And it's even more disheartening when you get right near the top of the mountain, only to stumble right before reaching the peak.
This year didn't look too promising, because changes in the NJSIAA moved the Flashes from South Jersey to Central Jersey. Paulsboro, a traditional powerhouse in South Jersey was eliminated in the first round of the South Jersey tournament, meaning Florence would have had a very good shot at coming out on top in that bracket. But instead, Florence was forced to compete against a new group of Red Raiders-one that boasted the all-time leading rusher in the state and a wide receiver who has made an oral commitment to Syracuse University. It would have been easy for Florence to go down to Neptune and settle for second place again.
But the team wouldn't accept second best. Despite just five seniors on the roster, the players started their mission in August during training camp. Inexperience didn't mean much because the younger kids could flat out play football.
And yesterday, they showed composure, tenacity and guts when they overcame a 14-7 deficit midway through the fourth quarter to walk out as champs.
"It says a lot about our kids that they never gave up and kept going full speed ahead," Florence coach Joe Frappolli said. "We made some nice plays and we made some plays that weren't very good. But we kept working, we stayed composed and that's a credit to the kids."
And while championships and wins and losses make the Florence football team and supporters a special group, there is a lot more to it.
It's the dedication to the sport.
It's the dedication to the team.
It's the dedication to the community.
And it's the never say quit attitude.
You'll see the fans' dedication at any home game in the Pit, when the fans stand around the fences two and three deep to support their Flashes.
You can see the coaches' dedication at any practice, as they do anything they can to prepare their football team for battle. And you can see the players' dedication every time they don the Blue and Gold uniforms. They all understand the rich tradition, and strive to live up to their predecessors and expectations of their supporters.
"Florence is without a doubt the best football town in New Jersey, so we love winning for them," Florence linebacker Chad Kessler said. "Being a part of this, it's weird. I'll go into a store to buy a soda and I'll see people that I never saw before in my life. And they'll know my name, my number, my position and how I did in the last game.
"They give us so much support. They do it win or lose, but it's always more fun when we're winning."
And winning is something that this team could be used to. With only five seniors, the team will return intact next year to defend their title. And there's little reason to think that they won't come out with the same hunger and work ethic come training camp.
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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Defense accomplishes mission
December 14, 2003 --
Defense had been the backbone of the Florence High School football team all season. But going into yesterday's Central Jersey Group 1 championship game against Keyport, the Flashes knew they had a tough task at hand.
The mission: Stop Red Raiders' running back Kenny Cattouse.
Cattouse entered the game as the all-time state rushing leader, racking up a mere 2,023 yards and 32 touchdowns during his senior year prior to yesterday's game.
"We knew we needed our defense to play as good as they possibly could," Florence defensive end Jeff Eriston. "We just wanted to make sure (Cattouse) didn't hurt us with any really big plays. We just did what we had to do."
Cattouse still tallied 131 yards and a touchdown but for the most part the Florence D stopped him when they had to during the Flashes' 21-14 victory. The Flashes swarmed to Cattouse like a pack of piranhas each time he was handed the ball.
"(Keyport's) offense is known for scoring a lot of points," Flashes' linebacker Brett Burg said. "Our defense will always make big plays. And today we made some real big plays to stop them."
The Flashes came up with numerous big plays on the defensive side of the ball. Florence forced two fumbles on defense and one on special teams. Matt Ordog also blocked a punt for the Flashes and just missed one earlier in the contest.
"We stressed special teams all year," Ordog said. "We practice special teams just as much as anything else on our team."
After Ordog's block led to a touchdown to knot the game at 14, Maurice Calhoun recovered a fumble on a Florence punt to set up the winning score.
"When we recovered the fumble on the punt," Ordog said. "It completely turned the game around."
The huge plays on defense made the task of stopping Cattouse a little bit easier once the Flashes had finally taken the lead in the fourth quarter. The Red Raiders were forced to put the ball in the air while trying to attempt a late comeback.
Florence had a few lapses in the first half including a 51-yard touchdown reception by J.J. Bedle. But the Flashes limited Cattouse to 61 rushing yards in the second half, held Bedle without a catch, but more importantly held both players and all the other Red Raiders off the scoreboard after halftime.
When Eriston cradled the loose ball on the carpet that Keyport quarterback Kevin Boyce fumbled late in the game, the Florence defense's task, for all intents and purposes, was finished.
"I saw the ball on the ground and I thought to myself, that's the game right there," Eriston said. "I was never going to let that ball go. I just gripped it with everything I had."
Mission complete.
By MARK ZIMMARO
Burlington County Times
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Florence captures C.J. title
December 14, 2003 --
At halftime they regained their composure.
In the second half, they regained the lead.
Florence High School, playing in its first-ever Central Jersey Group 1 championship game, gave up a pair of quick touchdowns late in the first half that turned a seven-point lead into a seven-point deficit. But both Keyport touchdowns - a seven-yard Kenny Cattouse touchdown run, followed by a 51-yard touchdown catch by J.J. Bedle, were the direct result of big plays.
"We went in (the locker room at halftime) with our heads down a little," senior linebacker Chad Kessler said. "But coach (Joe) Frappolli said that we made a few mistakes, but other than that, we're stopping them.
"It hurt because I thought we were playing really well, but they got us with a few big plays. I think those plays were more lapses in concentration. We just didn't make smart plays, and it hurt us."
The Flashes came out in the second half and played their typical brand of tough, smart football.
End result: Florence 21, Keyport 14.
The Flashes (12-0) played well in the third quarter, but were unable to tie the score. But on the second play of the final quarter, they started to make their move.
Matt Ordog blocked a Keyport punt, giving the Flashes the ball at the Red Raiders' 34-yard line. Sophomore Abree Jones capped off the drive with a seven-yard touchdown scamper to tie the score.
Keyport managed just one first down on its ensuing drive and punted the ball back to the Flashes, but Florence was unable to get a first down, and they too were forced to punt.
The latter punt served as the turning point of the game. Bidle dropped back to receive it around midfield, and the ball bounced out of his hands and landed at the Keyport 28-yard line, where Maurice Calhoun pounced on it. The play turned out to be a 52 yard gain for Florence, and three plays later, Jones went three yards for his second score of the day, and give Florence a 21-14 lead. The touchdown came with just 2:41 left on the clock, and the Flashes' defense did the rest, as Jeff Eriston recovered a fumble to put the game on ice.
Jones finished with 46 yards, 34 of which came in the second half where he was the primary ballcarrier.
"There is no feeling like this," Jones said. "All season, we went with a bunch of different running backs, and I had no idea I was going to get the carries today. It was a lot of fun to get the carries, and scoring two touchdowns, there's nothing like it.
"And this is great to win for the seniors. They led the way all year and it's nice to give them something to go out with. I know I'll remember this forever and I know they will, too."
Florence quarterback Ryan Shafer, one of the five seniors on the team, agrees.
"You can't really explain it," said Shafer, who threw for 122 yards and ran for a score. "Playing football here is a great experience, and a lot of people who played here never had the chance to win a championship. This title is for all of them, for all of the coaches and all of the fans. But it's something we'll always remember."
For Shafer, the championship was extra special because he missed four games during the season due to an arm injury. He returned on Thanksgiving in Florence's victory over Riverside, but this was his first playoff game of the season.
"This is a great way to go out, especially after I missed a bunch of games," Shafer said. "But I think that made me appreciate playing more, and I think I learned a lot while I was out. Matt (Ordog, the backup quarterback) did a great job while I was out and he taught me a lot. They'll be fine next year with him because he's a really good quarterback."
And while Shafer was happy with the play of his offense, he was just as happy about the play of the defense, considering the team limited Cattouse, the state's all-time leading rusher, to just 131 yards on 24 carries, and Bedle, a Syracuse University signee, to just one catch. And they kept the Red Raiders' offense-an offense that led the team to 22 straight victories to just 247 yards, and just 14 points, all of which came in the first half.
"The offense was good when we had to be, but the defense came through again," Shafer said. "We're Florence, we pride ourselves on defense. They had a good team with great athletes, but once we started hitting them, I think we took over."
Frappolli was happy with just about everything following the game, but he was most impressed with his team's composure, especially considering the Flashes consist of mostly underclassmen.
"You know, I'm kind of surprised about the way these kids responded when they were down, but I guess I shouldn't be," Frappolli said. "They've been doing it all year, and there are a lot of people who deserve credit for it.
"The Pop Warner Coaches, the players themselves are quality individuals who work hard and love to play the game. We have a great coaching staff, a bunch of guys who are just dedicated to helping these kids. And then we have the greatest fans in the world. They support us threw everything, so it's really nice go get them a championship."
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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The waiting game
December 12, 2003 --
Florence High School football captains Andrew Semptimphelter and Chad Kessler almost always enjoy having a conversation with their coach.
Whether it's a quick pep talk prior to a game or coach Joe Frappolli offering advice regarding football or their personal lives, the seniors always listen with open ears. But they could have done without their discussion with Frappolli last Friday.
"He called (all the football players) down to his office last Friday afternoon," Semptimphelter recalled earlier this week. "He looked at us and said, 'Guys, I have some bad news.' We thought he was going to say something about practice, maybe we were going to spend more time out there because it was just two days before the championship, and we didn't mind because we love practice.
"Then he told us that the snowstorm had postponed (the Central Jersey Group 1 title game involving Florence and Keyport). We were upset. We'll play in rain, snow, anything. We really wanted to play the game. It was disappointing."
Much like the snow, the Flashes' disappointment has since melted. Sure, they were hoping to play the game last Sunday as originally scheduled. But instead of dwelling on the bad news, they just continued to work hard in preparation for the game, now scheduled for 1 p.m. tomorrow in Neptune.
"We're ready to play," Kessler said. "At first, we were disappointed, but it only gives us more time to prepare. I'm not saying we weren't ready last week - we've been ready for a while now - but it can't hurt to have a few more days to get ready.
"We're anxious to play. It's been a long time since Thanksgiving, and I think we've practiced enough."
Frappolli agrees.
"At first it was rough, because we didn't have all of the information about when we would play," Frappolli said. "But now that we have a definitive time to play, I think the kids are excited again. I'm excited again and the Florence community is excited about the prospects of winning a championship."
Just as it's always been, preparation for the title game has been a team effort. The coaches have spent a great deal of time getting ready for Keyport, the players have continued to work hard in practice, and the people of Florence have continued to support their Flashes.
"I can't say enough about everyone's contributions," Frappolli said. "The Pit Club has been great, our fans have been great. A lot of work went into everything because we had buses ready to drive our fans to Kean last week, we had to cancel them and reschedule them a couple of times.
"Everyone has been great. Our maintenance staff did a great job clearing some of the field off by Monday of this week so we could at least practice field goals and goal line defense. As always it's been a great effort by everyone involved with the Florence football program."
The captains were impressed with the amount of work their coaching staff has put in this week.
"We have the best coaches in the world," Semptimphelter said. "I wouldn't trade them for anyone. I'll take them over Bill Parcells or any coach. For four years, they've been so great, and they've been great for the past two weeks, supporting us.
"And while we wanted to play the game, it was nice to have a few more days as a Florence football player. I love these guys. I've been playing with Chad since I was in kindergarten. We wanted to play, but this is a season that we'll remember for ever, so why not let it last a little longer?"
"We get to wear the uniform longer, so that's good," Kessler said. "It was hard waiting, but hopefully, it will be worth the wait!"
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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Frappolli earns more hardware
Joe Frappolli has won so many games during his 30-year career the Burlington County Football Club probably will name an award after him one day.
Probably the award he won last night.
Honored at the club's annual end-of-season banquet at Kove Catering, Frappolli was given a rousing applause as he strode to the podium last night to receive this season's Coach of the Year award.
Yesterday's banquet marks the third time the Florence High School coach has been named the county's best. He claimed the prize in 1986 and 1991. Only Frank Paris, who coached at Holy Cross and Moorestown before retiring in 2001, has won the title more, claiming the honor four times.
Frappolli has long been one of the biggest names in county football. In 1998, he became then winningest coach in local history, eclipsing the mark set by the late Bill Gordon, who won 151 games at Rancocas Valley. Gordon's name, along with the name of former Moorestown coach George Masters, was added to the Football Club's official title several years ago.
"It's ironic, but the very first Burlington County football banquet I went to as a coach the first two people that greeted me and welcomed me as the new guy was Bill Gordon and George Masters,'' Frappolli said. "They were such giants in the county.
"This organization has always been such a special organization. I'm just thrilled to be mentioned in the same breath as all the great coaches.''
With a 192-98-5 record, Frappolli now has 62 more wins than any other active coach in the area. That victory total could grow Saturday when 11-0 Florence faces 11-0 Keyport in the Central Jersey Group 1 final in Neptune.
Thanks to his team's undefeated record, Frappolli accepted the Team Achievement Award, an honor given annually to the county's top-rated team.
"This (Coach of the Year) is just icing on the cake,'' said Frappolli, who accepted dozens of congratulatory handshakes after the banquet last night.
"We've never won the team achievement award so that's something special. This award in itself is very special but all these awards just go back to the kids. They made it happen.
"This will be the biggest game that any of these kids have ever experienced. You have to be happy for them. Right now, that's what I'm concentrating on. We still have some work to do.''
The Flashes haven't come close to losing a game all season. Their slimmest margin of victory came in October when they downed Cinnaminson, 16-8. The Flashes, though, held the Pirates scoreless for most of the contest.
Florence has outscored its opponents, 47-3, through two playoff games this fall. Should the Flashes win the title tomorrow it would be their first sectional crown since 1985.
But certainly not their last. Not with Frappolli in charge.
Although he's been coaching for three decades, the man known simply as "Frap" around his hometown says he has no intentions of calling it quits anytime soon.
Said Frappolli: "As long as I keep getting goosebumps, and I still do, I'll be here.''
By JEFF OFFORD
Burlington County Times
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Florence out to prove a point
December 6, 2003 --
Florence quarterback Ryan Shafer said it best this week. "When you're from Florence, you can't win."
Is it because when the NJSIAA realigned last year the Flashes left South Jersey Group I, which includes the likes of Paulsboro, but traded that for Central Jersey Group I, where Keyport (arguably one of the most explosive teams in the state) awaits them saturday in the championship game? Nope.
Is it because Florence saw a great season come to a screeching halt when the team gave up 50 points and scored none in the 2002 title game? Nope.
"I mean, we are an 11-0 football team," said the Flashes' right-handed signal caller, "and you haven't heard anyone this week who is giving us a chance. All you hear is Keyport this and Keyport that. That we either don't get it done in the big game, or our line is too small or we won 11 games by playing bad teams. "I like it that way."
Motivated by the bitter pill every returning player had to swallow when Paulsboro routed them in last year's title game, Florence is getting virtually no respect and by all accounts will be happy to earn it today.
Originally slated for Sunday December 7 at Kean University, the storm that blanketed the area with snow forced the NJSIAA to move most of the weekend's finals. The game is now scheduled for Saturday December 13 at Neptune High School's football field.
"Getting killed last year, being humiliated, helped us," Shafer said. "Everyone on this team knows how it felt to walk off that field losing 50-0. Pretty much our whole defense is back and they had to deal with that. We're better because of it."
But was Florence disappointed that after finally escaping Paulsboro they now face a team that many think is on par with the South Jersey powerhouse?
"It's the total opposite," Shafer said. "I didn't want anyone to think we were running from Paulsboro. I mean, if I could, I would like another shot at them. Keyport is good. I've seen the tape. They're fast and they're physical. But that's our type of game."
The head coach tries not to pay attention to what he can't control.
"You can only play the hand that you're dealt," said Florence head coach Joe Frappolli, who is speaking with 30 years of experience in his current position. "You just know that if you're going to make the state finals, you're going to have to do certain things in order to get there. You just know that if you're going to win the state title game, you're going to have to take it to another level. That's what we're trying to do."
Meeting a team that will be heavily favored over them is obviously nothing new. But have the Flashes seen anything like running back Kenny Cattouse, who has racked up over 2,000 yards and scored over 30 touchdowns for Keyport this season? Yes, they have.
Paulsboro's Isaac Redman was the touted back in last year's title game, and he didn't disappoint. The key now is how to stop Cattouse and talented wide receiver J.J. Bedle.
"When something goes wrong," Frappolli said, "people start asking, `How come you can't tackle that guy?' And maybe he is a step above the rest. But in a game like this, it is those guys who make the big plays, and we just can't let them do it."
On the opposite side of the football, the Flashes are going to have to find a way to put up more points than the last time they were written off in a big game. That is to say any at all.
"You run right at them," said Shafer. "That's your bread and butter. That's how our team wins. I think when we do pass, that we do it well because other teams are so geared up to stop the run that it makes it easier for us. But if the run isn't working we'll have to figure something out. Just because we don't pass much in the games doesn't mean we don't practice it."
Saturday is the chance for Shafer, Frappolli and the rest to show that Florence, indeed, can win something.
Trenton Times
By KEITH GLOCK
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All-Academic football team has right tools on field, in classroom
Speed size and strength are the Three S's of high school football. Ask a coach what quality he likes most in a football players and the Three S's will come up right after the Three R's.
Physical skills are highly prized by football coaches but brains win out over brawn every time. In that spirit the William J. Gordon-George W. Masters Memorial Burlington County Football Club has announced the 25 members of its 12th Annual All-Academic Team selected by the county's football coaches. On Wednesday the Football Club will announce the Scholar-Athlete of the year at the Club's year-end banquet.
Featured among the county's best scholar-athletes are some of the finest football players the county has to offer. Each player knows his way around an algebra book as well as he knows his own playbook.
Florence the last team playing football this fall leads the way with five players on the team. Senior lineman Andrew Semptimphelter and sophomore back Joe Spahn are on the offense. Senior lineman Chad Kessler junior linebacker Matt Ordog and junior back David Havens key the defensive unit that will play Keyport for the Central Jersey Group 1 title on Saturday.
Holy Cross junior quarterback Rob Curley had his second-straight 1 000-yard season with 1 611 yards and a county-best 17 touchdowns. Curley has some good teammates at Holy Cross to throw to but he'd be just as happy with his All-Academic teammates - Pemberton senior Brandon Lawhorn (26 catches 412 yards) Riverside senior Darrell Canty (31 catches 345 yards) Moorestown senior Steve Phillips (931 combined rushing and receiving yards) and Cherokee senior tight end Kevin Speechley (seven catches 100 yards).
Each member of the offensive line blocked for a 1 000-yard rusher except Semptimphelter who anchored the county's best (237.9 yards per game) rushing offense. Bordentown senior Nick Falconio Cherokee senior Ryan Hill New Egypt junior Martin Morfin and the Lenape combo of senior Zack Masino and junior Kevin Walsh make for a punishing line.
Palmyra quarterback Nick Strom is one of three sophomores on the team with Spahn and Shawnee defensive back Evan Francks.
Francks is one of three Shawnee players on the defense. He joins juniors Tom Gartlan and Luke Bonus. Defensive lineman Bob Rosenberg is the third Lenape player on the team joining Masino and Walsh. Cherokee lineman Ryan Sterling completes the trio of Cherokee players on the team.
Rancocas Valley linebacker Mike Temkin gives the Burlington-Olympic Football League American Division 10 players on the roster. Burlington City lineman Taurean Wilson is the 10th BOFL Freedom Division player on the team.
The defense is completed by two BOFL National Division players Cinnaminson senior back Ryan Tole and Delran junior linebacker Matt Moore.
By TOM RIMBACK
Burlington County Times
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Sticking together
December 7, 2003 --
FLORENCE - There's a good reason why Florence High School's football team has been one of the most successful programs in Burlington County.
Sure, it does have something to do with the attitude and athleticism of the players. And the fact that the town has one of the best Pop Warner programs in the area does contribute to the success of the high school program. But one of the biggest reasons for the success is the hard work and dedication of the Flashes' coaching staff.
Everything starts with head coach Joe Frappolli. The 30-year veteran brings experience and consistency to the program, but his greatest asset has been his relationship with his assistant coaches.
"I have some of the best assistant coaches in the world and they have done a great job preparing the kids for the upcoming games," Frappolli said. "I think because we've been together so long, we know what we want out of each other."
Frappolli has two right hand men in defensive coordinator Nick Lubrano and special teams coach Steve Ordog. Another assistant is Ross O'Neill. Aaron Bordas, Joe Frappolli Jr., Don Nemeth, John Frappolli and Dan Hegarty serve as volunteer assistants.
Tomorrow, field conditions permitting, the coaches hope to lead Florence to its second sectional title during the Frappolli era. Florence visits Keyport in the Central Jersey Group 1 championship. Frappolli won his first sectional title in 1985.
Ordog joined the staff in 1978, and has been a mainstay on the sidelines. Lubrano, the newcomer of the group, joined the staff in 1986, and now works with the defense and both the offensive and defensive lines.
While all three men are proud of the things the program has accomplished this year and in the past 30 years, they are all quick to spread the credit around.
"I think one of the things that makes our town so successful is the Pop Warner program," Ordog said. "By the time we get these kids, they're all ready to play football. They know the basics, they all know how to tackle, and they come to us ready to take it to the next level."
"I think our guys going from Pop Warner, the coaches down there do a great job instilling defense and Florence kids love to hit, love to gang tackle, they have a defensive mentality," Lubrano said. "But it also helps to have talented players who love to play football. When you have kids who love the game and love to play, it's just a matter of teaching.
"We're big on repetition. We'll do the same thing over 1,000 times. If they see the same thing 100 times, and the same formation in practice, hopefully, when they run that formation in the game, they'll know what to do.
"But we still have to make the plays and the kids have done a great job at making the plays this year. We drill them and drill them, and it seems when the time comes in the game, they always step up and make the plays."
The coaches are big on film study and the head coach believes that gives them an advantage on game day.
"If you give my assistants a few days to study film and a few days to instill the things they learned in the film room, we usually have great success," Frappolli said. "Coach Lubrano has done a great job with the defense. They've been prepared for everything we've seen this year and that's a huge asset. When you know what's coming, you're always better prepared to stop it."
According to the coaches, they do put in quite a bit of work, but it's something they enjoy doing.
"Look, I'll be honest with you, if we didn't want to be here, we wouldn't be here," Ordog said. "We take a great deal of pride in this football team and the entire community takes a great deal of pride in this football team. I was born and raised around here and I know what a good football team means to these fans.
"The fans are great, the community is great and the players are dedicated. This is the greatest job in the world and I hope we're able to bring a title home."
For that to happen, Frappolli knows that his team will have to stay focused, something they've been doing since the kickoff of game one.
"These kids have been very good at focusing on the task at hand," Frappolli said. "We need to continue doing what we've been doing. To win at this level, you have to play smart, avoid penalties, and continue playing our style of football. Also, it's a game of field position, so we have to play well on special teams and the most important thing is, we have to avoid turnovers like the plague."
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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Snow keeps title game up in the air
December 7, 2003 --
What are the chances of an early season snowstorm hitting the same area on the exact same date two years in a row?
Better than you think.
For the second straight year, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association has had to postpone high school football games throughout the state. One of those title contests was Florence's date with Keyport.
Due to this weekend's wintry weather, the Central Jersey Group 1 final between the two 11-0 teams, originally scheduled for today at Kean University in Union, has been tentatively rescheduled for tomorrow at Keyport. According to Florence athletic director and football coach Joe Frappolli, there is a chance that the contest could be rescheduled again for later this week.
Contacted at his home last night, NJSIAA executive director Boyd Sands said that, per NJSIAA rules, a football title game postponed because of weather is to be rescheduled at a time and place mutually agreed upon by both school's athletic directors.
The Florence-Keyport contest is slated to begin at 1 p.m. tomorrow. However, because of the heavy snowfall, especially deep in Monmouth County, the game could be pushed back.
"According to NJSIAA rules, once the game has been moved from a neutral site, the game should go to the home of the higher seed and in this case that's Keyport,'' Frappolli said. "Right now, Keyport has some real issues to deal with. Their field, which if it isn't frozen, could really take a beating if they're not careful. I've always been a firm believer that football was made to be played in the elements, but nowadays, there's a lot of concerns you have to deal with, some of them legal concerns.
"I'll be talking with their AD tomorrow (Sunday) and we'll see. Right now, I'm not sure what's going to happen.''
Florence had reserved several tour buses to transport both players and fans to Kean.
Because of the postponement, those buses reserved for fans have been canceled.
Students wishing to leave school early tomorrow must present school officials with a note from their parents. The note must have the parents' home or work telephone number so officials can verify the request for an early dismissal.
"The longer it takes to play the game the more problems a school has,'' Frappolli said. "This has a ripple effect throughout the district. Some teachers have to leave school early, which means you have to find substitutes. Buses have to be rerouted. Players have to be ready, just like it's a Saturday game. And it's not like we're playing Riverside or Burlington City or Maple Shade. We're looking at an hour bus trip.
"As a team, we're ready to play. The kids are anxious. We'd like to play as quickly as possible. Some fans have already taken the day off from work. If we don't play Monday, how many times can they do that?
"It would be great if the game was at our place. We offered to play the game at our place but their athletic director just laughed.''
By JEFF OFFORD
Burlington County Times
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Catching up with Florence's Steve Muchowski
December 7, 2003 --
FLORENCE - Former Florence High School quarterback Steve Muchowski used a strong right arm to guide the pass-happy Flashes in 1985 to the school's last sectional football title.
If the run-oriented Flashes can win tomorrow, Muchowski will have played a role in that championship club, too. Three-quarters of the Florence team played for Muchowski, who has coached the local youth football league's 145-pound division for the past five years.
The core of the Florence team - juniors and sophomores - went 21-0-1 over two years in the 145-pound division.
"I remember telling those kids; 'You have good things coming if you stick together,' '' said Muchowski, 35. "They've won at every level.''
And Muchowski's proud to have done his small part. He's a local boy who made good, helping the Flashes beat Burlington Township, 19-18, in the sectional finals to avenge a regular-season loss to the Falcons.
After attending NCAA Division 2 Shippensburg University, he made a beeline back to Florence. He's coached youth football for the past decade - the last eight as a head coach.
His job as a substation operator at Public Service Electric & Gas affords him the time to see virtually every Florence game and to attend at least one or two practices a week. He and his wife of nine years, Amy, have no children, but he jokes that he gets 30 or so for four months every fall.
"He did what we talk about here: giving back,'' Florence coach Joe Frappolli said.
"Like coach Frap says, 'Once a Flash, always a Flash,' '' Muchowski said.
He hedges and chuckles a bit when asked if this squad could beat the 1985 team. But he said he hopes the youthful Flashes understand the great chance they have. The year after Muchowski led Florence to the title as a junior, the Flashes were 9-0 when they were upset in the playoff semifinals.
Mostly, last week, he was trying to keep players loose, keeping them laughing and joking.
Next fall will bring a bit of change for Muchowski. He's stepping down from coaching the 145-pound team - to help out the 85-pound squad. His nephew will be playing at that level next season.
But otherwise, he'll continue to do his part to keep the Florence program successful.
"I've always lived in Florence,'' Muchowski said. "I'm going to die there.''
By LOU MISSELHORN
Burlington County Times
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Turf war
December 5, 2003 --
Florence High School's football team has been in big games before.
It's been in many sectional title games and has played many powerful teams in the process.
Yet there's a special feeling surrounding the Flashes' Central Jersey Group 1 championship game Sunday.
"The kids are looking at this like, I guess you could say a bowl game," Florence coach Joe Frappolli said. "In their mind, this is the ideal situation. They're first choice would be to play at home, at 'The Pit,' where they all love to play. But if you can't play there, I think going to a college to play on a field like that is pretty neat."
The Flashes will meet Keyport on Sunday afternoon at Kean University to play on artificial turf. To prepare for the surface, Florence traveled to The College of New Jersey, where the team practiced on Wednesday. The Flashes also will break out turf shoes for the game.
"(On Wednesday), it was like Christmas morning for the guys," Frappolli said. "The kids are really excited about playing on the turf. The kids enjoyed it very much.
"They were tentative at first, and it didn't look like any of them wanted to go down. But after a while, they felt a little more comfortable, and then they loved it. I don't know if it was in their heads or what, but they all felt like they were going faster.
"(TCNJ football coach) Eric Hamilton has a good relationship with us and it was great of them to open up the field for us so we could get used to it. If you don't get a chance to at least do a walkthrough on the field, you wouldn't know what to expect. If they didn't get a chance to get out there on it, I think they would be tentative come Sunday morning, and that's not what we want."
The different surface isn't the only thing that has the Florence players ready to roll. While The Pit is nice and cozy, the stadium at Kean is huge, and Frappolli believes it will be fun for his players to play in the different venue.
"From what I hear, the field at Kean is a lot like the one at TCNJ," Frappolli said. "When they got to TCNJ, they're first reaction was everything was bigger. It has the college look. This is something that the kids are going to remember for the rest of their lives. And the good thing about it is that I think they know that and they are looking forward to it."
Another thing the Florence players are looking forward to is the trip to Union - a trip they will take in a chartered bus.
"It's great for them," Frappolli said. "Usually, our guys play in a game either out back of our school, or a short bus ride away. Now, the NJSIAA changed everything and it gives them a chance to play a game like this. They're really looking forward to it because it's like nothing they've ever done before."
While the players are looking forward to the experience, their coach isn't worried about his team getting caught up in the hoopla. After all, the team has showed it can focus on the task at hand, winning all 11 games this season.
"I think it's great for the kids," Frappolli said. "First of all, they're playing at a neutral site, so the majority of the fans will be from Keyport or Florence, but then you'll have people who go there just to watch an entertaining football game.
"And our kids have demonstrated the ability to focus on the next game all season. There will be some distractions, but they're only distractions if you let them become distractions.
"And it's the same thing with the weather. We don't know what the weather will be like, but there's a good chance it will be cold out there. But it's a mindset. If you think it's cold, you feel the cold, and then you're cold. We have to focus on football and not let the things around us determine the outcome. And so far this year, that's what we've done."
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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Keyport loaded with offensive power
December 5, 2003 --
It's the defending Central Jersey Group 1 champion.
It's riding a 22-game winning streak.
And on its roster is the all-time leading rusher in the state and a wide receiver who already has committed to Syracuse University.
Yet, Keyport High School football coach Mike Ciccotelli knows that Sunday's matchup with Florence will be a dogfight that will go down to the wire.
"I'm excited because it's football, the greatest game that's ever been invented," Ciccotelli said. "We're looking forward to this game like we look forward to every game, but we're worried about them.
"They look a lot like us, and that's the scary part. The difference is we rely on the big play, while they wear you down. We're looking forward to this game because they look like a great football team."
The Red Raiders' offense heavily depends on running back Kenny Cattouse, who's amassed 2,023 yards and 32 touchdowns during his senior campaign, and is the state's all-time leading rusher. Cattouse is typically a between-the-tackles runner, and when they run outside, they give the ball to junior Daquan Cross, who's added 611 yards and six scores this season.
Sophomore quarterback Kevin Boyce has done a good job leading the wing-T offense, completing 51 passes for 996 yards and 11 scores. His favorite target is senior J.J. Bedle.
The 5-foot-10 wide out, who has verbally committed to Syracuse, has 48 catches for 944 yards and 11 scores this year.
Offensively, the Red Raiders have put plenty of points on the board, but their defense has been solid.
They allow an average of 148.2 yards per game and have the second-ranked defense in the Shore Conference.
"It's nice to have a back like Kenny, and we'll continue to lean on him this weekend," Ciccotelli said. "Our kids are focused, but from what we see on film, Florence is coming in hungry and I know they won't go down without a fight.
"We did win the championship a year ago, but this is a different team. They're not looking to repeat, they're looking to win a title for themselves. Both teams have had similar seasons. We've both had a few lopsided victories, but we've both proven we're able to win the close ones. It's going to be really interesting."
According to Ciccotelli, the game could come down to adjustments.
"We've both watched films and we've done all the preparation," Ciccotelli said. "But it's hard when you go into a game like this and the only thing you have is film. We haven't played a common opponent, we've never played each other. It's a real toss-up.''
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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Florence's Fab Five
December 4, 2003 --
FLORENCE - They had no idea what to expect, but they certainly didn't expect this.
The five seniors on Florence High School's football team - Dan Miller, Joey Oros, Ryan Shafer, Chad Kessler and Andrew Semptimphelter - were hoping to enjoy a solid campaign in their final season. But with a lack of seniors on the roster, coupled with the improvement of several other schools, some considered this year to be a rebuilding year.
"Well, we knew that we had a lot of underclassmen who were good, but they're still underclassmen," said Miller, a split end. "Then we heard all the talk about Riverside being better, Palmyra being better. It turned out, they were better, but so were we. We proved we can play with anyone.
"I guess this year has been a rebuilding year, but we're winning while we're getting the underclassmen playing time because they're playing so well."
This year's Flashes have come a long way since training camp, and with the five seniors leading the way, Florence sits at 11-0 heading into Sunday's Central Jersey Group 1 championship battle with Keyport at Kean University. Not bad considering a Burlington-Olympic Football League Freedom Division title was a question mark just three months ago.
"This is just unbelievable," Semptimphelter said. We're undefeated. We're playing in a championship game. We're playing at a college stadium. For some of us, this could be our last football game ever. It's really exciting.
"I'm telling you, ever since Thursday night, this game is all I can think about. This is huge. Any high school football player would kill to be in this position we're in. We're playing a huge game, and we have everything going for us. We have a great team, a great bunch of fans, a great coaching staff. Everything is in place."
Everything is in place for a championship, but this week's challenge includes a matchup against another undefeated team. The Red Raiders come into this contest with an 11-0 record, and they boast a dynamic offense that led them to a 42-39 victory over South River in the semis.
"It's going to be a tough game, but we've played in a bunch of tough games," Miller said. "We don't have one player who dominates on this team, but we have a defense that dominates. Our defense is our best player. They come out and play well every week. That's a huge advantage, and it gives our offense a lot of help."
While every member of this team is eager to take the field Sunday, Kessler and Shafer are really hoping to make an impact. Both were sidelined with injuries a year ago - Shafer suffered a broken collarbone on Thanksgiving Day and Kessler tore his ACL at the start of the season.
"It was really tough watching from the sidelines," said Shafer, who missed four games this season thanks to a broken thumb. "Most of the guys on this team played in last year's championship game, but I didn't get a chance. It's really great that I get another chance my senior year to play in one. A lot of kids never get a chance to, so I'm thankful I get a chance."
Florence coach Joe Frappolli is thankful that he has five seniors who are ready to lead the Flashes into battle this weekend.
"The seniors have really stepped up for us and they've been great," Frappolli said. "Joey Oros has done a great job kicking the ball. Shafer has been our field general and offensive leader for the last couple of years, and he doesn't get anywhere near the credit he deserves. Andrew has turned into a really super two-way player. Kessler has been a great team leader and a super player. And then Danny Miller, he's the quiet one. He just makes plays and has great success.
"For those five guys, this game is really special, no question. Even though this team is full of juniors and sophomores and freshmen, with a heavy junior class, I have to say that the five seniors have just done a great job for us all year."
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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Cross vs. Florence, Game of the Week
It might be impossible to top this one.
It's a battle of two teams that are annually among the tops in Burlington County.
It's a battle of two of the top coaches in South Jersey.
And it hasn't happened since 1975.
Tomorrow, Holy Cross High School will travel to “The Pit” to take on the Florence Flashes.
This game features the best “small school,” the Flashes, who have won their past 43 games, against the county's parochial school — a school that also has a pedigree of annually trotting out talented football teams.
What makes it even more special is the fact that this is the last time Florence will host a regular-season game at its longtime facility.
The Flashes want to walk out with their streak alive and beat a very good football team in their farewell game at “The Pit.”
The Lancers, who have just one loss on the year, want to walk into Florence and prove that the big boys can beat the best little school in the area.
This one has battle written all over it.
“It's the big guys versus the little guys,” Florence coach Joe Frappolli said. “But we're not the forgotten stepchild. We know we're playing a bigger team, a team that doesn't have many guys going both ways and a team with an all-star coaching staff. But you know what? We're a good team, too.
“The biggest problem that we might have is that they don't have a lot of guys who go both ways. It will take a Herculean effort from our guys to win this game, but hey, we've played tough teams before and we've won.”
So have the Lancers.
This year, Holy Cross has downed the likes of Camden Catholic, Bishop Eustace and Woodrow Wilson. The Lancers have beaten teams that run the ball like Delran and teams that throw the ball all over the field like the Fighting Irish.
But they have yet to meet a team like the Flashes.
“We're excited about the game,” Holy Cross coach Charlie Pirrello said. “We're not excited because it's the last game at "The Pit' and we're not excited because we're going anywhere special. We're excited because we're getting the chance to play a team that's ranked higher than us, a team that's on a very long winning streak.
“We have nothing to lose and everything to gain by going there. They have a (43-game) winning streak; the longest we've had this year was a four-game winning streak. They're the favorites.”
In terms of success, that's true. In terms of school size, that's not the case.
Florence is a Group 1 school, while Holy Cross is Non-Public Group 3.
The Flashes only have players from Florence on their roster, while the Lancers have players from 17 municipalities throughout Burlington County.
“It's special because they can draw from anywhere and some of the guys on their team played Pop Warner football for Florence, so our kids know their kids,” Frappolli said. “It's a stiff challenge for us because they have some of the best players around and they like to throw the football. And if you go to stop the pass, they can run the football. It's not an easy task for us.
“But when it comes down to it, if we beat them, we still have to get ready for the playoffs the following week. If we lose to them, we still have to get ready for the playoffs the following week. This is just the next task at hand. It's a huge task, but come Sunday morning, it's time to focus on the next team.”
The Lancers are in the same boat, but it sure would be a feather in their cap if they could end that long winning streak.
But win or lose, this will be an experience that neither team will forget.
“This is high school football; it won't get any better,” Pirrello said. “The kids are very excited because they know Florence is a good, well-coached football team. And the atmosphere is going to be great. We're looking forward to it and I hear they are, too. This is going to be a lot of fun.”
By JOE MASON
Burlington County Times
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