November 1, 2011

Bayonne's Matt Mullin (45) is mobbed by his teammates after a fourth-quarter touchdown. (Photo: Jason Bernstein)

Bayonne at St. Anthony Football Photo Gallery

JERSEY CITY – When Bayonne's Matt Mullin plowed through the line midway through the fourth quarter he saw more than just yards of open field in front of him. For him and his teammates it was the sight of the state playoffs for the first time after years of crushing defeats.

Mullin's 31-yard touchdown run with 5:53 left in the game allowed the Bees to punch their ticket to the state playoffs for the first time since 2007 as they defeated St. Anthony 19-7 last night at Caven Point.

 "You just saw the playoffs, you saw all the hard work that we put in through the summer workouts," said Mullin, calling the touchdown the final nail in the coffin. "Sweating together, bleeding together, it all came together. I felt that sense of camaraderie."

The win, Bayonne's sixth of the season, served as the latest reminder of how far it has come after going just 4-16 the previous two years. When he addressed his jubilant team after the game, head coach Rick Rodriguez reminded them that "nobody believed that this day would come," after when they had endured in the past.

"We all feel like we took two years of beatings and it's time to just show everybody how much we've been working hard and how much better we've become," said RB/CB Malcolm Robinson.

"It means a lot. These kids have not experienced winning for the last four years," said Rodriguez, who is in his first year back with the Bees since 2004. "We've been playing in the consolation game. They don't know what it is to play at this level and play against teams like Elizabeth and Hunterdon Central or East Orange. We're at the dance and when you do the right things and you tackle and block, this comes to fruition."

In a physical matchup where both teams were playing for their playoff lives, the Bees (6-2) were able to thrive on a physical rushing attack and stingy defense.

With the game tied at 7-all at the half, Bayonne opened the second half with nine-straight runs, chewing up 66 yards in the process. Quarterback Chris Wright would finish the stretch with a 2-yard run for the tie-breaking touchdown.

From there, the defense did the rest. They stopped the host Friars (3-5) twice inside Bayonne territory, forcing a turnover on downs in the second half and four times overall. The last of those defensive stops coming with 2:25 left in the game when the Bees forced three-straight incomplete passes with the ball on the Bayonne 24.

"Our kids played great defense," said Rodriguez of the unit which also forced a pair of turnovers in the first quarter. "Our defensive coaches did a great job. Jerome Hayes came up with a great defensive plan."

"It's a young team who makes mistakes at critical times and we know we're never going to be able to beat a good team like that," said St. Anthony head coach Sean Fallon after his team was eliminated from playoff contention with the loss. "The two or three critical errors are the difference in the game."

Bayonne cashed in one of those Friar turnovers (a Roodbertho Melon fumble recovery) when Ceaon Marlin  took a pitch from Wright and raced 36 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the opening quarter.

Daryl Hicks followed it up with an 87-yard kickoff return touchdown for St. Anthony, but it would be all the Friars would get on the night.

Marlin rushed for 107 yards on just six carries and had a fumble recovery on defense. Robinson grinded out 81 yards on 19 attempts and Wright had 10 carries for 69 yards in the win.

James Bates led the Friars with 54 yards rushing on nine carries. Anthony Roberts had 45 yards on 12 attempts and Derek Sims threw for 90 yards on 19 passes.

St. Anthony will play Hudson Catholic on Friday night, while Bayonne travels to Memorial in its final game before the start of the North 2, Group IV playoffs. Despite going from one win to three and now six over the past three years, the Bees are far from content with the progress they have made.

"It's not over until we get to the states and put Bayonne on the map," Robinson said. "This is a good achievement, but we want to get higher and make our name known in the state."

St. Anthony defenders James Bates (2) and Derek Sims (1) team up for the tackle. (Photo: Jason Bernstein)

Bayonne at St. Anthony Football Photo Gallery