Cooper Leads Eagles to 40-14 Freedom Silver Win over Crusaders
WEST AMWELL, NJ – Coming into the 2024 season, there were some question marks about South Hunterdon. After winning the BCC’s Freedom Silver Division and winning a playoff game en route to a 9-2 overall record a year ago, the Eagles lost a good deal to graduation including starting QB Anthony Venettone and RB Ryan Rampel. The Eagles answered those questions on Friday night against Bound Brook.
Led by senior RB, Edward Cooper, South Hunterdon jumped out to a 20-0 early second-quarter lead, and rolled past Bound Brook, 40-14 at Samuel E. Jefferis Athletic Stadium. Cooper finished with three TD runs and a two-point scoring run. Freshman QB, Kellen Healy rushed for two scores and Dayton Ratkowski intercepted a Bound Brook pass and returned it for another score.
South Hunterdon didn’t allow an offensive touchdown in the contest. The only Bound Brook scores were courtesy of two kickoff returns by Jon Archer. Both were in the first half as the Crusaders managed to just trail 28-14 at the intermission. Cooper finished with 18 carries for 134 yards and 3 TDs. Cooper, who averaged 7.4 yards per carry, also threw a 29-yard pass for a completion and shared a team-high 9 total tackles with junior Parker Rampel.
The Eagles ground attack churned up 323 yards, or an average of 7.9 yards per rush. Healy averaged 8 yards per carry while Ratkowski and McCade Cummings combined for 11 carries and 116 yards. South Hunterdon’s defense limited Bound Brook QB, Jeremiah Norwood to 93 yards passing, and the Crusaders running game to just 19 yards, or a little more than a yard per carry.
Archer happened to be Bound Brook’s leading receiver with 2 catches for 53 yards. Combined with his rushing and receiving yards, Archer tallied up 142 return yards and averaged 25.3 yards per touch. Teammate Lucas Coleman also caught two passes for 41 yards. Crusader kicker and punter, Xavier Quesada was also a bright spot in defeat by making both of his extra points and getting off two solid punts under difficult circumstances.
South Hunterdon took the opening kickoff, and put together a solid drive that took up roughly four and a half minutes. Cooper and Healy contributed big runs to help set up Healy’s first touchdown at the 7:11 mark. Ratkowski added another run for the two-point conversion and an 8-0 lead. After Norwood picked off a pass by Healy, he threw an interception to Ratkowski, who then returned it up the Crusaders’ sideline for a 70-yard TD. The PAT was no good, but the Eagles still led 14-0 after one period of action.
The Eagles’ defense forced another Crusader turnover deep in Bound Brook territory. Moments later, Cooper was in the end zone with his second TD run and a 20-0 South Hunterdon lead with 10:48 to play in the first half. On the ensuing kickoff, Archer got Bound Brook on the board with the first of his two TD returns. Quesada added the extra point for a 20-7 South Hunterdon lead.
South Hunterdon responded with another drive down the field that was highlighted by Cooper’s 29-yard pass to Ratkowski to put the Eagles at about the Bound Brook one-yard line. One play later, Cooper was in the end zone with his second touchdown and then followed it up with a two-point scoring run for a 28-7 lead. Once again, Archer promptly responded to get Bound Brook back within two scores.
Archer picked up the Eagle’s squib kick on the ensuing kickoff and returned it 72 yards for his second kickoff return for a TD in the game. Quesada added the extra point to close the gap to 28-14 going into the intermission. South Hunterdon would pull away from there for an easy win. In a game that was marred by many penalties, the first half didn’t end until about 8:30 PM.
Bound Brook took the second-half kickoff and was promptly forced to punt the ball away. South Hunterdon then put together its next scoring drive with a heavy dose of Cooper rushing the ball. Cooper had three big runs on the drive including an 8-yard TD run. The point-after attempt never got off, and the Eagles led 34-14 with 6:49 remaining in the third quarter.
South Hunterdon then wrapped up the victory with a 27-yard TD keeper by Healy with 3:38 to play in the third. With the victory, the Eagles, which lost in Week 2 to Middlesex at home (18-8), improved to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the BCC’s Freedom Silver. Bound Brook, which moved down from the BCC’s Patriot Gold for this season, fell to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in divisional play.
Both teams will be back in action next Friday night, September 27th. South Hunterdon will be visiting Manville while Bound Brook will head up to Belvidere in two more Big Central Conference Freedom Silver Division match-ups. With the win on Friday night, South Hunterdon defeated Bound Brook for the first time since 2015. The Crusaders still lead the all-time series between the two schools 14-5.
