1974 PISCATAWAY CHIEFS FOOTBALL

Posted on by Big Central Gridiron
1974 PISCATAWAY CHIEFS FOOTBALL
Last month, Piscataway fell short against West Orange in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1 Group 5 Semifinals. However, the Chiefs rich gridiron tradition began with its first group title in football fifty years ago on Sunday.

Fiftieth Anniversary of P-Way’s First Sectional Championship

On Sunday, Piscataway Township celebrated the anniversary of its high school’s first-ever sectional/state championship in football.  Fifty years ago, the Piscataway Chiefs defeated Colonia (14-7) to win the 1974 Central Jersey Group 4 Championship at the Atlantic City Convention Hall.  The Chiefs finished 7-1-2 overall.  Take a look at the 1974 Piscataway Chiefs football season below.

1974 Schedule

DateWinnerWinning ScoreLoserLosing Score
9/28/74Piscataway20Summit0
10/5/74Piscataway8Bridgewater-Raritan West6
10/12/74Piscataway16Watchung Hills0
10/19/14Edison26Piscataway24
10/26/74Piscataway14North Plainfield13
11/2/74Piscataway32Bridgewater-Raritan East14
11/9/74Piscataway16Somerville16 (tie)
11/16/74Piscataway34South Plainfield0
11/28/74Piscataway6Franklin6 (tie)
12/8/74Piscataway14Colonia7

1974 Central Jersey Group 4 State Tournament

Championship

Statistics

  • Final Record:  7-1-2 – Central Jersey Group 4 Champions
  • Conference Record: 5-0-2 – Finished 2nd in the Mid-State Conference
  • Home:  3-0-2
  • Away/Neutral:  4-1
  • 1973 Record:  4-5
  • Points For:  184
  • Points Against:  88
  • PPG:  18.4
  • PAPG:  8.8
  • Average margin of victory:  9.6 points per game.
  • Largest margin of victory:  34 points vs. South Plainfield on 11/7/14.
  • Closest margin of victory:  1 point vs. North Plainfield on 10/26/74
  • Most points scored in a game: 34 vs. South Plainfield on 11/7/14.
  • Longest winning streak:  3 games (twice – from September 29th to October 12th and October 26th to December 8th)
  • Shutouts:  Three (34-0 over South Plainfield on 11/7/14, 16-0 over Watchung Hills on 10/12/74, and 20-0 over Summit on 09/28/74)
  • Offensive firepower:  Four games where Piscataway scored 20 points or more.
  • Defensive grit:  Six games where Piscataway held opponents to 8 points or less.

Head Coach

  • Tom Higgins – 5th season (15th overall – coached 10 years at his alma mater, Newark Westside) – career record at Piscataway at this time was 21-22-2. – Awarded Middlesex County Coach of the Year by the Home News.

Key Players

  • QB/DB Lou Barra
  • HB/DB Ray Jackson
  • FB/LB Rich Collins
  • HB Eddie Mullins
  • HB Leon Dockery
  • TB Tony Bosco
  • DE Jim DePaul
  • DL Jerry Mahoney
  • DT Pete Bellina
  • DT Jeff Hargrave
  • LB Jeff Hensal
  • CB Steve Bianchi
  • DB Ron Rhodes
  • DB Bob Scardina
  • DB Gordon Fuerst

NOTE:  The 1974 season was the first year that the NJSIAA implemented a high school football playoff format in New Jersey.  Only 8 of the 22 sections had playoff games.

Piscataway opened the season in shocking fashion by recording perhaps the biggest opening day upset that year.  The Chiefs shut out Summit 20-0 to end the Hilltoppers 18-game winning streak.  It was the only time P-Way defeated Summit in the brief six-year history of their rivalry.

The only loss suffered by the Chiefs was in a non-conference game against Edison of the Middlesex County Athletic Conference.  Piscataway lost to the Eagles, 26-24 on a 25-yard field goal by Ron Valeri with 20 seconds remaining.  P-Way also suffered two ties.  One was to Somerville (16-16) on November 9th and the other was to Franklin (6-6) on Thanksgiving.  The second tie cost the Chiefs to Mid-State Conference title.

Ironically, the Chiefs lost the crown to Bridgewater-Raritan East, a team that P-Way had beaten decisively on November 2nd (34-12) in Piscataway.  However, the Minutemen’s 6-1 conference record gave them more points to win the Mid-State title.  Both teams won sectional/state titles that year.  Bridgewater-Raritan East defeated Carteret for the CJ Group 3 crown.

Piscataway won its first group title in football by defeating the Middlesex County Athletic Conference Champion, Colonia (14-7) at the Atlantic City Convention Hall.  The Chiefs trailed 7-0 after a Colonia scored in the third quarter before rallying with a 6-yard and a 53-yard TD run by halfback Eddie Mullins.  You can watch footage of this game on YouTube courtesy of Garden State Video.