""We are Freehold"

This ran in the paper Saturday but some of it including quotes from Steve Antonucci were cut for space reasons. Here is the full version..

Also...nothing against Middletown South, it' s a great program and Antonucci is aces in my opinion, but it's always fun for me to cover an event where a prohibitive under dog prevails . This was an excellent game...



They raised their gold football helmets into the muggy Friday night air in triumph shouting, ""Who are we? Who are we?''
And then they answered, en masse, "'Freehold! Freehold! Freehold!''
And now, everybody knows.
""Oh, yeah,'' said Freehold senior Robert James after the Colonials (5-1) stunned No.‚2 Middletown South at the Swamp, 27-21.
""We knocked off the big dogs, we knocked off the bully,'' said James who, soon after the game ended, collapsed in tears of emotion in the end zone.
""They've kicked my team three years straight,'' said James, whose club had been hammered by Middletown South the last three meetings, 143-14.
""I was ready for some pay back,'' James said. ""We feel like we really earned it.''
It's safe to say few people gave Freehold much of a chance Friday night in the wake of last week's defeat (13-10) to a Red Bank team that had lost its previous 12 games.
""I really don't think we were looking past them,'' James said. ""But we knew in order to put that one behind us we had to take it to these guys today.
""This is what we live for as a football player.''
Friday night, James, who began the season at right guard, time after time hurled his powerful 5-foot-9, 215-pound frame smashing into the teeth of the Eagles' defense. He rushed for 92 yards on 25 carries, including two third-quarter TD runs.
Then, in the fourth quarter, when South (4-2), trailing by six points had driven to the Freehold 8-yard line, linebacker James was an integral part of the defense that sealed his school's biggest football victory since its last championship year, 2001.
On third down, Freehold linebacker Richard Schwartz helped send South quarterback Patrick Campbell reeling backward.
Moments later, Freehold took over on downs.
Then behind the running of James, Jahquan Fehn, and a clutch first-down pass from quarterback Brian Prisk to electric receiver Brandon Brown, ran out the clock.
Yet, much of the night, despite being outplayed and outgained, Middletown South appeared as if it might prevail behind its traditional knack for winning … that included two touchdowns on kickoff returns.
But now it seems its chances to tie Manasquan's Shore Conference record of five consecutive NJSIAA sectional championships are on wobbly grounds.
If South makes the playoffs it faces a potential Central Jersey Group III field that could include the likes of Freehold, Wall and Long Branch.
South coach Steve Antonucci remained optimistic his team might still have a chance for another sectional title.
""If we play better,'' he said. ""I still don't think we've played our best football game yet. I don't know when we're going to play it, but our kids are working hard.
""Unfortunately, we met a team that was hungrier than we were tonight.''
As the Colonials made their way toward their buses, you could almost still hear an echo chanting in the night, ""Who are we? Who are we? Freehold! Freehold! Freehold!''
Said James: ""We're the new kids on the block.''
And now, everybody knows.
e-mail tonygsports@aol.com.