By Kerry E. Porter
EAST ORANGE, NJ — The East Orange High School football team lost to Piscataway 26-20 in the season opener on Saturday, Aug. 29.
In a rare Week 0 season opener, East Orange Campus Jaguars took on the Chiefs of Piscataway High School, who made the hour trip up the New Jersey Turnpike to Paul Robeson Stadium in East Orange. It so happened that this was the site of their last meeting in 2011 for a sectional semifinal game where East Orange held them to 101 yards of total offense and four first downs. Piscataway escaped with a 7-0 win that day. Fifteen years later, the Chiefs would repeat history and rewrite their record book along the way in thrilling fashion.
Both teams are coming off a stellar season just a year ago making their respective sectional semifinal playoffs before getting beat by Bayonne and Passaic Tech respectively for the North 1 and North 2 sectional titles. East Orange is returning a dynamic group led by senior QB Zachary Concepcion and senior DE Esa Wittingburg, who committed to Vanderbilt this past offseason. Piscataway is also returning a very loaded squad led by four-year starting QB Landon Pernell and senior DL Vincent Williams.
The Chiefs didn’t waste time in bringing their brand of pro style football to the field and drawing the first punch in two plays. Pernell started the game needing 150 yards to break a 43-year-old passing record set by Chet Trechot back in 1983. Trechot recorded a little over 3,700 yards back then and his record stood the test of time until Pernell’s performance this past Saturday. Starting from their own 43-yard line, Pernell found one of his favorite targets in senior WR Devin Labega with a quick 15-yard strike, before uncorking senior RB Zaire Young. Young found a crease on a zone run, making the quick 29-yard run, with four East Orange Jaguar defenders hot on his trail. The score gave Piscataway the early 6-0 lead with 11:14 remaining in the opening quarter. Much like the last time these two tangled, they were locked in an all-out defensive struggle all game long. Pernell was on his horse, trying to avoid being sacked by a hungry Jaguar defense, who managed to sack him twice in the second quarter and a third in the third quarter.
Concepcion didn’t answer until the second quarter after he fumbled a snap late in the first quarter and his defense forced a Piscataway three-and-out to end the first quarter. Concepcion was picking the Chiefs’ defense apart at will with the help of junior WR Je’zi Lewis. But Concepcion also has breakout senior RB Jaleel Halsey, who rushed for 853 yards on 102 attempts and 12 touchdowns last year. Picking up from where he left off, Halsey blasted off the left side for a 32-yard express appointment in the end zone, giving East Orange a slim 7-6 lead with 9:06 left in the first half. The Chiefs would find the end zone again, this time on a 22-yard pick-6 by junior safety Shawn McGee with just under five minutes left in the first half. The defensive struggle was very real where Piscataway was held to 58 yards rushing on 19 attempts and three touchdowns. East Orange fared slightly better on the ground, going 85 yards on 23 attempts and two touchdowns.
As the second half started, East Orange managed three first downs, before punts controlled the clock and field position, as their explosive offense traded punts with the Chiefs. Concepcion found senior WR Eric Wilkins slipping out behind the Piscataway defensive backfield for a 37-yard strike with 0:40 left in the third quarter. Piscataway would take the ball at their own 32-yard line with Young diving in from 2 yards out to take a 19-14 lead with 8:33 left in the contest. The Chiefs would force the Jaguars to punt with just 6:09 left in the game. Pernel would find Young coming out the backfield for a 27-yard completion, then fed the rock to Jason Harrison for a 4-yard touchdown to stretch the lead to 26-14.
East Orange didn’t want to let Chiefs leave unscathed and put on a textbook rally that left the Chiefs rattled down to the final second. Concepcion launched an aerial assault that had his receivers and running backs out-jumping the Piscataway defensive backfield for highly contested balls. Taking the ball at their own 10-yard line, the Jags marched 90 yards in nine plays, capping the drive with Halsey’s 2-yard scoot to pay dirt and cutting the score to 26-20 with 1:28 left in the contest.
With a big gamble, East Orange kicked an onside kick, which Piscataway bobbled and fumbled the ball, giving the Jaguars the last opportunity to make the season opener a memorable one. East Orange went to work at the Piscataway 45- yard line. The East Orange receiving corps or Lewis, Wilkins, Tarike Bryan-Maloney, and junior Donovan Ottey-Campbell would erupt with the help of Halsey in the backfield and the offensive line, led by seniors Jaden Young and Hosea Saul, getting inside the Piscataway red zone within six plays and knocking on the door with time waning down quickly. East Orange had to burn a timeout in order to get the right groupings in. “We didn’t have the right personnel, which caused us to burn a timeout,” said East Orange head coach John Jacob, who made it clear to his team that they have way too much ability to make mistakes. “You played hard today, but there’s no pity party, including me” he concluded. Piscataway Junior DL Justin Parker closed the door on Halsey’s last attempt to score by completing a goal-line stand that left the Jaguars’ faithful in shock and the Chiefs running for the Turnpike.
“The loss to Bayonne last year stung and we wanted to come back this year and bring home the championship,” said Piscataway head coach Dan Higgins. He also stated that Pernell will now own the school passing record upon the completion of the season. Pernell finished the day with 13 completions on 18 attempts for 153 yards and no touchdown passes. Concepcion finished the day with 17 completions on 28 attempts for 273 yards, a touchdown and one interception.
East Orange will be on the road for the next three games, starting with Bloomfield at Foley Field in Bloomfield on Friday, Sept. 4, at 6 p.m.. East Orange will then take the ride over to the Rooftop Stadium in Union City to take on the Soaring Eagles of Union City on 9/11. Then they will head next door to West Orange for the annual Battle of the Oranges: East vs West. Piscataway will be home this Friday, Sept. 4, to take on Somerville at 6 p.m., then will travel to East Brunswick for a Thursday Night Lights edition at 6 p.m. on Sept. 10. They will come back home to face vaunted rival South Brunswick for a Friday game at 6 p.m. on Sept. 18 and will close out September on the road at Old Bridge.
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