Gloucester Catholic Defeats Overbrook Secures A Playoff Spot

High School Football:
Gloucester Catholic Defeats Overbrook, Secures A Playoff Spot
Saturday, November 1, 2003

By Vincent Lewis
SJSports Staff Writer

For the seventh time this season, the much-improved Rams from Overbrook and the Rams from Gloucester Catholic were participating in yet another divisional football game. Every game this season has been against another team from their Tri-County Royal division making each game all that important to win. Needing a win desperately, the Gloucester Catholic Rams proved that they could win that big game. After trailing by a touchdown, Catholic scored two-second quarter touchdowns and posted a 22-13 win to clinch a playoff position.

Overbrook has turned their football program around compared to last year’s four-win season. With the success quarterback Frank Wilczynski has been having and big wins over Kingsway and Clearview, Overbrook has positioned themselves into this year’s postseason. The only accomplishment they may feel disappointed about would be not being able to catch the Spartans from Deptford for the division title. Meanwhile, their opponents have also turned their season around after a tough loss to Deptford. Gloucester Catholic picked up two straight victories that included today’s upset.

The home team dominated the game for most of the first half with Overbrook’s Frank Hales and Stanley Lomax finding some room to run. Overbrook would move themselves into scoring position on a fourth and goal from the 2-yard line, but were stopped and turned the ball over on downs. When all seemed hopeless of getting points on the scoreboard, the defense gave the Overbrook offense another chance with an interception. With 11:00 showing on the second quarter clock, Lomax crossed the goal line and Overbrook held a 7-0 advantage.

Catholic would responded with their rushing attack scoring two touchdowns before the half ended. Mark Bottino used his ability to find the right lanes to run through setting up Catholic’s first touchdown of the day. Quarterback Brett Conway completed a 13-yard pass to Merf Trout tying this game after Trout converted the extra point. Bottino would score with 2:11 remaining in the half on a 13-yard run giving Gloucester Catholic a 14-7 halftime lead.

When Gloucester Catholic scored in the final quarter, it looked as if it might be enough to win this game. Bottino’s 1-yard run and the two-point conversion from Trout to Neil Thorp gave Catholic a fifteen point lead, but with a whole quarter to play. Overbrook would have its chances, especially when they scored just over four minutes later when Wilczynski ran in from 15 yards out. The two-point attempt failed forcing Overbrook to score twice. Their efforts would come up short for the remainder of the quarter giving Gloucester Catholic the win.

Photos by Mark Fletcher