2009 Press Releases
Ogbonanza! Ewing RB goes wild
A season already filled with plenty of frustration for David Ogbonnaya and his Ewing High football team could be headed to a happy ending.
With Ogbonnaya topping 200 yards for the second time this season and scoring four times to take over the Colonial Valley Conference rushing and scoring lead, Ewing ended a 2-game losing streak with a 25-18 win over Nottingham at the John Housman Football Complex last night.
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Ewing rallies to down Ravens in OT
Sunday, October 11, 2009
By BOBBY LOESCH
For The Trentonian
ROBBINSVILLE - After leading, trailing, rallying back, then holding a one-point lead for a thrilling 21-20 overtime victory against Robbinsville, Ewing head coach John Bamber wasn't exactly content with his team's performance.
"Too many mistakes," said Bamber. "We're playing like a bad team. We should never have gotten into the situation we did today."
Ewing (2-3) finished with nine penalties and amassed four holding calls in the first quarter alone. Senior running back David Ogbonnaya helped negate the missteps with 41 yards on the first drive of the game, which set up a Stephen Arnold pass to Carlton Murrill for a 10-yard touchdown.
The Blue Devils' 6-0 lead vanished in the second quarter due to the legs of do-it-all Robbinsville (1-3) running back Jordon Hankins. The junior put the Ravens up 7-6, punching in a touchdown from 5 yards out. He finished with 121 total rushing yards.
Hankins later connected with Robert Zingaro on a running back pass play on 4th- and-20 from the Ewing 24 to create an eight-point cushion for the Ravens with 2:50 left in the third quarter.
More discouraging for Ewing was a big scare in the first half when Ogbonnaya left the game wincing in pain after going down with a hyperextended left knee following a 12-yard run.
"That was scary," Ogbonnaya said. "I thought I was done."
The injury was nothing more than a brief reprieve for the Robbinsville defense.
Ogbonnaya iced his knee, performed a test for the athletic trainer and came roaring back with a 68-yard rushing touchdown on his first run of the fourth quarter. Ewing made the two-point conversion to send the game into overtime.
There, the Ogbonnaya show continued. Two runs - of 5 yards, then 20 into the end zone - gave the Blue Devils a quick 21-14 lead and the senior his final rushing total of 227.
"The best running back I've seen here," said Bamber.
With Hankins out of the game with an injury, Ravens senior QB Ryan Deangelis shouldered the burden. The senior, who attempted just three passes in regulation, went 3-for-3 on the Robbinsville overtime drive, connecting with Ryan Zuczek for a touchdown.
Opting to go for the win, the Ravens dialed up the same combination on the two-point conversion. But Ewing sophomore cornerback Evan Johnson stunned the Robbisnville crowd by breaking up the slant pass that went out of Zuczek's hands.
"We overcame adversity," said Bamber, whose frustration found a silver lining with his team's resiliency. "It was a battle to the last second, but they stuck together, didn't give up, and they didn't turn on their teammates. That was a class act today."
Ogbonnaya made the proper choice
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
STAFF WRITER
WEST WINDSOR -- David Ogbonnaya had two choices following Ewing's Week One loss to Hopewell Valley in which the senior running back had three touchdown runs totaling 182 yards called back due to penalties.
He could have sulked and let it affect his play, or shrug it off and continue to follow that massive offensive line he has in front of him.
As his 29 carries, 296 yards and 10.2 yards-per-carry average and three touchdowns over the last two games will attest, Ogbonnaya chose the latter.
"These last two weeks I really wanted the ball," said Ogbonnaya, who rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries and returned a kickoff 78 yards for a score in a 48-7 romp over Allentown.
The performance earned him Special Teams Player of the Week honors last night at the 12th Man TD Club.
"I have a humungous offensive line in front of me and those guys have really done a great job of opening big holes that I've been able to run through," he said.
Notre Dame's Anthony Perna (Offensive Back of the Week), Hun's John Law (Offensive Lineman of the Week), WW-P South's Andrew Manley (Defensive Back of the Week) and Princeton's Tom Borchert (Defensive Lineman of the Week) were also honored.
Perna completed eight of 21 passes for 215 yards in a dominating 34-14 triumph over Nottingham. Equally impressive Friday night was Perna's knack for knowing when the pocket was going to collapse. He ran 17 times for 82 yards and two scores.
"My main priority is to look to my receivers downfield," Perna, a junior, said. "But if the pressure is coming and I'm going to take an eight-yard loss, I'd rather try to turn it into something positive. I have a tendency to know when the pocket is closing and when it's time for me to escape and try to make something happen."
Law and his fellow offensive linemen helped Hun rack up 300 yards on the ground. The Raiders bounced back from a disappointing Week One loss to beat Mercersburg, 14-3, last Saturday.
"The big difference was the mentality all week in practice," Law, a senior, said. "In the first game we figured some things might be given to us, but last week practiced hard; there was no fooling around. Everything was very business-like."
Because a defensive back's first priority is to stop the run, it's not often you see a safety lead his team in tackles. But Manley has been an invaluable last line of defense for the Pirates over the last two years.
"I read my keys, read the quarterback, take good angles and fly to the football," said Manley, who had 12 tackles and an interception in WW-P South's 9-0 win over Trenton.
Borchert recorded two sacks and recovered a fumble to lead an underrated Princeton defense to a 41-20 win over WW-P North -- the Little Tigers first 3-0 start since 1991.
"As long as our defensive line can stay healthy I think we'll be fine," Borchert, a junior, said. "Those guys do a great job taking on the blocks and giving us free shots at the ball carriers."
Lawrence's Keith Sherman, the leading rusher in the CVC coming into play last weekend, had his MRI pushed back to tomorrow and will know more about the extent of the left knee injury he suffered this past week against Hamilton by Friday. Even with a positive MRI result, he isn't expected to suit up Saturday against rival Notre Dame.
Contact Kevin Maloney at Kevmaloney33@yahoo.com
Arnold, Ogbonnaya key Ewing rout
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Ray Clark
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Ewing's High's football team wanted to make a statement last night against visiting Allentown.
It was made loud and clear as the Blue Devils throttled the Redbirds with a 48-7, Colonial Valley Conference victory in front of a homecoming crowd.
After two losses to start the season, the Blue Devils came up with four big plays in the first half to get the rout started, and it was David Ogbonnaya who was the biggest thorn in the side of Allentown the entire game, scoring three times on two runs and a 78-yard kickoff run to pace the Ewing offense.
Ewing quarterback Steven Arnold was on fire all night, especially in the first half -- going 4-for-5 for 122 yards and first-quarter TD strikes to Darryl Griffin (22 yards) and Carlton Murrill (17 yards), which gave the Blue Devils a 14-0 lead.
The second quarter wasn't good for the Redbirds, either, but they put a TD on the scoreboard with a 3-yard Sean Eccles run, which made it 14-7 with 6:31 left. Unfortunately for the Redbirds, on the ensuing kickoff they couldn't stop senior sensation Ogbonnaya, who ran the kickoff back 78 yards and Ewing bolted back on top 20-7.
Arnold continued his hot hand for the Blue Devils when he hit Murrill for his second TD pass, this time a 59-yard hookup as Ewing went ahead 28-7 at halftime.
After homecoming festivities, it was all Ewing the rest of the way as Ogbonnaya continued to dazzle and coach John Bamber got plenty of reserves into the game to get some varsity experience.
Ewing made its final statements when Ogbonnaya scored on a 73-yard burst with 10:35 left in the third quarter and again on a 2-yard run to take a 41-7 lead into the fourth.
"We needed to come out and make a statement tonight. Everybody thought we were going to lose and we came out and gave a great effort as a team," Ogbonnaya said. "My line was just opening up gapping holes for me and all I had to do was run through them.
"It's a very good win. We lost two close ones to Hopewell (Valley) and Princeton, and we came out fired up to beat this team and we didn't want it to be close."
Ewing moved to 1-2 with its dominant win, while Allentown, after upending Robbinsville two weeks ago, fell to 1-1.
One of the plays that turned the game in Ewing's favor was the kickoff return by Ogbonnaya and for the senior running back, it was a different experience.
"I've never got the ball on the kickoff team ever," he said. "It was really fun. I got the ball moved a little to my right, changed field and took off down the left sideline and no one tackled me. It felt great."
Bamber, always laid back, still wasn't popping any champagne corks, but deep down you could tell he was pleased with the win. "We did come out fired up," he said. "We've still got a lot of things to work on though. We've still got a lot more room for improvement.
"David (Ogbonnaya) was finally rewarded for his hard work. He played really well for us tonight. I'm really pleased for him. As a team, we'll enjoy this tonight and get ready for West Windsor (-Plainsboro) North tomorrow. We're going back to business in the morning."
Richard Walter inducted into National Football Foundation & College Hall Of Fame
Richard Walter was inducted into the National Football Foundation & College Hall Of Fame at the 47th annual scholar, leader, athletic awards dinner on Sunday March 15th at the Hyatt Regency in Princeton, NJ. For his outstanding scholarship and community service he will earn a 1000 dollar scholarship and his name will be entered for life in the NCAA College football Hall of Fame in South Bend, IN. Richard will be attending The College of Wooster (OH) this fall where he will be playing football for The Fighting Scots in the North Coast Athletic Conferance.
photo: (l to r) Drew Besler (offensive coordinator), Richard Walter, John Bamber (head football coach)
WR Kyle McGuire signs LOI
Ewing's senior WR Kyle McGuire signed his national letter of intent and football scholarship with Monmouth University of national signing day. The Seahawks are an FCS (formerly 1-AA) program in the NEC.
photo: front(l-r) Yvonne McGuire (mother), Daniel McGuire (father), Kyle, Marshall McGuire (brother) second row (l-r) Bud Kowel (EHS Athletic Director), John Bamber (Head Football Coach), Dr. Rodney Logan (EHS Principal)
Ewing HS Heavy Duty Logo Blanket
 Click here to see large image of blanket |
Ewing HS Heavy Duty Logo Blanket |
Please contact Head Football Coach John Bamber at jbamber@ewingboe.org (609-538-9800 ext. 2157) if interested in ordering.
Checks may be written out to Ewing Football and mailed to:
John Bamber
Head Football Coach
Ewing HS
900 Parkway Ave.
Ewing NJ 08618
Ewing HS Heavy Duty Logo Blanket
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Coming soon... fundraiser for our new LEV-SLED
Fortuitous fumble lifts Ewing over Trenton
Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, and that was the case for Ewing yesterday. A couple of tipped passes and a fumble at the goal line that bounced the right way led to the Blue Devils' 20-18 victory at Trenton.
With less than four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and Trenton clinging to an 18-14 lead, Ewing running back Kyle Griffin took a handoff on second-and-goal from the 5-yard line and fumbled just short of the end zone. Luckily for Griffin and the Blue Devils, teammate David Ogbannaya pounced on the ball in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown.
» Fortuitous fumble lifts Ewing over Trenton (Trentonian)
Lawrence earns 'special' win
Lawrence senior defensive back Jamal Taylor rarely has a night like this.
In fact, few do.
In a game where Lawrence struggled at times to put together sustained drives, it relied on three special teams touchdowns, two by Taylor, to come away with a 40-7 win last night at Ewing.
Lawrence led 7-0 after the first quarter as senior fullback Sean Pearson capped off a 12-play opening drive with a touchdown from 2 yards out. On its first play of the second quarter, Taylor found a hole down the left sideline and took a punt 85 yards to the house, giving his team a two-score lead.
» Lawrence earns 'special' win (Trentonian)
Ewing's rally doesn't overcome ND, Grafton
All it took was 24 minutes to turn one of the most uneventful football games in recent Colonial Valley Conference history to perhaps one of the most memorable games in league history.
Of course, it all depends on where your rooting interest lies.
Notre Dame took a 20-point lead into halftime ignited by a kick return and an interception return for a touchdown and Vail Grafton returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown to extend that lead to four scores, but a furious Ewing comeback put the outcome in doubt until one second remained on the clock.
The result was a 34-27 win at John B. Housman Field, but that doesn't even begin to tell the story of what transpired.
» Ewing's rally doesn't overcome ND, Grafton (NJ.com)
» Notre Dame vs. Ewing photo gallery (NJ.com)
Gameday! Notre Dame @ Ewing
Come join us at John Houseman Field tonight at 7:00pm as the Blue Devils take on Notre Dame High School.
New Website Launched!
Welcome to our new web site! Stay tuned for more... this is just the beginning!
