On Saturday, October 19, Rancocas Valley won a tremendous upset against St. Augustine, who was ranked 15th in NJ Athletics’ week 7 top 20. This victory comes at a crucial time in the season, just about 2 weeks out from the start of the playoffs, giving the Red Devils all the momentum they need heading into this year’s postseason.
Heading into the Homecoming matchup, St. Augustine, who started the season off on a 3-game winning streak, was a mere 2-2 in their previous four games. On the other hand, Rancocas Valley won 3 of their last four matchups by an average margin of 23 points, with their only loss in that stretch on the road against Camden, the only undefeated team remaining in the WJFL.
Despite St. Augustine’s hot start, Rancocas Valley put on an absolute clinic in the second half, especially on the defensive side of the ball. For the majority of the first half, it appeared St. Augustine’s size posed an unsolvable problem for the Red Devils. Their offensive line was too big for our defense, allowing their running backs to rack up rushing yards. It seemed as though St. Augustine’s whole game plan was to run immediately after the ball was snapped.
That strategy turned out to be very effective early on in the first quarter. They would snap the ball to either Ty McLeer, 5’10” junior RB, or Julian Turney, 6’0” 230 lb senior RB, and they would just walk down the defense until they got to RV’s 30-yard line when they decided to draw up their first pass play which ended up being a 20-yard completion. They ended up scoring at the 5-minute mark on their second pass completion of over 23 yards, giving them a 7-0 lead midway through the quarter.
Rancocas Valley ended up scoring a touchdown on a 20-yard Montre Wilson rush within a minute and a half of their first possession of the game, which at the time completely shifted the momentum. Unfortunately for the Red Devils, the touchdown was wiped away as the refs called a holding penalty, ultimately forcing RV to settle for a field goal.
Once again, St. Augustine stuck to their run-heavy gameplan relying heavily on their superstar running back Julian Turney, who has recently committed to play for the Navy Midshipmen. Though annoying, this strategy was very effective as it both burned the clock and kept the defense wondering when the pass plays were going to come. Once again, St. Augustine scored a passing touchdown putting them up 14-3 with 6 minutes remaining in the half.
Rancocas Valley was not out though, as their success hadn’t come until late in the first quarter, when senior QB Sayvien Adams connected with senior WR Brody Deiter to convert on 4th and 2 with a little over 30 seconds left in the half. The two connected once again with only seconds left to go in the quarter to cut the St. Augustine lead to just four heading into the second half, where RV would have possession.
The Rancocas Valley defense, which held four of their previous seven opponents to no more than two touchdowns total, allowed two touchdowns in the first quarter and a half of action. Out of halftime, they flipped a switch returning to their normal selves. In the second half, they held St. Augustine scoreless while scoring a touchdown of their own.
The first and only touchdown of the entire second half came early on in the fourth quarter, spurred by a fumble recovery by Senior DL David Dones. Senior WR Devin Duana ended up scoring a rushing touchdown off of a handoff from QB Adams. The next score of the game didn’t come until the 1:29 mark in the fourth quarter as RV made a field goal to go up 20-14.
There was still a chance for St. Augustine to win the game with a quick touchdown, which kept the stress levels high in the student section. However, RV’s defense quickly alleviated that anxiety as an outstanding defensive possession sealed the deal for the Red Devils. On 3rd and 6, sophomore tackle David Ogunsola sacked junior QB Ryan Stoehr, and on the very next play, Montre Wilson forced a turnover on downs.
The playoffs are less than a week away, and Rancocas Valleys’s confidence and momentum is as high as it could be off the back of defeating a ranked team.
Coach Lucas said after the game that a victory of this magnitude shows the players that “they can hang with anybody”.
Following the electric victory, Coach Lucas led the team in running over to the student section before the students eventually hopped the fence to join the team in the post-game huddle. He said it was important to show appreciation to the fans and claimed that RV is “one of if not the best places to play in South Jersey.” Coach also added that the players ”feed off of the student section, which plays a contributing factor.”
Recently in an interview with Nery Rodriguez of NJ Athletics, Red Devils senior WR Brody Deiter praised Coach Lucas for “changing the entire culture” ever since he became the head coach.
Coach Lucas responded to Deiter’s comments by commending the players for “seeing the investments that they make in each other.” He also gave credit to the amount of time they spend together throughout the calendar year, either during off-season training or practicing during the regular season, for the relationships built with the team.
After another blowout victory, this time against long-time rival Lenape, the Red Devils will host Edison in a quarterfinal matchup on Friday, November 1.
