RAHWAY, NJ — Sometimes stats do tell the story, painting an accurate picture of the events that took place.
Zaon Laney made the Rahway senior night game, on Friday, Oct. 8, one he will always look back on and cherish with a big smile.
The senior running back carried the ball 17 times for a career-high 271 yards and three touchdowns, with all three of his scores coming in the second half on one-play possessions.
Rahway’s defense allowed points only following a turnover in the first half and, in the second half, put together a sequence in which the Indians held Warren Hills runners to negative yards on three successive carries and then to zero yardage on the next two.
Those stats do not lie.
Behind the running of Laney, in addition to the passing of junior quarterback Kyle Hall in the first half and a solid bend-but-not-break effort by a defense led by junior lineman Brian Fish, Rahway went on to produce a convincing 27-7 win against a 4-1 Warren Hills squad in Friday night’s Big Central Conference–Division 3 clash at Rahway River Park.
Rahway made the most of its home finale, improving to 2-3 overall with its second straight win and to an even 2-2 in Division 3. The Indians, who were coming off a bye week, began the season 0-3, with all the losses coming at home.
Warren Hills is now 4-2 overall and 2-1 in Division 3.
Laney, who had just 31 yards on seven carries in the first half, scored on runs of 38, 45 and 87 yards in the second. He also had a run of 49 yards in the fourth quarter.
Laney scored on Rahway’s first two plays of the third quarter, as the Indians took a 7-7 tie to a quick 21-7 advantage and never looked back.
“This is the best feeling.” Laney said. “When the second half began, we were looking to score right away and then dominate.”
Defensively, the Indians had to limit Warren Hills senior running back Jonathan Lainez in the second half, after he bulled his way up the middle for 93 yards on 15 carries in the first 24 minutes, including a 22-yard touchdown run.
Rahway did a much better job of bottling up Lainez in the second half, limiting him to just 43 yards on 11 attempts. Lainez was held to negative or zero yards on three of his first four second-half carries. He finished with 136 yards on 26 carries and one touchdown.
Defensive standouts Fish and Hall, in addition to Zaney, who also had an interception from his defensive back position on the first play of the fourth quarter, were quick to give credit to longtime Rahway defensive coordinator Lou Urbano.
Warren Hills was held to three-and-outs on its first two possessions of the second half and just one first down on a pass play on its third drive.
“Coach Urbano put us in position and made all the key calls,” Laney said.
“We redirected our defense to be more dominant before we came back out for the second half,” said Hall, who also stars at linebacker.
“We all wanted to be more aggressive,” said Fish, who in the first quarter had a sack of Warren Hills junior quarterback Luke Dugan for a 10-yard loss.
Hall also had a sack of Dugan for a 6-yard loss in the third quarter, and in the fourth quarter junior defensive back Khadir Love picked off a Dugan pass that led to Laney’s third touchdown, which accounted for the game’s final points.
“It was a total team effort on defense, from the defensive line to the linebackers to the secondary,” Hall said.
Rahway’s pursuit of the ball appeared to be a step quicker, once the third quarter commenced.
After taking the third quarter kickoff, Warren Hills began the second half on its own 29. Lainez gained 2 yards on first down and then, on second, was crunched by sophomore defensive lineman Rahkeim Sheppard and junior linebacker Amir Wilks for a 4-yard setback. Hall’s quarterback sack of Dugan for minus 6 yards forced the Blue Streaks to punt.
On its second possession of the third quarter Warren Hills saw senior wide receiver Lucas Fritton stopped for a 3-yard loss on first down from its 34. Lainez was then stopped for no gain. Lainez was also blanketed for zero yardage on the first carry of his team’s third possession of the second half, this time brought down by Fish.
“Everyone did an outstanding job,” Fish said.
Rahway began the game by taking the opening kickoff and marching 59 yards in eight plays to take a 7-0 lead. Junior quarterback Amir Robinson completed a 32-yard pass to senior wide receiver Savion Gallemore on the right side that put the ball on the Warren Hills 13. Two plays later, Hall scored on a 4-yard burst through the middle.
“First of all, it was nice to get a win at home and see the red and black celebrate here on senior night,” Rahway head coach Brian Russo said. “We put together a nice drive there to start the game.”
Robinson and Hall hooked up on a 66-yard reception on Rahway’s second possession, when Hall caught the ball about 8 yards beyond the line of scrimmage and raced downfield before Fritton caught up and brought him down from behind.
However, the drive came to an end on third-and-12 from the Warren Hills 19, when, on a completed pass play, Rahway lost a fumble that was recovered by Warren Hills senior linebacker Michael Auer.
The Blue Streaks then put together an 11-play drive that totaled 83 yards and used more than four-and-a-half minutes. On fourth-and-3 from the Rahway 22, Lainez lowered his body through a hole and then raced right for his team’s lone touchdown.
Fritton intercepted a Robinson pass in the Rahway end zone on the final play of the first half, to thwart a drive on which the Indians sought to take the lead back.
“We had some lapses, but we also did some good things,” Russo said. “Defensively, we were not to be denied in the second half. We’re starting to grow up a little bit.”
Scoring three touchdowns in a game is very common. However, it’s not so ordinary that the same player scores on the first play of three separate drives, the three runs to the end zone from 38 yards or longer.
That’s how special a senior night it was for Laney.
“Zaon worked his tail off in the off-season, doing all of the dirty work,” Russo said. “He’s got a great attitude and good grades.
“He’s now reaping the benefits of all of his hard work. He did a lot of it on his own.”
Rahway’s 10 seniors listed on its roster include No. 2, Zaon Laney; No. 4, Savion Gallemore; No. 6, Clive Campbell; No. 1, Jaylon Billups; No. 23, Ahmad Barnes; No. 25, Sidney Duverneau; No. 30, Dominic Innocent; No. 32, Daniel Blake; No. 41, Roberto Jimenez; and No. 44, Matthew Guinta.
Jimenez, who made one of three extra-point kicks, produced a 54-yard punt to the Warren Hills 20-yard line one minute before the fourth quarter commenced.
Photos by JR Parachini