Big Central Conference NJ football: Edison vs North Brunswick – My Central Jersey

NORTH BRUNSWICK – All seemed lost for Edison High School’s football team Friday night in the Central Group 5 semifinal. The Eagles trailed No. 2 seed North Brunswick 31-17 with 3:58 left in regulation.
What happened in that time span won’t be forgotten in Edison.
The Eagles recovered consecutive onside kicks that led to two touchdowns to close to within 31-30, missed a conversion pass that likely would have won the game. But there was still time – and with four seconds left in regulation senior Selbin Sabio hit a game-winning field goal from 30 yards out.
Edison 33, North Brunswick 31.
“I’ve been head coach at Edison for 18 years and a coach for 30 and I’ve never seen two on-sides kicks recovered in a row like that,” Edison coach Matt Fulham said.
The winning drive began with North Brunswick being called for pass interference on consecutive plays, moving the ball to the Raiders 19. Quarterback Matt Yascko was dropped for a two-yard loss on the next play. Then he scrambled under pressure, breaking one tackle and running to the North Brunswick 13 with eight seconds left.
“I told Matt if he got in trouble to run and get whatever he could,” Fulham said.
Yascko said, “It felt unreal. It felt like a video game.”
Could Sabio get a game winner?
“I never watched him (Sabio) kick in warmups, but I watched him make one from 40 in pregame,” Yascko said.
“He (Sabio) has made kicks from 50,” Fulham said.
Sabio’s kick was true and with much room to spare.
What does it mean
The sixth-seed Eagles will face top-seeded Lenape in a section final at Lenape. It’s the first time Edison has made a sectional final since 1991. Edison also made a title game in 1976.
Key plays
Sabio also kicked a 21-yarder to give Edison a 3-0 lead with 8:50 left in the second quarter. North Brunswick took an 8-3 lead on senior quarterback Frank Gabolino’s 20-yard TD run and his conversion run with 6:26 left in the half.
Numbers
Edison quarterback Matt Yascko ran for 74 yards and passed for 135.
The Eagles were penalized 12 times for 112 yards. The Eagles are 8-3, while North Brunswick ended its season at 8-2.
North Brunswick took advantage of three penalties – illegal contact to the head, a personal foul and an unsportsmanlike call to cut its deficit to 17-15 at the half. Frankie Garbolino snuck in from a yard out, then added the point after.
They said it
Sabio said, “My teammates believed in me and put me in a spot to win the game.”
They also believed in him last week when his first half 38-yarder turned out to be the difference in a 10-7 win over Hillsborough in a sectional quarterfinal.

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