On Saturday, the Marlboro Football Mustangs earned a thrilling Homecoming Game overtime win over the visiting East Brunswick High School Bears. After a scoreless first quarter, in which the Mustang defense played very strong, East Brunswick High School started the scoring on a 45-yard pass from Alex Cameron to James Schuld.  The extra point made it 7 – 0, Bears.  However, the Mustangs wasted no time getting back in the game when Mustang quarterback Kyle Moore completed a 9-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Helff. The extra point was missed and at halftime the score was 7-6, Bears. The only scoring in the third quarter came as Johnny Helff rushed on short yardage for a 1-yard touchdown. The Mustangs went for two points and converted with a successful pass from Moore to Justin Marcus giving the Mustangs a 14-7 lead by the end of the third quarter. Unfortunately, the Bears tied the score with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Cameron to Schuld as regulation was winding down. The extra point made the score tied at 14 each at the end of regulation.

     The rules for overtime are that each team gets a chance from the opponents’ 25-yard line. The Bears kept the enthusiastic home crowd on the edge of their seats with two first downs. With the ball close to the end zone, Jared Wright made a clutch interception in the end zone, ending the Bears’ threat. Now, it was time for the Mustangs to finish the game with a victory. The situation was simple; a score means a win. After a sack that left the ball on the 32-yard line, Johnny Helff ran right and sprinted all the way to the end zone as the crowd went wild. Final score, Mustangs 20, Bears 14.

     This year’s Mustang football team has shown grit and great determination during the entire season.  With a record of 2-3, they are off to one of their best seasons in recent history. After the game Michael DiGangi, who made an important fumble recovery, summed up this great victory, saying “The ‘D’ stepped up, the game was unbelievable, and the offense came through in overtime.” When asked how this year’s Mustang team seems different from past years, Michael said “We’re going into games with a lot of confidence.”

     It has been a great total team effort that led the team to this win and all Mustang players deserve praise for an amazing start of the 2016 football season. The first five well-played games have given Mustang fans reason to be optimistic for the team’s future success and the crowds attending each game are growing in size and enthusiasm every week. “Go Mustangs!”