The Old Tappan Golden Knights had been an unassailable force for nearly two full calendar years. Coach Brian Dunn’s squad entered their NJSIAA Group 3 title defense against the Cedar Creek Pirates having won 17 consecutive games, and 24 of their last 25. The Pirates, led by sixth-year coach James Melody, entered action as underdogs.
But the crew from Egg Harbor Township had spent all season proving their detractors wrong. On Friday, they etched their names in the history books for all to see. Not just by defeating Old Tappan, but by obliterating them. The Pirates beat the Golden Knights in all three phases of the game: a bevy of touchdowns on offense, a pair of interceptions on defense, and even a house call on special teams, all before the fourth quarter even began. The final score, 34-7, was a result not even Cedar Creek’s most devoted supporters could have dreamed of.
“It means everything,” senior receiver Jahmir Campfield said. “We were doubted the whole season, especially in this game. Nobody believed in us, but we came out and did what we had to do.”
The Pirates cut the Knights’ initial drive short thanks to some QB-on-QB crime. Zach Miceli was intercepted on his second pass attempt of the game by Cedar Creek’s Frenchmon Bethea inside the red zone. That set the tone for the remainder of the first quarter: a succession of short drives and stops which saw the ball change hands five times, with no score after twelve minutes.
Cedar Creek began to take control in the second quarter with a big chunk play. Bethea connected with his top receiver Campfield for a 36-yard gain to take the Pirates into Old Tappan territory. From there, the underdogs turned to the ground game. Aamir Dunbar—entering action with 1,819 yards and 21 touchdowns—ripped off a cluster of productive runs which culminated in a 9-yard jaunt into the end zone to give the Pirates a 7-0 lead.
The Golden Knights’ wobbly start on offense continued as their quarterback struggled to find his footing. Just two plays from scrimmage after Dunbar’s touchdown, Miceli fired a contested ball down the far sideline. Senior defensive back Gyan King swooped in and snagged it for the second Cedar Creek takeaway of the half. The pair of picks doubled Miceli’s season total—entering action he had just two interceptions against 30 passing touchdowns.
“At first, I just wanted to help my corner out, stay over top,” King said of the interception. “And then, I just went up and grabbed the ball.”
The Pirates took over with 7:26 in the second and pressed their advantage. A holding penalty brought Cedar Creek into NVOT territory, and they kept feeding Dunbar. The senior tailback powered his way into the end zone once again from six yards out to double the Pirate lead to 14-0.
The Golden Knights had about five minutes to spare to get on the board before the halftime whistle. Micelli started to warm up the passing game with a few connections to Joey Etter and running back Devyn Radoian, but they couldn’t sustain the momentum. Two incompletions set up a third and long before senior linebacker Jajuan McIntosh-Ward came careening into the pocket and dropped Miceli for a drive-killing sack.
In terms of total yards from scrimmage, Old Tappan outgained Cedar Creek 119-112 in the first half; but the two interceptions plus two failed fourth down conversions sent the defending Group 3 champs to the locker room trailing 14-0. Making matters worse for them: Cedar Creek received the ball to begin the second half. The navy and gold stepped onto the MetLife turf needing a stop to set the tone.
But Gyan King had other ideas. The speedy Bryant University commit received the opening kickoff and turned on the afterburners along the near sideline. All he needed was one downfield block, which he got from his quarterback, to take it 85 yards to the house.
“When I caught it and I was running, I [saw] Frenchmon, so I just knew I had to follow his block,” King said. “After he blocked that one guy, all I saw was the end zone and I knew I was gone from there.”
Cedar Creek missed the extra point, but their 20-0 lead would prove a daunting obstacle, even for the most highly regarded public school program in the state.
The Knights struck quickly to finally get themselves on the board. Christakis Nicolau ripped a monster kick return of his own, and soon was in the end zone on a 21-yard catch and run from Miceli. That and an extra point brought them back, briefly, within two scores.
Then another lightning-quick athlete stepped up in the blink of an eye for Cedar Creek. Campfield, ordinarily Bethea’s top target in the pass game, filled in for Dunbar in the backfield for a play. All he did with that chance was blitz through the second level, spin past a defender, and shake a trio of tackles, all the way to paydirt for another highlight-reel touchdown. With that outburst, the score widened to 27-7, and you could feel the breeze of the curtains closing on Old Tappan’s title defense.
Campfield said the mentality out of the half was to “come out firing. Never get too complacent and just keep going.” Keep going they did. An ill-advised fake punt from NVOT on a three-and-out set up a short field for Cedar Creek inside the 30. This time, Bethea called his own number with a 14-yard touchdown scamper to make it 34-7. That scoreline held through the rest of the contest; a third Cedar Creek interception, this time from Campfield, was the nail in the coffin.
It’s difficult to overstate how hot Old Tappan was coming in. The Knights had dismantled each of their prior postseason opponents, including a trio of shutouts against River Dell, West Milford, and most recently West Morris in the state semifinal. Cedar Creek’s road to MetLife was comparatively rocky: a 15-12 nailbiter against Pleasantville, a 34-28 thriller over last year’s state finalist Mainland, and a 48-38 barnburner against Holmdel.
But as ever, all you have to do is get in. The Pirates punched their ticket and never looked back. Their defense neutralized one of New Jersey’s most feared offenses, and their speedy athletes dazzled onlookers all game. Cedar Creek entered the stadium overlooked and underrated. They left with a trophy.
