No turkeys in this matchup
Easton vs Phillipsburg predictions, plus top players and storylines to watch
It’s his senior season at Easton. It hasn’t gone exactly as planned.
But Aidan Hutchison isn’t about to let that ruin his time as Red Rover football player, or his Thanksgiving Day.
Hutchison is a talented, and tough two-way player with a can-do attitude. He hopes to cap his career with a win over Phillipsburg in the 115th edition of the cross-state rivalry, set for 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Lafayette College’s Fisher Stadium.
“The dream game would be everyone plays great,” Hutchison said, “we punch it down their throats and we win the game.”
Hutchison talks tough because he plays tough, according to Easton coach Jeff Braido.
The 5-foot-10, 205-pound fullback and middle linebacker was injured on the first play of the season in a game against Parkland. He played through the pain that night but missed the following four games with a sprained LCL joint in his knee.
Hutchison returned for the Week 6 contest against Pocono Mountain East. He ran for 170 yards and four touchdowns on nine carries in an easy win.
“Aidan is a throwback old-school Easton football player,” Braido said. “He brings another dimension to our rushing attack with his bruising style of running. He can also run away from people. He loves to get downhill.”
He enters the Phillipsburg game with a team-best 875 yards rushing and 11 TDs on 139 attempts. (His most impressive performance of the season was perhaps a 24-carry, 158-yard, two-TD effort against a 10-2 Emmaus squad.) Hutchison also is a physical force on defense with 26 tackles.
Easton, which is 3-7 overall, is a much better team with Hutchison in the lineup than without him, Braido said.
“Obviously getting a great player and leader like Hutch back helped us get back on track. He is our main ballcarrier but also an outstanding middle linebacker for us,” Braido said. “Hutch is a leader on and off the field and his presence always gives the team a spark.”
To Hutchison’s credit, he hasn’t allowed his own injury or the Red Rovers’ sub-par season to affect his enthusiasm.
He also acknowledged it hasn’t been the senior season he’d hoped for.
“Three-and-seven, obviously you don’t want that record,” said Hutchison, an ex-basketball player who plans to wrestle this winter.
“But this team is a team that keeps fighting each week and we’re getting better every week. I’m proud of the guys. And even being 3-7, the community is amazing with their support for us. We had our pep rally at school [Tuesday] and it felt like we were undefeated. It felt like we were getting ready for the Super Bowl.”
The task Thursday, beating Phillipsburg, won’t be an easy one.
Coach Frank Duffy’s Stateliners won their first 10 games this season before falling, 28-7, to West Orange in the NJSIAA North 2 Group 5 championship on Nov. 10. They outscored their 11 opponents by a combined 336-119.
But as evidenced by Easton’s six straight wins in the series and 13 victories in the last 15 meetings, the Red Rovers’ competition in the EPC is significantly stronger than Phillipsburg’s in New Jersey.
Still, the Stateliners enter Thursday’s contest as a solid favorite based on this year’s results.
“I know it’s going to be a hard battle,” Hutchison said. “They’re a very good team. They’re 10-1. But this game is always 50-50. With 13,000 or 15,000 people in the stands, it’s going to come down to who can handle the aversity better.”
“I’m sure P’burg is the favorite since they are 10-1 this season,” Braido said, “but you know records don’t mean much in this game. It’s all about emotion and desire. We need to be able to score points when we get into the red zone. Ultimately, though, I think this game is won and lost in the trenches.”