Phillipsburg feasts in win over Easton
Caleb Rivera, who scored three touchdowns in Phillipsburg’s 35-14 Thanksgiving Day win over Easton at Lafayette College’s Fisher Stadium, was asked if his coach is usually a risk-taker/thrill-seeker.
“Not usually,” Rivera said, smiling, “but when it’s there, he’ll take it.”
Phillipsburg coach Frank Duffy went for it six times on fourth down in the Stateliners’ rout and his team converted five of those into first downs and four times they scored touchdowns.
Those gambles played a key part in the proud New Jersey program knocking off its Pennsylvania rival for the first time since 2014. Phillipsburg concludes its 2022 campaign with an 11-1 overall record; Easton finishes at 3-8.
“To be honest,” Rivera said, “I couldn’t have even imagined a day like today. It’s an amazing feeling. We thought we’d win the game but everyone played their parts. It was a team win. I love it.”
The Stateliners scored midway through the opening 12 minutes of action and they never trailed.
The game’s first TD, a 21-yard pass from Jett Genovese to Kevin Burgess, came on fourth-and-10. P’burg also scored on a 16-yard pass from Genovese to Matthew Scerbo on fourth-and-goal in the third period; a Genovese pass to Rivera from 40 yards away on fourth-and-5 later in the quarter; and a Rivera 42-yard run on a fake punt with 7:34 remaining.
Overall, the Stateliners were 5-of-6 on fourth down. Easton was a respectable 3-of-6.
“We know this game comes down to making plays and it comes down to desire and heart,” Easton coach Jeff Braido said. “In those big moments you’ve got to step up on Thanksgiving and make a play or get the stop. Phillipsburg did a great job of stepping up and making plays on fourth down.”
P’burg did most of its damage offensively via the ground game.
Senior Xavier Wilson led the way with 128 yards on 17 carries. Rivera, a junior, contributed 67 yards on 10 attempts. Genovese added 35 and John Wargo finished with 31. The Stateliners gained 271 yards rushing in total.
When Genovese did drop to pass, it was typically either boom (a TD) or bust (incomplete). A sophomore, Genovese hit on 4-of-10 passes for 86 yards and three TDs.
Perhaps the Stateliners’ signature play of the game came on
fourth-and-goal from Easton’s 16.
After a 15-yard personal foul penalty against P’burg and a timeout by Duffy, Genovese lofted a well-placed long ball to Scerbo, who used his 6-3 frame and leaping ability to high-point a catch in the end zone over a smaller Easton defender.
“He had a lot on his shoulders,” Rivera said of Genovese. “But it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. He played poised and smart.”
Easton, at least offensively, was basically a one-player show — and it was an impressive show at that.
Senior Aidan Hutchison finished with 190 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 27 carries. His long rush of the contest was a 19-yarder.
Hutchison’s 4-yard scoring run in the second quarter gave the Red Rovers momentum entering halftime, but he carried only twice in the third period. Hutchison scored the final six-pointer of the day, a 5-yard run in the final four minutes.
“He ran his butt off all the way until the end of the game,” said Braido, who finished his sixth season as the head coach at Easton.
Asked if the lack of third-quarter work for Hutchison was due to playing from behind, Braido said, “Yeah, I thought so. The clock was running; we’re down three scores. I realize we were having success but that takes time off the clock. We thought at halftime we could hit some things in the passing game. P’burg’s defense stepped up. Give them credit.”
Hutchison was one of 21 seniors on the Red Rovers’ 2022 roster. It was a difficult year at tradition-rich Easton, which remains the second-winningest program in Pennsylvania behind Mount Carmel.
Braido credited his players for their effort and improvement throughout the season.
“I think we improved every week,” he said. “We started in a bad place against Parkland [a 42-0 loss]. I thought we played decent football at times early, then I thought we played real well for a stretch. We played our best game [in the regular-season finale] against Nazareth and were hopeful to continue that here today. We did some good things but not enough to win.”
Easton leads the all-time series vs. Phillipsburg, 67-43-5. The Red Rovers entered as winners of six straight, dating to 2014.