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School News Clips - November 2008
St. Augustine sets school record with 10th football victory of season 11/29/08 BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP - Dustin Thomas scrambled from one side of the field to the other on play after play Friday night. All that running left the St. Augustine Prep quarterback exhausted. But it also led to the big plays that sparked the Hermits' football team to a school-record 10th win. The Hermits also finished undefeated in the Cape-Atlantic League National Conference to win the title. Just as good a consolation was that on one of the chilliest nights of the season, all that movement kept Thomas warm. The junior threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 130 yards as St. Augustine beat rival Buena Regional 38-28 in a Cape-Atlantic League National Conference game. St. Augustine's previous record for victories was nine, when it won the state Parochial I championship in 1995. "This is a great accomplishment for the kids," Hermits coach Dennis Scuderi said. "This was a fun group to be around. Every practice they worked hard and had fun." Few players seem to enjoy the game more than Thomas. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound quarterback scrambles and then uses his strong arm to throw 40 or more yards downfield. He points at wide receivers Bill Giberson and Gabe Voumard to direct them to open spots. "People say it looks like Madden out there," Thomas said, referring to the video game. These schools, located 10 minutes apart, are neighborhood rivals. Buena leads the holiday series 12-6, but St. Augustine has won two straight and holds a 5-3 edge since 2001. The air was frigid Friday. The St. Augustine snack bar ran out of hot chocolate before halftime was even over. Both teams made the playoffs this season. St. Augustine (10-1) lost to Bergen Catholic in last Saturday's state Non-Public IV sectional 42-0. Buena (7-4) lost to West Deptford 39-21 in last Friday's South Jersey Group II semifinal. It appeared early Friday that Buena had bounced back from its defeat better than St. Augustine had. The Chiefs jumped to a 14-0 first-quarter lead behind the passing of quarterback Tommy White. "I think we had the Bergen Catholic hangover," Scuderi said. St. Augustine quickly righted itself, however. Buena coach Paul Callahan wasn't surprised. "They're a good football team," he said. "They're not going to get shell-shocked." The St. Augustine defense, led by defensive end Voumard (three sacks, one interception), slowed the Buena offense. Meanwhile, Thomas and the rest of the Hermits' offense began to consistently move the ball. St. Augustine took the lead for good when Chris Gough kicked a 36-yard field goal to give the Hermits a 17-14 lead with 52 seconds left in the first half. Thomas set up the field goal with two scrambling passes, one a 28-yard completion to Voumard (seven catches, 150 yards) and the other a 22-yarder to Giberson (seven catches, 158 yards). The Hermits scored on their first two possessions of the second half to build a 17-point lead. Buena rallied behind White, who threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Sheldon White and a 10-yard scoring pass to Kenny Miles to cut the lead to three. St. Augustine regained control in the fourth quarter. Once again, Thomas scrambled and threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Giberson to push the Hermits' lead back to 10 with 9:22 left. "He drives me crazy," Scuderi said with a smile of Thomas' penchant for scrambling. "But he can make plays. You get someone like him once in a lifetime."
E-mail Michael McGarry:
Buena Regional14 0 14 0-28 St. Augustine7 10 14 7-38 FIRST QUARTER B-Mckinnon 6 run (kick missed) B-Miles 12 pass from White (Miles run) SA-Giberson 19 pass from Thomas (Gough kick) SECOND QUARTER SA-Clark 4 run (Gough kick) SA-Gough 36 field goal THIRD QUARTER SA-Clark 2 run (Gough kick) SA-Voumard 40 pass from Thomas (Gough kick) B-S. White 66 pass from White (Miles kick) B- Miles 10 pass from White (Miles kick) FOURTH QUARTER SA-Giberson 55 pass from Thomas (Gough kick)
TEAM STATSBUSA First Downs1118 Rushing56206 Passing291297 Turnovers21
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS Rushing: Buena, Mckinnon 8-70, White 7-(-35), King 4-20. St. Augustine, Thomas 20-130, Clark 15-42, Kingett 2-3, Piotrowicz 3-31. Passing: Buena, White 16-31-2-291. St. Augustine, Thomas 17-30-1-301, Gough 1-1-0-(-4). Receiving: Buena, McKinnon 1-17, S. White 4-138, Hillgrube 3-34, Miles 7-99, King 1-10. St. Augustine, Giberson 7-138, Clark 1-6, Albert 2-17. Voumard 7-150. Records: Buena 7-4; St. Augustine 10-1.
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Address: Buena Vista Township
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