Pitman (6) at Salem (40) - Football

  • 09/13 - 11:00 AM FootballFinal
    Pitman 6
    Salem 40
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Joe Green | For NJ Advance Media

SALEM -- The Salem Rams began their season just the way they wanted, rolling over Pitman, 40-6, at home on Saturday.

Although they started off a bit slowly, the Rams proved lethal in both their ground and air attack once they got moving. Quarterback Shareef Jeffries completed 11 of 19 passes for 144 yards. Jeffries and Salem's running backs put up 166 rushing yards altogether.

A good chunk of the yardage came when Ram rushers slipped through the grip of Panther tacklers.

Yet for the first half of the game, victory was far from certain for the home team. Pitman fullback Jaret Cary took the opening kickoff to Salem's 38-yard line. During the ensuing drive, quarterback Phil Bevilaqua completed a 23-yard pass to Ronnie Koller, which put the Panthers at the 16. The drive stalled but was revived by a pass interference penalty on Salem, then a fourth down offside that gave Pitman a first-and-goal at the 3. Running back Eric Larson punched in the touchdown from there.

A pass attempt for a two-point conversion failed.

Salem couldn't put much together for the rest of the first quarter. A three-and-out possession was followed on the next opportunity by a fumbled punt that gave the ball right back to Pitman.

Salem's Dione Alston intercepted a Bevilaqua pass, only to see the ball turned right back over to the Panthers when Jeffries threw a pick of his own.

In the second quarter, the Rams still weren't quite rolling. But they were soon given a short field on two possessions, and they executed well to capitalize.

At the Pitman 34-yard line, a screen pass behind the line of scrimmage turned into a fumble. Salem's Daniyel Lewis picked it up and took it to the Panther 16.

On the next play, Alston took the handoff into the end zone. The extra point try failed, as would two others the Rams would attempt.

Soon after, with just over a minute left in the first half, a fumble during a Pitman punt attempt put the ball on the ground before it could be kicked, and the Rams took over at the visitors' 29. Again Alston needed only one touch to take it in for six points and a 12-6 Salem lead.

Salem threatened early in the third quarter, but the drive stalled and ended with a punt. On the next Salem possession, though, Jeffries scrambled from his own 34-yard line to the Panthers' 28. A few running plays brought the Rams to the Pitman 3, and on third and goal, Jeffries hit Tahir Davenport-White with a TD pass for an 18-6 edge.

Pitman got the ball back, only to turn it over again. On third-and-eight, what started as a flea flicker turned into a fumble, and the Rams took over on Pitman's 30. A pass to Davenport-White brought the ball to the 10. Panther penetration on defense pushed the Rams back to the 20, where they faced fourth-and-goal. But Jeffries again found Alston on a pass, and the slippery running back broke tackles on the way to his third touchdown of the day. Jeffries rushed for the two-point conversion, bringing the score to 26-6.

The fourth quarter brought Alston's fourth score, this time on an 88-yard punt return, followed by a Wuanyah Green run for the extra two points.

The Rams capped the day when Jeffries later hit Daiquan Blake for 40-yard TD in the fourth, bringing the final 40-6 tally.

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