Chatham coach: Comeback win ‘like a movie script’

It was midway through the third quarter last Friday night when Chatham head football coach Jason Izsa took a glance at the scoreboard, which read: Randolph 22, Chatham 6.

“I was thinking at that point that this isn’t happening,” said Izsa, the third-year head coach of the Cougars, who has unfortunately suffered through more tough times than good ones in his brief tenure.

In fact, before Friday’s season opener against Randolph, Izsa’s career coaching mark stood at 3-17, including a forgettable 0-10 campaign in 2013.

For all intents and purposes, Izsa was staring at yet another loss — and this one was going to sting far more than the others.

“We just weren’t playing well,” Izsa said. “I knew that we were better than the team losing 22-6. I really wasn’t sure how the game was going to go.”

It got far worse before it got better, as two-year starting quarterback Alex Sands, the inspirational leader of the Cougars, went down with a sprained Achilles tendon.

“Alex has done some great things for us,” Izsa said. “Being the No. 1 quarterback, Alex was the one getting all of the snaps (in practice).”

But the Cougars had another quarterback on their roster, Timmy Adams.

“I knew that Timmy knew what was going on,” Izsa said. “Timmy just does things a little differently than Alex. He does it with his legs.”

With Sands receiving medical attention and done for the game, Adams stepped in and guided the Cougars to the most improbable of comebacks.

Adams hit Robbie Moskowitz with a 3-yard touchdown pass as time expired, as the Cougars stormed back to collect a 25-22 victory.

Adams scored one touchdown rushing and threw two touchdown passes in engineering the improbable comeback.

“Anytime that your No. 1 quarterback goes down and you’re behind, it’s not good,” said Izsa, who spent Monday morning watching the films of the game once again.

“It’s really unbelievable,” Izsa said. “I was up early this morning, watching the film, and couldn’t believe it. Then, I watched it again with the players. Timmy sure made some great plays, and Moskowitz did everything he needed to do to get open. First, we were able to beat Randolph. That’s a great program with all the history that they have. It really was like a movie script. I couldn’t have written it any better.”

Monday morning, Izsa was still trying to comprehend what happened.

“I realized this morning that it wasn’t a dream,” Izsa said. “It’s taken a while to settle in. It’s really awesome.”

But the celebration of the dream outcome ended Monday, as the 1-0 Cougars started to prepare for Sparta this weekend.

“I told them that I didn’t want to rain on their parade, but we don’t want to settle for just one win,” Izsa said. “We have to face another great program in Sparta and have to be on our ‘A’ game to be ready for them.”

Still, the circumstances and then the outcome make Friday night’s game one for the memory books.

“It’s definitely a memorable one,” Izsa said. “It’s one that no one will ever forget, and people will talk about it for a long time.”

Izsa said Sands is recovering, but his status is unknown for the Sparta game. At least Izsa knows that he has a more than capable backup in Timmy Adams.

Boswell, King lead Morristown: Before the season, veteran Morristown head coach Chris Hull had to worry about replacing most of his starting backfield. Hull didn’t have to worry about his veteran offensive line, but his skilled players were basically all new.

Hull had to replace starting quarterback Dallas McCall, who passed for 2,000 yards and rushed for more than 1,000 more last year.

But Hull had faith in senior Cam Boswell.

“He’s a good kid who worked hard all summer,” Hull said. “He played behind Dallas and paid his dues. We’ve been trying to put him in the best position to let him have some success. Cam understood the offense. You never know how he was going to do until he gets out there and handles the challenge.”

Hull also needed to find a go-to running back and perhaps has found one in Jhamil King.

Last Friday night, the Colonials kicked off the season of the unknown against Montville, and it was the unveiling of both Boswell and King.

Boswell threw for 180 yards and four touchdowns, and King rushed for 136 yards on 11 carries, leading the Colonials to a commanding 49-14 victory.

Hull admitted there were some worries before the game.

“I was concerned about a lot of things,” Hull said. “But I had faith in Cam going out there. I knew he’d compete. That’s the type of kid he is. I’m not shocked at what he did. I am pleased with the way he threw the ball. I thought Jhamil had the potential to be a good player for us. I was just as impressed with our entire running back rotation. All four can play. I was impressed with our offense.”

Hull knew the line play would be solid.

“It’s the strongest team we’ve had,” Hull said. “I’ve had returning kids up front, but not many that are this strong. They also play with a chip on their shoulders, and I like that.”

The Colonials have Randolph this weekend.

Roxbury honors fallen youngster: Before Roxbury defeated Sparta 33-23 last Friday night to kick off the new season, there was an emotional pregame ceremony to honor 10-year-old Christopher D’Amico, a Junior Gaels football player who died in a boating accident in June.

With his family, friends, and former teammates in attendance, Christopher, a resident of Mount Arlington, had his number 86 retired on the Roxbury football field Friday night.

The cheerleaders wrote Christopher’s uniform number on their cheeks as a memorial.

“Roxbury is a special place,” Roxbury coach Cosmo Lorusso said. “It’s just a great town. They love their football, and they’re very supportive of each other.”

Top rushing performances: Gage Cabalar, Boonton, 12 carries, 165 yards, one TD; Jhamil King, Morristown, 11 carries, 136 yards.

Top passing performances: Grant Dixon, Roxbury, 26-of-34, 288 yards, two TDs; Jon Toye, Kinnelon, 19-of-34, 268 yards, three TDs; Donato Casolaro, Hanover Park, 15-of-20, 223, 2 TDs; Cam Boswell, Morristown, 6-of-10, 178 yards, 4 TDs; Logan Hollenritter, Jefferson, 8-of-17, 167 yards, 1 TD.

Player of the Week: Tucker Voelbel, Roxbury, junior WR.

Lost in the shuffle of QB Grant Dixon’s heroics in the Gaels’ 33-23 victory over Sparta, Dixon was able to find Voelbel 11 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns to lead the way. Voelbel has become a viable target for the passes of the brilliant Dixon.

Correspondent Todd Cohen contributed to this report.