Before a record crowd of 5,280 fans, The WW-P South Pirates (2-2) righted its ship and drowned the Northern Knights, 49-0. The cross-town rivalry was a lopsided game for the second year in a row, after South beat North 47-0 at North last year.
The highlight of the game came when play was stopped to call attention to Ryan Lupo setting the school record for career rushing yardage. Mid-way through a 170 yard game, Lupo surpassed the record. The game was stopped to call attention to Lupo’s feat, and Coach Todd Smith ceremonially presented the running back with the ball he carried to surpass the mark. Lupo’s career total now stands at 1,878.
Stuart Adams also turned in an impressive performance. He averaged over 20 yards per carry, and scored two touchdowns. The newest weapon for South is Dan Jankoski, a senior who had played soccer in each of his previous three years at the school. This year, he’s become a kicker/punter, and has looked like anything but a first year player. He set a school record by making 12 consecutive extra points, and has been named the area’s Special Teams Player of the Week.
North (2-2) came into the day on a two-game win streak. The Knights beat Hopewell Valley and shut out Robbinsville. At 2-1, they had a better record than South. South had battled injuries and suffered two straight losses to Hamilton and Trenton. But the Pirates certainly would have had a better shot at beating Hamilton had it not lost its star running back to an ankle injury for that game.
South got Lupo back for its home opener, but may have lost its starting quarterback, Colin Dampier, for good. The athletic department would not comment on whether Dampier is off the team for the rest of the year, but a police report indicated that Dampier, 18, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated on September 22, the night after the Hamilton loss.
Smith did not comment on the loss of his quarterback, but has shown faith in his new starter, Conner Farrell. The sophomore has shown poise in taking over the position, and Smith called a play early in the game that resulted in a 54-yard touchdown pass to Adams.
As for the media’s projection of a battle of the nines — the number worn by North’s Darren Parrot, a junior, and South’s Lupo — South student Timmy Carroll made this pre-game projection: “Lupo is going to break the record tonight. Parrot will have under 100 yards.” Carroll was on the money: South held the entire North offense to under 100 yards.
