Washington Township ends a strong 2021 football season
SEWELL, N.J. — The Washington Township High School football team had a strong 2021 season, with the Sewell-based Minutemen reaching the top seed in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 5 playoff. But the Minutemen went home early following a surprise quarterfinal playoff loss to Lenape. The loss ended a season that showed a great deal of promise for the Minutemen.
The Minutemen lost to Lenape 24-21 on Nov. 5. While the Minutemen led for most of the game, the team gave up a touchdown in the fourth quarter to lead the game into overtime. Lenape then scored in overtime on a 38-yard field goal.
Washington Township managed to have a strong regular season with a 6-2 record. The team had close to twice as many points as its opponents. The Minutemen won their first four games of the season, including a 21-14 overtime victory over Cherokee on Sept. 24. The most dominant game for the Minutemen was a 33-0 victory over Eastern on Oct. 15.
One of the losses for the Minutemen came against St. Joseph, the team that won the West Jersey Continental League title. The Wildcats had a 31-21 victory over the Minutemen on Oct. 23.
There were a few moments this season where the Minutemen came close to entering the USA Today network New Jersey top 25 ranking. While St. Joseph was able to get in the top 25, the Minutemen were unable to get to that point.
Most of the offense for the Minutemen came on the ground, with the team posting 2,307 rushing yards during the nine-game season. The total was enough for more than 250 rushing yards per game. Senior Jonathan Silver averaged nearly 100 yards per game and had ten rushing touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Jared Dzierzgowski had 613 rushing yards and ten touchdowns.
Dzierzgowski was more active on the ground than he was in the air. He had 510 passing yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions. Five different players had receiving touchdowns, with senior Quamir Land leading the team with 169 yards. Most of Land’s work had been on defense, as much of the receiving corps for the Minutemen include players who focus on other positions, including Land as a linebacker.
Other notable statistics for the Minutemen in 2021 include the team getting 20 sacks. Land led the team with 6.5 sacks.
The Washington Township Minutemen had a rough end to the 2021 season, but their overall performance was very promising. Football fans in Sewell are looking forward to watching where the Minutemen will go in the 2022 season and beyond.
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.
