Defense keys Bishop Ahr's 35-6 victory BY SHAWN LAYTON Staff Writer Thanks to a stalwart defensive effort in the second half and a season-best 226 yards from running back Moses Negron, the Bishop Ahr High School football team defeated St. Mary of Rutherford 35-6 over the weekend to improve to 5-2 on the season. "Our offensive line was pretty dominant," Bishop Ahr head coach Ron Hilliard said. "They opened up some big holes, and Moses took control from there. The play of our line and Moses' success allowed us to take control of the ball." The Trojans opened up the scoring in the first quarter when quarterback Larry Belotta connected on a 67-yard pass to receiver Nosa Obgveon. "Nosa came through for us in what proved to be his only catch of the game," Hilliard said. "He's been one of our most reliable receivers this year with over 15 catches." Belotta moved the ball around effectively when Negron wasn't punishing the St. Mary defense. Belotta threw for 132 yards and scored on a quarterback keeper. St. Mary managed its only touchdown of the game in the first quarter on a 40-yard pass play that brought the team to within a point of Bishop Ahr. That was as close as St. Mary would get as the Trojan defense put the clamps on their opponent. For St. Mary, three-and-out became a motif for the remainder of the contest. "They pretty much went three-and-out on every drive except for that one scoring drive they had," Hilliard said. "We were able to hold them and to create some turnovers that eventually led to scores for us." Defensive back Mike Gallant finished the game with a pair of interceptions while teammate Mike Haley tallied two sacks from his defensive tackle position. When the defense picked up its game, Negron followed suit on offense. The senior back carried the ball 24 times and found the end zone on three different occasions. "Moses has been our horse all year," Hilliard said. "I thought tight end Nick Flugard really did a nice job blocking along with the rest of the guys on the line. Moses took it from there." This week the Trojans will play host to a visiting Carteret team that is in a mustwin situation, with its hopes for a playoff berth resting on the outcome. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. Nov. 2. "Although this game doesn't have any significance for us, we still want to get some momentum for the playoffs," Hilliard said. "It should be a good battle because Carteret always puts a tough, physical team on the field. They run the ball well and play great defense." Carteret proved it could play great defense in a defensive battle for the ages in last week's 3-0 loss to Colonia in overtime. "They will definitely come in hungry because they need a win to get into the playoffs," Hilliard said. "It will be a good test for us."