Eagles fly over Perth Amboy, 34-0
Tivald rushes for 160 yards as Edison evens its record at 4-4
BY SHAWN LAYTON Staff Writer
The Edison High School football team took it to Perth Amboy over the weekend in a 34-0 victory to put the Eagles at .500 for the season with a pair of games remaining on the schedule.

Unfortunately, the win was not enough to put the Eagles in the state playoffs as it ended up just a power point shy of qualifying.

"We just missed by a point behind Woodbridge," Edison head coach Matt Fulham said. "It is very disappointing, but we know the program is moving in the right direction. We're still shooting for a winning season though, and that will be a nice accomplishment."

The Eagles went into the Perth Amboy game on a mission to stake their claim as a playoff team and rolled out to a 20-point lead in the first half. Edison's Kittim Sherrod set the tone on the opening kickoff with a 70-yard return that put the Eagles inside the Perth Amboy 20 to set up the team's first touchdown. Sherrod would later score a touchdown of his own on a 40-yard interception return.

"We played really well defensively," Fulham said. "Although Perth Amboy is winless, we certainly didn't take them for granted because they do have some athletes. They're in a bit of a rebuilding stage."

Defensive end Harry Demarco led the Eagles with seven tackles with teammates Sherrod Shuford and Nick Magee each tallying six.

"This was our first shutout during my time here and I think it was the school's first shutout in close to 10 years," Fulham said. "The entire defensive unit played well."

On offense, the 1-2 punch of running back Zach Tivald and quarterback Erik Janz presented unstoppable force. Tivald rushed for over 100 yards in the first half alone on his way to a 160-yard performance with one touchdown.

"Our running game established itself early and set the tone for the remainder of the game," Fulham said. "Both Zach and Erik were effective right from the start."

Janz hooked up with Bobby Stallings on a 28-yard touchdown pass on a thirdand long play as a diving Stallings reeled in the pass in spectacular fashion. Janz ran one in from a yard out for a rushing touchdown of his own earlier in the game.

"I was happy with the way we played," Fulham said. "Our players didn't treat Perth Amboy lightly because too much was at stake. It looked like the win would be enough to get us into the playoffs, but it wasn't the case."

This week the Eagles will take on another team left out of the playoffs and it appears the opponent will be Union. Edison finished up with two more power points than Union.

"I'm thinking we'll have Union at home this weekend," Fulham said. "We'll get confirmation early in the week."

After this weekend's match up, Edison will prepare for its annual meeting with cross-town rival J.P. Stevens on Thanksgiving. Last year, Edison's victory marked a turning point for the program that has gone on the play playoff caliber football.