By BRIAN TORTELLA

Correspondent

On X @tortreports

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP — Most coaches know it takes years to build a consistent winning program in high school sports.

It took Washington Township coach Mike Schatzman six years to earn his first playoff victory as a head coach — a win over Atlantic City in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. In the next round the Minutemen knocked off Rancocas Valley before falling in the sectional final to Toms River North. 

To put it lightly, Schatzman will remember his first postseason run for a long time.

But, you can be certain, South Jersey, that Schatzman won’t ever forget the start to this 2024 postseason run. That’s because there was a special fan in attendance this time around.

His top-seeded Minutemen knocked off No. 8 Hunterdon Central, 38-0, in the quarterfinal round of the Central Jersey Group 5 playoffs and afterward he got to celebrate his third career playoff victory with his newborn daughter, Cali, who’s just more than a month old.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime type moment,” he said. “It was really special. It was her first game, so it was cool. It was cool for her to be there to witness that. She’s a star.”

The Minutemen broke the post-game huddle with “Cali!” Using her as its good luck charm, Washington Township jumped out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back enroute to the shutout win over the visiting Red Devils.

After a fumble on Township’s first offensive possession of the game, defensive lineman Ethan Wechter intercepted a tipped pass for a touchdown to start the scoring action off.

“Doing it for the seniors, it felt great to put the first score on the board and keep the momentum rolling,” he said. “It was every D-linemen’s dream — I was living it out. We’re trying to get to the state championship. We don’t want these seniors leaving on a loss, we want to leave on a win.”

It was an early statement for the first-year starter — whose father, Mark, was the head coach of the Minutemen for 11 years, from 2006-2016.

Said coach Schatzman: “It couldn’t have happened to a better kid. He’s a first-year starter for us. I’ve known Ethan his whole life. I played for his dad, Mark, so it’s a surreal moment coaching him now and seeing his growth. For him to get rewarded for something like that, it’s pretty cool.”

Fellow junior classmate Colin Beeler, also a first-year starter at running back, scored two touchdowns in the victory. His first came on a 33-yard reception from Cole Aquino in the first quarter that gave the Minutemen a 21-0 lead.

“It was my first receiving touchdown,” he said. “It was a great fake, the corner bit. Dashawn (Long) had a great cut and (it left) me wide open.”

“We prepared all week,” he continued. “We knew this was going to be a hard fight. Coming into the playoffs, it didn’t matter what the record was, but we knew we had to come out here and do our job, and we did tonight. It was a great victory. The line blocked well. It was a great team win and we’re on to the next week. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we’re ready.” 

Added Schatzman; “Beeler’s been awesome for us, he’s a grinder. He was a JV kid for us last year as a sophomore and waited his turn. He sat behind Giuliano Scavetta and Jared Dzierzgowski last year, two really good running backs. He just waited his time. This program is built on guys like that who go through the program, freshman and sophomore year as scout team players. They trust the process as far as the weight room and doing all of the little things right. Those guys get rewarded, whether it’s their junior year or their senior year. I’m happy for Colin, he’s had a tremendous year for us. He’s been our bell-cow for a little bit, so it’s nice.”

It’s safe to say that it was a special day for Coach Schatzman for two reasons: one, it was his daughter’s first football game; and two, getting to witness his own years’ worth of work, time and dedication to the Washington Township football program paying off with playoff victories now. The Minutemen are just a few years removed from going 3-7 in 2019 and just 2-2 in the covid year of 2020.  

Next up? A date with fifth-seeded and undefeated Cherry Hill East (9-0) in the semifinal. The Cougars upset No. 4 Southern on the road. 

“We’re looking forward to it,” he said. “We hope we take care of ourselves, do what we need to do, and we’ll be okay.”

Click this link to watch the full postgame interview with two TWP linemen: 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DB2ZMUNtvqU/?igsh=MWFsazYxaTJzMzF1

Contact Brian Tortella: btortreportssj@gmail.com.