By MARK TRIBLE

South Jersey Glory Days Senior Football Writer

On X @Mtrible

ATLANTIC CITY — Recipe for a road playoff win:

Take care of the ball.

Play tough defense.

Capitalize on mistakes.

Limit your own.

Don’t take my word for it, simply call Kingsway coach Mark Hendricks and ask for his ingredients here on Friday night.

The Dragons put on a clinic on what-to-do’s in the South Jersey Group 5 championship and when the dust had cleared — and some raindrops dried — they had hardware in their hands.

With a 38-21 win over top-seeded Atlantic City, No. 3 seed Kingsway (10-2) hoisted its third trophy in program history and punched a ticket to the state semifinals.

“In that first half we were just going at it with the mindset of, our kids believe we’re going to go play for a state championship,” Hendricks said. “That’s what we’re talking about.

“That’s the goal. We didn’t start the season talking about winning the sectional. We started the season talking about winning a state championship and what it takes to do that. If you want to do that, up front is where it starts.”

Look no further than No. 55 in red and black. Senior defensive lineman Jordan Hernandez led a ferocious attack all night. To boot, he even got the game’s first points on a 1-yard fullback dive.

“I fumbled on accident one time, I think it was Hammonton,” Hernandez said. “I didn’t really get another chance until I had to prove myself in practice.

“I gained it.”

The Vikings (9-2) answered back with a touchdown pass from Marvin Burroughs to Dontaye Thompson late in the first quarter. On the hosts’ next possession, Hernandez made an even bigger play.

He forced the ball out after a reception. A teammate recovered, and on the next snap David Oravetz found Mason Bryan for a 34-yard score.

“We wanted the ball back,” Hernandez said. “… We didn’t want another 3-and-out. We wanted the ball then and there.”

Atlantic City wasted no time with a quick drive down 14-7. The Vikings marched 53 yards on four plays, then were faced with a 2nd-and-1 at the 18. A couple of incompletions and a loss of seven yards on 4th down and the wind had left their sails.

The turnover on downs proved a harbinger of things to come. Atlantic City turned it over on downs three times inside the red zone — twice in goal-to-go situations.

Cole DeNick —­­ the Dragons’ rugged linebacker and fullback — busted a 61-yard run, and three plays later Oravetz found JD Johnson for a 13-yard score. A late field goal made it 24-7 before intermission.

That’s all Kingsway would need. Although, Za’Hir Paynter ran 30 yards to pay dirt and Musa Jackson took back a 44-yard pick six to add salt in the wound as the fourth turnover of the night.

“It feels so great when the hard work from the offseason and the summer comes together for a sectional final,” Oravetz said. “We couldn’t be more blessed.”

The result wasn’t without some key losses. DeNick left in the third quarter with an injury. Bryan left after his touchdown catch. They are two of the club’s best players and the hope is they will be able to return next week as the Dragons face a rematch with undefeated Washington Township — 38-7 blowout winners over Old Bridge.

“Those guys are big parts of our football team,” Hendricks said. “So, they’ve got a week to try to figure that out and get healthy, [the athletic trainer] will do a good job trying to get these guys back and in a position where they’re good to play next week.”

After the game, Hendricks told his team the words that Oravetz later echoed in his interview — it’s hard to beat a good team twice.

It refers to Oct. 17, when Kingsway held a 36-24 lead over Washington Township with roughly five minutes to play. The Minutemen scored 15 unanswered to win in regulation.

That may have been the area’s Game of the Year. Next week’s will decide who represents the lower half of the state on the biggest stage at the state championships at Rutgers University.

But that wasn’t important on this blustery Atlantic City night. Not when the fans, family members and administrators all celebrated with the kids who had one long and fun bus ride home ahead of them.

They took photos with their trophy after the recipe had created something sweeter than any meal could ever be. Hernandez soaked it in, each word faster than the last as he tried to sum up the chef who’d help pull it together.

“There was one year I was contemplating transferring, but it was nothing,” he said. “I don’t regret staying at all, it was a really big deal staying with coach Hendricks.

“He’s been there my whole life, in the youth coming up, it’s amazing. I really couldn’t appreciate him anymore.”

And most of all?

“I wouldn’t be a champion. Especially with this team, I grew up with all of them. It’s amazing, a great feeling.”

Mark Trible is the host of the South Jersey Football Frenzy Show. You can check it out every Wednesday at 7 p.m. at facebook.com/sjglorydays. The show features highlights, analysis, rankings and more from high school football games throughout South Jersey.