Absegami scores stunning 29-28 upset of Egg Harbor Township with unorthodox 2-point conversion

By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher GALLOWAY TWP. – Absegami head football coach Dennis Scuderi Jr. knows he has a young team. And young teams make mistakes. But on Thursday night, what looked like a costly mistake late in the game against Egg Harbor Township turned out to be the best play of the night for the Braves. With the Braves trailing 28-21 with less than five minutes remaining, quarterback Tyler Welch hit Vinnie Nelson on an out pattern that Nelson turned into a 49-yard touchdown by racing up the left sideline. It looked as if disaster had struck on the point-after attempt when holder Chris Dolan couldn’t scoop up the low snap and tee it up for Zach Sterr, but Dolan alertly picked up the ball and ran to the right, racing for the front corner of the end zone. He dove for the pylon, and the unorthodox 2-point conversion gave Absegami an improbable 29-28 win. It was the first loss of the season for the Eagles, who had jumped out to a 3-0 start with wins over Atlantic City, Lower Cape May Regional and Vineland. Egg Harbor Township wide receiver Spencer LaSure leaps to grab a touchdown pass in front of Absegami defender Ibn Wilkerson. Welch said the Braves had a feeling the sideline pass to Nelson would be there for the taking. “Right before that we ran him on a seam and we ran (Austin) Shiner on the post, and we saw (the defensive back) travel on the post so we knew (Nelson) would be open on the corner. I knew he would take that,” Welch said. “With his speed, I knew he would be up the sideline for a touchdown.” Welch said the win was a big confidence for the Absegami offensive line, which features only one junior, Nick Lyon, and four sophomores. “Our confidence was a little bit shaken, but I had to kick them in the butts to get them back. Our big guys helped us get the win. They just keep getting better and better every week, and this experience will help them,” Welch said. Next Friday night Absegami (1-3) travels to Millville, while EHT (3-1) visits Ocean City. Both games start at 7 p.m. Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]