High School Football:
Shawnee Steals Opener From Highland

Saturday, September 19, 1998

By Art Redd
SJSports Staff Writer

Opening season for high school football began on Friday night where teams like Williamstown, Gateway, Delsea, Eastern and Kingsway started their season with victories. Shawnee and Highland were looking to join those teams on Saturday at Highland High School. It would be the Renegades who would not only start the season off with a victory, but also shut down Highland's offense. Shawnee would have little trouble behind starting quarterback Mike Connelly and record a 28-7 victory.

When the sound of the home team crowd cheering began before the opening kickoff, Highland would kick the ball away in hopes of getting the it back and getting on the scoreboard early. The Tartans would put up two good defensive stands and were on their way to getting the ball. On a third down play, linebacker Brent Tyson broke through Shawnee's offensive line and got his left hand on the quarterback's jersey. But senior quarterback Mike Connelly was not ready to go down easy. He spun out of the grip of Tyson and scrambled down the left sideline for a 61-yard touchdown.

Still in the first quarter, the Renegades' defense got into the act. Highland quarterback Keith Bates rolled to the right on an option and coughed up the ball when he was hit. Defensive back Mike Connelly scooped up the ball and scored his second touchdown with 6:13 remaining in the first quarter. The Renegades defense kept the pressure on Highland all game and forced a total of five fumbles. When the first half ended, Shawnee would score on a 5-yard touchdown run by senior runningback Mike Glover to put them up 21-0.

Highland would continue to be hurt by mistakes in the second half when junior defensive back Joe Phillips intercepted a pass in Tartans' territory. The Renegades would move the ball all the way down to Highland's 3-yard line where sophmore runningback Tom O'Connor scored with 7:38 remaining in the third quarter. Highland would get a score in the fourth quarter on Keith Bates 1-yard quarterback sneak to cap their lone scoring drive. The Renegades defense played an excellent game and got their season off on the winning side.

Photos by Art Redd