Andrew Constant – Sports Writer

MONMOUTH JUNCTION — For the South Brunswick High School football team, its senior class did something no other class in history has done: defeat rival North Brunswick in four straight Thanksgiving Day matchups.

Behind the running of Dontae Strickland and a stellar performance from its defense, South Brunswick prevailed 34-13 Thursday morning to retain the Mike Elko Trophy. Strickland, a junior, rushed 12 times for 179 yards and a pair of first-quarter touchdowns, to lead an onslaught of 401 rushing yards and 427 total yards. Quarterback Amir Johnson, another talented junior, carried 12 times for 119 yards and two touchdowns, as South Brunswick (7-4) built a 27-0 first-half lead.

But for the senior class, led by bruising fullback Dahrae Ford, who was unable to play Thursday due to an ankle injury, became the first class to go 4-0 against North Brunswick (1-9).

“It’s great, it’s a big thing for us and especially after last week. To be able to have this game, you can cherish this. A rivalry-type game, I know I’m not crazy about a Thanksgiving game against just anyone, but when you go back and you have tradition for nearly 40 years, you see a lot of alums come back and this is big,” South Brunswick head coach Joe Goerge said. “Our seniors have had a hell of a run, even in the two years that they were with me. It’s been a great four-year run and this makes the turkey taste better.”

North Brunswick still leads the all-time series 23-15-1, but South Brunswick has has the edge over the last decade, winning six out of 10. Since a tie in 1993, the Vikings have won 13 of 20 over North Brunswick, who made the 10-mile trip down Route 130 for the 39th time.

Raiders quarterback Rafleu Alharazim led two impressive touchdown drives sandwiched around halftime, rushing for a 6-yard score at the end of the second quarter and tossing a 21-yard touchdown to Joseph Manley early in the third stanza. Alharazim totaled 103 yards through the air and on the ground, but did throw two costly interceptions to halt North Brunswick drives.

Once South Brunswick built its 27-0 lead, Johnson and Strickland helped bury the Raiders with inside runs out of the triple-option offense that Goerge brought with him before last season.

“I can’t emphasize enough how much Amir has grown this season,” Goerge said. “When he took over in the first game when Dylan (Olsson) got hurt, he became the leader. He checks and knows the offense; he’s methodical and a mechanic of our offense. His practice has paid off this season.”

Matt Golden, filling in for Ford at fullback, rushed 10 times for 59 yards, getting accustomed to a role he’ll presumably fill for the Vikings next season when they play their first game on turf. Goerge said the school plans on installing field turf at Viking Stadium before the 2014 season, which will only help speedsters like Strickland and Johnson.

“We’re excited to have Dontae back next year and we played 15 juniors and sophomores, so it’s exciting for us. We’re getting a new turf field here before next season, so it’s nice to get a win on the last game played here.”

SCORING SUMMARY

SB – Strickland 44 run (kick failed)

SB – Strickland 38 run (Fehte kick)

SB – Johnson 2 run (Fehte kick)

SB – Johnson 42 run (Fehte kick)

NB – Alharazim 6 run (pass failed)

SB – Golden 5 run (Fehte kick)

NB – Manley 21 pass from Alharazim (Pereyra kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: NB – Alharazim 10-22, Bryant 4-14, Nance 7-4; SB – Strickland 12-179, Johnson 12-119, Golden 10-59, Botett 6-20, Fehte 1-11, Lee 1-5, Allen 2-4, Morse 1-4.

PASSING: NB – Alharazim 8-13-2-81; SB – Johnson 3-4-26.

RECEIVING: NB – Manley 3-36, May 2-24, Castellanos 1-15, Bryant 1-6, ; SB – Golden 2-25, Cerminaro 1-1.

MONROE — Nursing a one-point lead with just over a minute to play, Myles Hartsfield came up with a game-ending interception, clinching a heart-pounding 35-34 victory for the Sayreville High School football team over Monroe Friday evening at Hugh Walsh Stadium in the Central Group V Tournament’s First Round. The fifth-seeded Bombers advance to the semifinals against top-seeded Manalapan, a last-second, 14-13 winner over Brick Memorial Friday night.

Hartsfield picked off Monroe quarterback Kyle Volkmann at the Sayreville 40-yard line and returned the ball deep into Falcons territory to effectively end it. The Bombers were in complete control of the game, up 28-19 at the end of the third quarter, but Monroe simply wouldn’t go away. The fourth-seeded Falcons turned up the pressure, pulling out all of the stops in the process to take a six-point lead.

On their first possession of the fourth quarter, Monroe worked the ball to the Sayreville 5 on fourth down and lined up for a field goal that would have cut the lead to single digits.

But instead of kicking it, Volkmann who was serving as the holder, spun around and found Cameron Coleman in the corner of the end zone for a 12-yard score. After the point after attempt was good and the Falcons were down just two, they decided to try another trick play.

Ryan Schreiber bounced a perfect onsides kick that the Falcons would recover at the Bombers’ 41 and three plays later, Akeer Franklin rolled in from 3 yards out to miraculously put Monroe on top. Volkmann tossed a two-point conversion to David Betancur to make the score 34-28.

But the Bombers showed their mettle, going 50 yards on just four plays in less than two minutes to re-take the lead for good. Deion Miller, who had been bottled up all night long, scored his second touchdown of the game, this time from 11 yards out, and Adrian Lapinski added the PAT to make the score 35-34.

Monroe’s last-gasp effort from the 46 came up short, as Hartsfield left his stamp on yet another Sayreville victory.

“He’s been a steady player for us all year long and what he does doesn’t surprise us anymore,” Sayreville head coach George Najjar said. “He’s a tremendous player and a huge part of what we do.”

Hartsfield scored three first half touchdowns, running in from 7, 37 and 32 yards, and finished with 115 yards on the ground for the evening. Miller, whose longest run of the night was just 24 yards, scored twice and totaled 67 all-purpose yards.

“Credit to the kids; there’s no quit in them,” Najjar said. “They’ve worked hard and I’m happy for them. They deserve this one after making a few big plays down the stretch. It really seemed like the team that had the ball last was going to win, but fortunately, our kids stepped up and made a few big stops on that last drive.”

Franklin was a beast for Monroe, carrying 33 times for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Volkmann rushed 11 times for 63 yards and added three completions for 61 yards.

SCORING SUMMARY

S – Hartsfield 7 run (Lapinski kick)

M – Volkmann 37 run (Schreiber kick)

S – Hartsfield 32 run (Lapinksi kick)

M – Franklin 8 run (kick failed)

S – Hartsfield 50 run (Lapinski kick)

M – Volkmann 8 run (pass failed)

S – Miller 6 run (Lapinski run)

M – Coleman 12 pass from Volkmann (Schreiber kick)

M – Franklin 3 run (Betancur pass from Volkmann)

S – Miller 11 run (Lapinski kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: S – Hartsfield 15-115, Miller 10-61, Pressley 4-42; M – Franklin 33-149, Volkmann 11-63.

PASSING: S – Pressley 1-1-6; M – Volkmann 3-4-1-61.

RECEIVING: S – Miller 1-6; M – Betantcur 2-49, Coleman 1-12.