Mike Bickford’s 228 Yards, 4 TDs Lead Central Past Pinelands

By Scott Clayton - Shore Sports Network contributor

LITTLE EGG HARBOR – After losing the first-quarter battle of field position while looking to expand its playbook, Central went back to its tried-and-true attack before long in order to take control of the game against Pinelands.

Sophomore running back Mike Bickford, who announced his presence on the Shore Conference scene with 120 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a Week Two win over Barnegat, nearly doubled that effort Friday night. Bickford led the Golden Eagles past Pinelands, 26-12, in a Class B South game on the strength of his biggest game yet, a 26-carry, 228-yard, 4-touchdown night.

The Wildcats (0-4, 0-3) were game from the start, snuffing out Central’s first two drives quickly and tilting the field in their favor in front of a boisterous homecoming crowd. Central appeared poised to get on the board on its third drive of the game. Bickford broke a 35-yard run down the right sideline, but a hit from behind by Pinelands safety Sage Sysol forced the ball loose and into the hands of Wildcat senior Jailin Roman in the end zone for a touchback.

Pinelands couldn’t capitalize on the turnover, going three-and-out and punting from deep in its own territory. With the ball back, however, Central (2-2, 2-1) called Bickford’s number repeatedly until it got the results it was looking for.

Bickford handled the ball for the last six plays of a seven-play drive that ended with a plunge through the pile from a yard out to stake Central to a 7-0 lead. After the game’s first six drives netted zero points, touchdowns capped four of the next seven drives.

“We’re not going to blame anyone, but they stopped us early,” Bickford said. “We just came out and the coaches said stuff and got us fired up.”

“It’s not easy to go from a wide-open passing offense like St. John Vianney (who topped Central 41-12 a week ago) to this team that basically runs a wedge,” Central coach Willie Jacobs said after the game. “They are hard to stop. They’ve got a big line and it's hard to see where the ball is.”

A 63-yard Connor Bussey run off a misdirection play from the Wildcats double-wing offense keyed an 80-yard drive that nearly evened the score for the Pinelands when Gurkan Yilmaz scored a 1-yard touchdown run. Central’s Brandon Vuono broke through the Wildcats’ line to block the extra point and keep Central ahead at 7-6.

Looking to increase its lead going into halftime, Central gained 38 yards on a jet sweep pass from Jordan Hardy to Mike Arneth down to the Wildcats' 3-yard line. Two plays later it was Bickford again from one yard, this time walking into the end zone untouched.

“We made sure our whole offensive line blocked perfect, and we handed off to Mike Bickford. We know what he can do,” said Central quarterback Mike Miserendino.

Coming out of halftime, the Wildcats looked poised to answer after a 51-yard kickoff return by Sage Sysol saw them take over possession at the Central 31-yard line. However, a botched handoff led to a fumble that Pinelands recovered but not before losing 12 yards on the play.

After forcing a punt on the series, Central put together a 12-play, 92-yard drive that paired Bickford runs with scampers – planned and improvised – from Miserendino, a junior. Miserendino also gained a first down with a 19-yard strike up the seam to Michael Quick. Bickford finished the drive with a 20-yard rushing touchdown and a 20-6 advantage.

Pinelands answered the Bickford score with another tough scoring run by Yilmaz, this one from two yards out to complete a 65-yard drive that took nearly nine minutes off the clock and saw the Wildcats convert three fourth downs.

“They were good here tonight,” said Bickford of Pinelands.  “Their offense was hard to stop running that wedge. Their line is big and they were hard to get around, but we did it and made the stops we needed.”

Recovering an onside kick with 5:35 play and a ball-control offense, Central did one better than run out the clock. Bickford bounced a draw outside behind a strong stiff arm and found the end zone from 37 yards out on the last of his 26 carries.

“My running back coach Rob Taylor has been working with me all year getting me faster and telling me to bounce it, and teaching me that stiff arm,” Bickford said. “We have a chance to win B South and we want to win out, win every game and get a home playoff game. That’d be great.”

Box score

CENTRAL 26, PINELANDS 12

Central (2-2, 2-1)               0          14        6          6          -           26

Pinelands (0-4, 0-3)          0          6         0          6          -           12

C – Bickford 1 run (Quick kick)

P – Yilmaz 1 run (kick blocked)

C – Bickford 1 run (Quick kick)

C – Bickford 20 run (kick failed)

P – Yilmaz 2 run (kick failed)

C – Bickford 37 run (kick failed)

Team Stats                            Central                      Pinelands

First Downs                                14                                  13

Rushes-Yards                                    37-289                         38-193

Passing                                     4-7-0                            3-10-0

Passing Yards                                         70                                  33

Fumbles-Rec                              1-0                                2-2

Penalties                                    2-15                              4-20

Punting                                   2-28.5                                        4-32.3

Individual Stats

Rush: (C) Bickford 26-228, Miserendino 8-45, Corbin 2-10, Hardy 1-6. (P) Graham 9-19, Gurkan 8-30, Roman 8-27, Bussey 4-79, D’Andrea 5-24, Sysol 3-10, Fairl 1-4.

Pass: (C) Miserendino 3-6-0 32 yards, Hardy 1-1-0 38 yards. (P) Graham 3-10-0 33 yards.

Receiving: (C) Arneth 1-38, Quick 1-19, Hardy 1-9, Vaughn 1-4. (P) Yilmaz 3-33.