Bernards wins

Saturday's rain forced the move of the Bernards-South Hunterdon game at Olcott Field in Bernardsville to Sunday.

Both South Hunterdon and Bernards came into the game winless. South Hunterdon at 0-6 and Bernards at 0-7.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Mountaineers struck when senior Joe Travaglini returned a punt 55 yards for a score early in the second quarter. That play kind of took the air out of the Eagles' sails. Bernards and Travaglini scored again late in the half, Travaglini scoring on an 8-yard run before senior Ryan Anderson extended the lead to 18-0 to cap the second half's opening drive.

It's funny when you see a winless team look so good, and you wonder how in the world why didn't they win before. Several Bernards' players told me that coach Joe Milde had informed them that they had underachieved.

The Mountaineers lost quite a bit from last year's Colonial Hills Conference division title team. They also made the North Jersey, Section 2, Group I playoffs.

As Jim Meert, the South Hunterdon coach told me after the game, "nobody should have to go through," this kind of season. Bernards has its win. Maybe South Hunterdon will follow. The Eagles have a tough game Saturday at Dunellen before playing a consolation game, then its annual Thanksgiving Day game with Delaware Valley. Talk about tough.

Bernards plays at Somerville Friday night, then finish the season with a consolation game the weekend of Nov. 11-12.