Phil Anastasia: Woodbury shocks Paulsboro, 28-14

It was 19th century British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli who supposed said, "There are lies, damn lies and statistics."

Maybe he was a Woodbury football fan.

The Thundering Herd's leading rusher gained 34 yards Monday. Their quarterback completed three passes for 35 yards. They were outgained in the second half, 247-4.

Final score: Woodbury 28, Paulsboro 14.

"This is the best feeling in the world," Woodbury senior quarterback/defensive back Brian Purnell said. "This is the one team we've been thinking about since the first day of practice."

Statistics can be overrated in football.

Special teams can be underrated.

Paulsboro coach Glenn Howard knows that. For years and years, the Red Raiders have been renowned for their special-teams play.

That's what made Woodbury's victory in this Colonial Patriot clash such a shocker on so many levels.

It wasn't just that the Thundering Herd beat the Red Raiders for the first time since 1999. Or that they snapped a 12-game losing streak against their fiercest rivals (counting the Group 1 playoffs).

It was the way in which Woodbury won the game, with three touchdowns on special teams.

Oh, and the other, traditional touchdown? That came after a two-yard scoring drive set up by an interception.

"Horrendous," Paulsboro coach Glenn Howard said. "I can't remember the last time we made so many blunders."

Howard wasn't downplaying Woodbury's performance. In fact, the coach gave the Thundering Herd the ultimate compliment.

"I think they wanted it more than we did," Howard said.

This is one of the great rivalries in Group 1, and in Gloucester County. But the dirty little secret in recent years has been that it wasn't much of a rivalry: Paulsboro seemed to win every year, and usually in pretty comfortable fashion.

But this is a special Woodbury team. The Thundering Herd (4-1, 3-0) lost, 28-7, at Haddonfield on Sept. 17 but kicked themselves all the way home: Three times they got inside the 20-yard line and came away with zero points.

"With the skill people we have on this team, we felt like we could match up with anybody," Woodbury coach Zach Valentine said.

Woodbury matches up well with Paulsboro (and with Group 1 power Glassboro, too). But there was a psychological element to this series, given all those years of losing to the Red Raiders.

"We've had some kids when they've seen red they've gotten scared," Purnell said. "But this team has no fear."

It was a strange game. Woodbury defensive tackle Karon Gibson picked off a screen pass to set up the Thundering Herd at the 2. Two plays later, he scored from the 5.

Woodbury's next two touchdowns came on plays that began with Paulsboro in punt formation, and neither was a punt return. Aamir Petrose returned a fumble 48 yards for one score, and Eric Blackwell pounced on a fumble in the end zone for another after the snap sailed over Paulsboro punter Zach Greenwald's head.

The Thundering Herd's other touchdown was a 97-yard kickoff return by freshman Anthony Averett after Paulsboro (5-1, 4-1) closed to within 21-7.

"That was a huge play," Valentine.

Maybe Averett is too young to know Woodbury isn't supposed to scored three times on special teams against Paulsboro.

Maybe he's too young to know statistics don't count for much.

But like the rest of the Thundering Herd, he was more than happy to find out.

Paulsboro   0 0 6 8 - 14

Woodbury   0 14 14 0 - 28

W: Gibson 5 run (kick fail)

W: Petrose 48 fumble return (Davis pass from Purnell)

W: Blackwell recover fumble in end zone (Purnell kick)

P: Greenwald 7 run (kick fail)

W: Averett 97 kickoff return (Purnell kick)

P: Johnson 29 run (Johnson run)