Washington Township High School
Football History
(This New Jersey School is located in the Sewell
section of Washington Township, in Gloucester County)

Recaps of Playoff Games (Top of Page)
Details of Conference/League Championship Seasons (Bottom of Page)

  Details obtained from stories in the Philadelphia Inquirer
and Camden Courier-Post.

To reach Ted Silary -- tedtee307@yahoo.com


Note: The playoffs involving Washington Township included four teams through 1996. They expanded to eight teams in 1999.

1982
GROUP 4
SEMIFINAL
At Bricktown
  Brick Township 16, Washington Township 13: The teams combined for three TDs over the final 4:15 and the Minutemen posted two -- 48-yard dash by Glenn Albertson, 1-yard sneak by Kevin Long. Alas, on the game's final play Fred Bianculli was a shade short with a 46-yard field goal attempt.

1987
GROUP 4
SEMIFINAL
At Cherry Hill East
  Washington Township 12, Cherry Hill East 6: Two weeks after losing to this same opponent, 29-8, in the regular season, WT claimed victory with 21 seconds left as Chris Tillison (15-91) turned a counter reverse into a 27-yard TD. Geno Colongo's fumble recovery set up the drive; he'd scored WT's first TD on a 1-yard rush.
FINAL
At Toms River South
  Washington Township 34, Toms River South 19: Tom Brown became the first South Jersey coach to win championships at two schools (four at Grop 1 Paulsboro) as WT stunned the unbeaten Indians. Ralph Ross rushed 11 times for 123 yards and two TDs. Geno Colongo (12-95), Chris Tillison (17-81) and QB Dave Koerner (a 47-yarder) added one apiece.

1989
GROUP 4
SEMIFINAL
At Cherokee
  Washington Township 13, Cherokee 10:
Darren Riley recovered a blocked punt by Devon Burt to set up the game's first TD, a run by Brian Scavetta, and scored the second on his own short run. He finished with 116 yards on 31 carries. Matt Shultz and Wyatt Wilson made key interceptions.
FINAL
At Washington Township
  Brick Township 13, Washington Township 12: The second of Darren Riley's two TD runs moved WT within 13-12 in the third quarter, but the conversion pass was intercepted. The Minutemen's final possession advanced to Brick's 31.

1991
GROUP 4
SEMIFINAL
At Washington Township
  Toms River North 10, Washington Township 7: WT lost this one on a 27-yard field goal as time expired. Jim Colongo ran 53 yards for the Minutemen's TD.

1992
GROUP 4
SEMIFINAL
At Washington Township
  Washington Township 41, Eastern 12:
Jim Colongo rushed 19 times for an even 200 yards and two scores while Tim Huckel passed for two six-pointers. Eastern did not rack up a first down until 7:30 remained in the third quarter.
FINAL
At Washington Township
  Washington Township 20, Brick Township 6: The Minutemen capped their first 11-0 season even though the offensive production was minimal -- no passing yards, just 63 total yards for top rushers Mike Koerner (two TDs, one on a 61-yard punt return) and Jim Colongo.

1993
GROUP 4
SEMIFINAL
At Washington Township
  Washington Township 48, Pemberton 0:
Aside from turning 23 carries into 92 yards and four TDs, Mike Koerner made four snags for 82 yards and added a conversion catch. The romp began when Mike Colavita recovered a fumble and scored four plays later on a pass from Chris Engelhart.
FINAL
At Cherokee
  Cherokee 16, Washington Township 6: The Minutemen, who had been averaging 39.9 points, waved bye-bye to a 21-game winning streak while being held to 77 yards and four first downs. Mike Koerner, who scored on a 58-yard punt return, finished the season with 200 points.

1994
GROUP 4
SEMIFINAL
At Cherokee
  Cherokee 29, Washington Township 14:
WT was dominated in yardage (331-100) and first downs (19-6). Pete Ferris rushed for two TDs.

1995
GROUP 4
SEMIFINAL
At Washington Township
  Washington Township 19, Eastern 0:
Phil Pleasant ran for three scores and notched the first two 34 seconds apart in the second quarter.
FINAL
At Giants Stadium
  Washington Township 17, Shawnee 9: One week after returning to action from a sprained ankle, Pete Ferris carried 22 times for 156 yards and three TDs as the Minutemen won their second South Jersey title in four years (and third in nine). Joe Kraus and Phil Pleasant helped to protect the lead with second half interceptions.

1996
GROUP 4
SEMIFINAL
At Ocean City
  Ocean City 45, Washington Township 7: The Minutemen were scorched for 427 yards and surrendered the first 39 points. In the fourth quarter, Phil Pleasant's 3-yard run ended OC's shutout bid.

1999
GROUP 4
QUARTERFINAL
At Jackson
  Jackson 10, Washington Township 9: WT scored on Jim Lawson's field gaol and Kevin Maguire's 1-yard sneak with 5:55 remaining. Alas, Lawson's PAT was blocked.

2000
GROUP 4
QUARTERFINAL
At Lenape
  Washington Township 23, Lenape 14:
The Minutemen avenged a 26-25 defeat to Lenape by scoring the final 17 points. Mike D'Andrea's rushing score put WT ahead for good with 45 seconds left in the second quarter. Fred "Von" Bryant ran for two TDs.
SEMIFINAL
At Washington Township
  Shawnee 21, Washington Township 7: Mike D'Andrea capped WT's 11-play, 80-yard scoring drive by bulling in from the 1.

2001
GROUP 4
QUARTERFINAL
At Washington Township
 
Washington Township 34, Toms River North 7: Steve Ramick rushed for the first two TDs while Steve Koerner ran 57 yards for one and fired a 31-yard pass for another.
SEMIFINAL
At Washington Township
  Cherokee 13, Washington Township 6: Steve Koerner tallied for WT on a 40-yard keeper. Cherokee had dropped the teams’ regular season meeting by 21-0.

2002
GROUP 4
QUARTERFINAL
At Washington Township
  Washington Township 35, Jackson 20: David Darby and Ryne Cantwell contributed two TDs apiece as the Minutemen coasted. Darby, the wingback, did so on his only two touches – a 71-yard run and a 22-yard pass from Sal Calaciura.
SEMIFINAL
At Washington Township
  Washington Township 17, Winslow Township 14: Shaun Logan’s 27-yard field goal, which provided a 10-6 lead, wound up making the difference. David Darby earned the game’s first and last TDs on passes from Sal Calaciura. Linebackers Chris Niszczak and Hugh D’Imperio paced the defense.
FINAL
At Washington Township
  Shawnee 14, Washington Township 10: WT could not maintain the momentum it displayed while claiming a 10-0 halftime lead; it earned just one first down thereafter. An interception by Hugh D’Imperio set up Shaun Logan’s field goal and a fumble recovery by Justin Deal preceded Dan Holmes’ 4-yard TD run.

2003
GROUP 4
QUARTERFINAL
At Shawnee
  Washington Township 21, Shawnee 9: Jesse Cooper rushed for WT’s first two TDs and Sal Calaciura repped the defense with a 37-yard interception return. Shawnee had triumphed in the teams’ three previous games.
SEMIFINAL
At Washington Township
  Washington Township 49, Absegami 7: Tom Brown (57 in seven seasons at Paulsboro, 143 in 19 at WT) became the third South Jersey coach to bag 200 wins as Jesse Cooper rushed for four TDs and Sal Calaciura (6-for-9, 121 yards) passed for two more.
FINAL
At Washington Township
  Eastern 14, Washington Township 7: The Minutemen could not match their regular season win over Eastern. Sal Calaciura ran eight yards for a TD, but was tackled on the 16 as the clock wound down.

2004
GROUP 4
QUARTERFINAL
At Atlantic City
  Washington Township 27, Atlantic City 14: On a cold/rainy night, fullback Ryan D’Imperio notched the game’s first TD on a pass from Kyle Terry . . . and scored the final three on rushes of 28, two (shortly after Brett Swiecinski tackled AC’s punter on the 1) and 69 yards. He finished with 181 yards on 21 totes.
SEMIFINAL
At Cherokee
  Washington Township 14, Cherokee 12: Jesse Cooper ran for the winning TD and made a that’ll-do-it interception with 1:03 remaining.
FINAL
At Shawnee
  Shawnee 26, Washington Township 13: Shawnee posted a perfect record (12-0) for the first time in the program’s 35 seasons. Also, the Renegades were the first perfect team to capture a Group 4 South Jersey crown since WT in 1992. After Shawnee posted the first 19 points, Ryan D’Imperio ran for a 4-yard score.

2006
GROUP 4
QUARTERFINAL
At Cherokee
  Cherokee 28, Washington Township 20: Brandon Colavite ran for TDs of 45 and three yards. Mike Schatzman hit paydirt from the 2. An interception with 3:37 remaining sealed the deal.

2007
GROUP 4
QUARTERFINAL
At Washington Township
  Southern Regional 21, Washington Township 7: WT experienced frustration after Skylar Robinson rushed for the game’s first touchdown.

2008
GROUP 4
QUARTERFINAL
At Washington Township
  Washington Township 28, Williamstown 24: After a lengthy discussion during two timeouts with 42.5 seconds remaining, WT decided to go for the win instead of a tie on fourth-and-two from the 4. With Nick Krauss leading the way, Brandon Colavita ran for a joy-producing TD. He finished with 78 yards -- also had a 43-yard score – and made an interception to set up the decisive six-pointer.
SEMIFINAL
At Mainland
  Mainland 45, Washington Township 10: The Minutemen had to settle for 137 yards of offense. Rusher Uriah Brickhouse (6-48, TD) led the way and Ben Palestino nailed a field goal. Mainland scored the final 24 points.

2009
QUARTERFINAL
At
Toms River
  Toms River East 28, Washington Township 13: WT had no answer for Nico Steriti, who went the old-school route by rushing 45 times – yes, 45 – for 206 yards and three TDs. Scores by Steve Hughes (rush) and Kordel McIniss (pass from Nick Valori) gave WT a 13-6 halftime lead.

2011
QUARTERFINAL
At Williamstown
  Washington Township 42, Williamstown 23: Andrew O’Neill and Julian Allen scored on fumble returns as WT left a 17-0 deficit waaaaaay behind. Plus, Tom Hildebrand completed his final seven passes for 181 yards and three scores (two to Chris Colavita).
SEMIFINAL
At Millville
  Millville 42, Washington Township 41: Again the Minutemen faced a deficit that was hardly minute – 28 points at 35-7. And again they roared back. On a run and reception, John Montesjardi scored the last two touchdowns. WT opted to go for the win, but a conversion pass was intercepted.

2012
GROUP 5
QUARTERFINAL
At Washington Township
  Southern Regional 33, Washington Township 32: Tim Hildebrand hit four receivers for one TD apiece, but the Minutemen experienced heartache when a kick that would have created a 33-33 tie went awry. SR’s Abe Gonzalez was quite the beast, rushing 39 times for 238 yards and four six-pointers.

2013
GROUP 5
QUARTERFINAL
At Cherokee
  Cherokee 51, Washington Township 0: Cherokee scored four TDs within its first 10 plays and owned a 30-0 lead 2:15 before halftime.

2015
GROUP 5
QUARTERFINAL
At Williamstown
  Williamstown 21, Washington Township 0: The Minutemen fumbled the opening kickoff and quickly fell behind for good. In all, WT was guilty of seven turnovers.

2018
GROUP 5
QUARTERFINAL
At Williamstown
  Williamstown 34, Washington Township 3: Anthony Rossi nailed a 30-yard field goal in the second quarter.

2019
GROUP 5
QUARTERFINAL
At Hillsborough
  Hillsborough 28, Washington Township 7:
The hosts scored the first 28 points and held WT to no first downs in the first half. The TD was scored by Brandon Leone on a pass from Liam Friel.

--

1970
OLYMPIC NATIONAL (5-0)
 
In season No. 7 of varsity football, the visiting Minutemen topped Eastern, 18-14, on Thanksgiving to finish perfect not only in conference play but also overall (9-0). Robyn Small, the two-year QB starter, rushed for two scores (breaking a career drought) and fired his 15th TD pass of the season. Jack Pfizenmayer added two interceptions.
1982
OLYMPIC AMERICAN (5-0)
 
Visiting WT beat Edgewood, 12-6,. to earn its first conference title in 12 years and first-ever berth in the sectional playoffs. The scores went to Kevin Long on a short keeper and Walt Dzierzgowski on a lengthy interception return (83 yards). Edgewood committed turnovers on its first four possessions.
1989
OLYMPIC AMERICAN (6-1)
 
WT suffered its setback (14-7 to Pennsauken) in OA game No. 5, but finished with a serious flourish (50-6 over winless Paul VI). The Eagles experienced mighty struggles after posting the game's first score. Rushers Damon Brown (18-156), Darren Riley (22-110), Brian Scavetta (4-106) and Rafael Soto (7-101) all topped 100 yards. WT shared the crown with Pennsauken.
1992
OLYMPIC AMERICAN (7-0)
 
One week after thumping Eastern, 41-12, in a playoff, the Minutemen largely relied on clutch defense to win the rematch, 14-7, and achieve OA perfection. In the third quarter, Jim Colongo and Mike Koerner rushed for touchdowns after interceptions by Chris Engelhart and Roy Price.
1993
OLYMPIC AMERICAN (6-0)
 
Mike Koerner ran for 170 yards and four scores -- one in each quarter; Mike Colavita went 4-for-4 on PAT -- as WT squashed Eastern, 28-0, and finished perfect in OA play for the second consecutive season. From the last five conference games in '91 through the first five in '94, the Minutemen went 21-0-2. A 21-12 loss to Eastern ended the streak.
1996
OLYMPIC AMERICAN (6-1)
 
The Minutemen fell to Lenape, 21-14, in their fourth OA game and recorded a 10-0 win over Eastern in their finale. The Vikings advanced no closer to the goal line than WT's 30 while the scores went to Pete Ferris (35-yard field goal) and Phil Pleasant (7-yard run). Though WT and Shawnee finished with matching 6-1 records, the former was awarded the title because it won the teams' head-to-head battle, 28-24.
2001
OLYMPIC AMERICAN (6-0)
 
Late in the first half, after TWO measurements confirmed that Eastern came up roughly an inch short of a first down at the 3, the Minutemen drove 97 yards in 12 plays to take a 13-10 lead. That score stood up. Steve Koerner passed 3-for-3 for 39 yards on the decisive drive and Shea Harris bulled into the end zone from the 1.
2002
BURLCO/OLYMPIC AMERICAN (7-1)
 
The Minutemen lost to Shawnee, 21-14, in their fifth conference game, but capped a 7-1 campaign by beating Eastern, 35-7, and back-doored its way to the title the next day when Winslow Township fell to Cherokee. Fullback Ryne Cantwell turned 23 carries into 159 yards and four visits to the end zone.
2006
BURLCO/OLYMPIC AMERICAN (4-2)
 
WT dropped its last two B/OA tilts -- 49-21 to Cherokee, 13-7 to Eastern -- to finish in a four-way tie for the championship. The three others were Eastern, Cherokee and Pennsauken.
2007
BURLCO/OLYMPIC AMERICAN (6-0)
 
In a winner-takes-all showdown vs. Eastern, WT rolled to 20-7 halftime lead en route to a 27-21 triumph. Skylar Robinson's 74-yard dash got things started.The next two scores were racked up by Mike Schatzman (1-yard run) and Matt Bosnjak (27-yard pass from Steve Graziano).
2015
WJFL AMERICAN (4-1)
 
WT dropped its first conference game to Cherokee, 33-13, and won its fifth and final by 28-7 over Williamstown. The Minutemen and Cherokee shared the title. Mike Piperno passed to Nick Grosso for touchdowns of 52 and 44 yards as WT bounced back from a seven-turnover mess in a playoff.