After losing most of a 21-point lead, coming up with two inspiring defensive stops in the final six minutes and locking down the victory on an interception by junior Damar Bivins with 52 seconds remaining, Freehold Borough finally was able to celebrate its first state championship. Freehold Borough, No. 12 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, held on to beat Middletown South, 21-14, in the NJSIAA/Gatorade Central Jersey, Group 3 final before 4,000 at Rutgers Stadium.

Bivins picked off a pass on fourth-and-13 from the Freehold Borough 42-yard line to secure the victory. It marked the third straight victory by Freehold Borough over its Shore Conference-Federal Division rival, including a 22-7 triumph on opening day. ``This was all about hearts and guts. Our guys didn't want to be denied, said Freehold Borough's fifth-year coach Mark Ciccotelli. ``I told our guys at halftime to get ready. Middletown South knows how to win. I knew they were going to come after us. But we had one of the best freshman that ever played here Naziyr Fisher. Not even a Thaksgiving Day loss to Colts Neck, which dropped Freehold to 10-1, could derail the team's focus. ``After we lost, we went into the gym and looked at the other championship banners for other sports, like soccer, and I told them every championship has a blemish on it, Ciccotelli said. ``Our goal from the start of the season was to win the division and the states and we did it. After Freehold used its superior speed and a big turnover to build a 21-0 lead through the first two periods, Middletown South was able to cut into the lead when quarterback Ryan Mullan hit sophomore wideout Andrew Suarez in stride down the right side for a 49-yard scoring strike just 1:12 before halftime. That cut the deficit to 21-7. In the third quarter, Middletown South possessed the ball for all but four plays over the first 10:21 of the period. It culminated with its second touchdown after Brian Benedetto blocked a Freehold punt to set up Middletown South at the Freehold 36. Five plays later, Mullan hooked up with end Sean Campbell on a perfect pass down the middle to cut it to 21-14 with 1:39 left in the third period. Early in the fourth quarter, Middletown South had its best chance, going 66 yards in five plays, including a 40-yard pass from Mullan to Suarez down the left sideline that brought it to the 5 with eight minutes left. An ill-timed pitch from Mullan to halfback Chris Bunge lost 13 yards on first down. Two plays later, Mullan hit Campbell for 8 yards to the six, but on fourth-and-goal, Mullan's pass to the right side of the end zone for Suarez was too long. Freehold got one first down and punted to its 49 with 3:29 remaining. A 4-yard end run by Suarez earned a first down at the Freehold 39. A run and two incompletions forced a fourth-down pass to the 25 that Bivins neatly intercepted. ``I was reading the quarterback's eyes the whole way, said Bivins, who has four interceptions this season. ``As soon as his hand came off the ball, I went right to the spot. The key for us all day was not letting them run inside the tackles. Freehold Borough set the tone on its first play from scrimmage when quarterback Nick Tyson, who completed nine of 15 passes for 140 yards and gained 60 yards rushing on 13 carries, found senior wideout Gerry Plescia for 45 yards down the right side to the 4-yard line. Two plays later, Tyson snuck over from the 2 behind guard Daniel Barrow and tackle Brandon Weiss for a 7-0 lead. Freehold mounted a 58-yard, 10-play march late in the period. A 17-yard gain on a pitch to senior Frank Nicosia brought it to the 3. Tezzy Thorpe gained 2 yards before Tyson, who sat out last season with a neck injury, again sneaked over, this time from the 1, for a 13-0 lead at the 0:47 mark. Freehold made it 21-0 after lineman Ryan Solley recovered a fumble on the Middletown South 34. A 14-yard pass on the right side from Tyson to Brandon Brown put it on the 1 and Thorpe cracked over right guard with 2:45 left in the half. ``Losing on Thanksgiving only hurt our record. It didn't hurt us spiritually, Bivins said. ``It was a wakeup call that made us stronger. The loss ended a 10-game winning streak for Middletown South, which last won a championship in 2006. ``We made too many mistakes. You can't turn the ball over three times, with two fumbles and a pickoff, Middletown South coach Steve Antonucci said. ``We got here. It's where we wanted to be. We lost to a good football team with a lot of speed. Their quarterback was the difference today.

                            1st   2nd   3rd   4th   Final

Freehold Borough (11-1) 14 14 0 0 28 Middletown South (10-2) 0 7 7 0 14 First Quarter Freehold Borough: Nick Tyson 2 run (Gerry Plescia kick)

Freehold Borough: Nick Tyson 1 run (Gerry Plescia kick) Second Quarter Freehold Borough: Tezzy Thorpe 1 run (Gerry Plescia kick) Naziyr Fisher 83 yard TD interception return

Middletown South: Andrew Suarez 49 pass from Ryan Mullan (Dan Kahn kick) Third Quarter Middletown South: Sean Campbell 11 pass from Ryan Mullan (Dan Kahn kick)

                   Middletown South       Freehold Borough

First Downs Rushes-Yards - - Passing Comp-Att-Int -- -- Punts - - Fumbles-Lost - - Penalties-Yards 2006-2007 Football Season