Before the trip to Morgantown, WV, ERod suffered what is probably the most disappointing defeat of his High School career. As the #1 seed in the NJISAA playoffs, and the home team, the Bruins were certainly picked to win the first round playoff game vs. Clifton. However, the undisciplined Bruins took over 100 yards in penalties and had many drives putter-out inside the "red zone" which is "money time". An opportunistic Clifton Mustangs team scored the go-ahead TD with just 20 seconds remaining in the game for a 15-8 victory. It was the school's first playoff win since the 1970s, how exciting for them.
ERod admits he played poorly, missed open reads, overthrew receivers, hesitated when he should have run. He took responsibility for the loss. As any leader should. What he didn't dwell on was the two sore ankles he has played on for well over a month, and the terminal illness of his beloved grandmother in a Harlem Hospital. He has tried to block out the physical and emotional pain to continue to perform up to standard on the gridiron.
Last Friday night, he wasn't able to overcome those burdens.
