Braves Edge Mustangs in Tight Contest

It may have been a little sloppy at times, but rest assured, Absegami's players and coaches are satisfied coming away with a 'W'.

The Braves took another step in the right direction after Friday night's thrilling 27-20 victory over Mainland. Running back David Hood was on full display again for all to see, piling up 130 yards on 17 carries and a 2nd-quarter TD run. Fellow Braves running back Maurice Hubbard added a 25-yard touchdown reception in the same quarter, and blew the game open after a 3-yard TD run in the second half.

Despite battling back through the standout performances of Mainland quarterback Ty Mindish and wide receiver James Brennan, it was the Braves who held on late in the 4th quarter to earn the win.

Here are some of Friday night's best calls from Linwood, as heard live on 97.3 ESPN-FM:

Dean Deveney's 70-yd TD reception from QB Ty Mindish

David Hood's 13-yd touchdown run

Maurice Hubbard's 25-yd touchdown reception off a deflection

James Brennan's 9-yd TD reception from QB Ty Mindish

Here’s a preview of some of the other interviews from this week’s edition of the South Jersey Sports Report:

• St. Joseph head football coach Paul Sacco explains what his team learned after a tough loss against Holy Spirit, and looks ahead to another pivotal game against another unbeaten Cape-Atlantic League team
• One South Jersey football standout is doing some big things on the football field, but he's also shored up his immediate future. We asked one young man what's working this season in Camden County, and what went into his commitment to play football at Rutgers next fall
• He's an coaching legend and arguably the most revered name in all  of professional football (heck, they named the Super Bowl trophy after the guy). The South Jersey Sports Report got a blast from the past with "Vince Lombardi" before he takes the stage at the Eagle Theater in Hammonton
• Press of Atlantic City sports writer Mike McGarry breaks down all the action in the Cape-Atlantic League, including the much-anticipated Millville-St. Joseph matchup, and why another perennial South Jersey power is proving that they're still a force to be reckoned with
• The Courier Post’s Kevin Minnick breaks down the best Friday night games from across the West Jersey Football League, including which conference favorite dodged another bullet, and which teams play in what could be the toughest division the league
• She's made the tough transition between basketball programs after her high school shut down. We spoke in studio with Cape-Atlantic League all-star Kennedy Johnson about her new start at Wildwood Catholic, and found out why her commitment to a Big Ten basketball school is causing a little rivalry inside the Johnson household

Listen to this week's show:

Kevin Minnick, Courier Post sports writer

David Willis, the star of the hit show "Lombardi" at Hammonton's Eagle Theatre

Paul Sacco, St. Joseph Wildcats head football coach

Mike McGarry, Press of Atlantic City sports writer

Kennedy Johnson, Wildwood Catholic senior & Michigan State commit

Adonis Jennings, Timber Creek senior wide receiver & Rutgers commit

We’d also like to congratulate the South Jersey Athlete of the Week:

Ronald Williams

Football, Bridgeton

The senior quarterback picked apart CAL National Conference rival Cedar Creek throughout a 38-7 win. Williams completed 10 of 13 pass attempts for 163 yards and three touchdowns. Bridgeton's signal caller also added a touchdown pass and a successful two-point conversion in the Bulldogs' 39-0 rout of Ocean City.

It’s all right here, on The South Jersey Sports Report. Listen every Saturday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on 97.3 ESPN-FM or 973espn.com. Don’t forget to miss Tyler on Thursday Night Live where each week we take the South Jersey Sports Report on the road at a different local establishment in our area, with the spotlight on high school football.

And 97.3 ESPN-FM has you covered every Friday night from 6-7 p.m. for “Countdown to Kickoff”, followed by our live coverage of one of the area’s best games. It all wraps up with our post game at 10 p.m.

Follow Tyler Donohue on Twitter @TDsTake