GLASSBORO (N.J.) - Coming off of back-to-back wins over Salem County foes, the Pleasantville High School football team was in search of a third consecutive victory.
The Greyhounds secured another triumph over Glassboro, 20-14, led by Ahmad Jones' two touchdowns on Friday night.
Pleasantville's Ahmad Jones completed 10 passes out of 14 pass attempts for 82 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Greyhounds defeated Glassboro, 20-14, at Glassboro High School in Glassboro, New Jersey on Friday, September 15, 2023. Chris Baker/D2 Sports Network
Pleasantville blocked a punt on defense to set up its next drive in the red zone. Jones hit Julius Townsel for a seven-yard touchdown to put the Greyhounds on the scoreboard first.
Jones connected with Townsel again from the same distance to extend the lead before Glassboro answered back.
Freshman Xavier Sabb took the ensuing kickoff 78 yards to the end zone to cut the deficit to a touchdown.
Kwalil Shepperson extended the Greyhounds lead with a 20-yard scamper into the end zone after breaking a few tackles to make it a two-score game again.
Glassboro inched closer with a touchdown pass from Kristopher Foster to Sabb, but ultimately fell just short.
The community is a huge factor behind the scenes for Pleasantville football. Players like Rutgers' Mo Toure, Villanova's Elijah Glover, and Sacred Heart's Ernest Howard set the standard about half a decade ago for the current generation of Greyhounds.
"Those guys set the bar for us and we've underachieved after their time," Pleasantville coach Malachi Timberlake said. "We want to not only reach that bar, but exceed it and make our own history."
Timberlake and his coaching staff have also tried to instill a mindset into their players to aim to dominate the team in front of them.
"We want to win every game 50-0," Jones said. "We feel confident in ourselves that every week we can impose our will on our opponents."
Despite falling short, Glassboro coach Timmy Breaker found the glass to be half full for his young team.
"We've got a very young team," Breaker said. "We made mistakes today that can't happen at any level, but we also made some mistakes that the youth on our team can learn from.
"They've had so much success with winning at the youth level that the kids coming into high school haven't felt adversity yet. Losing hurts but it's something we can learn from moving forward."