WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP (N.J.)- Kingsway clinched their second consecutive visit to Toms River North in the South Jersey Group 5 sectional title game behind a 41-14 victory over Cherokee on Friday.
Nate Maiers led the Kingsway offense with four total touchdowns which included three through the air and one on the ground as Kingsway rolled Cherokee 41-14 on Friday night. Joshua Guirguis/D2 Sports Network
Kingsway made its mark from the jump.
On the game's first drive, Cherokee coughed the ball up on a strip sack that would later set up a Nate Maiers quarterback sneak from the one-yard line to establish a 7-0 lead.
Cherokee answered back with a Kevin Pacan touchdown catch to tie the game at 7-7.
Maiers would hit Benny Liles III in stride for an 86-yard touchdown pass to take a 14-7 lead before connecting with Darrell Brown, Jr. on a 40 yard screen to extend the lead to 21-7.
Cherokee's Cameron Burti hauled in touchdown catch from Ryan Bender late in the second quarter.
Asa Moser would add a pair of field goals from 31 and 33 yards out, respectively, to continue extending the Kingsway lead. Brown added a rushing touchdown and Liles hauled in a second touchdown catch to put the finishing touches on a the Dragons' win in the sectional semifinals.
"Our kids have been in this situation before, I don't think the moment was too big for them tonight," Kingsway coach Mark Hendricks said. "My hat's off to Cherokee. They're a really good football team. But to play at our place is really tough for opposing teams. Our fans create a great environment at our games, especially the student section."
Kingsway will matchup with Toms River North for the second year in a row in the sectional final. Last year's game ended on a last second touchdown pass from Nate Maiers to Luke Van Brill in a 21-14 thriller in favor of the Dragons.
"There's a bit of a small rivalry between us and Toms River North," Hendricks said. "It started in 2017 in a crossover game and ever since then we've constantly crossed paths during the year."