Reggie Holley Scores Three TDs as Millville Knocks Off Top Seed Brick Memorial

The Thunderbolts walked into the defending champion's building as the four seed and walked out with a sixth straight sectional final. Next up is Atlantic City, and a chance at redemption.

Millville has made a habit of surviving the playoff bracket, and Friday night in the rain at Brick Memorial was another example of why. The Thunderbolts shook off an early deficit, got a huge night from their senior playmaker, and beat the top seeded and defending champion Mustangs 24–7 to book a sixth consecutive trip to the sectional title game.

Brick Memorial looked sharp early. Facing fourth and long on the opening possession, Tyler Pierce zipped a pass over the middle to Shawn Fowler to keep the drive alive, and a few plays later Fowler took a direct snap and punched it in from two yards out to finish an 80-yard drive. It was 7–0 Mustangs, and for a moment it felt like the top seed might settle in.

Millville answered before the quarter was out, and it came on one swing. Robert O'Connor found Reggie Holley behind the defense and Holley took it 64 yards for the touchdown to tie it at 7–7. The rain was coming down, the field was slick, and the Thunderbolts had just shown they could flip a game in a single snap.

Holley was the difference in the second quarter too. With Millville working off a short field, he slipped through a defender at the line, kept his feet, and ran 21 yards into the end zone to make it 13–7. Brick Memorial had a chance to respond after a big kickoff return by Fowler, but facing fourth down Pierce was dropped short of the sticks, and it was Holley again who made the stop. The Thunderbolts took over on downs.

The Mustangs found a spark of their own from an unexpected source. Freshman Zyion Weaver came up with a jaw-dropping interception of O'Connor on the far sideline, snagging it with one hand to end a Millville drive. Later in the half, with Millville looking to add before the break, Weaver picked off O'Connor a second time. Two interceptions from a freshman on a night like this kept Brick Memorial within six at halftime and showed the kind of defender the Mustangs have coming back.

The third quarter started with a turnover going Millville's way. A forced fumble by Andrew Pinnock and a recovery from Nyshon Jones gave the Thunderbolts the ball, and Holley did the rest. He got to the second level, changed gears, and ran 26 yards for his third touchdown of the night. He then took the two-point try himself and got in to make it 21–7. From there the Millville defense clamped down. Pierce tried to escape on fourth down and was sacked by Jameal Jones Jr., and the Thunderbolts defense finished the night with six sacks.

Jack Powers added a 38-yard field goal early in the fourth in difficult conditions to stretch the lead to 24–7. Brick Memorial still had chances late, and on another fourth down the ball went to Fowler, but the Thunderbolts were all over it and Holley forced the turnover on downs to seal the win.

Holley finished with 132 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 14 carries, plus two catches for 78 yards and another score, giving him 210 total yards and all three of Millville's touchdowns. He also added 10 tackles on defense and the two-point conversion. Darnell Williams chipped in 77 rushing yards on 15 carries as Millville ran for 209 as a team. Pierce completed 16 of 22 passes for 129 yards for Brick Memorial and Fowler caught 10 passes, but the Mustangs could not get back into the end zone after the opening drive.

Afterward, Holley said the team's mindset coming into the postseason was shaped by a regular season that did not finish the way it wanted. The Thunderbolts have embraced being the underdog everywhere they go, and he said the focus all week was to stay locked in at practice and carry that consistency onto the field.

Millville improves to 6-4 and now heads to Atlantic City for a rematch with the Vikings in the Central Jersey Group 4 final, looking for redemption. Brick Memorial finishes at 9-2 and ends a strong run as the top seed.