Carson Stack calls it "assignment football."
It's every man sweating every detail on every snap.
Haddonfield played that style to perfection Saturday, rolling to a 35-0 victory over Paulsboro in a Colonial Conference interdivision clash of unbeatens.
"We pride ourselves on that," said Stack, Haddonfield's senior guard and inside linebacker. "Everybody does their job. We play assignment football. That's why we're so solid."
It was an imposing victory for Haddonfield (6-0), the No. 8 team in The Inquirer's South Jersey rankings.
Paulsboro (5-1) played without starting quarterback James Funk, a junior who has a sore knee. But the Red Raiders struggled up front against a bigger, stronger Haddonfield team that took command of the game after a scoreless first quarter.
"I thought we played real well in the first quarter and then the bottom sort of fell out," Paulsboro coach Glenn Howard said. "Haddonfield has a fine football club. I can't say enough about how well they played. They have no weaknesses."
Haddonfield's defense held Paulsboro to zero yards and just one first down. The Red Raiders gained 19 yards on one play - a run from the Wildcat formation by speedy junior Dimere Turner - but managed minus-19 yards on the rest of their snaps.
"They really gave us trouble up front," Howard said.
Stack and fellow inside linebacker Rob Perkins led Haddonfield's defense, along with linemen Jack Knecht, Charlie O'Neill, and Jim Cashman.
"We have a lot of confidence in our D-line and in our D-backs," Perkins said. "As a linebacking crew, it's great to play with these guys. We fly around."
Dan Ciemniecki and Chris Dengler led Haddonfield's offense.
Ciemniecki, a senior quarterback, ran 16 times for 57 yards and three touchdowns. He was 5-for-14 passing for 61 yards.
Dengler, a senior running back, ran 20 times for 189 yards and two touchdowns.
Haddonfield's offensive line of Stack, Cashman, O'Neill, Knecht, Mike DiNoia, and tight end Alex Walter appeared to wear down Paulsboro's defense over the course of the game.
The Group 2 Bulldogs appeared to exploit their size and strength advantage over the Group 1 Red Raiders.
"We had so many three-and-outs on offense that our defense got worn down," Howard said.
The dominant road victory over an unbeaten opponent with Paulsboro's rich tradition further stamped Haddonfield, the defending Group 2 champion, as a team capable of putting together a special season.
"This is a dream that we're all building," Haddonfield coach Frank DeLano said.
Haddonfield 0 14 7 14 – 35
Paulsboro 0 0 0 0 – 0
H: Chris Dengler 48 run (Matt Bhaya kick)
H: Dan Ciemniecki 11 run (Bhaya kick)
H: Ciemniecki 1 run (Bhaya kick)
H: Ciemniecki 8 run (Bhaya kick)
H: Dengler 16 run (Bhaya kick)
Contact staff writer Phil Anastasia at 856-779-3223, panastasia@phillynews.com, or @PhilAnastasia on Twitter. Read his blog, "Jersey Side Sports," at www.philly.com/jerseysidesports
