2018 Exclusive Thanksgiving Game Day Preview

facebook.com\JerseySportingNews

Volume 24 • Issue 548

JerseySportingNews.com

11/20/18 - 12/3/18

Th

FR EE

an

ks

To

Ou

rA

dv e

rti

se

rs

GAMEDAY Matchups 2018

Middletown South @ Middletown North Long Branch @ Red Bank Regional Lakewood @ Toms River South

red bank regional’s

nIGEL Mitchell

Asbury Park @ Neptune Wall Township @ Manasquan

long branch’s

Matthew Clarke

2018 Varsity Cheer Fan Favorite winners Ocean Township Cheerleaders

Page 2 Jersey Sporting News • 11/20/18 - 12/3/18

11/20/18 - 12/3/18 • Jersey Sporting News

Page 3

THANKSGIVING GAME DAY MATCHUP RED BANK REGIONAL AND LONG BRANCH BATTLE FOR TY LEWIS TROPHY FOR 96TH TIME

By John Sorce

LONG BRANCH – In one of the Shore Conference’s longest running Thanksgiving football rivalries, the Bucs of Red Bank Regional and Green Wave of Long Branch will hit the field for the 96th time on Thanksgiving morning.

Long Branch leads the all-time series, 61-31-3, and Green Wave head coach Dan George, who is in his 20th year leading the program, also played in this game three times as a player.

The two teams annually play for the Ty Lewis Memorial Trophy, which is named in honor of the former Red Bank coach who passed away in 1990 at the age of 41 after a battle with leukemia. Lewis was one of the first black head coaches in the Shore Conference, and his impact is felt on the Red Bank campus to this day.

“I still get some of those same feelings on game day that I did when I was a player,� George said. “It’s always a great way to start the Thanksgiving holiday, being out there with your players with a packed crowd and two passionate fan bases supporting their teams.�

RED BANK REGIONAL

“He was someone who during my time of play, I definitely heard so many great things about Coach Lewis then and obviously since I’ve been here, I’ve heard even more things that make me admire the man so much,� said 10th year Red Bank head coach Nick Giglio, who played his high school ball at Shore Regional. “I know what both teams are playing for. To me, as long as both teams go out there and compete hard, bring sportsmanship to the field and play for their community, at the end of the day, win or lose, we shake hands and we respect each other because we honor Ty Lewis in that regard.�

Long Branch will have the home field advantage this year, but make no mistake, both teams will have plenty of supporters in the stands. That includes alumni from both schools, and Giglio always enjoys meeting someone new who attended Red Bank every year on this day. “You get what I call the ‘fence line group’ that you get for state playoff games,�

Giglio said. “When I played in state playoff games in high school and coached them here, the stands are filled up. But you also get people who haven’t seen each other in a long time talking with one another and watching the game at the same time. That is a special thing to be a part of and it’s great because every year, I end up meeting another alumni or somebody who played in it and it’s good to get to know more about the history of the school.�

Both coaches agree that the records go out the window in this game, because there is always a blank slate each year. “It’s always a great honor and privilege to play Long Branch and to represent the Red Bank alumni each year,� Giglio said. “The records don’t really matter going into the game, because you’re playing for more than just what goes on during the season. To me, it’s about history and appreciation. The more you learn, the more you appreciate things about where we are now because of maybe what they did back then. We always talk about past, present and future with our players, and we always try to combine everyone. It’s kind of

LONG BRANCH a neat thing that we do so our players respect and enjoy hearing about past teams as well.� “I’ve always felt this game is football at its simplest and purest,� George said. “It’s a game of family and tradition. The kids always look forward to this game because they look forward to winning the trophy.�

CONTACT US

TOLL FREE: 866-998-6969 CALL ME TODAY FOR A FREE CONSULATION! If you are planning on either purchasing a new home or looking to lower your monthly payment by

t Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac seller/servicer t Closings in under 30 days with local underwriting

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ONE OF THESE BENEFITS:

$0 Closing Costs Option $0 Lender Fees (up to $825 credit) No cost appraisals (refunded at closing)*

t Conventional, FHA, USDA, VA, 203k renovation loans, jumbo and reverse mortgage programs t Extended rate locks for new construction

"E J . U ( --$ )J I 0 "EWJTPST .PSUHBHF (SPVQ --$ )JHIXBZ 0DFBO /+ /.-4 t -0"/4 64" t $PQZSJHIUÂŞ "MM 3JHIUT 3FTFSWFE 5IJT JT OPU BO PGGFS UP FOUFS JOUP BO BHSFFNFOU /PU BMM DVTUPNFST XJMM RVBMJGZ *OGPSNBUJPO SBUFT BOE QSPHSBNT BSF TVCKFDU UP DIBOHF XJUIPVU OPUJDF /+ /.-4 -0"/4 64" $ J IUÂŞ "MM 3J IU 3 E 5IJ J U GG U U J U U / U MM U JMM MJG * G UJ U E CK U U I JUI U UJ "MM QSPEVDUT BSF TVCKFDU UP DSFEJU BOE QSPQFSUZ BQQSPWBM /PU BMM QSPEVDUT BSF BWBJMBCMF JO BMM TUBUFT PS GPS BMM EPMMBS BNPVOUT 0UIFS SFTUSJDUJPOT BOE MJNJUBUJPOT BQQMZ -JDFOTFE CZ UIF /FX +FSTFZ %FQBSUNFOU PG #BOLJOH *OTVSBODF *OGPSNBUJPO QSPWJEFE CZ $PSF-PHJD * Applicant must pay for the appraisal up front and Advisors Mortgage Group will refund the cost of the appraisal at closing (up to $400)

PRESENTED BY: STEVEN MEYER President of Advisors Mortgage Group )JHIXBZ t 0DFBO /+ /.-4 t #SBODI /.-4 0GĂĽDF &YU 5PMM 'SFF 'BY &NBJM 4.FZFS!"EWJTPST.PSUHBHF DPN 8FC XXX "EWJTPST.PSUHBHF DPN

Page 4 Jersey Sporting News • 11/20/18 - 12/3/18

SHORE CONFERENCE GRIDIRON HIGHLIGHTS NJSIAA Group Quarterfinals Recap

NJSIAA Group Semifinals Recap

Central, Group 2 2-Manasquan 40, 7-Delaware Valley 21

Central, Group 2 2-Manasquan 14, 3-Cinnaminson 7

By John Sorce

By John Sorce

Senior running back Canyon Birch led the Warriors by rushing for over 150 yards and two touchdowns and senior James Pendergist had rushing and receiving touchdowns as Manasquan advanced to the semifinals. Pendergist had a 37-yard touchdown run and also caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan O'Leary, who also throw a touchdown to Riley Callahan. Senior fullback Rashid Tuddles also added a touchdown run for Manasquan, who led 33-6 at halftime.

Central, Group 3 3-Red Bank 30, 6-Allentown 13

Red Bank utilized a strong rushing attack with junior running back Makai Mickens raking up 123 yards and two touchdowns as the Bucs rallied late to overcome Allentown. Senior Nigel Mitchell also rushed for 114 yards and a pair of scores, one rushing and one receiving. He scored on the first play of the game, a 46yard rushing touchdown, and then caught a 14-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to give Red Bank a

14-13 lead. Mickens scored on a 16-yard run to make it 21-13, and then intercepted a pass to set up his own 70-yard touchdown run for a 28-13 lead. A safety by the Red Bank defense capped the scoring.

4-Holmdel 42, 5-Nottingham 0

Holmdel recorded its first playoff win since 2007 thanks to a strong ground game and dominating defensive effort. Senior running back Dean Gallo ran for 185 yards and three touchdowns and senior quarterback Jeff DeCicco also had three rushing touchdowns.

Junior running back Cameron LaMountain also ran for over 100 yards. Gallo started the night off right away with an 89-yard touchdown sprint on Holmdel's first offensive play and added another touchdown on the Hornets' second drive. A 26-yard touchdown run by DeCicco made it 21-0, and a 25-yard run by DeCicco pushed the lead to 28-0, at halftime. Holmdel's defense recorded its fifth shutout of the season.

2-Rumson-Fair Haven 28, 7-Ocean 7

With senior running back Alex Maldjian injured and unable to play, sophomore running back Johnny Volker filled in and produced 118 yards rushing and three touchdowns to help send the Bulldogs to the semifinals. Volker had touchdown runs of 11, eight and 37 yards, as the Bulldogs got out to a 21-7 halftime lead.

Rumson gained some additional breathing room in the fourth quarter when Collin Coles hit Ian O'Connor on a slant and O'Connor took it 97 yards for a touchdown. For Ocean, Trebor Pena had a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and ran for a team-high 85 yards.

Central, Group 4 1-Long Branch 42, 8-Middletown North 0

A three-yard touchdown run by senior running back Canyon Birch with 2:12 left in regulation was enough to left the Warriors past Cinnaminson and to their 19th sectional final in program history. Birch ran for 152 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries and senior James Pendergist returned a punt 33 yards for a score in the second quarter. Pendergist and senior Mike Page also had interceptions on defense.

Central, Group 3 1-Somerville 31, 4-Holmdel 20

Senior running back Dean Gallo ran for a pair of touchdowns and senior quarterback Jeff DeCicco threw a 54yard touchdown pass to John Tomasulo, but the Hornets (8-2) fell to top-seeded Somerville, bringing an end to their best season in a decade. Holmdel led, 14-10, at the half before Somerville came out of the locker room looking like a different team, scoring 21 unanswered points to pull ahead and break the game open.

2-Rumson-Fair Haven 14, 3-Red Bank 9

Junior running back Jermaine Corbett ran for 126 yards and scored two touchdowns and also had a receiving touchdown to lead the Green Wave past the Lions. Corbett had touchdown runs of five and 17 yards and also took a screen pass 15 yards for a score as Long Branch opened up a 35-0 halftime lead.

Senior quarterback Marc Dennis also tossed a nineyard touchdown to Niles Montgomery and Jah'Kwan Gordon returned an interception for a touchdown in the second half. Devyn Blount, Jarell Sherin and Luke Arnold also had interceptions as Long Branch held Middletown North to just 163 total yards of total offense in recording its fifth shutout of the season.

Junior quarterback Collin Coles threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Peter Crowley in the second quarter and an eight-yard touchdown pass to Jackson McCarthy in the fourth quarter to lead the Bulldogs over the Bucs and advance to their sixth straight sectional final. Rumson held Red Bank off the scoreboard until 9:34 left to play. Red Bank cut the lead in half on a five-yard touchdown run by Makai Mickens. The Bucs narrowed the gap even further when sophomore Nick Ferrogine blocked a punt that rolled out of the end zone for a safety, but it was too little, too late, as Rumson advanced to the sectional final. Senior running back Alex Maldjian ran for 113 yards on 17 carries to lead Rumson.

2-Middletown South 35, 7-Northern Burlington 14

Central, Group 4 1-Long Branch 47, 5-Brick Memorial 14

Senior quarterback Trevor Brey had a pair of touchdown runs and also threw a touchdown pass to Connor Ard as the Eagles topped Northern Burlington to advance to the semifinals. Brey threw a 33-yard touchdown to Ard to open the scoring and ran for touchdowns of 17 and 21 yards to give the Eagles a 21-0 halftime lead. A 41-yard score by Jamie Petrillo advanced the lead to 28-0, and Vin Condito powered in for a two-yard rushing touchdown after two Northern Burlington touchdowns. Brey finished with 121 yards rushing on 15 carries and completed 8-of-16 passes for 135 yards. Petrillo ran for 96 yards and a touchdown on eight carries and Condito ran for 61 yards as the Eagles totaled 318 yards on the ground.

Central, Group 5 5-Manalapan 14, 4-Hunterdon Central 7

A one-yard touchdown run by senior Dale Sieczkowski and the ensuing two-point conversion from quarterback Sean Kehley to tight end Alex Claro with 3:07 to play in the fourth quarter was enough to allow the Braves to advance in the playoffs on the road over Hunterdon Central. Manalapan kicked a pair of field goals in the first half, with Jack Dematteo connecting from 31 and 28 yards out.

Long Branch once again rode junior running back Jermaine Corbett, who ran for 314 yards and scored five total touchdowns as the Green Wave dominated Brick Memorial to reach the sectional final. The Mustangs nearly took a 14-13 lead into halftime, thanks to a 62yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Anthony Albanese to senior running back Jeff Lavarin, giving them a one-point lead with 35 seconds left in the first half. But Long Branch responded when senior quarterback Marc Dennis threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Niles Montgomery on the final play of the half, giving Long Branch a 20-14 halftime lead. It was all Green Wave in the second half as Corbett had touchdown runs of 29, 58, 39 and 20 yards in the second half and also added an 18-yard touchdown reception on a screen pass. Dennis also had an eight-yard touchdown run in addition to his touchdown pass to Montgomery.

3-Brick Township 42, 2-Middletown South 14

Senior quarterback Jimmy Leblo went off for Brick Township, rushing for 128 yards and four touchdowns and also

Non-Public, Group 3

3-Mater Dei Prep 35, 6-Donovan Catholic 21 Despite trailing 13-6 at the half and 21-20 with just over four minutes remaining, Mater Dei came back and defeated Donovan Catholic, 35-21. A rushing touchdown by Malik Ingram with 2:12 to play gave the Seraphs the lead, and an interception returned for a touchdown with 1:10 left gave them some breathing room as the Seraphs advanced to the state semifinals.

caught a touchdown to lead the Dragons past the Eagles to advance to the sectional final. Brick scored on its opening possession on a one-yard run by Leblo and took a 14-0 lead following a Middletown South fumble as Leblo caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from junior Anthony Prato. The lead grew to 21-0 in the first quarter when Leblo sprinted for a 55-yard score and Brick extended the lead to 28-0 early in the second quarter when Leblo scored on a 16yard touchdown run. The Dragons entered the locker room with a 35-0 lead thanks to Leblo’s fourth rushing score of the night, this one going for 14 yards. A Mike McGuigan interception return for a 35-yard touchdown made it 42-0 midway through the third quarter. Tyler Cuccia returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown to get Middletown South on the board and Chris Lotito added a 1-yard touchdown run on the final play of the game.

Central, Group 5 1-Sayreville 24, 5-Manalapan 14

Junior quarterback Sean Kehley threw touchdown passes to Justin Reilly and Alex Claro, but the Braves could not overcome top-seeded Sayreville, who jumped out to a 7-0 lead when Cameron Davis caught a 34-yard touchdown pass early in the first quarter. The Bombers extended their lead to 14-0 on a six-yard run by Savin Kirksey early in the second quarter. Manalapan cut its deficit in half when Kehley threw a 26-yard touchdown to Claro with 1:14 remaining in the first half. Sayreville added seven more to its lead on a four-yard touchdown run by Kirksey with 7:15 left in the third quarter and Nick Milewski added a 25-yard field goal with 1:54 to play.

Non-Public, Group 3 3-Mater Dei Prep 28, 2-DePaul 23

Senior quarterback Rob McCoy threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Clarence Lewis with 41 seconds remaining and Tahaj Parland broke up a pass in the end zone on the game’s final play as the Seraphs stunned defending state champion DePaul to advance to their third straight state final. Mater Dei had a 14-7 halftime lead, but DePaul pulled ahead with a field goal and a touchdown to take a 17-14 lead. Mater Dei responded with a 45-yard touchdown pass from McCoy to Isaiah Alston to regain the lead, 21-17. After DePaul re-took the lead on a 24-yard touchdown catch by Sean Kelly, Mater Dei put together the winning drive that sent shockwaves through the New Jersey football landscape.

1-Red Bank Catholic 27, 5-Pope John 0

Senior quarterback Steve Lubischer accounted for two scores with a six-yard touchdown run and a 41-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Kevin Bauman to send the Caseys to their first state final since 2014. Junior running back Billy Guidetti had an 18-yard touchdown run and senior fullback Steve Cmielewski also ran for a seven-yard score. RBC will meet fellow Shore Conference opponent Mater Dei Prep in the Non-Public, Group 3 final at MetLife Stadium on Thanksgiving weekend. (See preview on page 11.)

Izaiah Henderson hopes to lead Mater Dei to Non-Public Group 3 State Title

By John Sorce

MIDDLETOWN – One of the most talked about football programs in the state of New Jersey over the past week has to be Mater Dei Prep.

After the Seraphs stunned the gridiron landscape with their 28-23 triumph over defending champion DePaul in the Non-Public Group 3 semifinal, they are just one victory away from a state title.

One of the top players on the Seraphs is senior OL/DL Izaiah Henderson, who is committed to play collegiately at Boston College, but is hoping to cap off his high school career with a championship.

Henderson arrived at the Middletown parochial school after his freshman year at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, NY, along with head coach Dino Mangiero.

“I’ve known Izaiah and his family for a long time,” Mangiero said. “It has been a pleasure getting to coach him and watch him grow as a player and a person.”

Henderson was a tight end at Poly Prep. But now standing at 6-4, 285, Henderson simply outgrew the position and focused on playing both offensive and defensive line once he arrived at Mater Dei as a sophomore.

“He just got so big that keeping him at tight end became difficult, keeping up with defenders that are quicker than he is,” Mangiero said. “He does play the line on offense, but I think his future is going to be more on the defensive line.”

That future is going to be playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) at Boston College, where he is going to focus on playing defensive. But Mangiero believes if there is a need on the offensive line at some point, Henderson could fill that role, too.

“He is going to play defensive line at Boston College. I think (Boston College head coach) Steve Addazio does a great job in bringing in guys that can play both ways, so there are options there,” Mangiero said. “I think if you ask most kids who play both ways (on the line), they would tell you they prefer to play defense because you can sack the quarterback, make plays and have a greater impact on the game. Playing on the offensive line, there is a lot of work that goes into that and it may be a tougher transition in going from offensive line to defensive line in college, because of the body type. I think he will play defensive line at Boston College, and they can always move him to the offensive line if they need to.”

Another reason for Henderson choosing Boston College is the reputation the Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts institution has for academics.

“He’s a great kid in the classroom, and that is very important to him,” Mangiero said. “He got some interest in some Ivy League schools, but I think Boston College is the perfect fit for him. He gets to play football in one of the top conferences in the country in the ACC, and Boston College still has great academics. I think there are only a handful of schools where you can truly experience both, and Boston College is one of them. He’s excited to get up there.”

Mater Dei, now 10-1 on the season and a perfect 5-0 in the Shore Conference Patriot Division, awaits Red Bank Catholic for the Non-Public Group 3 state title on Saturday. The defense has stepped up this year as three of their

MATER DEI’S #77 IZAIAH HENDERSON Photos by: Eugene Stewart 10 victories were shutouts, and they held their opponents to eight points or less in four other contests. While excited about his team’s success, Mangiero deflected all the credit to his players.

“It’s been a great year for our program, but the players are the ones who play,” Mangiero said. “They deserve all the credit. The coaches just coach the team.”

Henderson is a big part of that, both on and off the field, and Mangiero wants it to be known that Mater Dei prides itself on preparing its students in the classroom, and are prepared for life after high school.

“We want it to be known that Mater Dei is about education first,” Mangiero said. “We want our kids to do well in the classroom and get a great education, so they can go wherever they want when they graduate. We are about education, then character, and then athletics. Izaiah is a great example of that.”

11/20/18 - 12/3/18 • Jersey Sporting News

Page 5

THANKSGIVING GAME DAY MATCHUP MANASQUAN VS. WALL 2018 EDITION – THE TIE BREAKER

By Eugene Stewart

MANASQUAN – Two schools, two towns, forever connected, supremely motivated and on Thanksgiving Day, bitter rivals who in many cases live and play less than five miles apart, come together with one goal in mind – Break the Tie! Manasquan vs. Wall is a Turkey Day rivalry dating back 19 years to two well known coaching names in Shore Conference folklore – the legendary Vic Kubu and Chris Barnes. This year, one of these teams will break the 9-9 tie, claim the Superintendent’s Trophy for a tenth time and walk away with bragging rights both coaches recognize “the boys will brag about at the beach” during the upcoming summer of 2019.

Last year’s game saw Manasquan senior defensive back Tommy Antonucci rush for two touchdowns and play shut down defense as Manasquan put on a show in a 20-6 win over Wall. The excitement that flowed from a Manasquan team that for three years prior had come up empty on Thanksgiving Day, made the feast of the harvest that much better.

For 2018, let’s preview the two teams, their strengths, composition, recap their season and see what remains for the balance of the season.

The Crimson Knights come into this year’s contest with a 5-3 record after a tough loss to Timber Creek Regional, 28-33, in a first round Central Jersey Group III home playoff game on Nov. 2. Wins over Lakewood, Lacey, Marlboro, Southern Regional and Neptune helped propel the Knights into that playoff game.

Led by senior captains quarterback Dylan Richey, tight end Tanner Powers, and offensive linemen Joe Fardella and Brady Scott, the Crimson Knights balance their squad with three freshmen and three sophomores who also start for second-year head coach Tony Grandinetti.

“Were in a good place” said Grandinetti, with senior leadership and the youngsters making an impact at such an early age. “It’s a rivalry the boys look forward to. The communities are close, the kids are close, many played Youth Football together, so we look forward to Thursday.”

Three other standouts for Wall are sophomores running back Casey Larkin and wide receiver Logan Peters, as well as freshman inside linebacker Charlie Sasso, who leads the team in tackles.

Wall’s three losses this season came at the hands of Jackson Memorial, Long Branch (CJ Group IV finalist) and Timber Creek Regional (SJ Group III semifinalist).

The Warriors have their own plans on how to break the tie.

Manasquan’s 25-year assistant, and eight year head coach Jay Price has his team firing on all cylinders at the right time of year, with an 8-1 record and representing the Shore Conference as one half of the Central Jersey Group II playoff final against Hillside this past Saturday.

(See game story on page 12.)

Led on offense by seniors Canyon Birch – a 1000-yard rusher at tailback, and fullback Rashid “Scooby” Tuddles, the Warriors look to control the clock and the ground with this one-two punch.

Defensively, the Warriors are led by defensive back James Pendergist and defensive lineman Alec Wells.

A senior heavy squad – of 22 starters, 18 are seniors – Squan is looking to close out this campaign with two wins in six days and its second consecutive Thanksgiving Day win versus its rival in the Crimson Knights.

WALL An undefeated season until week six, the Warriors’ only loss this season was to Mater Dei Prep, while chalking up wins against Point Pleasant Boro, Neptune, Raritan, Monmouth Regional, Colts Neck and Ocean Township. Playoff wins over Delaware Valley and Cinnaminson put Manasquan in the battle for 2018 CJ Group II supremacy. Currently riding a three-game winning streak, Manasquan will look to keep the string alive.

As Wall travels to Manasquan, look for an exciting game as both teams have playmakers on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Thursday morning at 11:00 a.m. at the Vic Kubu Warrior Field, a football tradition far beyond the 19 years this rivalry was formalized on Turkey Day, will be on display.

MANASQUAN

To the winner go the spoils. Many of the young men on both sides are as close as the communities they represent. The bragging rights gained from a victory on Thursday will be discussed long into the summer at the beach with one difference, the young men will still be friends and associates and the 9-9 tie will be broken.

Good luck to both teams!

Page 6 Jersey Sporting News • 11/20/18 - 12/3/18

LONG BRANCH HOLDS OFF BRICK TO WIN FIRST BACK-TO-BACK STATE TITLES IN SCHOOL HISTORY

By Mike Ready

LONG BRANCH – It’s been 45 years since Long Branch and Brick met on the football field, but after Friday night’s nail-biting, down-to-the-wire 21-14 Long Branch win, it would be a shame if it took that long for these two Shore Conference powers to meet again.

The victory over third-seeded Brick gives topseeded Long Branch its first back-to-back sectional titles in the history of this storied program and as the Central Jersey Group IV champions, it also punches its ticket to one of the new NJSIAA bowl games that were implemented this season.

The Green Wave (10-1) will now play South Jersey Group IV champ Shawnee, which also repeated as champions with a 17-14 winner over Clearview, in two weeks at MetLife Stadium.

“We wanted to make history,” said Long Branch’s two-way, 305-pound lineman Kevin Cerruti, who intercepted a tipped screen pass and returned it three yards for a touchdown for what turned out to be the game’s biggest play.

On Brick’s first possession of the second half with the score knotted at 7-7, Dragons junior quarterback Anthony Prato attempted a screen pass that was tipped by Long Branch defensive tackle Imir Durant. The ball then fluttered right into the path of a charging Cerruti, who plucked it out of the air and rumbled three yards into the end zone for a 14-7 lead less than a minute into the second half.

“This is most incredible thing that’s ever happened to me, honestly,” said a jubilant Cerruti. “I never dreamed of catching a touchdown, ever. It’s the greatest feeling of my life. Our sideline was electric with everyone cheering and I’ll never forget this for the rest of my life.”

“I’m calling everyone I can,” said Long Branch head coach Dan George, gushing about Cerruti.

“This kid is a big-time football player. Nobody uses his hands better than him. He never walks off the football field. He’s 6-foot-4, 305 pounds, and he’s running around tackling No.8 (Brick’s Jimmy Lebo) on stretch and batting balls down and catching the ball on a screen. Who does that?”

Long Branch added to its lead on its next possession to make it a 21-7 game, but the game was far from over with a team as talented as Brick gunning

“We knew what we were up against. We knew these guys were playing their best football at the right time,” said George, praising Brick’s effort. “They were confident and their whole world revolved around winning that ring. This group has been together since they were sophomores and we knew they were coming for that ring. I’m just so proud of our defense, we shut down the run and we managed the pass.”

for its first state title since 2014.

Following Cerruti’s big play and the score now 14-7, Brick took over at their own 24-yard line and went nowhere. Long Branch forced a three-and-out thanks to a Luke Arnold tackle of Leblo for a three-yard TFL on third-and-4 from the 30.

A bad snap forced a hurried punt by Prato that sailed out of bounds at the Long Branch 48yard line with the Green Wave taking over.

On first down, Long Branch quarterback Marc Dennis ran 21 yards up the middle on a keeper almost breaking it all the way were it not for Prato’s diving shoe-string tackle from behind.

On third-and-eight from the 29, Dennis found senior wide receiver Matt Clarke on a slant for 15 yards and a first down at the 14-yard line. Star running back Jermaine Corbett, who scored on a 77-yard run on the second play of the game to give Long Branch an early 7-0 lead, took a handoff and side-stepped a blitzing Joey Carchio to avoid a loss before breaking it down the right sidelines to the one-yard line. Dennis then ran it in on the next play to push the lead to 21-7 with 6:14 left in the third quarter.

Down 7-0 early in the game after Corbett’s long run, Brick tied it up with 5:30 remaining in the first half on a six play, 48-yard drive that ended with Prato connecting with senior wide receiver Cole Groschel for a 24-yard score.

With the Brick defense keying on Corbett and making him pay for every yard he gained, Long Branch turned to Dennis in its running game and the elusive QB ran for 102 yards on 19 carries while Corbett picked up 125 yards rushing on 14 attempts with 77 of those yards coming on his first quarter touchdown.

Long Branch held Brick to 107-yards rushing on 37 attempts for a 2.9 yard per carry average.

However, with eight senior starters on both sides of the ball, Brick was not about to lay down and go out without a fight and on Long Branch’s next possession they got the break they needed.

Thanks to Long Branch’s bend-but-don’t-break defense the rest of the way, that was as close as Brick would get as the defense made the big stops when they needed it most.

On third-and-2 from their own 37, Corbett coughed up the ball after being hit by Leblo in the backfield and the Dragons took over the Long Branch 40-yard line.

On Brick’s final two drives of the game, Long Branch foiled two 12-play drives that ended in fourth-down incompletions.

Senior Joey Carchio then took the ball on a jet sweep on first down, stopped and tossed a 34yard pass that Groschel had to leap over two defenders to make the catch at the six-yard line.

Two plays later Leblo ran it in from three-yards out and the Dragons were within one score of tying.

“They have incredible playmakers,” said Dennis.

“Leblo, Cole, they’re ridiculous. On the sideline after they scored and made it 21-14, I brought the all the defensive backs in and told them, ‘This is our house. We’re not letting no one come back on us like this.’”

With 7:04 left in the game, the Dragons took over at the nine-yard line following a Long Branch punt and methodically drove to their own 45-yard line overcoming a holding penalty with the longest play of the drive being a 12-yard pass.

On first down from the 45, junior defensive tackle Tracey Taylor Jr. stopped Leblo for a four-yard TFL setting up a second-and-14 at the 41-yard line.

A Leblo-to-Groschel pass fell incomplete on second down, then on third and fourth downs Cerruti pressured the quarterback into incompletions on deep balls that the secondary had eyes on the whole way.

Brick’s quarterbacks completed just 10-of-33 for 134 yards thanks to a Long Branch secondary that also picked off a pass.

Long Branch then took over at the 41; Corbett ran for nine yards on third down to the 32-yard line coming up just inches short of a first down. Electing to go for the first, Dennis was stopped on a quarterback sneak up the middle by a host of defenders turning the ball over to Brick giving them one last shot with 2:37 left in the game.

Prato completed an 11-yard pass to Val Grigorian on fourth-and-8 from the 34 giving Brick a first down at their own 45-yard line with 1:01 left in the game. Prato then found Leblo for eight yards on first down before a spike and an incompletion set up another fourth-down play.

On fourth-and-3, Prato hit Groschel for eight yards and another first down at the Long Branch 39-yard line. Following a spike with 27 second left, Prato was rushed out of the pocket by Taylor, who pulled Prato down after a one-yard pickup. Rushing to the line of scrimmage, Prato again spiked the ball stopping the clock with 11 seconds showing.

With enough time for one more play, Prato’s deep ball sailed over everyone’s head to end the game, sending the capacity crowd at Bresett Stadium into complete pandemonium.

“Long Branch has been playing football for a long time so for us to go back-to-back for the first time in school history is indescribable,” said George.

“Put it this way, the last time we were home in a state championship game was 1986 and we won that with my brother happening to be a captain on that ‘86 team. So it’s pretty special to do something that hasn’t been done in so many years.”

That ‘86 Long Branch team went 11-0 and is considered the best squad of all time for a program that began in 1923.

Corbett has now rushed for 1,787 yards and a conference-leading 28 touchdowns.

“It’s (Dennis’ running) something we’ve had in our back pocket but the last thing we wanted to do was to use him if we didn’t have to,” said George.

“That’s what great coaches and great teams do – take away your No. 1 option but we were able to turn the page on the play book and Marc made some good things happen.”

Brick threatened on its next possession driving to the Long Branch 29-yard line. But on third-andseven, Dennis, who had an outstanding game on defense as well as offense, made a sensational play diving for the ball and knocking it out of Groschel’s hands forcing a fourth down.

The Dragons elected to go for it on fourth down but a Prato pass down the right sidelines intended for Groschel sailed out of bounds.

LONG BRANCH Photos by: Tom Smith

Become a Lancer! 

Block Scheduling



Each student receives his/her own tablet



Early College Academy



New Advanced Mac Lab



Advanced Placement Academy



Blackboard Online Learning System



Over 33 varsity Teams



Award-winning Fine and Performing Arts Program



Over 40 Clubs and Activities



State-of-the-art Physics and Chemistry Labs

Saint John Vianney High School 540A Line Rd., Holmdel, NJ 07733 732-739-0800 www.sjvhs.org

For more information or to set up a tour contact Patti Gilmartin, gilmartin@sjvhs.org/732-739-0800 Ext. 155

11/20/18 - 12/3/18 • Jersey Sporting News

Page 7

Fan Favorite Cheerleaders

BACKSPOT • Class of 2020 Cheering for 3 years

BASE • Class of 2020 Cheering for 3 years

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Brianne Sinks

FLYER • Class of 2020 Cheering for 6 years

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Liv Gill

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Katelyn Vetrano

OCEAN TOWNSHIP FRONTSPOT • Class of 2020 Cheering for 1 year

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Amber Wantroba

FLYER • Class of 2020 Cheering for 4 years

Jenna Zakerowski

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Alannah Gomez

4th Annual

FRONTSPOT • Class of 2020 Cheering for 2 years

Page 8 Jersey Sporting News • 11/20/18 - 12/3/18

Ocean Township fans took our challenge and shared their squad with as much intensity as the girls bring to field. This year is particularly special for the OTHS cheer seniors. For you may not know, they were JSN’s first-ever Cheer Fan Favorite back in 2014. They told me that they were so proud to have the fans of Ocean Township once again come out and support them for a second win, this time in their graduating year.

Gianna Corallo

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

I would personally like to thank the ladies graduating this year. It was a pleasure working with all of you over your four-year careers. Best of luck in all your endeavors. As for the rest of the squad, best wishes,

Gabby Atchison

After 25 years of the JSN Family covering local high school varsity sports (and as a former varsity high school/NFL football cheerleader myself), I felt inspired to recognize and honor these hardworking cheerleading athletes. Knowing personally how much they sacrifice to support their football programs, it was obvious to us that we needed to showcase these amazing young women. Many schools responded to our challenge to support their cheerleaders by liking and sharing video posts of their favorite squad on JSN’s Facebook page.

Halle Krantz

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Alannah Bryant

BASE • Class of 2019 Cheering for 9 years

I am proud to announce this year’s JSN Fan Favorite: The Ocean Township Varsity Cheerleaders!

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

CAPTAIN

CONGRATULATIONS OCEAN TO

Anna DeSane

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Grace Smialek

4th Annual Fan Fav

CAPTAIN

CAPTAIN

CAPTAIN

CAPTAIN

CAPTAIN

BACKSPOT • Class of 2019 Cheering for 12 years

BASE • Class of 2019 Cheering for 10 years

BASE • Class of 2019 Cheering for 5 years

BASE • Class of 2019 Cheering for 8 years

BASE • Class Cheering for

WE OFFER

• Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeons • Pediatric Trauma - Sports Medicine

24/7 Pediatric Orthopedic Care

• Neuromuscular Disorder

732.544.9000

• Clubfoot

• Scoliosis • Hip Dysplasia

TOP DOCS 2012 - 2013 - 2014 2015 - 2016 - 2017

LAWRENCE M. STANKOVITS, MD / EVAN CURATOLO, MD 1131 Broad Street • Suite 202 • Shrewsbury, NJ 07702 3840 Park Avenue • Suite 101 • Edison, NJ 08820

www.atlanticpediatricortho.com

11/20/18 - 12/3/18 • Jersey Sporting News

and JSN will see you next year on the field cheering you on for another great season.

There is a special thank you from the ladies to all their fans that have supported them throughout the years. To see their video and the rest of the this year’s entries, go to facebook.com/jerseysportingnews.

s of 2019 12 years

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

OWNSHIP 2018 FAN FAVORITES

Julia Erhard

vorite Cheerleaders

Page 9

Congratulations Ladies!

CAPTAIN

CAPTAIN

CAPTAIN

BACKSPOT • Class of 2019 Cheering for 10 years

FLYER • Class of 2019 Cheering for 8 years

BACKSPOT • Class of 2019 Cheering for 12 years

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Brielle Schneider

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Yasmine Andino

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Leah Ledwitz

BASE • Class of 2019 Cheering for 2 years

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Emily Forgash

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Francesca Attardi Publisher, JSN

FRONTSPOT • Class of 2019 Cheering for 3 years

Happy Hour - Monday-Friday 4 - 6:30

P O E N D I N N P O E A N D G I N R N A G G R G Fan Favorite Cheerleaders 2ND LOCATION IN HOWELL SEPTEMBER 2018 2ND LOCATION IN HOWELL SEPTEMBER 2018

Page 10 Jersey Sporting News • 11/20/18 - 12/3/18

4th Annual

P O E N D I N N A G R G

2248 US 9 South, Howell, NJ (Ideal Plaza) • 732-966-3441

2ND LOCATION IN HOWELL SEPTEMBER 2018

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

P O E N D ING N From Basics to Champions A R G

2ND LOCATION IN HOWELL SEPTEMBER 2018

Danni Horowitz

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Victoria Bahary

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Mikayla Castillo

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Mia Canavan

2248 US 9 South, Howell, NJ (Ideal Plaza) • 732-966-3441 2248 US 9 South, Howell, NJ (Ideal Plaza) • 732-966-3441

CHEERLEADING P O E N D I N NG TEAMS A R G

2248 US 9 South, Howell, NJ (Ideal Plaza) • 732-966-3441

P O E NING D N A R G P O E N D INGSEPTEMBERDETAILS N A R 2ND LOCATION IN HOWELL 2018 G 2ND LOCATION IN HOWELL SEPTEMBER 2018 P O E From Basics to Champions D ING Champions AN Basics toN GRFrom

BASE • Class of 2020 Cheering for 11 years

BASE • Class of 2020

FLYER • Class of 2020

BASE • Class of 2021

2ND LOCATION IN HOWELLCheering SEPTEMBER 2018 Cheering for 3 years for 6 years Cheering for 5 years CALL FOR

BACKSPOT • Class of 2021 Cheering for 11 years

BASE • Class of 2021 Cheering for 4 years

© George Tiedemann/GT Images.

G N I N E P ND OPENIND O G G R AN

© George Tiedemann/GT Images.

CHEERLEADING CHEERLEADING TEAMS TEAMS From Basics to Champions CALL FOR CHEERLEADING P O E N D CALL FOR I N N A G R G DETAILS 2 0 1HOWELL 8 TEAMS ber CHEERLEADING m e t p DETAILS 2ND LOCATION IN SEPTEMBER 2018 e S l l e 4 4 3 1 6 6 2248 US 9 South, Howell, NJ (Ideal Plaza) • 732-966-3441 9 TEAMS CALL FOR 2 w o N IN HOWELL SEPTEMBERn2018 aza) • 73 to Champions l H P l From Basics a e CALL FOR DETAILS 2(Ideal Howell, NJ From Basics to Champions tion iowell, NJ (Id nd LPlaza) oca• 732-966-3441 2248 US 9 South, Howell, NJ (Ideal Plaza) • 732-966-3441 From Basics to Champions

FLYER • Class of 2022 Cheering for 1 year

HOME OF USAIGC LDHOME CHAMPIONS HOME USAIGC OFOF USAIGC

Basics to Champions

Special Olympics National Champion

CHEERLEADING TEAMS CALL FOR DETAILS

Morgan Hulteen

Fr

Special Olympics SpecialSpecial Olympics Champion Special Olympics OlympicsNational National Champion National Champion Morgan National Champion Special Olympics Morgan

© George Tiedemann/GT Images.

CHEERLEADING TEAMS CALL FOR DETAILS From Basics to Champions

© George Tiedemann/GT Images.

DETAILS

2248 US 9 S

© George Tiedemann/GT Images.

Ho 2248 US 9 South,

© George Tiedemann/GT Images.

N IN G E P O

© George Tiedemann/GT Images.

G R AND

2ND LOCAT

FRONTSPOT • Class of 2022 Cheering for 1 year

DETAILS CHEERLEADING CHEERLEADING From Basics to Champions TEAMS TEAMS From Basics to Champions CALL CALL FOR FOR CHEERLEADING P DETAILS O E N D DETAILS I N 2 0 r N 1 e TEAMS 8 b A CHEERLEADING m G e R t p G ll Seza) • 732-966-3441 TEAMS e CALL FOR w o 2ND LOCATION IN HOWELL SEPTEMBERn2018 la H P l a e i CALL FOR DETAILS 2(Ideal 2248 US 9 South, Howell, NJ From Basics to Champions tion well, NJ (Id nd LPlaza) oca• 732-966-3441 H 2248 US 9 South,

GR A © George Tiedemann/GT Images.

2ND LOCATION IN HOWELL SEPTEMBER 2018

2

© George Tiedemann/GT Images.

2248 US 9 South, Howell, NJ (Ideal Plaza) • 732-966-3441

2248 US 9 South, Howell, NJ (Ideal Plaza) • 732-966-3441

2ND

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Sophia Ledwitz

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Emma Larkin

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Olivia Schwab

OCEAN TOWNSHIP

Maddie Fisher

2248 US 9 South, Howell, NJ (Ideal Plaza) • 732-966-3441

National Champion Morgan Hulteen HOME OF USAIGC Morgan Hulteen HOME OF USAIGC Morgan Special Olympics HOME OF USAIGC WORLD CHAMPIONS 6 World Champs 10 Titles (2018) Hulteen CHEERLEADING WORLD CHAMPIONS Hulteen Hulteen Special OlympicsNational Champion TEAMS WORLD CHAMPIONS WORLD CHAMPIONS WORLD CHAMPIONS CALL10 FORTitles National Champion Morgan 6 World Champs 10OF Titles 6 World Champs HOME USAIGC Morgan HOME OF USAIGC DETAILS Champs 10 TitlesHulteen Morgan Hulteen 6 World Champs 10USAIGC Titles6 World HOME OF Morgan HOME OF USAIGC WORLD CHAMPIONS 6 World Champs 10 Titles (2018) Hulteen WORLD CHAMPIONS OPEN ENROLLME Hulteen OPEN ENROLLMENT WORLD CHAMPIONS OPEN ENROLLMENT 3601 SUNSET AVE., ASBURY PARK,PARK, NJWORLD SUNSET AVE., ASBURY NJCHAMPIONS OPEN ENROLLMENT © George Tiedemann/GT Images.

Special Olympics National Champion

Special Olympics National Champion

OPEN ENROLLMENT HOM NOW 10% DISCOU OPEN ENROLLMENT 732-918-2400 NOW 10% DISCOUNT FOR EARLY BIRD TUITION EARLYENROLLMENT BIRD TUITION WWW.ACEGYMNJ.COM 732-918-2400 NOW 10% DISCOUNT WWW.ACEGYMNJ.COM OPEN ENROLLMENT 732-918-2400 3601 SUNSET AVE., ASBURY PARK, NJFOROPEN OPEN ENROLLMENT WORLD OPEN GYM!

BY AUGUST 20THTUITION OPEN ENROLLMENT BY AUGUST 20TH 3601 SUNSET AVE., ASBURY PARK, NJ NOW 10% DISCOUNT FOR EARLY BIRD NOW 10% DISCOUNT HOME OF FOR EARLY BIRD TUITI 732-918-2400 3601 SUNSET AVE., ASBURY PARK, NJ 732-918-2400 FOR EARLYNOW BIRD TUITION WWW.ACEGYMNJ.COM WWW.ACEGYMNJ.COM WWW.ACEGYMNJ.COM NOW 10% DISCOUNT 732-918-2400 10% DISCOUNT FOR EARLY BIRD TUITION FOR EARLY BIRD TUITION 6 Wo Check Website for Dates 732-918-2400 NOW 10% DISCOUNT 732-918-2400 BY AUGUST 20TH WORLD CHAM BY AUGUST 20TH BY AUGUST 20TH FULL GYMNASTICS/TUMBLING

BY AUGUST 20TH BY AUGUST 20TH FOR EARLY BIRD- $15 TUITION EARLY BIRD TUITION $12FOR members guest FOR EARLY BIRD TUITION WWW.ACEGYMNJ.COM Morgan WWW.ACEGYMNJ.COM WWW.ACEGYMNJ.COM FULL GYMNASTICS/TUMBLING AIGC SCHEDULE AVAILABLE 6 World Champ 360110 SUNSET ASBURY PARK, NJ 6 World Champs Titles10AVE., 6 World Champs Titles 3601 SUNSET AVE., ASBURY PARK, NJ NOW10 10% 6 World Champs Titles DISCOUNT 6 World Champs 10 Titles NOW 10% DISCOUNT 732-918-2400 3601 SUNSET AVE., ASBURY PARK, NJ 732-918-2400 3601 SUNSET AVE., ASBURY PARK, NJSUNSET AVE., ASBURY PARK, NJ 3601 Special Olympics

WWW.ACEGYMNJ.COM National Champion

WWW.ACEGYMNJ.COM

Special Olympics

ONS OF USAIGC HOME RLD CHAMPIONS 10 Titles 6 World Champs

Hulteen National Champion Morgan Hulteen

10 Titles

OPEN ENROLLMENT OPEN ENROLLMENT SUNSET AVE., ASBURY PARK, NJ NOW 10%NOW DISCOUNT 0 732-918-2400 10% DISCOUNT

Y PARK, NJ

WWW.ACEGYMNJ.COM OM

FOR EARLY BIRD TUITION FOR EARLY BIRD TUITION

BY AUGUST 20TH

BY AUGUST 20TH

AUGUST 20TH BYAVAILABLE AUGUSTBY 20TH MONDAY-SATURDAY SCHEDULE FULL GYMNASTICS/TUMBLING 3601 SUNS FULL GYMNASTICS/TUMBLING SCHEDULE AVAILABLE CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE OR MONDAY-SATURDAY FULL GYMNASTICS/TUMBLING FULL GYMNASTICS/TUMBLING MONDAY-SATURDAY SCHEDULE AVAILABLE CALL FOR DETAILS 3601 SUNSET AVE., A7 CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE OR CHECKMONDAY-SATURDAY OUT OURGYMNASTICS/TUMBLING WEBSITE OR SCHEDULE AVAILABLE FULL FULL GYMNASTICS/TUMBLING SCHEDULE AVAILABLE CALL FOR DETAILS 732-918CALL FOR DETAILS CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE OR WW SCHEDULE AVAILABLE MONDAY-SATURDAY SCHEDULE AVAILABLE FULL GYMNASTICS/TUMBLING CALL FOR DETAILS MONDAY-SATURDAY WWW.ACEGYM MONDAY-SATURDAY MONDAY-SATURDAY CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE OR AVAILABLE CHECK OUT OURCHECK WEBSITESCHEDULE OR OUT OUR WEBSITE CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE OR OR CALLCALL FOR DETAILS FOR DETAILS CALL FOR DETAILS CALL FOR DETAILS MONDAY-SATURDAY

BY AUGUST 20TH

FULL GYMNASTICS/TUMBLING SCHEDULE AVAILABLE MONDAY-SATURDAY

CHECK OUTOUT OUROUR WEBSITE OR CHECK WEBSITE OR CALL FOR DETAILS

11/20/18 - 12/3/18 • Jersey Sporting News

Page 11

NJSIAA NON-PUBLIC GROUP III FINAL PREVIEW: RED BANK CATHOLIC VS. MATER DEI

By Mike Ready

RED BANK - It’s the matchup everyone has been waiting for – No. 1 Red Bank Catholic versus No. 2 Mater Dei Prep.

The two Shore Conference powerhouses will meet in the NJSIAA Non-Public Group III final at MetLife Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 24 at 4:00 p.m. in a classic showdown that pits two teams stocked with enough D1 talent to field an All-Star team.

The Caseys were the unanimous preseason No. 1 team and validated that ranking by running the table with a perfect 9-0 record so far this season. As the No.1 seed, the Caseys received a first-round bye before shutting out fifth-seeded Pope John, 27-0, in the semifinals.

Pope John, who’s a member of the elite Super Football Conference in North Jersey, easily got by

fourth-seeded Saint John Vianney, 33-12, in the first round. But even though Pope John entered the semifinal with a 2-8 record, all the talk centered on their strength of schedule and the teams they lost to, including powerhouses DePaul, Paramus Catholic, St. Joe’s Montvale, Don Bosco, Bergen Catholic and St. Peter’s Prep, and not the Caseys’ perfect record.

Feeling somewhat disrespected not only for themselves but for the Shore Conference as a whole, a motivated Caseys team took care of business in a rather workmanlike manner, easily dispatching Pope John while holding them scoreless and to just over 200 yards of total offense.

The Caseys did, however, move up a slot to No. 8 in this week’s NJ.com Top 20 football rankings following the win.

Saturday’s game is the Caseys’ second sectional final in five years when they defeated top-seeded Delbarton, 45-20, in 2014 to win its first state title since 1976.

Third-seeded Mater Dei also delivered a big blow to the SFC and heaped some added respect upon the Shore Conference when they upset second-seeded and defending champions DePaul, 28-23, in a wild game that went down to the wire.

DePaul had taken a 23-21 lead with 2:38 left in the game, but the Seraphs regained the lead, 28-23, on a 29-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Rob McCoy to junior wide receiver Clarence Lewis with 41 seconds remaining.

RBC Photo by: Tom Smith

The Spartans took over at their 29-yard line with 35 seconds left and moved into the red zone on Penn State-bound Taquan Roberson’s 44-yard completion to junior tight end Charles Finley down to the 10yard line with 10 seconds remaining. DePaul moved to the two-yard line with four seconds on the clock but Roberson’s last-ditch pass was knocked away by junior defensive back Tahaj Parland as time expired.

With the win, Mater Dei entered the NJ.com Top 20 for the first time this season at No. 15 even though they came into the game at 9-1 with their only defeat coming in a one-point loss, 34-33, to Connecticut Prep power Cheshire Academy, while DePaul entered the game ranked No. 8 in the state.

Saturday’s state final will be the third straight for Mater Dei when they try to win their second state title in three years with a win over the Caseys.

Mater Dei has a flair for the dramatic in winning big games. In their 26-20 victory over Holy Spirit to take the state title in 2016, it took a 50-yard Kyle Devaney hook-and-ladder lateral to Eddie Lewis off a pass from current Central Michigan quarterback George Pearson with three seconds left to win the game.

That was Mater Dei’s first championship in program history and it secured its first undefeated season as well at 12-0.

Saturday’s final will be the first meeting between the two schools since 2008 when the Caseys routed the Seraphs, 43-0.

Red Bank Catholic’s high powered offense is led

by Boston College-bound, duel-threat quarterback Steve Lubischer, who's passed for over 1,200 yards and 17 touchdowns with only two interceptions and a completion percentage of close to 70 percent. He’s also rushed for 263 yards and five touchdowns holding a 9.4 yards per carry average.

His top targets are: Fordham-bound wide receiver M.J. Wright (29-465-6), senior Jayden Key (16392-5) – a University of Pennsylvania commit, and Notre Dame-bound junior tight end Kevin Bauman (13-241-1).

Junior running back Billy Guidetti (99-719-9) gets the bulk of the carries with junior Kevin Degnan, who filled in for Guidetti when he was injured, rushing for 275 yards and a touchdown on 27 attempts.

Three-year starter Tommy Smith (6-foot-2, 285 pounds) anchors the offensive line that is big and athletic.

Senior linebackers John Columbia, Gino Tartamella and Steve Cmielewski and junior Charlie Gordinier, who has a number of D1 offers, including University of Pittsburgh and Rutgers, form one of the most feared linebacker units in the state.

Seniors Adam Demurjian, Ambrose Richards, Smith and Ian Sullivan and sophomore Jake Louro man the defensive line that is big and physical.

Key, Wright, Degnan and senior safety Anthony Romano form a solid secondary that excels in coverage as well run support.

For Mater Dei, McCoy – a Camden Catholic transfer – has really come into his own after having to sit out the first four games due to transfer rules. He hands the ball off to junior running back Malik Ingram, who has rushed for over 1,200 yards and 20 touchdowns, as a bruising northsouth runner.

Freshman running back Rajahn Cooper and sophomore Jahqual Talmadge backup Ingram.

Lewis, seniors Isaiah Alston and Gunnison Bloodgood and junior Isaiah Noguera, along with 6-foot7 tight end Chris Autino, give McCoy dependable options at wide receiver and tight end that have produced nice numbers.

Lewis, Parland and Noguera are at the corners with senior Sincere Saunders, who can also double at running back if need be, and Cologero Amorelli at the safety spots.

Boston College-commits Izaiah Henderson at defensive tackle and linebacker Shittah Sillah are the backbone of a very talented defense that also includes two-year starting linebacker Russell Ferrisi, who’s weighing numerous college offers, and senior linebacker Andre Spann.

Anytime you have a No. 1 meeting a No. 2 there will be a lot of hype in the days leading up to the game.

However, the Shore Conference hasn’t seen a game of this magnitude in quite some time, so the hype is justified and the game itself has the potential to be as good as advertised.

By John Sorce

The Giants partner with USA Football in honoring the “Heart of a Giant” award, which is given out to one high school football player out of the nominees that come from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The grand prize is a $5,000 equipment grant for their high school football program and an on-field award ceremony during a New York Giants home game in December, while the six finalists receive a $1,500 equipment grant for their high school football programs.

The program’s website, usafootball.com/programs/recognitionawards/heartofagiant/, explains the program with the following quote: “USA Football’s Heart of a Giant award program, presented by Hospital for Special Surgery and the New York Giants, aims to recognize tri-state area high school football players who demonstrate unparalleled work ethic and a passion for the game.”

All head coaches of high schools in the tri-state area are allowed to nominate one player from their team to be considered for the award. Freehold Township head coach Cory Davies nominated Reardon, who was chosen as a finalist for week six, and appeared on the video boards at MetLife Stadium during an intermission.

“As a head coach, I nominated him for the award,” Davies said.

“The Giants contacted me and wanted to know if I had any players who I felt could be nominated for the position. I felt Nick was a candidate for us who would definitely be able to be nominated because of the things they look for – commitment, character, teamwork, dedication and a will to succeed. From a commitment standpoint, Nick works as hard as any player on our team. He’s a team captain, he really motivates our players and leads by example.”

Reardon went right back in the starting role. He is, as Davies described, a “pro-style” quarterback.

Those are the exact five qualities that are listed on the Heart of a Giant website. They are looking for student-athletes with commitment, character, teamwork, dedication, and will. Reardon also went through some adversity early in the season that he overcame and handled well.

Reardon, a two-year varsity starter, is also involved in the community, and that is another big thing the Giants look for.

“There was also a little bit of adversity that was involved and he did a nice job with adverse situations, being a quarterback and having things go well and having things not go well,” Davies said. “We have a sophomore who played some quarterback and that was an adverse situation for Nick, because it took away some of his playing time. It was a difficult time for him and being able to handle the switch at the quarterback position with a younger kid playing a little bit, it can be difficult for a senior to be able to recognize that. But he handled that situation pretty well.”

The switch came after the team’s third game of the season, a 4922 loss to Manalapan, and Lorenzo Chirichella led the Patriots to an upset victory over Toms River North. But he got injured, and

JOIN THE TEAM THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. When this team takes the field, they accomplish more than any other team on earth. goarmy.com For more information, please call #ArmyTeam your local Army Recruiter at

732-323-4800 or 732-323-4801.

Recruiter Information goes here Or visit goarmy.com. xxx-xxx-xxxx

Junior transfers Amir Coleman (Matawan) and Khurram Simpson (Montclair Immaculate) join Henderson on the defensive line along with Kajell Whyte and Malachi Treadwell.

Senior Nolan Aloia – a 6-foot-5, 300 pound lineman – anchors the offensive line.

Freehold Township’s Nick Reardon Recognized by New York Giants FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – Freehold Township senior quarterback Nick Reardon was one of five high school football players recognized by the New York Giants during their week six game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

MATER DEI Photo by: Eugene Stewart

“He’s more what they call a ‘pro-style’ quarterback,” Davies said. “He’s more of a throwing quarterback. He does have the ability to run if he needs to, but that wasn’t a part of what we asked him to do. He was more of a drop back passer in our offense. He has a very good arm.”

“They want guys who also do some things in the offseason and do things out of school as well,” Davies said. “Nick works with the challenger group and does some other things like that in the offseason, and that’s a big part of it as well.”

As a team, Freehold Township finished the season 5-5, a step back from their 2017 campaign that saw them go 8-3. But there were a few big wins in there, including earning bragging rights for the year in defeating Freehold Boro on a late touchdown pass from Reardon to Kyle Von Nessen.

“From a team standpoint, we had two big wins this year,” Davies said. “We beat a highly ranked Toms River North team in a great last-second victory and we also won the Duke Trophy, which is a game against our rival, Freehold Boro, which has become a big thing. That was another very close, last-second win.”

Page 12 Jersey Sporting News • 11/20/18 - 12/3/18

THANKSGIVING GAME DAY MATCHUP LAKEWOOD AND TOMS RIVER SOUTH SET TO GO AT IT FOR THE 99TH TIME

By John Sorce

TOMS RIVER – There is not a longer-running Thanksgiving Day football rivalry in the Shore Conference than Lakewood and Toms River South.

The two Ocean County schools will take the gridiron for the 99th time when they walk onto the field at Toms River South’s Detwiler Stadium at 11 a.m. on Thursday. It is a game that Lakewood head coach LJ Clark has not missed for as long as he can remember.

“This is a great day for Lakewood, not just for the football team, but for the community,” Clark said. “I’ve been coaching for 13 years and I played here, too; so I have been a part of this game for 17 years. Even when I was playing in college (at William Paterson), I would always come home for this game. I don’t think there has ever been a year where I was not at this game.”

While Toms River South leads the all-time series, 55-39-4, Lakewood has won the last two years. This season, Lakewood will enter the game 1-9 and Toms River South is 2-8. But Clark said the records go out the window when the players take the field for this game.

“We don’t even pay attention to the records for this game,” Clark said. “We just go out there and play football. It’s great for the kids to just go out and play and not have to worry about the standings or anything else.”

While there are no outside implications for anything outside of this game, Clark said the players like to end their season with a win. Having a game on Thanksgiving gives players an opportunity to do that without facing the pressures of a state playoff game.

“One year I was coaching at a camp and I asked the players who won their last game of the season,” Clark said. “It was just two Lakewood kids who raised their hand, because they played on Thanksgiving. That’s the great thing about it because unless you win a state championship, nobody is going to win their last game of the season. Having this game is a great thing because regardless of if we make the playoffs or not, the kids have an opportunity to end their season with a win, and that’s always a good feeling.”

LAKEWOOD

MANASQUAN FALLS SHORT IN CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 2 FINAL

By Mike Ready

HILLSIDE – If you weren’t a spectator at the game and you saw the final score of Manasquan’s 36-10 loss to top-seeded Hillside in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II final, you might’ve assumed the game was a lopsided rout when in actuality, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Manasquan was trailing by just four points, 14-10, with a little over 10 minutes left in the game when the roof fell in on them. Hillside – undefeated at 11-0 and ranked 16th in the state – scored 22 unanswered points in the final 10 minutes of the game, in which the final score hardly represented how closely played the game actually was.

“Absolutely, I would’ve signed up for that before we got on the bus,” said Manasquan head coach Jay Price when asked if he would’ve signed up for being down by four at the start of the fourth quarter. “That’s our game; I have no problem with that.”

With fewer games being played on Thanksgiving this year than ever before, Clark is hopeful these two teams continue to play as long as people come back and support their alma mater, which he hopes never stops.

“I know Toms River South lets anybody who played in the band while they were in high school to come back and play in their band for this game,” Clark said. “It’s pretty cool to see some older people playing in the band for this game.”

“I have seen people who I haven’t seen in 15 years at this game every year, because people are always coming back for this game,” Clark said. “It’s a great way to start the holiday, and Thanksgiving would not be the same without it.”

But the Warriors offense went nowhere. Two Tuddles runs and a Ryan O’Leary incompletion brought up a fourth-and-6 at the 15-yard line bringing on senior James Pendergist to attempt a 32-yard field goal. His kick sailed straight through the uprights for a 3-0 Manasquan lead less than two minutes into the game.

“We would’ve liked to have gotten seven there,” Price said. “But there was a lot of game left after that.”

The two teams traded punts with Hillside taking over at the Manasquan 45 following a short Warriors punt from the 20.

Four running plays later, Hillside quarterback Gavin Melendez got the Comets on the board taking it in from two-yards out for a 6-3 lead. The extra-point kick was no good and the score remained 6-3 with 4:55 left in the first quarter.

Two possessions later, Hillside drove 71 yards in 12 plays to take a 14-3 lead. On first-and-10 from the 23-yard line, Melendez threw a bubble screen to Shadon Willis that a Manasquan defender read perfectly but failed to wrap up Willis, who then broke free down the right sidelines for a 23-yard touchdown. James Louis ran up the middle for two points extending the lead to 14-3 with 1:58 remaining in the half.

For most of the contest, that’s exactly what Manasquan did – play their game – and it was working. The game was flowing precisely the way Warriors had it written it up on the chalkboard. Run it, and run it some more, and keep the ball out of the hands of Hillside’s explosive skill players.

“One mistake against these guys, and its deadly,” said Price on Hillside’s speed on offense.

“They’re explosive.”

Although Hillside outgained Manasquan, 331 to 185, most of its yardage came in the fourth quarter and the Warriors ran 64 plays to the Comets’ 39 plays.

Birch then returned the ensuing kickoff 43 yards to the 50-yard line with under two minutes remaining in the half.

Senior running back Canyon Birch was a workhorse carrying the ball 15 times for 55 yards in the first half alone, finishing with 79 yards on 26 attempts and Rashid Tuddles added another 10 rushes for 35 yards as the Warriors’ ball-control offense did what it was supposed do in text-book fashion.

On second-and-five from the 45, O’Leary found Pendergist open for a 19 yard gain to the Hillside 26-yard line. Two plays later, Tuddles picked up six for a first down and Birch ran for four setting up a second-and-6 from the eight with 29 second left on the clock. O’Leary then threw a strike to Riley Callahan just short of the goal line leaving them with a first-and-goal at the one with nine seconds left.

Manasquan caught a break on the first play from scrimmage when Hillside running back Brian Ugwu fumbled and linebacker Jack Fabean recovered at the Hillside 19-yard line.

O’Leary took the snap from center, dropped back and quickly turned firing a dart into the hands of John Forman on a slant in the end zone. Pendergist’s extra point pulled the Warriors to within four, 14-10, at the half.

In the third quarter, Manasquan drove inside the Hillside 35-yard line on their first two possessions but came up empty both times, including being stopped short after going for it on fourthand-1 at the 32-yard line.

“They’re fast, especially once they turn the corner,” Price said. “But we came up short in tackling and stopped ourselves on a couple of drives in the third quarter. I thought if we could’ve scored on that one drive we could’ve flipped the field a little bit and taken some of the momentum we had in the first half but it just didn’t go our way.”

MANASQUAN Photos by: Mike Ready

TOMS RIVER SOUTH

Repeated attempts to contact Toms River South’s head coach and athletic director were not returned in time for this story. But Clark mentioned a cool tradition that Toms River South does for their alumni who come back into town for this game.

When you waste scoring opportunities against a defense that possess the speed and backside pursuit that Hillside’s defense has it usually comes back and haunt you, and it did.

Up to this point in the second half the Warriors had run 20 plays to the Comets’ four while taking 11 minutes off the clock, but things quickly fell apart.

Taking over on downs on the 31, Hillside drove to the Manasquan 33-yard line where they were looking at a first-and-14 at the 33-yard line. Louis then picked up a crucial first down with a sensational run to the seven-yard line in which he broke as least four tackles. On the next play, junior running back Jahon Moore ran it in for a 20-10 lead.

Still in the game, the Warriors drove to their own 48-yard line but O’Leary was sacked by Diaby Aboubakar for a 10-yard loss on second down and two plays later they were forced to punt on fourth-and-15 from the 43.

The Warriors defense forced a three-and-out on Hillside’s ensuing possession taking over at their own 22-yard line with time now a factor.

Three plays netted zero yards bringing up a fourth-and-10 and Manasquan elected to go for it with just under six minutes to play and down by two scores.

But O’Leary’s pass was picked off by Willis, who returned it for a pick-six to put the game to bed at 28-10.

Ugwu added a 79-yard touchdown run in the closing minutes to make it 36-10 after a questionable decision to go for a two-point conversion, but the damage had already been done.

Hillside held Manasquan to 185 yards of total offense on 65 plays for an average of 2.9 yards per play.

“They close. The last time we saw that was against Mater Dei,” said Price referring to Hillside’s speed and backside pursuit on defense. “You run a toss to the right side or a power to the right side, and all of a sudden, the kid that’s blitzing off the corner on the left catches you from behind.

That doesn’t happen too much (against most teams).”

After successfully defended its sectional title, Hillside now faces Haddonfield in the South Central Group II bowl game, while the Warriors will conclude their season hosting Wall in the 19th Thanksgiving Day game between the two rivals. (See story on page 5.)

“They’re gritty kids,” said Price of his team. “There’s no quit in them and they battled to the very end. I’m proud as hell of them, I love these kids.”

Proudly Owned & Operated for 25 Years by the Attardi Family

JSN STAFF

EMAIL

jsnattardi@msn.com

PHONE

732-610-1151

JSNSPORTINGNEWS

is published by Jersey Sporting News Productions, Inc. 704 Westwood Ave, West End, NJ 07740 All printed materials are copyrighted property of Jersey Sporting News Productions, Inc.

JSN_SPORTS

ADVERTISING CONTACT jsnattardi@msn.com

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

HEAD WRITER

LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

WRITERS

Lisa Arnold

jerseysportingnews.com facebook.com/jerseysportingnews

EDITOR

Francesca Attardi Publisher JSN is looking for high school students to intern as Photographers and Writers.

Contact Fran at jsnattardi@msn.com for more information.

Tom Smith

PHOTOGRAPHERS Francine Attardi Gia Fay Lester Pierce Alex Stamoutsos

John Sorce

Ted Kaiser Lou Monaco Mike Ready Pat Ralph Eugene Stewart

PRODUCTION Letritech

11/20/18 - 12/3/18 • Jersey Sporting News

Page 13

THANKSGIVING GAME DAY MATCHUP ASBURY PARK VS. NEPTUNE BACK AFTER ONE-YEAR HIATUS

By John Sorce

NEPTUNE CITY – Every year on Thanksgiving Day, Asbury Park head coach Tim Fosque thinks back to his days suiting up in this very game as a player for the Blue Bishops.

After playing in this game four times, Fosque is about to coach this game for the 20th time, and his third as a head coach.

“To this day, I still take on some of those same feelings that I felt as a player, just the excitement and the bragging rights that come with winning

this game every year,” Fosque said. “This game is a festival and one that both towns look forward to year in and year out.”

Last season’s holiday matchup between the Blue Bishops and Scarlet Fliers scheduled to be played in Asbury Park was unfortunately canceled due to a violence threat. Fosque said his seniors were the most disappointed because they would not have an opportunity to play in the Thanksgiving game their senior years.

“It was very upsetting, especially for the seniors because when they look back on their high school days later in life, they won’t have the memories of playing in the Thanksgiving Day game their senior year,” Fosque said.

But the game will be back in 2018, set for a 10:30 a.m. kickoff at Neptune High School.

Neptune head coach Tarig Holman, who is in his second year leading the Scarlet Fliers, did not get to experience this game last season. But he is excited to take in the atmosphere this year.

“I hadn’t been part of it before, so just seeing what happened last year and how important it was and how excited the community was to get the game back and hopefully keeping it moving forward is something that’s important not only to the current players, but it’s important to the past players, the alumni and those that are coming up and are looking forward to playing in this game too one day,” Holman said. “I got a chance to

ASBURY PARK

NEPTUNE watch some of the younger kids play in the AYF (American Youth Football) and Pop Warner levels and anytime Neptune is playing Asbury, it’s a big game.”

Fosque is no stranger to this game, and he compared the atmosphere to that of a state playoff game.

“It’s pretty much like a state playoff game or a bowl game,” Fosque said. “The stands are packed from top to bottom; you have people standing outside the fence along the railroad tracks and along the side of the lake. The crowd atmosphere is one that is very jubilant and it is definitely the biggest crowd that some of these high school athletes will ever play in front of.”

Fosque described a tradition of alumni from both schools getting together the night before and begin the “friendly trash talking,” which will carry over into the next morning.

Neptune leads the series, 48-37-4, and has won seven in a row, with Asbury Park’s last victory coming in 2009, 38-15, at Asbury Park.

And Fosque hopes there is no end in sight to this game.

NEPTUNE “The game on Thanksgiving is probably one of the only games where not only people that are from Asbury Park, but also everyone coming back for the holiday and being able to attend that game which really kicks off their turkey day and sets the tone for the holiday season,” Fosque said. “This is a tradition that has been going on for years and we hope it will continue to exist for as long as football is being played in these particular two towns.”

Holman agrees, and he is looking forward to experiencing it for the first time on his home field.

“It’s not only something that means a lot to Neptune and Asbury Park, but it’s something that has been going on for a long time,” Holman said. “This is a community event and the kids on both teams always look forward to it. This is one of those games where you can throw out the score, but you’re playing against your neighbor, so it’s really important to our program like it’s important to their program.”

Visit our new location, 67 Route 36 Eatontown

As you may know, we are now DCH Ford of Eatontown. Along with our new name, we are excited

to

announce

that

we

will

begin

construction in two weeks on what will be a state-of-the-art facility at our new location.

We will be open for business throughout construction and invite you to stop by our new location.

We look forward to serving you and Delivering Customer Happiness one new vehicle at a time.

Thank you, Barry Pollack - General Manager and the

DCH Ford of Eatontown team

DUE TO CONSTRUCTION WE HAVE OVER 300 VEHICLES OFF-SITE AT MONMOUTH RACE TRACK! NEW LOCATION - 67 ROUTE 36 EATONTOWN

Page 14 Jersey Sporting News • 11/20/18 - 12/3/18

THANKSGIVING GAME DAY MATCHUP THANKSGIVING DAY IN MIDDLETOWN IS STILL ALL ABOUT FOOTBALL

By Mike Ready

MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP – While most Shore Conference Thanksgiving Day rivalry games have gone by the wayside in recent years, the Middletown North – Middletown South Thanksgiving Day game still remains one of the township’s biggest attractions bringing out what seems like the entire community year after year.

Sadly, there are now just five Thanksgiving rivalry games still being played in the Shore Conference when just a few short years ago high school football was synonymous with Thanksgiving Day. But with the NJSIAA expanding the state playoff system with the intent of eventually crowning outright group champions, scheduling those extra games around Thanksgiving has made it more and more unfeasible to play a game on Thanksgiving when winning a state championship is understandably the top priority.

But the show will go on in Middletown on Thanksgiving, much to the delight of its die-hard high school football traditionalists.

This year it’s Middletown North’s turn to host Thursday’s game at 10:30 a.m. as crosstown-rival Middletown South will travel to North with the Lions expecting another overflowing, standling-room-only crowd to be in attendance.

In a setting that takes on more of a festive, holiday spirit than the heated rivalry that it is on the field, students gather for bragging rights while alumni take advantage of a rare chance to renew old acquaintances and rehash the good old times while catching up with one another over a cocktail or two.

Middletown South holds a 30-12-1 advantage in the series with all games having been played on Thanksgiving with the exception of 2015 when the two rivals met twice, once in the playoffs and once on Thanksgiving, with the Eagles winning both games.

Then in 2016, the Lions snapped a 16-game losing streak to the Eagles, ending a drought that began in 2003 by knocking off South, 24-6, to claim the coveted town bragging rights.

and Chris Lotito, junior defensive back/linebacker Matt Krellin, junior defensive tackle Vincent Candito and senior defensive tackle Joe DellaValle.

The two schools are both coming off playoff losses so there will be no holding back with both teams wanting to end the season on a winning note, as well impressing their peers in what is the last game of their careers for the seniors on both sides.

Offensively, senior dual-threat quarterback Trevor Brey spearheads the Eagles attack with Petrillo and Candito getting the bulk of the carries out of the backfield. Sophomores Luke Albrecht and Connor Ard are Brey’s main targets with Petrillo and Tardy at tight end getting targeted as well.

Middletown North, playing in arguably the most competitive division in the Shore Conference, finished the season at 2-7 with Long Branch head coach Dan George calling them ”the best 1-6 team in Shore Conference history” prior to his team facing Lions in the first round of the playoffs, won by the Green Wave.

The Lions defense is led by senior defensive end Steve Holler, senior linebacker Pat Connelly, junior linebackers Travis Thompson and Eddie Farrell, senior defensive backs Aiden Campbell and Alec Zenker and junior safety Nick Ferreira.

The Eagles meanwhile finished 7-3 and captured the American Division championship with a perfect 5-0 record. They beat Northern Burlington, 35-14, in the first round of the Central Jersey Group IV tournament before stumbling in the semifinals when they were shockingly routed by Brick, 4214.

Entering that game, the Eagles defense had been the team’s strength allowing just 57 points in their previous eight games for 7.1 points per game average, so you can expect that unit to come out Thursday breathing fire.

MIDDLETOWN SOUTH

MIDDLETOWN NORTH

However, the Lions’ key to the city was short lived as Middletown South reclaimed the town’s bragging rights with a 21-7 victory over Middletown North in “The Swamp” last year.

The defense is led by senior linebackers Matt Tardy, Dylan Walling and Troy Burbank and junior Brendan Bigos, senior defensive backs Jamie Petrillo

On the offensive side, senior quarterback Sean Glenn makes things happen for the Lions. The 6-foot gun slinger is averaging close to 200 passing yards per game with a .550 completion percentage. His main targets include Campbell, juniors Anthony Soto and Matt Spencer and senior Rob Higgins out of the backfield.

Senior Connor Robbins and Higgins give the Lions two good options out of the backfield with Soto and Campbell contributing to the rushing game on jet sweeps.

If you like good football played in an environment second to none, this is the game to take in especially with the fate of future Thanksgiving Day games blowing in the wind.

11/20/18 - 12/3/18 • Jersey Sporting News

Page 15

MANALAPAN COACH ED GURRIERI PICKS UP 100TH WIN FOR BRAVES FOOTBALL

By Mike Ready

MANALAPAN’S COACH ED GURRIERI

in 2004, reaching the finals six times and semifinals four times. The Braves have also won seven division titles in the last nine seasons.

to watch his son play on Saturdays for Sacred Heart University, but stayed on as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator, with Tom Gallahue taking over as head coach.

In 2014 as the third seed, Manalapan beat top-seeded South Brunswick, 21-7, to capture the program’s first-ever state title.

“Once I knew my son was going to start getting on the field I stepped back and became the defensive coordinator,” Bush said. “As the defensive coordinator I didn’t have the work load that I did as head coach so I was able to get out there and watch his games.”

The Braves finished 6-4 this season, running Gurrieri’s career record to 104-31.

Two of their losses came by a combined score of four points and in their 24-14 loss to No. 14 Sayreville in the Central Jersey Group V semifinals, it was a seven-point game with under two minutes remaining before the Bombers kicked a field goal to ice the game.

With Gurrieri now on a semi-sabbatical from his head coaching duties, the Braves went 6-4, 5-5 and 5-5 in those three years and failed to qualify for the playoffs in each of those years.

biggest turning point. Having my eyes on the guys all the time and interacting with them all the time in the building has been the biggest difference. Being a head coach is tough to just show up in the afternoon for practice and not be here all day with the kids.

“When you’re here all day you really get to know who everybody is,” Gurrieri added.

“I get to keep my eyes open for kids who aren’t playing and get them to come out for the team and I wouldn’t have noticed them had I not been in the building. It’s also easier to keep kids in line and check in with teachers being a resource for them and letting them know if a kid is out of line they can come to me and I can help straighten them out again.”

ETES, WE CAN HELP YOUR PAIN! MANALAPAN – Ed Gurrieri has been a football coach at Manalapan High School since 1997, including two stints as head coach.

He just completed his 12th season as head coach leading the Braves to the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group V semifinal with a team decimated by graduation plus the loss of first-team All-Shore linebacker Tommy Pearce to a season-ending injury during the preseason.

But with Gurrieri at the helm, Manalapan has been able to consistently overcome whatever obstacles stand in their way of contending for championships on a yearly basis.

In his 12 seasons as head coach, except for his first season when his team finished 5-5, Manalapan has finished with a winning record, including five, 11-win seasons and one, 10-win season.

ties:

On Sept. 28 of this year, Manalapan beat long-time rival Howell, 34-0, for Gurrieri’s 100th career coaching victory.

Gurrieri is a retired New York City police officer from Staten Island. He played high school ball at Wagner High School in Staten Island and went on to play at Wagner College as a running back under legendary coach Walt Hameline.

After graduating college, he coached at Wagner High School and eventually at Wagner College as an assistant coach in charge of running backs under Hameline.

He often worked the midnight shift as a police officer in order to continue coaching the game he loved.

In 2010, Gurrieri began his second stint as head coach, taking the reins from Gallahue, who was promoted to assistant principal at Manalapan and as an administrator he was ineligible to coach football.

It was around this time that Gurrieri methodically transformed the Manalapan program into the program it is today – one the most feared football programs in the state.

“It was a combination of a lot of things,” said Gurrieri when asked about the growth of the program under his leadership. “But when I became a full-time employee here at Manalapan doing security that was the

In 2009, the Braves went 5-5, but a year later in 2010 with Gurrieri back in charge, Manalapan improved to 8-3 advancing to the CJG IV semifinals.

A year later in 2011, the Braves went 10-2 and reached the program’s second sectional final, and first since his son’s senior year in 2003, before losing, 23-11, to Sayreville.

Next came two straight 11-1 seasons that ended with losses in the sectional finals, before finally breaking through in 2014 and capturing the program’s first state title,

finishing with an 11-1 record and ranked 10th in the state.

“That was huge,” said Gurrieri of getting that first state championship. “It just validated all the hard work the guys put in and it was special. We don’t have a team, we have a program here, and a program doesn’t worry about graduation losses. We have a program that year in and year out competes for championships and the kids believed. I think the win validated what we do here and their belief in what we do.”

The Braves posted 11-1 records in both 2016 and 2017, but both years ended in losses in the CJG IV finals. In their 18-14 loss to South Brunswick in 2017, star running back Naim Mayfield’s game winning 29-yard touchdown reception with three seconds left was waved off after an official called a very questionable offensive pass interference penalty on Mayfield that robbed the Braves of the program’s second state title.

Not to worry. There undoubtedly will be another championship banner to hang for the Braves and it could come as soon as next season when the Braves return the bulk of this year’s varsity squad and will welcome members of an undefeated freshmen and one-loss J.V. team to the Tribe. And the beat goes on.

In 1997, he moved to Manalapan where, through a mutual friend at Syracuse University, he was introduced to then Manalapan head coach Steve Bush – the current Middletown North head coach. A short time later, Bush reached out to Gurrieri offering a job, and he joined Bush’s staff that fall as an assistant.

Bush left to become an assistant coach at Syracuse in 2000 and defensive coordinator Tom Tarver was elevated to head coach with Gurrieri promoted to defensive coordinator and assistant head coach.

rts Injuries daches & Concussions e injuries ulder injuriesWE CAN HELP ATHLETES, WE CAN H ATHLETES, injuries WITH YOUR PAIN! ATHLETES, WE CAN HELP WITH YOUR PAIN! ATHLETES, WE CAN HELP t and ankle injuries WITH YOUR PAIN! Specialties: Specialties: ATHLETES, WEPAIN! CAN HELP WITH YOUR • Sports Injuries Sports Injuries k &• Back pain Specialties: & Concussions • Headaches & Concussions • Headaches WITH YOUR PAIN! • Sports Injuries • Knee injuries •Specialties: Knee injuries generative medicine • Headaches & Concussions • Shoulder injuries •• Shoulder injuries Sports Injuries Specialties: • Knee injuries • Hip injuries tomized physical therapy programs •• Hip injuries Headaches & Concussions • Shoulder • Sports Injuries injuries • Foot and ankle injuries “My coaches knew (about the record) but we never brought it up to the team; we never said a word,” Gurrieri said of the record.

“The parents picked up on it though and had a banner made with the wins on it. So, when the game was over, they rolled out the banner and I was very surprised to say the least. I didn’t realize the team or the parents knew. I never talked about it, but it was a really nice gesture on everyone’s part.”

Gurrieri’s teams have qualified for the state playoffs every year, except his first season

In 2004, Gurrieri replaced Tarver, who accepted a vice principal job at Jackson Memorial after going 21-21 in four seasons at Manalapan. In those three seasons as head coach, Gurrieri’s teams went 19-12, reaching NJG IV semifinals in 2005 and finishing 8-3.

Gurrieri stepped down as head coach after three seasons in 2006 so that he could be able

•• Foot ankle injuries Kneeand injuries

• Hip&injuries • •Headaches & Concussions • Neck & Back pain Neck Back pain • Shoulder injuries • Knee • injuries Foot and ankle injuries • Regenerative medicine •• Regenerative medicine Hip injuries • Shoulder injuries • Neck & Back pain • Customized physical therapy prog •• Customized physical therapy programs Foot and ankle injuries • Hip• injuries Regenerative medicine • Neck & Backinjuries pain Certified in Physical Medicine & RehabilitationDr. Ali Valimahomed, MD, FAAPMR • Foot ankle • and Customized physical therapy programs Dr. Ali Valimahomed, MD, FAAPMR Regenerative • •Neck & Back pain medicine Board Certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabili Fellowship-Trained in Pain Medicine Board Certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Fellowship-Trained in Pain Medicine Customized physical therapy programs • •Regenerative Dr. Alimedicine Valimahomed, FAAPMR Fellowship-Trained in PainMD, Medicine • Customized physical therapy programs Board Certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Dr. Ali Valimahomed, MD, FAAPMR

Fellowship-Trained Pain Medicine Dr. Ali Valimahomed, in MD, FAAPMR

Board Certified in PhysicalMD, Medicine & Rehabilitation Dr. Ali Valimahomed, FAAPMR Fellowship-Trained in Pain Medicine Board Certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Fellowship-Trained in Pain Medicine

301 Professional View Drive | Freehold, New Jersey 07728

CALL (732) 720-2555 visit www.aosminj.com 301 Professional View or Drive | Freehold, New Jersey 07728 schedule anor appointment CALL to (732) 720-2555 visit www.aosminj.com

301 Professional View Drive | Freehold, New Jerse

CALL (732) 720-2555 or visit www.aosminj to schedule an appointment

301 Professional to View Drive | Freehold, New Jersey 07728 schedule an appointment sional View Drive | Freehold, New Jersey 07728 301 Professional View Drive | Freehold, New Jersey 07728

CALL (732) 720-2555 or visit www.aosminj.com

CALL (732) 720-2555 or visit www.aosminj.com to schedule an appointment to schedule an appointment

732) 720-2555 or visit www.aosminj.com to schedule an appointment

Page 16 Jersey Sporting News • 11/20/18 - 12/3/18