South Jersey Glory Days August

ABOUT THE COVER

There are certain football players who will always be remembered at their high school, and even at the 40th reunion they’ll be one of the most recognizable faces in the crowd. Ja’briel Mace, a 2023 graduate of Mainland Regional High, certainly left his mark at the Linwood school, not only with a record-setting individual football career, but because of the person he was while he was grabbing headlines, awards and school records.

Mace was one of the best running backs South Jersey has ever seen, gathering up more than 3,800 yards despite missing half a season due to his sophomore year being cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic. He scored a school-record 56 touchdowns, but more than all the numbers, Mace was a great leader and the consumate teammate. Check out Page 10 of this digital edition to read more about one of the best Mustangs in school history.

SOUTH JERSEY

GLORY DAYS

General contact information:

Phone: 856-336-2600

Publisher Dave O’Sullivan:

Email: sullyglorydays@gmail.com

On Twitter @GDsullysays

@glorydaysmag on Instagram

Contributors:

Mark Trible, Senior Football Writer

(@MTrible on Twitter)

Larry Henry Jr., Correspondent

(@Lhenry019 on Twitter)

Ben Hale, Social Media & Web Development

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4/AUGUST 2023

(ISSUE NO. 166)

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

FACEBOOK.COM/

@GDSullySays

HEADLINES

PRESENTED BY BUNTING FAMILY PHARMACY

BATTLE GETS BIGGER

The season-opening Battle at the Beach, hosted by Ocean City High at Carey Stadium, has been around for three years now and seems to keep getting better. This year there were 12 games, most in the brief history of the event, and the Saturday night featured game included national powers IMG Academy of Florida and St. Joseph’s Prep out of Philadelphia. That game was broadcast on ESPN2. There were nearly 10,000 tickets sold for the popular 3-day event that now kicks off the high school football season in New Jersey.

MAINLAND ROLLING

The Mustangs’ football team has won 11 of its last 13 games and got off to a great start this season, taking down Group 5 Washington Township, 26-7, at the annual Battle at the Beach invitational. Despite

losing one of its best all-time running backs to graduation in Ja’briel Mace, the Stangs didn’t miss a beat as Stephen Ordille and Rocco DeBiaso picked up the slack.

NO STOPPING SMITH

Kenny Smith is still just a junior and has nearly two full season of high school football left, but he’s already one of the biggest stars in South Jersey. He showed why at the Battle at the Beach as he rushed for five touchdowns in a rout of St. John Vianney. The Hammonton all-state running back says one of his goals this season is to rush for 2,000 yards.

BACK IN ACTION

After not being able to field a team last year, the Holy Spirit boys soccer program is back under the leadership of Sean Matteo. Formerly the coach at Absegami High, Matteo

is the new Director of Guidance at Spirit as well as its new head boys soccer coach. In their last full season, in 2020, the Spartans went 6-11. They travel to St. Joseph Academy on Sept. 7 to start the 2023 season.

South Jersey Glory Days Salutes the class of 2023

Handling the pressure

DeBlasio knew he would be Absegami’s ace pitcher as a senior, and he delivered an all-star caliber season

By KAYLIN FLUKEY Correspondent

Senior season for any baseball player is one of the most stressful and exhilarating times in a player’s career. Not only is there the thought that one chapter is coming to an end but also where the next chapter will continue.

The pressure of showing up for the team but also for yourself.

Every team has that one player who everyone turns to for guidance, but to also to get the job done when the team needs it the most. However, very rarely is that player seen on the mound and in the batter’s box.

Absegami High’s Michael DeBlasio entered his senior baseball season unsure of what the future held but excited for the opportunity to be the Braves’ ace and one of their most productive hitters. DeBlasio has been playing baseball since he was 7 years old. He knows the game like the back of his hand and gained a lot of knowledge throughout the past 12 years — enough to know that nothing comes easily — and he was going to have to work for what he wanted.

“I had not committed yet and I knew I was going to be a late commit no matter what, so there was the pressure of performing well to get the attention of a school and there was also the fact that I knew I was going to be the ace of my team.” he said. “It was the mindset of using that nervousness as positive energy to go out and get the job done.”

In order to perform at his best during the season he knew all of the work began in the offseason. He drove hours each week to get the best training possible.

The next step was making those around him aware of what he wanted for himself and his team for the upcoming season.

“He had goals. He knew what he wanted to accomplish,” said Braves head coach Junior Mejia. “He knew that to accomplish those goals, he knew that

he was going to have to come in and work hard and really have a good season.”

Once the season started and the anticipation of everything leading up to the season began to fade away, it did not take long for DeBlasio to settle in and show off everything he worked so hard for. He secured wins in his first two appearances on the mound with 17 strikeouts in just 8 1/3 innings pitched. He also pitched a complete game no-hitter with 10 strikeouts against Holy Spirit.

As the ace of the pitching staff, DeBlasio was put up against tough opponents and he came up with big wins against Buena Regional and Lower Cape May. He finished the season with 43 innings pitched, 70 strikeouts and a career-best ERA of 1.63.

“Michael was the guy that we would go to when we had a tough game. Every game that he pitched we were in it, he gave us an opportunity to compete,” Mejia said.

When DeBlasio wasn’t on the mound, he was making plays at first base and continuing to produce for his team. At the plate he manufactured 13 runs, 18 hits, 12 RBIs and a final batting average of .353.

Along with his standout performances on the field, DeBlasio made sure to put a big focus on the leadership aspect of his game and to be someone that the

South Jersey Glory Days photo/Sully

Michael DeBlasio finished his senior season with 70 strikeouts in 43 innings to go along with a sub-2.00 ERA.

MACE, From Page 10

younger players could look up to. His main goal, he said, was to take his team deep into playoffs. Unfortunately, the Braves fell to Moorestown 3-2, in the opening round of the South Jersey Group 3 playoffs. However, their 15-8 record turned heads in the baseball community. They finished third in the Cape-Atlantic League National Conference behind Buena and Cedar Creek, teams that combined to win 46 games.

Following his standout senior campaign, DeBlasio’s was invited to represent the Tri-Cape team in the annual Carpenter Cup. DeBlasio made two appearances, one of which was in the championship game at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia. As a huge Phillies fan, it was a dream come true, he said.

“It was a great experience having the opportunity to play high-level teams and to also play at the Bank,” DeBlasio said. “That is something I will never forget.”

Coach Mejia was able to make the trip to Philadelphia to watch his star pitcher compete in something not many players get the chance to experience.

“Seeing him pitch at the Carpenter Cup was a proud moment for me as a coach.” Junior said. “It is a big accomplishment, not only for Michael, but for the program.”

The stress of what DeBlasio’s senior season entailed was all worth it, he said, as he will walk away as one of the best all-around players in Absegami history while finding his next home at Rowan University, where he plans to continue his baseball career.

DeBlasio is a prime example that things can work out well as long as you are willing to put in the work.

Kaylin Flukey is a 2020 Absegami High School graduate and a rising senior at Iona University studying journalism. She’s a contributor for South Jersey Glory Days.

South Jersey Glory Days Salutes

the class of 2023

No average Joe

Sheeran led Mainland’s football and baseball programs to sectional titles as a senior

By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer

When you look at Joe Sheeran, he looks every bit the part of the average high school athlete. He’s 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, completely average height and weight, no tattoos covering his arms, no wild dyed hair. There was nothing fancy about Sheeran during his Mainland Regional High football and baseball careers. Most Mustangs sports fans probably didn’t even know he was on either of those teams.

By the looks of it, Joe Sheeran was completely average the last four years.

But looks can be deceiving. Because there was nothing average about what Sheeran accomplished during his Mustangs career, and the way he went about his business was far from average.

The Covid-19 pandemic wiped out his freshman baseball season, right after he had transferred back home to Mainland after a semester at Holy Spirit. But instead of getting bored, lazy and out of shape, Sheeran took advantage of the opportunity of being

home every day with nothing but hours to work on his skills and get his body ready for varsity competition.

“It was really tough because I just transferred to mainland and I really didn’t get a chance to get myself known by the school. We couldn’t go to school in person, it was all online at the time, so it was really tough. I wanted to get into Mainland. I was so excited and then everything got cancelled, so that was really unfortunate,” Sheeran said. “I realized that the gym was really important during covid. My dad made an at-home squat rack — it was wood and concrete and buckets and we could do bench and squats. So I would just do that every day and I really got bigger and stronger. So that really helped out

a lot.”

“He was a three-year starter for us in football and baseball, and in key positions for us, too. He was a 2-hole hitter for us this year and starting left fielder for three years. He played in two South Jersey finals and the state final, and in football he played the corner position and elevated his game so much by the end of the season that he was the guy we tapped to cover Millville’s top receiver in the state semifinal game. I’m so proud of the player he became and he’s an even better kid off the field,” said Billy Kern, Mainland’s head base-

See JOE, Page 9

ball coach and an assistant for the football team. “I think he’s a good example for young high school athletes about changing your body. He was a workhorse in the weight room and he physically changed his body from year to year. Had a pretty bad injury his junior year. He broke his wrist catching the ball and running into the fence. So he overcame some adversity, too. He had a fantastic career in in two sports and playing in monster games — and showing up in those big games.”

“As a coach, he did everything you asked of a player — lived in the weight room, super coachable on the field; he actually became kind of like a quasi-coach on the field his senior year. Just very dependable, reliable. And it really showed because he was banged up a little in the playoffs and we got exposed a little bit. We had to bring him back in sooner than we anticipated to help us win that championship,” said Chuck Smith, Mainland head football coach. “In high school football, you’re lucky if you have one corner to put on the other team’s best receiver and we were fortunate to have two. So it really made us strong in the secondary. He did anything you asked of him. He was good against the run and he made some big plays at the right times.

“The thing is, he could have been a very good running back in our system, too, but we just didn’t need him at that position. We were fortunate to have enough talent that he could just concentrate on one side of ball.”

Mainland went 10-2 last fall in football, won a sectional championship and was one win away from playing for a state championship. They faced a formidable challenge in the state semifinals against a hugely talented Millville team that boasts one of the best wide receivers in the country in Lotzier Brooks. Smith asked Sheeran to take on the responsibility of covering Brooks, and Sheeran did his homework. He watched hours of film, and ended up limiting Brooks to just four catches for 44 yards and no touchdowns. Brooks was an all-state selection who finished the season with nearly 1,100 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.

“He was on Brooks and he did a nice job. I know everybody’s going to say, ‘oh, the weather was bad.’ But we really didn’t give those guys any room catching the ball and making any moves,” Smith said. “He’s a tremendous athlete. He played two sports and both were championship teams.”

“Him getting recruited by Alabama and stuff made me very nervous. He’s got Power-5 offers and then you have me — I would say just the average high school cornerback,” Sheeran said. “I just was watching a lot of film that week. He had four catches for 44 yards, so I was really excited with my performance that game. I wouldn’t say I did anything specific. I

just watched so much film so I knew what he would do on different routes.”

Sheeran’s final baseball season didn’t go as planned — until the state playoffs started. Mainland came into the South Jersey Group 3 sectional tournament as a No. 9 seed with a sub-.500 record. But something clicked and the Stangs went on a thrilling run that ended in the Group 3 state championship game. Along the way they beat four of the top eight seeds in the sectional tournament, including defending champion Delsea Regional in the sectional championship.

And even in the state championship game, Sheeran’s final high school baseball game, coach Kern asked him to bunt in two of his four at-bats. He got the reaction he expected from Sheeran — ‘yes, sir.’

“I mean, that stretch was insane. Obviously, we didn’t have a great regular season. Being the captain, I tried pulling everyone together. But it just seemed like something wasn’t working and then right before the first playoff game, I told the guys, ‘listen, me, Nick Wagner, Bryan Perez, it’s our senior year and we don’t want to go out like this. Let’s put something together.’ Those two weeks were unbelievable for me. I wasn’t expecting to go on that run at all, but I’m so glad we did. Deep down, I knew we had the talent, I’m just glad we put it all together to get to a state championship. Unfortunately, we fell short, but I was so happy with the ride that we had,” Sheeran said. “I wasn’t disappointed (in having to bunt) because I’ve always been a team player, so I knew if that was going to be my job, then it had to be. The first time I got on and ended up scoring that inning. I trusted coach Kern and I’m glad he trusted me to be the guy to do that job.”

That’s the thing with Joe Sheeran. He wants to win, and if a coach asking him to do something gives his team a better chance at winning, there’s no second-guessing.

“It’s just a tribute to his character, he does what’s asked of him, doesn’t put himself in front of the team, does whatever’s necessary to win. He did that in football, he did it for the baseball team. He comes from

a great sports family. Mom and Dad both were stellar athletes in high school and his younger sister is a great athlete. It’s in their blood to be that way when you come from an athletic family like that,” Smith said. “He led by example. In practice, for example, he always gave one hundred percent in everything, any kind of drill; in the weight room, in the locker room. Young kids can see that, how someone like him performs who is not necessarily is the star of the team. That really helps build the program.”

“It’s one of those things where you get to the end of the career with guys like him and you start worrying a little bit about replacing not so much the numbers, because you can sometimes piece together numbers, but the off-the-field stuff — the leadership, the character. He’s one of those guys that when they graduate you kind of just say ‘thank you’ to mom and dad because they had a lot to do with it. They are great people. I coach their daughter in hoops and she’s fantastic on and off the court as well,” Kern said. “People just gravitate toward Joe. He just has a kind of quality about him, you can tell he’s heading in the right direction, that he’s going to say and do the right thing and it’s great for your young players to see that.”

Sheeran will take bags full of memories with him to the University of Delaware, where he plans to study sports management. But what will people remember about him 20 years down the road?

He thought about that question for a minute, then gave a quintessential Joe Sheeran answer: “Obviously, I’m not the biggest kid out on the field. I’m not the strongest kid out on the field in baseball or football, but I would just always stick to the grind, be committed to what I was doing. I just always left everything on the field, gave 110 percent. I wasn’t the biggest kid out there at all, but I knew I had a big heart and that’s all I needed. I hope that’s what people remember.”

Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays

Joe Sheeran was a .300 hitter in baseball and an outstanding cornerback in football during his days as a Mustang.

South Jersey Glory Days photo/Sully

VIC’S SUBS COVER STORY

‘A CLASS ACT’

By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer

When Ja’briel Mace lays on his bed at night, tossing a football up in the air, he doesn’t think about the numbers. All the yards he gained during his record-setting career at Mainland Regional High, all the touchdowns he scored (a school-record 56, to be exact), all the wins he was a part of, the 2022 sectional championship run.

What comes to mind most often are the things he’ll miss the most about high school football as he embarks on his college career at Villanova University — hanging out in the locker room on Friday afternoons; the buzz from the crowd as the Mustangs made their way through the smoke an onto the field on Friday nights in Linwood; hanging out at Jack Venneman’s house after games, chowing down on food Jack’s mom prepared while going through the game film, sharing laughs and jokes.

Mace is one of the best running backs to ever lace up cleats in South Jersey, having rushed for 3,867 yards (second in school history to Calvin Robinson, who had 4,020 yards from 1977-80) and 56 touchdowns. But the numbers are secondary to what he set out to accomplish during his Mustangs career — bring Mainland back to prominence and be a great leader for the next generation of Mainland stars.

“Those four years fly by. All the guys, like Paul Lombardo, Jack Venneman, I miss those guys. We worked hard our freshman, sophomore year, junior year. That freshman meeting we all looked at each other like, ‘hey, when we’re seniors we’re going to

be a problem.’ I still remember going to that meeting with Coach Smith and just talking to Jack and just me and all the guys — we knew that we had a special team,” Mace said. “The goal was to get Mainland its first state championship. We wanted to get Mainland back to where Mainland used to be at back in 2008. And I felt like me and all the other seniors that were there worked hard. I wanted to be different, and so did all the other seniors. I think that’s why we were so good, because we wanted to be different. We wanted to be able to say we went to Mainland (instead of a private school) and made Mainland great. I had a helluva senior year. If I could go back, I would.”

That senior year included more than 1,200 yards and a whole host of touchdowns, and even in the games when he didn’t rush for 100 yards the Mus-

tangs won. A big reason why was opposing defenses had to spend so much time worrying about No. 4 that other guys were able to score big touchdowns. Guys like Stephen Ordille, Jamie Tyson, Cohen Cook, Rocco DeBiaso and even freshman quarterback John Franchini — they all benefitted by having Mace in the backfield.

“It’s been about 10 years since we’ve had a running back as dynamic as Ja’briel. And the thing that’s really awesome about him is the past two years we asked him to play defense. He had three interceptions

Ja’briel Mace was so much more than just a record-setting tailback during his Mainland career

South Jersey Glory Days photo/Sully

Ja’briel Mace, a 2023 graduate, finished his Mainland football career with more than 3,800 yards rushing, second in school history.

in a game and ran one back to kind of seal the game. He’s that kind of guy. He didn’t have a great offensive game that day because people were keying on him, but he did it on the other side. We’ve had him on kickoff return, and I think he returned maybe two kicks because nobody wanted to kick to him. There are all these other elements of the game that we benefit from as a team because of Ja’briel,” Smith said. “He’s great. He’s another kid who is always positive and is great to be around in practice regardless of what’s going on. Even in the down years he was always a positive kid and the outlook was always going to be good. It’s fun because you can tell he loves the game, he loves his teammates, he loves being around these people. He has a great rapport with every coach on this staff. Guys like him are a pleasure to coach, and you take a lot of pride when you get kids like him because you don’t always have that.”

It wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns for Mace during his Mainland career, however. He burst onto the scene as a freshman and was instantly one of the best running backs in South Jersey, leading Mainland to a 9-1 record that included a West Jersey Football League division title. But the next year, Mace missed some time after suffering a concussion, and the Stangs went just 2-4 in a covid-shortened season. As a junior, Mainland was in a rebuilding phase

and posted a 4-6 record, including a playoff loss to rival Ocean City — the second such loss in his three years as a varsity starter.

In addition, Mace had to deal with a complete offensive change, as the Stangs went from a spread offense to the Delaware Wing-T when Mace was a junior.

“He was in the backfield his first three years and we put him in the wing/ slot position (in 2022), and that’s a lot to learn in one year, especially with the offense we’re running,” Smith explained during the season last fall. “It’s very complicated, and that’s the hardest position in the offense aside from the quarterback, and he embraced it. He said, ‘if this is where you need me, this is where I’ll play.’ If he only carried the ball five times a game and we won, he’d be OK with that. He cares more about the team. He knows he’s going to break big (school records) that have stood for 40 years, but he doesn’t talk about it. What the team needs to get the job done on Friday nights is all he cares about.”

“I always wanted to play as a freshman. That was one of my dreams, so I worked really hard and once I got the opportunity in the scrimmages to show them what I was capable of, I took advantage of it. I never looked back since then. I had a good freshman year, but sophomore year our season kind of got cut short. Covid was everywhere and all that stuff, but I actually ended up getting a concussion my sophomore year against Absegami in the second game of the season. I missed two or three games and once I came back, I played in one game and the next game our season got cut short because of covid. But junior year I kind of got kind of got back on track, and senior year, that’s why I really wanted to take advantage of (the season),” Mace said. “I wouldn’t consider myself THE guy because my first year we had a lot of older guys and there are still guys still there now who are leaders. I always considered myself a leader and I feel like I always have that leader mentality. I had to grow up early because of some of the circumstances, but I’ve al-

ways wanted to be a leader and I always wanted to be that person who people look up to or people could always go to when it comes to certain things. That’s just my character. I feel like before you can be a good athlete, you have to be a good person.”

“Ja’briel is impressive to me because he was able to do what he did in two completely different offenses. The program was building as he showed up, so he kind of blew onto the scene his freshman year in the spread offense. As we evolved to change the offense to what fit our talents best, he had to learn a whole new playbook and new blocking schemes. And it’s different being a running back a zone scheme and then a running back in the Wing T, but he excelled in both. I think that’s just a testament to his ability,” said assistant coach Billy Kern. “He played defense, too. He always wanted to play defense and we always shied away from it first

“You can tell he loves the game, he loves his teammates, he loves being around these people. He has a great rapport with every coach on this staff. Guys like him are a pleasure to coach, and you take a lot of pride when you get kids like him because you don’t always have that.”

Chuck Smith, Mainland football coach

couple years because he was so valuable to us on the offensive side of the ball. and then. But by the time senior year rolled around, we just couldn’t keep him off the field, he was too talented. I’m excited for what’s going to happen with him at Villanova. He made a 40-year decision, not just a four-year decision. He’s going to get a degree from Villanova and he’s going to have a ton of doors open for him. I’m excited for what Villanova will do for him long term.”

Kern said he and the coaching staff had gotten so used to seeing Mace do special things out on the football field that they got a little spoiled. They are seeing now that not all of those 20-yard runs were because huge holes were being blown open in front of him. Mace had a lot to do with all those yards he stacked up.

“As freshman running back, you’re the guy. You’re 15 years old and facing grown men who are 18. Some teams have to do it out of necessity and then there are guys like Ja’briel who come come along and force your hand. He wasn’t out there because we had a lack of options. He was out there because we had to get him out there because he was that talented,” Kern said. “We’ve had a couple of practices and you start to see holes that you thought were good holes last year that now only go for two yards. You start to realize what kind of Band-Aids and camouflage a guy like Ja’briel did for you. He was always one play away from getting into the end zone or breaking a big run and switching the momentum of the game. I think you sometimes you get a little bit spoiled with what he could do on the field. There are multiple memories in my head of him running to one sideline and ending up scoring on the complete opposite side. He looked like he was playing at a speed that that couldn’t be matched.”

Mace said it was awesome how everything came together his senior year. Mainland went 10-2, won its first sectional championship since 2008 and was leading Millville late in the state semifinals before the Thunderbolts rallied to win and advance to the state championship game.

“You never want to lose, but I felt like I’ve learned a lot since that Millville game. Don’t ever slow down, no matter how tired you are. I was just sitting on the bus (after that game) thinking, wow, that was really my last time playing in a mainland uniform. Obviously, I was upset, but then I also started thinking about what I accomplished and what like the team accomplished. Going into the season, we never thought that we’d actually be in a position to be a game away from the state championship, because we lost our starting quarterback four days before the first game,” Mace said. “Every Friday just felt good because we had guys who were healthy and we knew that we were about to go out here and put up 50 against any

given team. So many memories. My senior year we really came together as a family. We spent so much time together and did everything together. If I wasn’t with Johnny, I was with Stephen Ordille; if I wasn’t with Stephen, I was with Paul Lombardo; if I wasn’t with Paul, I was with Jack Venneman. We would all go to Jack’s house (after a Friday night game) and just chill, his mom would make us food and we would watch the game over again. I spent a lot of time with those guys, and I miss that.”

Last fall, during the state playoff run, Mainland beat Moorestown 63-10 then took down a couple of perennial Shore Conference powers — Long Branch and Middletown South. The Stangs went on the road, in terrible weather, and came back from a 17-14 halftime deficit to take down Middletown South, 34-24, in the sectional title game.

“My favorite moment is that sectional championship game against Middletown South, just seeing how happy the Mainland community was and the support they gave us,” Mace said. “It was raining like crazy — we didn’t even know if we were going to play that night — but they came out and supported us. And after that game, seeing coach Smith look in our eyes and how happy he was. No one really gave Mainland a chance. But that night I feel like we proved to everybody that Mainland is here now. I took that game really personally, and even though I didn’t score a touchdown I tried to do other stuff to help us win. I saw tears on coach Smith’s face because I felt like he,

and us, proved people wrong.”

The Mainland coaches no doubt will be telling their memories of Mace for years — maybe even decades — to come. But after describing some Herculean feat on the field they saw Mace accomplish, they’ll always come back to talking about Ja’briel, the person, and what he meant to this program.

“He was a kid who was very mature about his classes, messaging about future assignments, trying to stay on top of things. He was super committed to the weight room. Just a really focused kid who had a goal of playing division of Division I football and then did everything he could, he checked every box to make sure that happened,” Kern said. “He’s a great leader. With high school kids, you can start to see a change in humility as they get older but nothing changed with him. It was always about everybody else. It was always about the team so. He’s a guy of tremendous character and I’m proud of his success.”

Added Smith, “I always take a lot of pride as a coach when other teachers in the building come up to me and talk very positively about the kids, because usually you only hear the bad things. I always take pride when they come up to me and say what a good kid somebody is or what a great role model, and Ja’briel is a class act.”

Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays

South Jersey Glory Days photo/Sully Mace, currently a freshman running back at Villanova, finished his Mustangs career with a school-record 56 touchdowns.

South Jersey Glory Days Salutes the

class of 2023

For love of the game

By KAYLIN FLUKEY Correspondent

Baseball is often described as an escape from reality, whether you are on the field or in the stands. Once you step between those white lines everything else seems to fade away and your only focus is on that little white ball with 108 red stitches.

However, for others the game means so much more.

Lukas Englert, a 2023 graduate of Mainland Regional High, has more love for the game than most could ever begin to understand.

At just eight months old, Lukas started experiencing what would soon be diagnosed as seizures. Lukas went to the doctor for his routine checkup when a concern was brought up resulting in his pediatrician sending him to the hospital for further testing. After an MRI was done on his head at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, a cyst and a tumor were found in his brain. Lukas’ family traveled to Boston and Maryland for second and third opinions, but each resulted in the same diagnosis with surgery being the only option.

Lukas had his first surgery at 18 months old followed by two years of chemotherapy, which ultimately shrunk the rest of the tumors that

could not be removed in surgery. Everything was going smoothly until the fifth grade when the seizures came raging back and Lukas was taken in for a second surgery. The seizures remained dormant until seventh grade, when, once again, they came back and he received a third surgery followed by proton therapy, which is more accurate than straight radiation.

The treatment was deemed successful because the seizures have not returned since the third surgery. Lukas receives yearly MRIs to make sure the tumors are not growing.

These surgeries were substantial to Lukas’ development growing up be-

South Jersey Glory Days photo/Sully

cause the tumors were located right in the middle of all his cognitive processing, including speech, speech recognition, writing, writing comprehension and social interaction. Every time he had a surgery it bumped him back a few years and slowed down the development of his cognitive processing.

Even though Lukas faced many obstacles and setbacks growing up, it did not stop him from being a kid and discovering his love for baseball. His family played an important role in making sure he had as much of a normal childhood as possible.

“The word ‘can’t’ is not in our vocabulary,” said Lukas’ father, Brian

Englert. “We are going to normalize this non-normal situation as best we can. We are going to stay positive, and we are just going to work through it because once you get down it brings everyone down. We just muscled right through it.”

Brian has been involved in his son’s baseball career since he was in kindergarten, he said, coaching him through every level. From hours spent at the batting cages to the late-night drives home from a game, the father-son duo

A brain tumor and multiple surgeries can’t stop Englert from enjoying the game of baseball

Lukas Englert, a 2023 graduate of Mainland Regional High, was a manager for the Mustangs’ baseball team that made an improbable run all the way to the state championship game.

ENGLERT, From Page 14

has formed an inseparable bond.

“It is everything for me to just keep this fun thing going that we have all these years from the time that he was 5 to 18.” Brian said. “We are locked at the hip, he and I, wherever I go he is going with me.”

Even though Lukas recently graduated from high school — where he was part of the Mustangs’ baseball team that made it to the state championship game this spring as a team manager — that wasn’t going to stop Brian from finding a way to keep the tradition going with his son.

For the past three summers, Lukas has played for the Somers Point Captains in the South Jersey Shore Baseball League. Brian is one of the assistant coaches. Lukas goes into the games with a can-do attitude and is not afraid to wait his turn. He hits the field running when called upon to pinch hit, play in the outfield or be a pinch runner.

“He is a kid that just loves baseball. He lives for this kind of stuff he is probably one of those kids that has his jersey on at 3 in the afternoon,” said Captains head coach Dave O’Sullivan. “Not everyone is a star player but there are so many kids out there who just love being around the game, love being a part of it in any way they can.”

Sharing the field with a bunch of elite college players can be intimidating at times, but not for Lukas with his positive attitude and an entire team behind him, cheering him on.

“They love him. All of these guys have just really taken to Lukas and brought him in as one of the key members of the team, which is cool to see.” O’Sullivan said. “If he doesn’t get a hit, they are right there to encourage him and give him some advice for his next at-bat.”

Being a part of a team is one of the things Lukas loves the most about the game. He knows that no matter what happens he has people in his corner supporting him. When he is on the field with his teammates, he is a part of something bigger than himself. Baseball is more than just a sport to Lukas. It is the excitement leading up to game time and the car rides home talking about the game with dad. Falling in love with the process of getting better every day. Enjoying the simple things — like the beautiful weather or the smell of hot dogs cooking in the snack stand. But most importantly it allows him to be in control of something when his entire life has been handed a great deal of uncontrollable circumstances.

Lukas’ positive attitude has not only gotten him through tough times, but has allowed him to find something he loves and put everything he has toward it. He is an inspiration to the entire league, and his story says to people that no matter the situation you are in, the word “can’t” should never be in your vocabulary.

“It is a great reminder to some of the kids on the team that there are people who are going through some difficult challenges and to enjoy the time that you have playing baseball,” O’Sullivan said. “Take advantage of every opportunity that you can to play the game because you never know when you are not going to be able to play anymore. Lukas is a daily reminder to our team that baseball is meant to be en-

joyed, and that what makes it so enjoyable is the people you share the dugout with.”

Kaylin Flukey is a 2020 Absegami High School graduate and a rising senior at Iona University studying journalism. She’s a contributor for South Jersey Glory Days.

South Jersey Glory Days photo/Sully Baseball has created a special bond between Lukas and his father, Brian, as Brian is an assistant coach for Lukas’ summer team, the Somers Point Captains of the South Jersey South Shore Baseball League.

South Jersey Glory Days Salutes

the class of 2023

CHRISTIAN RANDO Egg Harbor Township/ Football, Basketball, Baseball

A four-year starter at quarterback for the Eagles, Rando displayed toughness and playmaking ability throughout his career on the gridiron. He threw for more than 1,800 yards during his career to go along with nine touchdowns, and also added 10 rushing touchdowns. As a senior during the basketball season, he led the Eagles to 28 wins, including the first league and sectional titles in program history. He hit more than 50 three-pointers, had nearly 60 steals and grabbed more than 100 rebounds. With Rando playing an integral part, EHT had two seven-game winning streaks and another that lasted for 10 games before a loss in the state championship game. As a junior, his final year of playing baseball, Rando posted a 2.15 ERA while helping EHT to a 21-7 record that included berths in the Diamond Classic and state tournaments.

AVERY JACKSON Ocean City/ Basketball

Jackson was the kind of player coaches dream about. An extremely hard worker who has skills, composure and leadership ability. With Jackson leading the way, Ocean City ripped off a 14-game winning streak in the middle of last season, then took the state playoffs by storm, winning four straight games, including another sectional championship, before finally falling in the state Group 3 semifinals. She led the Red Raiders in scoring with nearly 300 points while adding 39 threes, 77 rebounds and 29 steals. The past two years, with Jackson leading the way, Ocean City was 41-16. She finished her career with nearly 800 points, including 100 three-pointers, and there was only one game during her entire career that she was held scoreless.

South Jersey Glory Days Salutes

the class of 2023

DERR0N MOORE

Woodbury/ Football

Moore was an absolute monster as a middle linebacker for a Thundering Herd team that won the Group 1 state championship last fall. The Duquesne University recruit had an almost unbelievable 115 tackles, including a season-high 14 in a 45-8 win over Shore Regional, and with Moore leading the way Woodbury allowed more than 14 points in just three of its 14 games last fall.

Moore isn’t huge (6-foot-1, 205 pounds) but hits like a Mack truck and has the speed to go sideline-to-sideline with the fastest running backs.

Another mind-boggling stat?

Of his 115 tackles last season, 110 were of the solo variety. The second-team All-State selection had 11 tackles in the state championship game and forced and recovered two fumbles. He was the inspirational leader of one of the best defenses in the state.

XANDER ROBERTS-BOGIN

Pleasantville/ Football, Track

Roberts-Bogin had an outstanding football career for the Greyhounds, leading the team with 362 receiving yards on 25 catches as a senior while also helping Pleasantville to a 7-3 record and a West Jersey Football League Patriot Division title. Defensively, he chipped in with 25 tackles and three interceptions as a defensive back.

But on the track is where the Delaware State recruit and Cape-Atlantic League Male Athlete of the Year really shined, as a 400 meters and relay runner. He led his 4X400 relay team to a third-place finish in the state and also placed third individually in the 400 at the Meet of Champions. He teamed up with Isaiah Davenport, Yusef Golden and Jermain Nelson to win the Group 2 state championship in the 4X4.

South Jersey Glory Days Salutes

the class of 2023

ANDI HELPHENSTINE

Ocean City/ Field Hockey, Lacrosse

Defense is often overlooked in high school sports, but it’s crucial for any team that has championship aspirations. Helphenstine was a true leader on defense for Ocean City in both field hockey and lacrosse and was one of the top all-around athletes in the Cape-Atlantic League. She lost her mother to a battle with cancer during her high school career, but that didn’t stop her from making a huge impact on the Red Raiders teams she played for. Last fall, Ocean City’s field hockey team went 14-4-2, won the CAL Tournament and made it to the sectional semifinals before a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Clearview. With Helphenstine leading the way the Red Raiders allowed more than two goals only once all season. In lacrosse, she helped lead Ocean City to 16 wins, including a CAL Tournament title and two victories in the state playofffs.

MACIE JACQUET

St. Joseph Academy/ Field Hockey, Softball

Macie Jacquet is one of those players who seems to take things personally. She doesn’t take too kindly to teams trying to beat her Wildcats, and she’ll do whatever it takes to keep that from happening. It didn’t happen too often during her career, as she was a standout on both the field hockey and softball fields for St. Joe. She scored a team-high 20 goals to go along with 18 assists, also best on the roster, to lead St. Joseph Academy to 17 wins in field hockey. The Cats made it to the CAL semis and the final round of sectionals before losing to Camden Catholic. In softball, the Wildcats went 22-6 and won the Non-Public B state championship as Jacquet shook off a slow start to bat .398 with 11 RBIs, 28 runs and 18 stolen bases, and she also was one of the best catchers in the league. She helped St. Joseph Academy post a team ERA of just 2.56.

South Jersey Glory Days Salutes

the class of 2023

OLIVIA BENT-COLE

Camden Catholic/ Field Hockey

We may have just witnessed the greatest South Jersey field hockey player in history the past couple of years at Camden Catholic. If she’s not No. 1 all-time, “OBC” as she’s referred to certainly is in the conversation. Surpemely talented with speed, explosiveness, field vision and stick skills, Bent-Cole, a Philadelphia native, can do pretty much whatever she wants on a field hockey field. She finished her storied Irish career with 128 goals, including 46 as a junior, to go along with 48 assists. She also led Camden Catholic to a 21-1 record last fall that included a Non-Public state championship. Of course, Bent-Cole scored in the 2-1 title game win over Oak Knoll Academy. She also had nearly three times as many goals as any one else on the Irish roster.

The Northwestern University recruit was the state Player of the Year in 2022.

ANDREW CRAWFORD

Camden Catholic/ Football, Basketball, Baseball

There were only three games last season when Irish point guard Andrew Crawford scored in double digits. But there were eight times when he went double digits in assists. The true definition of a facilitator, it was never about Crawford, the head coach’s son. It was always about doing whatever it takes to win. All those things that don’t show up in a box score, like diving for loose balls, coming up with a steal at just the right time, hitting the front end of a 1-and-1 to extend a lead. Crawford was a master at all of those types of things. And it’s no surprise Camden Catholic won 22 games last year and made it to the semifinals of both the Camden County and Non-Public A state tourneys. Crawford had an eye-popping 224 assists as a senior and helped solidify the Irish as one of the best teams in South Jersey.

South Jersey Glory Days Salutes

the class of 2023

TRE CARANO

Buena Regional/ Baseball

Some in South Jersey may have thought the Buena Regional baseball team was trying to load up when six post-graduate players decided to come back in 2023 to take advantage of the bridge year allotted to athletes who missed a season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Carano and his buddies just wanted one more season of high school baseball to enjoy as teammates before they went their separate ways. And, boy, did he enjoy his final season! The Press of Atlantic City Player of the Year batted .443 with 47 hits, 42 runs, 26 RBIs, 13 doubles, two homers, and 20 stolen bases. All that did was lead Buena to a 27-4 record that included berths in the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament and Group 1 championship games. Buena’s shortstop finished his career with 118 hits, 98 runs, 79 RBIs, 32 doubles, 33 walks and 42 stolen bases.

MADISON BIDDLE Egg Harbor Township/ Softball

If ever there was somebody who was born to play shortstop, it’s Biddle. The younger sister of former EHT star Emily Biddle, Madison has everything a coach wants in a middle infielder. She’s fearless, confident, has range and a missle for a right arm.

Oh, and she can also hit a little bit, too. As a senior this spring Biddle hit .429 with 36 hits, 26 runs scored, 23 RBIs, six doubles, seven home runs, nine stolen bases and she slugged .891. For her career she hit .401 with 93 hits, 94 RBIs, 84 runs, 18 doubles, 21 home runs and 23 stolen bases. And that was WITH a lost season due to covid. With Biddle in the heart of the order the Eagles went 23-2 and won the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament this season, and as a junior she hit .386 with seven homers to lead EHT to 25 wins and a berth in the state championship game.

South Jersey Glory Days Salutes

the class of 2023

ALEXA PANAGOPOYLOS Hammonton/ Softball

Her last name might be difficult to say, but it’s easy to see why Panagopoylos was so valuable to the Hammonton softball program. She held down the third base position for several years and as a senior lead the team in nearly every offensive category.

She hit nearly .500 with 30 hits, 31 RBIs, 24 runs scored, 12 home runs, eight doubles and slugged better than 1.000.

For her career, Panagopoylos batted .442 with 25 home runs, 95 RBIs, 26 doubles, 77 runs, 96 hits, 22 walks and a slugging percentage of .935. But it was more than just the numbers for one of the top players in the Cape-Atlantic League. She provided leadership and brought consistency and power to the middle of the lineup, and she helped solidify an infield that became one of the better ones in the league.

The Sienna University commit earned third-team All-State honors as a senior this spring.

NASIR TUCKER Atlantic Tech/ Basketball

The Atlantic Tech boys basketball program has been trying for years to gain some respect, not only in the Cape-Atlantic League, but around South Jersey. This year, led by five seniors in the starting lineup, the RedHawks may have announced their arrival as a program to be reckoned with. Leading the charge was point guard Nasir Tucker. Despite being only about 5-foot-7, Tucker led the team in scoring with 311 points, in assists with 125 and in steals with 49. He hit 33 three-pointers and added an impressive 145 rebounds to go along with stellar defense. He had a motor that never seemed to run out of gas, and led Atlantic Tech to a school-record 20-win season.

With Tucker handling the ball, the RedHawks scored wins over quality teams like Cherokee, Atlantic City, Wildwood Catholic, Hammonton, and Bridgeton, and made it to the second round of the state playoffs.

South Jersey Glory Days Salutes

the class of 2023

SASHA LEMONS

Atlantic City/ Basketball

You can always tell when a girls basketball player has grown up playing on playgrounds against the boys. They just have better moves and more confidence, and don’t back down from anybody. Lemons fit that mold better than anybody and it was obvious every time she stepped on the court she wasn’t going to leave until every ounce of her energy was spent trying to win for the Vikings. Perhaps the most competitive player in the Cape-Atlantic League, Lemons willed her team to 22 wins last season, including a berth in the CAL Tournament championshi game and the South Jersey Group 4 finals. Atlantic City lost both those games, but Lemons still had a tremendous season. She scored nearly 300 points, had 59 assists, 46 steals and hit 23 threes. For her career she scored better than 500 points and had 120 steals and 162 rebounds. She also hit 55 threes in her three varsity seasons.

D.J. GERMANN Egg Harbor Township/ Basketball

It’s safe to say D.J. Germann and the Egg Harbor Township trainers were on a first-name basis. The senior point guard plays the game of basketball so hard that it seemed he was constantly getted iced down or wrapped. A shoulder, a knee, thigh, hand, pretty much every part of his body got put to the test as Germann took the Cape-Atlantic League by storm as one of its best scorers and facilitators. With Germann behind the wheel of EHT’s fast-paced offense, the Eagles made history this past winter, winning their first league and sectional titles in program history.

EHT won nine straight postseason games before finally being stopped by Patterson Eastside in the state championship game. Germann led the way with 527 points and finished his career with more than 1,200. He also had more than 200 steals and 300 assists in four seasons, while finishing with 299 rebounds.

South Jersey Glory Days Salutes the class of 2023

RILEY GUNNELS

Ocean City/ Football, Baseball

Ocean City is starting to gain a reputation as “Quaterback High” after the likes of Andrew Donoghue, Joe Repetti and now Riley Gunnels. The son of a former pro, Gunnels fit the bill of “QB1” to a tee. Big and mobile with a strong arm, he passed for 1,500 yards as a senior despite every opponent knowing he was the Red Raiders’ best offensive option. He completed 117 of 200 passes and threw for nine touchdowns, and had more than 150 yards passing in four of Ocean City’s 11 games. For his career, in basically two seasons, Gunnels racked up nearly 3,000 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also was a leader on the Red Raiders’ baseball team, playing first base and coming up with 21 RBIs during his two years on varsity. As a junior, he helped the baseball program go 19-9 as O.C. reached the semifinals of the CAL Tournament and championship game of the South Jersey Group 3 bracket.

JAYLA & JANAY TRICE

Pleasantville/ Volleyball

What’s better than having one of the best volleyball players in the Cape-Atlantic League on your roster?

When she has a twin sister! The Trice twins both put up tremendous seasons in leading the Greyhounds to a 22-2 season las fall that included a CAL championship and three state playoff wins. With the Trice girls leading the way, Pleasantville began the season with a 19-match winning streak, and its only regular-season loss came against South Jersey power Pinelands Regional.

Both outside hitters, the Trice girls had eerily similar stats, or not so eerily, considering they are twins. Janay finished with 155 kills, 147 digs, 89 service points and 19 aces. Jayla was even better, racking up 224 kills, 148 digs, 109 service points and 53 aces.

To put into perspective how important the Trice girls were to Pleasantville’s offense, no other player on the roster had more than 35 kills.

South Jersey Glory Days Salutes

the class of 2023

KIRA MURRAY Holy Spirit/ Field Hockey, Basketball, Lacrosse

There are definitely some high school athletes whose careers are not fully appreciated until long after they graduate, despite their coaches singing their praises for four years. Sometimes they are not the flashiest players, but just consistently bring to the table the qualities and skills necessary to build a winning program. Kira Murray was never one to sing her own praises during her career at Holy Spirit, but boy did she have an impact on the Spartans, especially in basketball. A tough, hard-nosed player who seemingly always found a way to score big buckets, she helped lead the Spartans to 18 wins as a senior while scoring in double digits 13 times. She scored more than 250 points as a senior, and for her career she hit 84 threes, finished with 531 points and added 87 rebounds, 63 assists and 60 steals in three seasons. She added 41 goals and 42 assists in three seasons of lacrosse.

ETHAN KRAUSS

Shawnee/ Football, Lacrosse

Certain high school athletes are just playmakers. It’s in their blood. It’s something that can’t be taught, they just instinctively know how to make plays that help their team win.

Ethan Krauss of Shawnee is one of those guys. He had a solid career on the gridiron, racking up 766 yards receiving and five touchdowns as a senior last fall, helping the Renegades to a 6-5 record. He had 80-plus yards four times and finished his career with a 216-yard effort in a playoff loss against Hammonton. But on the lacrosse field is where Krauss really shined. In three varsity seasons he compiled an almost unbelievable 180 goals and also had a school-record 137 assists. He’s the all-time leading scorer at Shawnee with 317 points, and as a senior there was only one game when he didn’t score multiple goals. The second-team All-State selection led Shawnee to an 18-3 record and a Group 3 state championship.

South Jersey Glory Days Salutes

the class of 2023

GAVIN ROMAN

Holy Spirit/ Football, Lacrosse

If you saw Gavin Roman walking into a Wawa and somebody told you “there goes one of the best receivers in Holy Spirit football history” you might think that person was delirious in the summer heat. Roman is about 5-foot-8 and all of 165 pounds. Not exactly a menacing site on a high school footballl field. But the 2023 graduate used his speed, smarts, agility and athleticism to get separation from bigger defenders and he continued to make plays throughout a season that saw the Spartans go 9-2 and advance to the semifinals of the state sectional tournament.

Roman was the leading receiver in the state with 1,249 yards on a mind-boggling 113 receptions (a new state record). He had double-digit receptions in all but two games as a senior and had more than 140 yards five times. He was also an outstanding defender, finishing the season with several interceptions.

QUANIRAH MONTAGUE

Atlantic City/ Basketball

Throughout her career, Quanirah Montague was a problem for opposing high school basketball teams. She always had the height and therefore was a defensive presence from the jump, but as she developed into a more well-rounded basketball player, she was a force to be reckoned with. Teams had to figure out not only a way to stop her on offense, but how to get shots up around the 6-foot-4, rangy, athletic defender. On defense, she finished her career with 229 blocked shots to go along with 176 steals and 840 rebounds. Offensively, she really came into her own as a senior and posted nearly 500 points, averaging better than 17 points per game. She finished with an even 1,000 points in a career that had nearly an entire season cut out due to the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the best post players South Jersey has ever seen, she’s committed to Mississippi State.