JSN INAUGURAL BOWL GAME 2018

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Volume 24 • Issue 550

LONG BRANCH

JerseySportingNews.com

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12/4/18 - 12/17/18

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INAUGURAL BOWL GAMES

Page 2 Jersey Sporting News • 12/4/18 - 12/17/18

12/4/18 - 12/17/18 • Jersey Sporting News

Page 3

Shore Regional and Holmdel Girls Tennis Finish Strong

By Eugene Stewart

Interest in girls tennis is alive and well in the Shore Conference. Both Shore Regional and Holmdel had exceptional seasons.

Shore’s No. 2, Chloe Moore, a junior with a 2018 record of 11-10, in her first year playing varsity singles, was described by Gruskos as a “consistent player that’s very athletic.� Sophie Oglensky, No. 3, a senior with a 2018 record of 12-9, began playing tennis in her sophomore year.

Shore Regional’s girls tennis program is led by its 18-year coach, Michelle Gruskos, who views “tennis as a life sport,� so not only does she coach the Shore varsity program, but plays competitively herself. As an instructor, the lessons learned throughout her experiences are passed along to her pupils. “We spend so much time together, it makes us closer – more than a team, we become a family,� said Gruskos. This family connection at Shore resulted in a Central Jersey Group I Championship for 2018.

Shore’s first doubles teams consisted of the duo of senior captain and four-year varsity player Grace Treshock, and junior Mia Grunbaum. This tandem qualified for the 2017 state tournament. Rounding out the Shore team at second doubles is junior Sophia Pissane and senior Sarah Hazelrigg.

The Blue Devils took an early exit from the Shore Conference Tournament, where they fell to Red Bank Regional. Roarty reached the semifinals of the Monmouth County Flight Tournament where she lost to Holmdel.

With a 14-9 final record this year and this year’s championship making for the third consecutive Central Jersey Group I crown, Shore’s success was tied to its first singles player, captain Charlotte Roarty. A four-year varsity performer, four-year All-Shore selection, senior record of 26-3, varsity record of 94-12, Roarty blazed the path for the Blue Devils. The latest in a long line of strong first singles players over the last 16 years, Roarty has yet to select the uniform she will wear at the next level.

Having a 2018 team heavy with juniors and seniors, Gruskos looks forward to the 2019 season and fielding a team of young girls eager for another run at a title.

The Holmdel Hornets girls tennis program has a rather impressive streak of its own, collect-

SHORE REGIONAL SECTIONAL GIRLS TENNIS CHAMPS Photo courtesy of Shore Regional High School ing the last five – count them, five – Group II NJSIAA girls tennis championships, a totally unprecedented feat. Beginning the season with a loss to Rumson-Fair Haven, the Hornets ran off a string of 24 wins, before losing their second match of the year, ending the season during the Tournament of Champions with a finals loss to Millburn. Coach Charles “Chuck� Chelednik praised his team and their successes, even as many are freshmen and sophomores.

Holmdel’s team was led this year by its co-captains, Victoria Vought at first singles and Natalie Cipriano at third. Junior Emily Jiang played second singles. The doubles lineup for Holmdel was anchored by its No. 2 duo of freshman Riya Shah and sophomore Chloe Hansen.

HOLMDEL GIRLS TENNIS CHAMPS Photo courtesy of Holmdel High School

Chelednik was pleasantly surprised with the outcome of this year’s team, particularly when last year the team “graduated four girls from last year, three starters.�

After beginning the season with a loss, Holmdel avenged that loss three times during the

season, beating Rumson-Fair Haven on Sept.

13 and Sept. 28, 4-1, and Oct. 6, 5-0. Other notable wins included those over Shore Regional, Manasquan, Ranney, Red Bank Catholic, Haddonfield, Demarest, Mountain Lakes and Holy Angeles, with the last four victories during the state playoffs.

Chelednik shared that his team faced adversity head-on around the time of the run up to the state tournament. It was late in the season, and one half of the No. 2 doubles team, Daphne Yang, became unable to play with a thumb injury. “Freshman Riya Shah stepped in and we played well. This propelled us,� he said.

Sophomore Melanie Chen and freshman Sydnie Nied round out the team.

These two programs, less than 15 miles and a 25-minute drive apart, continue to collect precious sectional, SCT, MCT, and state group championship hardware to crowd the cases at each respective school. We look forward to what 2019 brings to both programs.

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Page 4 Jersey Sporting News • 12/4/18 - 12/17/18

Three Kings Crowned: Holmdel, CBA and Ocean Township Men’s Soccer Win State Championships

By Eugene Stewart

HOLMDEL’S #10 ANTHONY ARENA Photo by: Tom Smith If asked at the beginning of the 2018 boys soccer season what are you sure will not happen this season, a great answer might be – to have three teams from the Shore Conference all bring home state championship hardware. That great answer would have been incorrect, as the unprecedented happened. Holmdel, CBA and Ocean Township all won state championships in Group II, Non-Public A and Group III, respectively.

The Holmdel Hornets ended the season undefeated, with a record of 22-0-1, ranked No. 1 in the state.

Holmdel defeated Glen Rock, 3-1, to win their second straight New Jersey Group II championship after defeats in their previous three appearances in the championship game, dating back to 2011, 2012 and 2015. A hard-fought game, pitting two teams hungry for the trophy, saw yellow and red cards flying and early missed opportunities before Holmdel got down to business.

OCEAN’S #10 LEONARDO MONTESINOS Photo by: Tom Smith matched No. 8 Milburn and No. 9 Ocean at Kean University, while the victory marked the first NJ state title for Ocean in 22 years and the second ever for the soccer program.

CHRISTIAN BROTHERS ACADEMY Photo courtesy of Christian Brothers Academy Glen Rock opened the scoring with a goal by Jason Kapiloff. His goal in the 32nd minute both opened and closed the scoring for a Glen Rock team who would come up short for the first time all year finishing up at 23-1-1. Holmdel’s response began with junior Jack Giamanco scoring his 23rd goal of the season (27 goals, 17 assists for his career) in the 36th minute on a breakaway to knot the score at 1-1, which is how it remained until the second half.

After the break, in the 64th minute, Holmdel senior Mark McStay headed in a goal for his fifth goal of the year (22 goals and 21 assists for his career) to put Holmdel ahead for good. Later, for insurance, Monmouth University-commit senior Anthony Arena sent a laser into the goal for his 18th goal on the season (65 goals, 49 assists for his career). Arena closed out the scoring on a 2018 season that saw Holmdel roll through a season unblemished but for a 2-2 tie with Ocean back on Oct. 22, in the Shore Conference Tournament.

HOLMDEL’S #13 PETER VASSILAKOS Photo by: Tom Smith

Christian Brothers Academy (19-4) ended the year ranked third in New Jersey with a victory over thentop-ranked Delbarton, 2-1, in a thriller. The game was won on a free kick as time in the second overtime ran down. The game’s outcome rested on the shoulders of junior Luke Pascarella, who lined up for

HOLMDEL Photo by: Tom Smith

the free kick with 19 seconds left and placed the ball inside the Delbarton wall and between goalkeeper Kyle Swift and the left post, bouncing the ball off of the post, into the goal. For Pascarella, this marked his 13th goal of the season and 19th for his two-year career as a Colt.

Scoring in the Non-Public A championship final opened early with Delbarton’s Brendan McSorley popping the net in the fourth minute. Not until the 75th minute did CBA senior Jack Hempstead score his first career goal to tie the game at one goal each and force the contest into overtime. Pascarella delivered CBA its second title in three consecutive appearances in the final, bringing home the chip last in 2016. The Colts’ losses during this campaign came at the hands of St. Benedict’s Prep (Post-Grad), Howell, Holmdel and Ocean. This year’s championship marks the seventh overall for the program, tying them for eighth best for state titles.

The lone goal of the game was scored by senior James Schultz, in the 72th minute, raising his season total to 11, to go along with three assists (22 goals and 7 assists for his career). His header came on an assist from senior Leo Montesinos, for his eighth of the year and his career. The low-scoring affair was not an indication of activity around the goal, as Millburn’s goalie took five shots on goal, while Ocean keeper Max Winters turned away 11 shots, high for the year, totaling 89 on the year and 237 saves over his four-year career.

2018 proved to be a very successful year for boys soccer in Monmouth County with plenty of hardware finding a home here. Three of the six total state championships – Group II, Group III and Non-Public A – will be defended in 2019 by a Monmouth County program. Great work! JSN is proud of you all!

The win by the Colts marked the first defeat for Delbarton’s program since 2016.

Rounding out the third Monmouth County state champion of the 2018 soccer season, the Ocean Spartans showed their grit, bringing home the NJ State Group III chip, beating the Millburn Millers, 1-0. The game

OCEAN’S GOALIE MAX WINTERS Photo by: Tom Smith

OCEAN TOWNSHIP Photo by: Tom Smith

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12/4/18 - 12/17/18 • Jersey Sporting News

Page 5

RED BANK CATHOLIC LEANS ON DEFENSE IN 14-10 WIN OVER MATER DEI

By Mike Ready EAST RUTHERFORD – This was the game that Shore Conference football fans have been waiting for all season long and the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the Shore didn’t disappoint.

the Caseys elected to punt. O’Hara then came through again with a perfectly placed punt down to the 19-yard line with 8:45 remaining, setting up the sequence of events that lead to the Caseys goal-line stand.

The game went down to the wire with top-ranked Red Bank Catholic holding off Mater Dei, 14-10, to win the NJSIAA Non-Public Group III championship.

Red Bank Catholic (10-0) completed its first undefeated season in 58 years and will finish No. 1 in the Shore for the first time since 2013 and the fifth time in the last 11 seasons.

For the Caseys, it’s their second state title in five years and third in program history, while the Seraphs were making their third straight trip to the sectional finals after winning the program’s first-ever state title in 2016.

Red Bank Catholic’s opportunistic, bend-don’t-break defense forced three second-half turnovers and provided a crucial goal-line stand in the final five minutes of the game to make the final score hold up.

“It’s a heck of a feeling but it certainly didn’t come easy,” said Red Bank Catholic head coach Frank Edgerly. “It had everything you could imagine – the goalline stand there at the end. They gave us opportunities and we didn’t cash in. We gave them opportunities and they didn’t cash in. It was one of those games where you knew the margin of error was going to be very, very slim, but in the end you can’t say enough about our defense tonight. This was an example tonight where our defense picked up our offense and this time of year you don’t win without complementary football.”

The Caseys were clinging to a 14-10 lead when Mater Dei took over at the RBC 19-yard line with 8:45 remaining in the contest.

RBC forced a Mater Dei three-and-out and following a Gavin Toth punt, Caseys senior running back Billy Guidetti fumbled on first down turning the ball back over to the Seraphs at their own 35-yard line.

Mater Dei’s outstanding junior running back Malik Ingram, who finished with 250-yards rushing on 34 attempts with one touchdown, immediately ripped off runs of 31 and 25 yards giving the Seraphs a first-andgoal at the nine-yard line.

Ingram then picked up four yards before being stopped for no gain on second down by senior tackle Tommy Smith.

“We just had to buckle down,” said Smith. “We knew that’s a great offense over there with Malik so we knew we had to play disciplined, hard-nosed defense.”

On third-and-goal from the five, senior linebackers Steve Cmielewski and John Columbia combined to stop Mater Dei’s talented dual-threat quarterback Rob McCoy after a three-yard gain setting up a fourth-andgoal at the two-yard line.

Cmielewski was a tackling machine finishing with a game-high 17 tackles on the night while Smith added 10 and Columbia four tackles.

They were the preseason No. 1 team and went wireto-wire as the No.1 team. And that was no easy feat as they defeated No. 2 (Mater Dei), No. 3 (Long Branch), No. 4 (Rumson-Fair Haven) and No. 8 (Red Bank Regional) on their road to the championship.

RED BANK CATHOLIC Photos by: Tom Smith Caseys senior Ryan O’Hara, who has been a major weapon on punts and kickoffs all season for the Caseys and who averaged 46 yards on five punts with a long of 51 yards Saturday night, pinned Mater Dei back at their own 14-yard line with another beauty with 2:35 left in the game.

“One thing that goes unnoticed is Ryan O’Hara’s punting tonight,” said Edgerly of his senior punter’s major contributions. “It’s something that cannot be over-looked.”

A McCoy seven-yard keeper and two Ingram runs gave the Seraphs a first down at the 25-yard line when McCoy completed what looked like a 50-yard bomb to Isaiah Alston down to the RBC 25-yard line. However, Alston was called for offensive pass interference for pushing off and the play was brought back.

Now facing a first-and-22 at the 13 with a minute to play, McCoy threw three incompletions. On fourth down with Smith applying pressure, McCoy’s pass intended for Clarence Lewis on a slant over the middle around the 20-yard line was batted away by senior cornerback M.J. Wright essentially ending the game with 30 seconds still showing on the game clock.

Behind Ingram’s brilliant game, Mater Dei out-gained RBC, 404-256, with 344 of Mater Dei’s yardage coming on the ground. McCoy added 93 yards rushing and 63-yards passing but went 0-for-7 passing with an interception in the second half.

But it was the Caseys big-play defense that came up with huge stops when they had to have them that made the difference.

Lubischer was 7-of-13 for 187 yards and an interception and rushed for an additional 33 yards on 12 attempts, including an 11-yard touchdown run. Guidetti had two receptions for 56 yards and a three-yard touchdown run and Key added two receptions for 54 yards along with four tackles on defense.

McCoy kept the ball again on fourth down and rolled right looking of an opening in the line but Cmielewski and sophomore tackle Jake Louro were there to stuff him for a one-yard loss with junior defensive end and Notre Dame-commit Kevin Bauman helping to finish him off. Junior outside linebacker Charlie Gordinier, who finished with nine tackles, including two tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery, came in off the edge and forced McCoy inside and into the hands of Louro and Cmielewski.

“It feels great, we’ve been working for this ever since we lost last year,” Lubischer said of getting that state title. “I can’t thank Coach Edgerly and all the coaches enough for what they did for us today. We knew our defense was going to come up big on that goal-line stand so we put our trust in them. They were huge for us today.”

“In between each play we just kept saying we love each other and we came together as a family,” Cmielewski said. “We just put our feet on the ground and came down hill on every play. We bend, but we don’t break.

Every time we had a big play we just came together as a family because that’s what we are. It was a double Bgap blitz with me and John Columbia. We knew it was going to be a run so we just came through and did what we had to do. It feels great.”

The two teams then traded punts with the Caseys taking over at their own 15-yard line at the 11:51 mark of the second quarter.

“That’s toughness and character,” said Edgerly of the goal-line stand. “Quite frankly, the one thing that separates us from a lot people is the investment our kids have made in each other as a team and that showed up on that fourth-and-2.”

Red Bank Catholic took over at the three and the Caseys decided to roll the dice on first down.

Senior quarterback and Boston College-commit Steve Lubischer executed a perfect play-action fake rolling right and spotted Bauman all alone down field before lofting a pretty spiral to Bauman who rumbled all the way down to the Seraphs 42-yard line.

“The anticipation is that you’re going to stop the run down there,” said Edgerly of the play to Bauman. “Fortunately no one in the stadium covered Kevin and 50 yards later we reversed the field.”

However, the Caseys drive stalled when Mater Dei linebacker Russell Ferrisi, who finished with a team-high 12 tackles, dropped Guidetti for consecutive losses and they were force to punt.

Mater Dei opened the game with an 11-play drive but came up empty when Columbia stopped McCoy short of a first down on fourth-and-11 at the 23-yard line.

Lubischer hit senior wide receiver and University of Pennsylvania-commit Jayden Key for 42 yards to the Mater Dei 42, but two rushing plays and an incompletion brought up a fourth-and-6 at the 38-yard line.

The Caseys took a gamble and it paid off when Columbia took a direct snap from center and rambled 14 yards for a first down at the 24-yard line. Two plays later on second-and-9 at the 11-yard line, Lubischer scored on a keeper up the middle with O’Hara’s extra point giving the Caseys a 7-0 lead with 7:05 left in the half.

After trading punts once again, Mater Dei went on a 16-play scoring drive that took five minutes off the clock ending in a Toth 27-yard field goal after Cmielewski stopped McCoy on third-and-5 from the eight-yard line for a two-yard loss.

The half ended with the Caseys holding a 7-3 lead and due to receive the second-half kickoff.

Following a touchback, RBC took over at their own 20yard line. On third-and-8 from the 22, Lubischer lofted a screen pass to Guidetti with heavy pressure in his face. Guidetti hauled it in and scampered all the way to the Mater Die 34-yard line for a 44-yard pickup.

Following a holding call, Lubischer gained 11 yards on first-and-21 then connected with Kevin Degman for eight yards on third down bringing up a fourth-and-2 at the 26-yard line.

Guidetti plowed up the middle for four yards and a first down before Lubischer added runs of 10 and nine yards on a perfectly executed bootleg to the left leaving RBC with a second-and-goal at the three-yard line.

Guidetti took care of the rest, finishing off the 80-yard, 10-play drive with a three-yard rushing TD. O’Hara’s extra point made it 14-3 with a little over four minutes gone in the third quarter.

RED BANK CATHOLIC’S #8 STEVE LUBISCHER

Coming into the game they were ranked fifth in the state and should move up a couple spots when the final rankings are released.

“That was huge for us,” said Lubischer on scoring on the first possession of the second half. “That just takes their pride away. We go down in the second half and score on the first drive and it just rips their heart out. I’m speechless right now, it’s been a great ride.”

The two teams then traded interceptions with senior free safety Anthony Romano picking off McCoy and one play later Lewis stealing a Lubischer pass intended for Key at the 18-yard line.

Mater Dei cashed in on the turnover to pull within 1410 with Ingram doing most the damage.

Three straight runs by Ingram gave them a first down at the 28. McCoy was then chased out of the pocket

by Key and scrambled for 21 yards to the 49-yard line and a first down.

On the next play, Ingram burst up the middle, made one cut and raced 51 yards down the left sideline for the score. Toth’s extra point pulled Mater Dei with four, 14-10, with 5:22 left in the third quarter.

On the Caseys ensuing possession, Shittah Sillah and Robert Young stopped Cmielewski on fourth-and-1 for a two-yard loss at the Caseys own 27. But two plays later, with the Seraphs threatening at the RBC 21, McCoy was stripped by Wright with Gordinier recovering at the eight-yard line.

The Caseys were forced to punt when Sillah stopped Wright after a one-yard gain on third-and-7 from the 11-yard line. Punting out of his own end zone, O’Hara boomed an end-over-end punt to the 48-yard line where Isaiah Noguera signaled a fair catch.

The Seraphs then reached the RBC 33-yard line looking to take their first lead of the game, but on secondand-7 Ingram coughed up the ball giving it back to the Caseys at the 32-yard line with 11:05 left in the game.

Ferrisi dropped Guidetti for a three-yard loss and Lubischer’s pass to Degnan on third-and-12 came up three yards short bringing up a fourth-and-three and

It was a classic bend-don’t-break defensive effort for the Caseys and when all is said and done it’s scoring defense that really matters.

“Talking about defense, we gave up one touchdown in the last eight quarters of the playoffs,” Edgerly said. “This time of the year you got to play defense and down the stretch it was our defense that pulled this thing out for us.”

In his second stint with Red Bank Catholic, Edgerly took over three years ago when this year’s seniors were sophomores.

“It’s satisfying, very satisfying,” said Edgerly. “Honestly, the best teams that you’re around are the teams that hold themselves accountable and this senior class is in a class of their own. This is the greatest team I’ve ever been around, on and off the field. We have great leaders who are great to be around and leadership is the beginning and ending point with this team.”

“It’s surreal, it’s the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life,” said a jubilant Smith afterwards. “I don’t even know what’s going through my mind, it’s crazy, it’s a great feeling.”

Page 6 Jersey Sporting News • 12/4/18 - 12/17/18

Diagnosing and Treating Iron Deficiency

By Kathleen Trotter, DPM Feeling tired? Is your performance on the athletic field suffering? Are you unable to concentrate at school or work and lacking quality sleep? One possible reason for these symptoms may be due to low iron, or iron deficiency.

Iron deficiency is in fact common in athletes, occurring up to 50% in females. Iron is a mineral that is a part of the hemoglobin molecule in circulating red blood cells in our bodies. Hemoglobin is responsible for oxygen transport from our lungs to our tissues. In addition, iron plays a role in our acid base balance and energy metabolism. In other words, it is directly correlated to our aerobic capacity and performance in daily and athletic activities.

Iron is obtained from our diet and either from animal and non-animal products. Animal products high in iron include clams, oysters, sardines, shrimp, beef, turkey, and liver. Red meat contains three times as much iron as chicken and fish and thus is a great source of iron. Iron in animal products are better absorbed by non-animal foods rich in iron which include beans, dates, spinach, pumpkin seeds, and tofu.

Athletes are especially at risk for developing low iron due to losses in sweat, skin, urine, and the gastrointestinal tract. Females also are at greater risk due to menstruation. With intense exercise, iron losses increased by as much as 70%.

As iron stores diminish, one begins to experience fatigue with exercise. As stores decrease further, the body is unable to make

sufficient amounts of red blood cells and an anemia develops. In addition to weakness, fatigue, poor performance, inability to sleep, one may develop a craving for ice chips. This is specific for iron deficiency in fact.

In order to diagnose and screen for iron deficiency, blood work can be obtained. While a true anemia, a decrease in red blood cells, is found in severe cases, athletes may demonstrate a deficiency by obtaining iron saturation studies as well as serum ferritin, which is a long-term storage of iron. While in the general population, a ferritin of below 15 ng/ml is considered abnormal, the serum ferritin level should be at least 40 ng/ ml in athletes and especially long-distance runners to experience the best performance capacity.

Most deficiencies can be corrected via diet alone and modification in training regimen. It generally takes six to eight weeks to replenish iron stores. There are various forms of iron supplementation. It is also important to take iron with vitamin C in order to enhance absorption and avoid dairy, coffee, and tea as these products inhibit absorption. Supplementation is only advised under the care of a doctor and there are risks associated with overload. A serum ferritin level is necessary to guide the supplementation.

Other reasons, including low vitamin D, high cortisol levels, low thyroid hormones, may also be implicated in fatigue of the athlete. At our office, we obtain baseline bloodwork on athletes before, during, and after the season, as warranted.

Shore Conference Runners Star in Cross Country Championships

By Eugene Stewart

Another exciting girls Cross Country season has come to an end, with the girls of the Shore Conference representing themselves and their respective schools very well throughout the season, culminating with the sectional championships on Nov. 3, group championships on Nov. 10 and the Meet of Champions at Holmdel Park on Nov. 17.

Meet of Champions Led by county-best individual meet performances by Delia Russo (senior, Colts Neck) 18:49.00, Samantha Ragenklint (senior, Monmouth Regional) 19:07.00, Maddy Kopec (junior, Red Bank Catholic) 19:12.00, and Emily Levonas (junior, Holmdel) 19:14.00, Monmouth County placed four in the top 20 finishers. Best team finishes were posted by Holmdel (136), Colts Neck (178) and Middletown South (262) finishing 3rd, 6th and 11th, respectively.

Group I Finals Shore Regional senior Alyssa Costello, 21:26.00 (14th); and junior Pari Walter, 21:49.00 (21st); Point Pleasant Beach freshman Piper O’Neill, 22:32.00 (38th); and junior Julia Homer, 22:39.00 (40th) all finished in the top 50.

Costello, Walter and sophomore Krissy Birdsall, 22:54.00 (46th), fueled Shore Regional’s sixth-place team finish.

Group II Finals Holmdel (2nd), Point Pleasant Boro (5th), Monmouth Regional (7th) and Pinelands Regional (18th) were the winners in Group II. Best individual performances were posted by top 10 finishers Samantha Ragenklint (senior, Monmouth Regional) 19:15.00, 2nd; Emily Levonas (junior, Holmdel) 19:35.00, 6th; Amanda Stone (senior, Monmouth Regional) 19:39.00, 7th; and Claudia Zhang (junior, Holmdel) 19:48.00, 10th.

Group III Finals Top ten finishers were Delia Russo (senior, Colts Neck) 19:02.00, 3rd; Natalie Shapiro (junior, Colts Neck) 19:39.00, 5th; Lucy Afanasewicz (freshman, Middletown South) 19:39.00, 6th; Emily Dorony (senior, Ocean) 19:40.0, 7th; and Catherine Wimmer (junior, Red Bank Regional) 19:48.00, 10th.

nior) 22:29.70, 11th; and Point Pleasant Beach’s Piper O’Neill (freshman) 22:13.90, 9th; and Julia Homer (junior) 22:19.50, 10th, were the top finishers.

No surprise, Shore Regional High School and Point Pleasant Beach finished 1st and 3rd, respectively, in the sectionals.

Central Jersey Group 2 Sectionals Monmouth Regional seniors Amanda Stone, 19:03.50, and Samantha Ragenklint 19:10.10, finished 1st and 2nd, respectively, followed by Molly Kate Sabia (junior, Point Pleasant Boro) 19:17.20, 4th; Julia Tambaro (senior, Rumson-Fair Haven) 19:31.50, 7th; Cassandra Daniele (junior, Matawan) 19:32.70, 8th; and Claudia Zhang (junior, Holmdel ) 19:33.30, 9th.

Holmdel finished 2nd, Point Pleasant Boro 4th, Monmouth Regional 5th, Rumson-Fair Haven 6th, Matawan 8th, Manasquan 11th and Wall 12th.

Central Jersey Group 3 Sectionals Colts Neck brought home five of the top 11 places thanks to Delia Russo (senior) 19:58.90, 1st; Natalie Shapiro (junior) 19:59.50, 2nd; Catherine Anderson (senior) 20:34.90, 5th; Eva Gibson (senior) 20:59.40, 10th, and Kavita Shah (sophomore) 21:06.50 11th. Other Shore Conference top finishers include Emily Dorony (senior, Ocean) 20:00.30, 3rd; and Allentown’s Andie Murray (freshman) 20:48.00, 7th, and Angelina Scotto (sophomore) 20:52.60, 8th.

The top team honors were taken by Colts Neck, followed by Allentown (2nd), Freehold Boro (6th), Ocean (8th) and Jackson Liberty (9th).

Central Jersey Group 4 Sectionals Freehold Township High School was represented by junior Emily Hoegler, 20:50.20; senior Gillian Gandolfo, 20:56.00; senior Alexandra Simon, 21:25.70; and junior Sophia Hodges, 21:29.90; finishing 23rd, 24th, 35th and 39th, respectively.

Manalapan senior Hayley Flanagan, 21:27.00 (36th) finished in front of Freehold Township freshman Brianna Kirch at 21:40.70.

Colts Neck finished as the Group III state champion, followed by Middletown South (3rd), Allentown (5th), Red Bank Regional (8th), and Toms River South (14th).

On the team leader board, Freehold Township finished 6th, followed by Manalapan at 11th and Howell at 15th.

Group IV Finals Southern Regional (19th) was the lone Shore Conference school to show in Group IV.

Congratulations to all the girls for their hard work, commitment and dedication to their craft. They’ve represented themselves, their families and their schools well.

Individual performances included Gianna Citarella (senior, Southern Regional) 20:57.00, 58th; Meagan Mahon (sophomore, Toms River North) 21:04.00, 70th; Emily Furlong (junior, Southern Regional) 21:21.00, 75th; Jaelyn D’Amello (junior, Southern Regional) 21:29.00, 83th; and Rachel Short (freshman, Southern Regional) 21:48.00, 96th.

Non-Public A Finals Maddy Kopec, (junior) 19:41.00, 4th; Claudia Satzke (junior) 20:21:00, 10th; Elena Dimitri (freshman) 20:45.00, 12th; Gionna Curci (junior) 20:47.00, 14th; and Kate DeFilippis (freshman) 20:50.00, 15th, all made the top 15 for Red Bank Catholic, which finished the season as the state champion of the Non-Public A division.

Non-Public B Finals Kudos to individual performances by Hayley Amisano (freshman, Mater Dei Prep) 21:23.00, 17th; Abigal Llach (junior, St. Rose) 22:28.00, 38th; Mia Glass (senior, Ranney) 22:31.00, 40th; Shana Fitzmaurice (senior, Ranney) 22:47.00, 41st; and Ella Cafiero (freshman, St. Rose) 24:49.00, 70th.

Mater Dei Prep finished as the number 12 team in team performance.

Central Jersey Group I Sectionals Shore Regional’s Pari Walter (junior) 21:13.20, 3rd; Alyssa Costello (senior) 21:26.50 4th; Krissy Birdsall (sophomore) 21:52.00, 7th; Sasha Jarvis (se-

MONMOUTH REGIONAL’S AMANDA STONE

12/4/18 - 12/17/18 • Jersey Sporting News

Page 7

SHORE CONERENCE SENIOR BOYS ALL-STAR SOCCER GAME BACK AFTER 10-YEAR HIATUS

By Mike Ready

ALL-STAR GAME MONMOUTH AND OCEAN COUNTIES ATHLETES Photos by: Tom Smith TINTON FALLS - Ten years after the last Shore Conference Senior Boys Soccer All-Star game was played, it returned with a bang with the Monmouth County All- Stars besting the Ocean County All-Stars, 5-1, at the Capelli Sports Complex in Tinton Falls.

The event was sponsored by Freehold Ford (trophies) and Nissan World of Red Bank (referees).

In the first 10 minutes of the reinvented All-Star game, the Monmouth County squad scored three quick goals with the help of four of the top players in the Shore, who incidentally just led their respective schools (Christian Brothers Academy, Ocean Township and Holmdel) to state championships a little over a week ago.

It was the third time ever and the first time since 1983 that three teams from the Shore Conference won NJSIAA overall group titles.

Ocean midfielders Luke Yates and Leo Montesinos and Holmdel forward Anthony Arena scored goals, while CBA midfielder Dom Bellomo added an assist, helping the Monmouth County squad race out to an early 3-0 lead in what turned out to be enough to edge Ocean County.

All four were first-team All-Shore selections after stellar senior seasons.

Yates and Montesinos helped the Spartans (21-31) achieve one, if not the, best seasons in program history. Ocean captured both the Shore Conference Tournament and the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III

title before securing the overall Group III championship and finishing ranked fifth in the state.

Yates got Monmouth on the board first, heading in a free kick by Bellomo in the fifth minute for a 1-0 lead.

Bellomo played an integral role in helping the Colts (19-4) to the NJSIAA South, Non-Public A title prior to snapping Delbarton’s 57-game unbeaten streak to win the Non-Public A championship and ended the season ranked No. 3 in the state.

Montesinos then put Monmouth up by two, drilling an 18-yard strike past Ocean County goalkeeper Nick Kinzler (Jackson Memorial), who had trouble corralling the ball on a wet, raining night that made it difficult to get a good grasp of the ball.

The first half ended, 4-1, and the second half settled into a defensive affair with Howell goalie Shane McBride and Central’s Matt Dias both excelling in the nets.

Holmdel’s Arena – the SSN Player of the Year – led the Hornets (22-0-1) to an undefeated season and the No. 1 ranking in the state after winning the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II title on the way to winning the overall Group II championship.

Two minutes later, Arena buried a deflected shot off to the lower left side from about 15-yards out off an assist from Montesinos for a 3-0 lead.

Monmouth did add one more goal when Middletown South midfielder Jonathan Santos blasted a shot to the far left corner for a goal and a 5-1 lead.

Ocean County answered a minute later when Pinelands forward Dom Dos Santos collected a throughball from Lacy’s all-time assist leader Kip Byrne then crossed it into the middle where Point Pleasant Beach striker Ki Costa gathered in the ball before scoring on a close-range shot to pull Ocean within two, 3-1.

Montesinos was named the MVP of the game for Monmouth with Pinelands forward Kieran Sundermann picking up the honor for the Ocean squad.

Arena was named an All-American and has now won back-to-back state championships, going 44-1-2 over the past two seasons.

In the final Max Prep national rankings, Holmdel finished ranked No. 13 in the country.

As a tribute to winning state titles, the head coaches from those schools were selected to head up the Monmouth County team, including Holmdel’s John Nacarlo, CBA’s Tom Mulligan and Ocean’s John Terlecsky – the SSN Coach of the Year. The starting lineup for Monmouth County consisted solely of players from those schools, deservedly so.

Montesinos, Yates, James Schultz, Jack Sintic and goalkeeper Max Winters from Ocean; Anthony Arena, Joe Arena, Torre Avitabile and Jack Russo from Holmdel; and Bellomo and Jack Gill from CBA formed the starting 11.

side, who then maneuvered his way in close between two defenders before slipping a shot just inside the right pipe for the goal.

Costa was the top goal scorer in Ocean County this season with 28 goals along with 14 assists for 70 points.

Neptune teammates Wilby Alfred (38 goals) and Mickenna Church (20 assists) led the Shore Conference in goals and assists, respectively. As the No. 1 seed in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III Tournament, the Fliers were upset, 2-1, by fifth-seeded Colts Neck in the semifinals.

Alfred and Church hooked up one last time in their high school careers to push Monmouth’s lead to 4-1, with Church finding Alfred streaking down the left

ALL-STAR GAME MVP’S OCEAN’S LEONARDO MONTESINOS & PINELANDS’ KIERAN SUNDERMANN

Page 8 Jersey Sporting News • 12/4/18 - 12/17/18

WILDCATS CAPTURE SECOND STRAIGHT SCT GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TITLE

By Eric Braun

TUCKERTON – The Pinelands Regional High School girls volleyball team capped off one of their best season in school history, ending with a record of 27-3 overall and the Shore Conference Tournament championship.

The Wildcats opened their season with five straight shutouts before running into their lone division loss to Donovan Catholic. After that loss, Pinelands went back to work and went 15-1, dropping a hard-fought contest to North Hunterdon. Their impressive run included wrapping up the regular season with a 13-1 record, B South conference championship and overall record of 20-2.

The Wildcats entered the Shore Conference Tournament with the No. 1 overall seed and did not disappoint or get overwhelmed with the pressure. After a first-round bye, Pinelands took on Barnegat – a division foe they beat earlier in the season, 2-1, with scores of 22-25, 25-15 and 25-21. This matchup would go all Pinelands’ way with little trouble, as the Wildcats won in straight sets, 25-15 and 25-15. In the quarterfinals, the Wildcats met up with No. 9 Raritan and once again they won in straight sets, this time 26-24 and 25-21.

Pinelands would make their way to the semifinals with little pressure, but would find a tough opponent waiting for them in No. 4 seed Wall Township, who was riding high coming into this matchup. Brittney Houseworth and Kayla Thornton would do most of the damage, leading Pinelands with 4 and 10 service points, respectively, and 4 and 2 aces, respectively, while Emma Capriglione would add 8 kills along with Thornton’s 11 kills. The Wildcats would be pushed to a three-set match for the first time since their 2-1 victory of Colts Neck earlier in the year. Pinelands advanced with a 2-1 victory of Wall with scores of 25-11, 22-25 and 25-12.

they’re providing is just phenomenal. We’re going to miss this senior class.”

To top off their second straight championship was a surprise escort on their way home. Police cars, fire trucks and ambulances were waiting to greet the team bus as it got off the Garden State Parkway for their short trip back to Pinelands High School.

Photos courtesy of Pinelands Regional High School In the championships, Pinelands met up with perennial power Southern Regional, who came in as the No. 2 seed with a record of 27-3 with losses coming to Pinelands (2-1), North Hunterdon (2-1) and Williamstown (2-0). In their first matchup, all three sets were tightly contested with scores of 25-15, 25-21 and 25-20.

The finals would be no different, as Pinelands won in straight sets, 25-19 and 25-21, for their second straight Shore Conference Tournament championship title.

The season would end not the way Bennett and the Wildcats wanted, but this has still been one incredible ride for this group. They went into the state tournament on a roll and rallied off a win over Science Park, 2-0, with scores of 25-9 and 25-6; and a secondround win over Voorhees, 2-1, with scores of 25-19, 23-25 and 25-9. In the quarterfinals they defeated Pascack Hills, 2-0, behind scoring of 25-15 and 2523.

The win put the Wildcats into the semifinals against Rutherford, where Pinelands came out on fire winning the first set, 26-24. From there Rutherford took over

and defeated the Wildcats 25-17 and 25-13, knocking Pinelands from the tournament.

After holding off a tough Wall squad earlier in the night, Pinelands leaned on its seven seniors to pave the way.

“I have seven seniors and all seven were integral parts of the team last year. I think the experience of going through the whole process and actually getting to Georgian Court, which is always what our goal is, helped everyone play relaxed,” said Coach Kathy Bennett.

Thornton, who has been a force all season, continued her dominance and leadership. Against Southern Regional in the finals, the senior finished with 15 kills, 6 service points, 2 aces and 3 blocks.

Along with Thornton, senior Victoria Pickel led the Wildcats with 24 assists and 2 digs. Senior Ciera Seals added 6 service points, 1 kill and 3 digs. Senior Tiffany Papa chipped in with 2 digs while senior Alexa Houston added 3 kills. Senior Jayce Demaria came up with 4 huge blocks while junior Houseworth chipped in with 7 service points, 1 ace and 5 digs and junior Capriglione added 6 service points, 5 kills and 4 digs.

“These seven seniors have totally stepped up in every aspect,” Bennett said. “Our setter Victoria Pickel stepped in this year and has come up big in every game. She’s doing a phenomenal job and then there’s Kayla Thornton, and then Emma Capriglione is following right in her footsteps. The leadership

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12/4/18 - 12/17/18 • Jersey Sporting News

Page 9

MALDJIAN LEADS BULLDOGS TO INAUGURAL SOUTH, GROUP III BOWL VICTORY

By Mike Ready

EAST RUTHERFORD – Coming into Saturday’s game, RumsonFair Haven knew they had to keep the ball out of the hands of Woodrow Wilson’s record-breaking quarterback Nick Kargman, who came into the game needing 23 yards to break the New Jersey single-season passing record, and that meant feeding the ball to senior running back Alex Maldjian.

son 19-yard line and had a first down at the three-yard line with 13 seconds left with no time outs.

After running the ball a career-high 50 times for 281 yards in the Bulldogs’ thrilling 42-35 win over Somerville to claim the school’s fifth sectional championship in six years two weeks ago, the Bulldogs felt they needed a repeat performance out of their tireless running back if they were to get past the explosive Tigers, and that’s exactly what they got.

Woodrow Wilson received the second-half kickoff and drove to the 49-yard line where they were looking at a fourth-and-nine.

Kargman’s pass to King was a yard shy of a first down and the Bulldogs took over on downs.

Kargman then mishandled the snap and was forced to fall on the ball as time ran out on the half with the two teams still knotted at 6-6.

Maldjian carried the ball on nine plays, including converting on a crucial third-and-2 picking up six yards on the play. Four plays later on fourth-and-goal from the three, Coles found senior tight end Ian O’Connor all alone in the far right corner of the end zone for the score. Coles’ pass to O’Connor for two was incomplete.

Maldjian thrives on big stages and Saturday, on his biggest stage yet at MetLife Stadium, the deceptively fast and powerful Maldjian rushed for 204 yards on 40 attempts propelling the Bulldogs to a 26-18 win over Woodrow Wilson to win the inaugural NJSIAA South, Group III Bowl game.

“I feel a little better today I’m not as banged up, I bet I could run a 100-yard sprint right now,” joked Maldjian when comparing the two games. “We had the same game plan (as last week) 10-yard war. Win those 10 yards and that brings us down the field. So we just wanted to get those first downs and we knew if we could do that we’d get in the end zone eventually.”

The game see-sawed back and forth with each team answering the other’s score with one of their own on the ensuing possession.

Woodrow Wilson had just tied the game, 18-18, on a nine-play, 80-yard drive that was kept alive by a Kargman 25-yard pass to Louisville-bound Naiem Simmons to the four-yard line.

A false start pushed the ball back to the nine-yard line before Kargman found Stanley King alone in the far left corner of the end zone. Woodrow Wilson then failed to convert on their third straight two-point conversion attempt and the score remained 18-18 with 5:27 left in the game.

Amari Clark’s kickoff rolled out of bounds on a questionable squib-kick and the Bulldogs took over at the Tigers 35-yard line with just over five minutes left in the game.

“There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to get the ball in there,” said Maldjian of the Bulldogs final scoring drive.

Now trailing, 12-6, the Tigers marched 62-yards in four plays with Kargman hitting Simmons for 30 yards before finding him for a 32-yard touchdown. His pass fell incomplete on the twopoint conversion attempt leaving the score 12-12.

RUMSON-FAIR HAVEN Photos by: Tom Smith “Everybody in the huddle knew that if we didn’t score there the game might not be ours so we just wanted to make sure we were winning this game.”

connected with King on second-and-8 from the 14-yard line for a 6-0 lead. Simmons was stopped on the two-point conversion attempt.

Rumson quarterback Collin Coles converted a clutch third-and-8 hitting sophomore wide receiver Patrick Jamin for 29 yards to the Tigers 34-yard line. Three plays later on third-and-4 from the 28 and the Tigers defense stacked up in front to try and stop Maldjian, he bulled his way up the middle for six yards and another first down at the 22-yard line with 2:06 left in the game.

Rumson answered on its ensuing possession when Maldjian took it to the house on second-and-five from their own 47 for a 53yard scoring jaunt. Coles’ kick was no good and the score remained 6-6 with 3:11 left in the first quarter.

Maldjian picked up a yard on his 41st carry of the game leaving the Bulldogs with a second-and-9 at the 21-yard line with under two minutes remaining.

The Bulldogs then went back to the air with Coles firing a strike to senior Jackson McCarthy, who caught the pass down the left sideline before side-stepping a defender and racing into the end zone untouched the rest of the way.

McCarthy, a stud basketball player, is a first-year varsity football player and his catch-and-run TD undoubtedly made his decision to come out for football the correct one.

“When there’s one man to beat your eyes get a little bigger,” McCarthy said. “I was just so excited but this is way bigger than just myself. It’s about the whole team and the community. It was awesome.”

Rumson elected to go for two and Maldjian capped off his night with a two-point conversion and a 26-18 lead with 1:15 left in the game.

Coles’ long kickoff went for a touchback and Woodrow Wilson was looking at an 80-yard drive to tie the game with just over a minute remaining.

RFH’S #6 ALEX MALDJIAN GETS THROUGH THE LINE AND ON HIS WAY TO THE TEAM’S FIRST SCORE

Rumson’s defense then came up with two huge turnovers on potential Woodrow Wilson scoring drives.

Starting at their own 28, the Tigers drove to the Rumson 34-yard line where they had a first down after a Kargman 12-yard strike to King.

Kargman then looked for Simmons over the middle but Rumson’s all-state linebacker Keegan Woods, reading the play all the way, stepped into the passing lane and snagged the ball at the 21yard line.

Woodrow Wilson forced a three-and-out and Nick Ferrara’s punt was fielded at the 39 before Rumson’s swarming special teams unit dropped Simmons nine-yards back at the 30-yard line.

Kargman hit Simmons for 35 yards giving the Tigers a first down at the 29-yard line before Muheem McCargo ripped off a 24-yard run to the Rumson five-yard line. Three plays later on third-and-goal at the two, Woods hit McCargo hard behind the line of scrimmage forcing a fumble with Drew Frankel recovering.

Rumson answered marching 60 yards in a time-consuming 12play drive. Sophomore John Volker completed the drive scoring on an eight-yard reverse for an 18-12 lead with 7:50 left in the fourth quarter.

On the drive, Maldjian rushed for 37 yards on nine attempts with most of them going up the gut of Woodrow Wilson’s defense.

His punishing runs were beginning to take their toll on the Tigers front seven and you could see their frustration in not being able to stop him boiling over.

“I think for any defense to have an offense slowly move the ball down their throats it drains on them,” said Maldjian of pounding the ball up the middle. “For an offense to be able to do that is something special.

“Our guys up front are amazing, Ryan McCann and Evan Davis on the left, Tim Kelly center, Ethan Ardolino and Spencer Short on the right side. I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys blocking for me. I love them to death.”

In his final two games of his career, Maldjian had 475 yards rushing and five TDs on 89 carries finishing the season with 1,679 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Kargman threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns and in the process set a new state single-season passing record for passing yards with 3,963.

“The only stop that matters is the last one and we got it so that’s all you can ask for,” Woods said. “We were just saying bend-don’t-break. They went five wide (on his interception) and I just read his eyes and went up and got it. It was a fun game.”

Isaac Vernon sacked Kargman on first down and his last-ditch pass to Clark on fourth-and-6 from their own 41 fell incomplete and the Bulldogs took over on downs to run out the clock.

Woods finished 11 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble.

Kargman broke the state record on his first pass of the game, a 35-yard bomb to Simmons, to give him 3,715 yards. He then

Rumson then dodged another bullet. After recovering the fumble they went nowhere and Simmons returned the punt to the Rum-

RUMSON-FAIR HAVEN

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Page 10 Jersey Sporting News • 12/4/18 - 12/17/18

GREEN WAVE SURGE TO 20-17 VICTORY OVER SHAWNEE IN INAUGURAL BOWL GAME

By Mike Ready

EAST RUTHERFORD – Saturday’s inaugural South, Group IV Bowl game couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start for Long Branch.

The Renegades took over with 1:39 with only one timeout left. Dalsey gave them some hope picking up 16 yards on a screen pass but on second-and-10, junior Jayson Glasper dumped Welsey for a 13-yard sack.

Joey Dalsey’s 31-yard field goal with 2:20 left in the first half put Shawnee up, 17-0, and they had completely outplayed Long Branch in every facet of the game, including holding Long Branch star running back Jermaine Corbett to 23 yards on seven carries up to that point.

But Shawnee wasn’t dead just yet. On fourth-and-23, Nate Summerville’s acrobatic catch-and-run for 29 yards gave them a first down at the Long Branch 44yard line with 30 seconds left after Welsey spiked the ball to stop the clock.

However, instead of going into the half with their tail between their legs, sophomore Jayon Farrar gave the Green Wave the spark they needed to get up off the carpet.

An incompletion and a two-yard Welsey scramble left Shawnee with a fourth-and-8 at the 42 with 11 seconds and no timeouts left. Welsey then looked to go deep with a desperation pass but Glasper ran him down and sacked him again to end the game.

Farrar fielded Oliver Stern’s kickoff at the 25-yard line and raced down the left sideline down to the Shawnee 40-yard line before Oliver ran him out of bounds.

“It was amazing,” Farrar said of his return. “My boy juice (Qua’zahun Dennis) gave me a good block and I was just able to take it up the gap.”

That was the long-awaited spark Long Branch was hoping for and they didn’t waste any time getting into the end zone.

On second down, Corbett took a screen pass from senior quarterback Marc Dennis down to the 19-yard line for a 16-yard pickup giving them a first down at the Shawnee 19-yard line.

Dennis followed that up with a strike to senior wide receiver Matt Clarke for 13 yards to the six-yard line for a first-and-goal with 1:15 remaining in the half. Corbett then finished off the drive running it in from six-yards out for the score.

“The line got it done and I followed,” Corbett said. “It means a lot to me to help this team win. I’m proud.”

“Our big thing all year was overcoming adversity,” said Dennis of his team’s mind-set after falling behind, 170. When things don’t go the way we want them to we just have to bounce back. I just kept telling everyone, ‘Don’t look at the scoreboard; don’t look at the scoreboard.’

“This is the best moment of my life,” said Glasper. “I’m only a junior. I was just trying to apply pressure from the outside.”

Dalsey scored on a 17-yard run then caught a 16-yard yard pass from Welsey to go up 14-0 in the first quarter, then kicked his 31-yard field goal in the second quarter, as he had a hand in all 17 of Shawnee’s points.

LONG BRANCH Photos by: Tom Smith “Jayon’s return was huge,” Dennis added. “He’s a sparkplug and only a sophomore. He’s been waiting all year for his moment and he got it tonight. Us deferring and scoring at the end of the half, we’ve been doing that all year and that was huge tonight.”

from the Shawnee 30-yard line he found Zahdierr Blueford on a slant over the middle for 29 yards down to the one-yard line.

7:05 still left in the third quarter. The Green Wave had woken from a deep slumber to score 20 unanswered points in a little over eight minutes.

Diego Barkaszi’s extra-point kick pulled the Wave to within 17-7 of Shawnee as the first half expired with Long Branch due to receive the second-half kickoff.

From there, Corbett scored his second rushing touchdown of the night and the Green Wave were now not only three points from tying Shawnee but had the Renegades reeling, and it was about to get a whole lot worse for Shawnee.

Brent Bialous returned the ensuing kickoff to the 30yard line and drove to the Long Branch 20-yard line thanks in part to a pass interference call followed by an unsportsmanlike penalty that gave Shawnee a first down at the Green Wave 32-yard line.

“We played without five starters on defense,” said Long Branch head coach Dan George, who wouldn’t elaborate. “We had some young kids out there who were finding out just how different playing in a game is than practice and it took us a while to adjust.”

On the ensuing kickoff, Don Frigiola took Barkazi’s kickoff at the 14-yard line and had the ball jarred loose by senior linebacker Luke Arnold, who finished with 10 tackles, and Arnold recovered the ball at the 27-yard line.

However, on second-and-9 from the 20, senior safety Billy Levy picked off quarterback Matt Welsey in the end zone to stamp out the Shawnee drive.

Long Branch took the second-half kickoff and drove 70-yards in 10 plays to get within three points, 17-14.

“In the locker room we knew this might be our last game ever so we needed to come out and just start balling,” Arnold said. “We made a few adjustments in the coverage and the way we were playing the run was hurting us so our D tackles and D ends just needed to step up and play more physical. We hadn’t been down at halftime yet, so we were angry and we turned that anger into furor and we kept pounding.”

Dennis scrambled for seven yards for a first down on third-and-7 from the 38-yard line and on first-and-10

The Green Wave caused three crucial turnovers, including two interceptions, in the second half that went a long way to helping Long Branch hold off Shawnee and get the win.

A two-yard run by Corbett followed by a five-yard keeper by Dennis set up a third-and-three at the 20-yard line. Dennis then rolled right on a bootleg and found Clarke wide open in the back of the end zone for a 20yard touchdown that put Long Branch ahead for good.

“We’ve run that play all year,” said Dennis of his TD strike to Clarke. “It was a fake run and Matt did a great job acting like he was blocking before drifting into the back of the end zone for the catch. He just broke free and was wide open.”

THE TROPHY PRESENTATION

The extra-point kick was blocked by Dalton Short and the score remained Long Branch 20, Shawnee 17, with

The two teams traded punts, and then following another Long Branch punt, Shawnee took over at their own 36-yard line and moved to the Long Branch 37 on the strength of Dalsey’s nine and 17-yard runs.

Dalsey had a strong game rushing for 95 yards and two touchdowns along with catching five passes for 82 yards. He also kicked a 31-yard field goal and recorded nine tackles on defense.

Held to 29 yards on eight carries in the first half, Corbett finished with 85 yards on 21 attempts and completed his senior season with a state-best 2,021 yards rushing along with 26 touchdowns.

Dennis completed 12-of-19 passes for 135 yards and added 12-yards rushing on five carries.

With the win, Long Branch achieved their 12th win of the season for the first time in their storied program history.

“This win says we’re the best team in Long Branch history, no ifs, ands, or buts about it,” said Dennis. “The most wins in Long Branch history, 12-1 says it all.”

“It’s the greatest team I’ve been around,” said George when asked if this was Long Branch’s best team ever.

“The’ 86 team that ended 11-0 and finished second in the state might have something to say about that but in our defense, we won 12 games. I love these guys, they love each other, they love themselves and they love their coaches and that chemistry is special. It’s what all is right in high school sports.”

On third-and-nine, however, the Long Branch big-play defense struck again when senior cornerback Devyn Blount intercepted the freshman Welsey at the 12-yard line returning it all the way to the 50-yard line stunting another potential Shawnee scoring drive with a little over five minutes left in the game.

A holding penalty on third-and-1 at the Shawnee 30 set the Green Wave back 10 yards and on fourth-and-10 from the 39-yard line, Dennis surprised the Shawnee defense lining up like they were going for it but instead getting off a running punt that rolled all the way to the nine-yard line.

LONG BRANCH REALLY ENJOYING THE TROPHY

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12/4/18 - 12/17/18 • Jersey Sporting News

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POINT BORO’S DEVIN HART, CBA CAPTURE TOP HONORS AT X-C MEET OF CHAMPIONS

By Mike Ready

HOLMDEL – Stanford-bound Devin Hart wrapped up his stellar crosscountry career winning his second consecutive NJSIAA Meet of Champions title Nov. 17 at Holmdel Park, but he almost let it slip away when he let up in the final 20 meters thinking he had the race won.

“I was coming out of the woods and I thought I had him, but then he kept coming up behind me,” Hart said of his near disastrous

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP’S NICK LUNDBERG Photo courtesy of Freehold Township High School miscalculation. “That was real unexpected. So I put on a little surge in the final 20 meters, but I guess he (Madison’s Jack Stanley) had one final surge left, too. As I crossed the finish line I was like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe I just let up at the line and cost myself the state championship.’ I really thought he had me beat.”

The finish couldn’t have been any closer. If it were a horse race it would’ve been a photo finish. However, race officials eventually determined that Hart’s chest hit the tape first and he was officially declared the winner after the automatic timer determined Hart had edged Stanley out by .14 seconds.

“I mean it was an instant classic,” said Hart of the heart-stopping finish. “I’m happy with the win – I’m a little disappointed in the time – but I’m glad I went out with a bang on this last race. It was really exciting and definitely a good challenge for me.”

Hart finished in 15:36:00, while Stanley clocked in at 15:36:14.

POINT PLEASENT BORO’S DEVIN HART AND CBA’S TIM MCINERNEY Photo by: Tom Smith

CBA now has as many M of C titles as the rest of the state combined.

Paul VI is next with four titles.

Senior Luke Reid (17th, 16:12:09), senior Shawn Powell (18th 16:20:10), junior Mike Morris (32nd, 16:32:17) and Tristan Amell (57th, 16:54:28) round out the Colts top finishers.

CBA held out McInerney and Reid in last week’s group championships, won by the Colts, but needed to go at full strength Saturday to hold on, beating Haddonfield Memorial High School by a mere 18 points and 37 seconds in total time (1:21:58:00 to 1:22:35:00) to get the win.

“We got the win and that’s all that matters,” said Colts head coach Sean McCafferty. “Scoring 68 points in this meet is pretty good and the boys handled it well.”

The Colts now move on to compete in the Nike Northeast Regionals and more than likely the Foot Locker National Championships in San Diego on Dec. 7, if they qualify.

Hart is the seventh boy in the Meet of Champions history, which began in 1972, to win back-to-back titles and the first since Colts Neck’s Craig Forys accomplished that feat in 2005 and 2006. The win was also his fifth career Meet of Champions title, having won the X-C Meet of Champions twice, the outdoor 3,200 meters twice and the indoor 3,200 once.

Including Hart (1st), McInerney (6th), Reid (17th) and Powell (18th), the Shore Conference placed seven runners in the top 25 including Freehold Township’s Nick Lundberg (5th, 15:57:30), Manasquan’s Colin Flood (11th, 16:04:00) and Red Bank Regional’s Tyler Schwinn (22nd, 16:24:00).

Led by senior Tim McInerney, who finished sixth overall in 16:00:30, Christian Brother Academy, ranked No. 10 in the country, won their 23rd NJSIAA Meet of Champions title and eighth title in nine years.

There have been 46 Meet of Champions races, so for the record,

Led by Lundberg’s fifth-place finish, Freehold Township wound up finishing a very respectable 11th place with seniors Tim Kelly (17:00:35) and Zach Simon (17:08:45) finishing 66th and 77th, respectively for the Patriots.

Page 12 Jersey Sporting News • 12/4/18 - 12/17/18

JSN would like to congratulate all NLI signees. We at JSN are very proud of all the students, academically and athletically, in the Shore Conference.

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Page 14 Jersey Sporting News • 12/4/18 - 12/17/18

SHORE CONFERENCE GYMNASTS CAPTURES STATE TITLES AND AWARDS

By Eric Braun

Consistency and high expectations have fueled the rivalry between Freehold Township and Saint John Vianney over the past couple of seasons and this year would be no different.

on the uneven bars and received a team score of 28.825.

Freehold Township would latch onto the momentum and not let Saint John Vianney set the tempo for this year’s finals. The Patriots finished the meet strong in the final two events, receiving a team score of 28.2 points on beam and 27.95 on floor to secure their back-to-back NJSIAA team gymnastics title. Enroute to their title, this year’s group of girls set a meet record with 113.35, beating cross-town foe Freehold Boro mark of 113.1 back in 2011.

2ND LOCATION HOWELL SEPTEMBER 2018 2ND LOCATION IN IN HOWELL SEPTEMBER 2018

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

Last season, Saint John Vianney captured the Shore Conference Tournament championship over Freehold Township and then Freehold Township flipped the script and topped Saint John Vianney for the NJSIAA team championship.

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These same two teams were once again going at each other and pushing one another to perform at their best the entire 2018 season. The two teams outperformed their opponents enroute to another Patriots-Lancers showdown. The two teams would enter the Shore Conference Tournament 1-2 and in the finals it came down to these two powerhouses once again, and once again they put on a show. It would be the Lancers again who would take home the Shore Conference Tournament championship.

“That was a surprise and definitely mind blowing. They are so excited about beating the meet record,” said Freehold Township head coach Ashley Montgomery about the feat.

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

2ND LOCATION IN HOWELL SEPTEMBER 2018 Montgomery, who is in her second season as the head

coach for Freehold, also home some hardware this 2248 US 9 South, Howell, NJtook(Ideal Plaza) • 732-966-3441 season, earning Gymnastics Coach of The Year honors.

Montgomery got her coaching career started early due to ankle injuries that forced her competition career to come to an unexpected end. Once recovered from her injuries, she turned to coaching club gymnastics and becoming a certified judge. She took over her first high school coaching position for Freehold Township last season and has added her dedication and vision to the sport and it has only taken the Patriots higher and higher these past two seasons.

2ND LOCATION IN HOWELL SEPTEMBER 2018

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Freehold Township knew how to rebound but would have to once again on the biggest stage, the NJSIAA Central Jersey Sectional 1 and team championships. The Patriots, looking to capture their first Sectional title in 17 years, did so in impressive fashion, finishing with 113.6 points and topping Saint John Vianney with 113.2 and Middletown South 111.3 points. Freehold Township put the meet away with a 1-2-3 finish on the uneven bars behind Anna Pagliaro’s 9.6, Alexis Rogers’ 9.475 and Jamie Polonet with a 9.475.

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

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP Photo courtesy of Freehold Township High School

P O E NING FOR 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 Not one to take the praise alone, Montgomery deflected a lot of the team’s success to her assistant coach. Montgomery added, “I couldn’t do this without Carlee Sobotka; she is absolutely an amazing assistant. She actually didn’t know anything about gymnastics coming in, which is funny because she was a field hockey and lacrosse

player. She really brings a lot to the team and is learning gymnastics as we go and has done an amazing job. The girls absolutely love her and look up to her, and I could not have done this without her.”

Afterwards Agrapides said, “It is really exciting. I am kind of sad because this is my final year with the team and I am just really excited I was able to end it with a bang.”

helped lead her team to the Shore Conference Tournament championships, second-place finish at the Central Jersey championships and second-place finish at the team championships, but also earned herself the AllAround title at the NJSIAA individual championships with a score of 38.475.

career ended with her also capturing her first outright title with a first-place finish on the floor exercise with a 9.75. She also finished with a second-place finish on the uneven bars with a 9.55 and a sixth-place finish on the beam with a 9.375.

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2248 US 9 South, Howell, NJ (Ideal Plaza) 732-966-3441 In the NJSIAA team championships, freshman Janelle Her final performance of her outstanding high school Saint John Vianney’s senior • Ariana Agrapides not only Cloud and senior Rogers got the Patriots off to a fast start

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

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12/4/18 - 12/17/18 • Jersey Sporting News

Page 15

GIRLS SOCCER CAPTURES THREE SECTIONAL TITLES

By Eric Braun

Entering the 2018 girls soccer season there were hopes and dreams for many programs in the Shore Conference of capturing state titles, and in the end there were three programs – Brick Township, Middletown North and Shore Regional – that rose to that challenge and captured their respective sectional titles.

their opponents, 76-14. Rinn finished the season with 20 goals, Dietrich and O’Keefe with 12 each and Martin finished with 153 saves for the season.

St. Rose, one of the unsung dominant teams in the Shore Conference, quietly put together another great season in program history – finishing with an impressive 15-3-1 record and first place finish in B Central.

Brick Township had the difficult task of trying to capture the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 3 sectional final against Hopewell Valley in 30-mile-per-hour winds and frigid temperatures. The Dragons came into the contest with a record of 16-4-2, a second-place finish in A South and another great showing in the Shore Conference Tournament, but the senior-driven team was looking for something more on this day.

Led by their five seniors – Reilly Beggs, Danielle Christ, Jada Lopez, Mya Mlotkiewcz and Molly Tully – Brick Township was looking to end their 22-year championship drought. This senior class accounted for 32 of the team’s 24 goals, with Beggs leading the charge with 18 and Christ with 11. What will be missed the most is the veteran leadership of Tully in goal for the Dragons, who finished her three-year stint as the varsity goalie with 273 saves.

The Purple Roses however fell short in their quest for a Shore Conference Tournament run, falling to Marlboro in the opening round. But St. Rose regrouped and went on a 7-0 run to capture their first sectional championship since 2010.

MIDDLETOWN NORTH

In the New Jersey Non-Public B South tournament, St. Rose took advantage of their No. 3 seed and jumped all over No. 14 seed Saint Joseph of Hammonton, 8-0. They then held upset-minded Timothy Christian at bay with a 7-0 win. Next up was perennial power Rutgers Prep. The two teams went back and forth the entire game until Gabrielle Hueth scored with minutes to go in regulation to send the Purple Roses into the sectional final against division opponent Trinity Hall.

ETES, WE CAN HELP YOUR PAIN! Against Hopewell Valley, neither team could get any semblance of an offense going due to the high winds, so it came down to ball possession and creativity. After a scoreless 60 minutes of play it looked as though the Dragons were going to break the scoreless tie when Beggs fed sophomore Abby Kennelly through one-on-one with the keeper, but Kennelly was unlucky on the finish as the Bulldogs’ keeper kept the tie game intact.

The game would go through a scoreless regulation and double overtime, meaning both teams would be headed to the dreaded penalty kick shootout to see who advances. When it was all said and done, Brick Township converted their first four opportunities and when Hopewell missed their second of five attempts, the Dragons burst into celebration and mobbed each other to celebrate the championship moment.

"It was so tough out there today, but we worked through it and took our game to another level, it was great to watch,” said Brick head coach Mark Berardinelli.

ties:

Brick’s season ended with the next game, as they fell to Moorestown, 2- 0, in the Group 3 semifinals. They concluded the season with a record of 17-5-2.

Middletown North had one of its best seasons in program history but were still looking to finish with some championship hardware. The Lions were poised to capture the Shore Conference Tournament crown but were derailed in a 0-1 loss to eventual champion Toms River North. This would not hold them back from the next opportunity, as they would regroup and beat Woodbridge in the North Jersey Section 2 Group 3 opening-round game, 8-0. Next up they would beat Middletown South, 2-0, then West Morris, 2-0, and set up a sectional final with Cranford.

The contest between Middletown North and Cranford was played on the turf in Middletown through heavy rains as temperatures began to drop. It was important for the Lions to take control early and dictate the game to their strengths. As they had done all year, the Lions jumped on the board early when senior Lindsay O’Keefe found Ashley Dietrich in the opening minute and Dietrich put Middletown North up, 1-0.

The Lions would add to their lead in the 15th minute when leading scorer Darien Rinn put Middletown North up, 2-0. As any coach will tell you, 2-0 does not sit well with them, as teams begin to take the foot off the gas and it can quickly become 2-1 at any moment and the opposing team looking to take control of the game. This train of thought played out that way as Cranford finally broke through the Lions defense and with just under ten minutes to play, cut the lead to 2-1 heading into halftime.

All season long, head coach Patricia Misciagna made it known that her senior class was working hard on and off the field to go out on top, and this game would be no different. In all, Middletown North has 10 seniors that were looking to end their four-year run on top and needed to finish the next 40 minutes with a dominant performance. Misciagna got just that, as her senior keeper Haley Martin finished with eight saves on the day and continued her senior season of leadership and consistency.

In the final against the tournament’s Cinderella story and 12th-seeded Trinity Hall, St. Rose knew what they were in store for. Trinity Hall gave St. Rose one of their best games of the season back in October before losing, 2-0. So St. Rose knew coming into the finals that they would be in for a defensive battle and momentum swings. The game played out that exact way as the two teams went toe-to-toe early and often. It was the junior goal scorer, Julianne Leskauskas, who would find the back of the net for the game’s only goal just eight minutes into the contest.

“The girls worked extraordinarily hard against an extremely well-organized team, I can’t think of a more deserving group of people than these girls,” said head coach Zach Savacool. “They have maintained their focus through months of practice and games and it’s great to see all of their efforts be rewarded."

St. Rose got little respect in the Shore Conference due to the lack of firepower in their division and the fact that they were dominating their opponents in just about every game, rather then giving the credit for all their hard work and just maybe that work and focus had a lot to do with their dominance and not the lack of divisional firepower. At the end of the season, four teams in B Central had their best seasons to date and three made runs into the state tournament.

The growth of the St. Rose and their B Central opponents will have the rest of the Shore Conference on notice next season and for seasons to come.

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 Then in the 50th minute, Dietrich found the back of the net again and increased the Lions lead to 3-1, and then leaned on their stingy defense to put up another great performance as they have done all season.

Middletown North would hold onto their 3-1 lead and defeat Cranford for their first championship in 13 years. The impressive season came to an end in a heartbreaking overtime 1-0 loss to Northern Highlands, the No. 2 team in New Jersey.

BRICK TOWNSHIP

After the tears and hugs to end their great season, the Lions can rest assured that they have had one great run that ended with a record of 21-2, first place in B North, semifinalists in SCT tournament, sectional champions and semifinalists in Group 3. Along the way, they recorded 11 shutouts and outscored

ST. ROSE Photo courtesy of St. Rose High School

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Page 16 Jersey Sporting News • 12/4/18 - 12/17/18