Shore Sports Network High School Sports 10-7-13 Issue -17

October 7, 2013 Volume-V Issue-17

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The Recruiting Trial

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Holmdel Soccer Hands Rumson its 1st Loss

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Eric Carter Commits to Delaware

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BACK-UPS SHINE IN WEEK FOUR

McAlary Leads Manasquan Past SJV

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Stumpy’s Corner

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AHEAD OF THE PACK

The first thing fans, players, coaches and parents want to know after the big game is always,

�Is this going to be on

�

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The Recruiting Trial

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Coach Rob Davis has his Barnegat squad off to 4-0 start for the first time in program history, and a major reason is due to the domination provided by the Bengals’ junior class highlighted by Cinjun Erskine, Manny Bowen, and Sam Madden.

Erskine (6-2/210) is one of the nation’s top quarterbacks for the Class of 2015. Through the first 4 games (only played in 3 games) Erskine is 21-33 for 393 yards (301 yards versus Jackson Liberty) and 5 scores, with 210 yards rushing and another score, and has close to a 50-yard punting average. He has early offers from Miami (Fla) as an athlete and UMass as a quarterback.

Bowen (6-2/195) has shined on both sides of the ball for the Bengals. He has soft hands and moves as a receiver and as a linebacker he is flat-out special. He has 8 catches for 219 yards and 2 touchdowns so far along with 31 tackles, 13 pressures, and has caused and recovered a fumble.

“Manny is the most explosive athlete I have ever coached, and colleges love his closing speed on defense,” Davis said.

Protecting Erskine at his tackle position is the 6-foot-7, 340-pound Madden, who has a huge upside and has already reeled in 12 major offers.

Like Davis, Lakewood coach L.J. Clark has his share of FBS talent from the Class of 2015. Datrell Reed (6-4/220) is a long, rangy, and explosive player off the edge from his defensive end position. He hasn’t secured any offers yet, but after recording 10 sacks and an interception return for a score in the first four games of the 2013 season, they will be coming soon.

Chapelle Cook (6-2/215) is a gifted and chiseled athlete who has already been offered by Temple. He is impressive with the ball in his hands and is tough as a linebacker as well for the Piners. Toms River North’s Adam Kakar (63/310) is one of the state’s top interior defensive linemen due to his size, skills, intensity and agility and has already garnered an invite to the 2014 Army All-American Game Combine. Kakar may end up at offensive guard at the collegiate level.

Red Bank Catholic’s Jamie Gordinier (6-4/235) has great size, intelligence, good agility, hitting/tackling ability and speed and has already been offered verbally by Pittsburgh. Ocean Township’s Royal Moore (6-2/180) can line up at quarterback, receiver or at defensive back and produce game-changing plays. He is a tough and impressive athlete. Toms River South’s Tymere Berry (59/160) is a tremendous athlete as a quarterback but will line up at receiver or defensive back at the next level.

Manalapan’s Mike Caggiano (5-10/170) is one of the state’s top kickers/punters in the Class of 2015. He has the ability to shine at the collegiate level as either a punter or

“He is a special player and great student who has tremendous game-playing ability,’’ Mosca said. “He has a chance to be a good one.”

Holmdel’s Frank Condito (5-11/215) is a tough and mobile linebacker who has made plays all over the field for the Hornets on both sides of the ball, but has battled an ankle injury in the early going. With the ball in his hands, Condito is the Shore’s top fullback, and as as a defender, Condito is relentless.

OTHER JUNIOR RECRUITS on the radar: Jackson Memorial OL/DL Brody Graham (6-3/255); Long Branch DB Dahmiere Willis (5-9/165); Brick RB/LB Ray Fattaruso (5-10/215); Brick QB/Athlete Carmen Sclafani (5-8/190); Jackson Liberty Athlete Matt Castronuova (510/170); Brick Memorial Athlete/QB Joe Hans (6-1/175); Toms River North WR/DB Valdez Santiago (6-2/180).

GESICKI LOOKING TO MAKE DECISION SOON

Southern Regional’s 6-foot-6, 235-pound receiver/tight end Mike Gesicki is known for making highlight reel catches for coach Chuck Donohue Sr. and is one of the nation’s top Class of 2014 recruits.

/ On the weekend of Oct. 11-12, Gesicki will visit Penn State to watch the Nittany Lions take on Michigan.

Another former Southern star, linebacker Glenn Carson, is a current standout for Penn State.

“I speak to Glenn a lot, but I will base my decision on how I feel and my experiences,’’ Gesicki said. “I will decide in about two weeks where I’m going. Penn State wanted me as a tight end, but when they saw me playing against Toms River South they said I was agile and athletic enough to play receiver or tight end for them.”

Gesicki also has offers for his basketball and volleyball skills in addition to his prowess on the gridiron.

KEARNEY: READY TO VISIT MICHIGAN STATE

Toms River South (2-2) suffered a 32-24 loss to Lacey on Oct. 4, leaving the Indians with a handful of concerns and questions to be answered.

But there is no questioning to the fact that the Indians roster possesses some of the area’s top players, including 5-foot-11, 190-pound safety Otis Kearney. The Indians have a bye week during Oct. 11-12, and Kearney will be heading out to Michigan State on an official visit.

Gesicki, who has faced double and triple teams from opposing defenses, has still managed to shine as a receiver for the Rams, who are off to a 2-2 start.

“I’ll take the visit and a few others and then weigh my options,’’ Kearney said. “So far I’m very impressed with Michigan State and the coaching staff.

Gesicki, who has been playing football since the eighth grade, loves nothing better than playing on the offensive side of the ball.

“I look forward to going out there to Michigan and meeting Shilique,’’ Kearney said. “I’ve seen him play on television, and I’ve heard a lot about him from the coaches.”

“The season is going well,’’ Gesicki said. “On defense I moved from playing defensive back to playing defensive end. I like the transition. It makes you much tougher as a player.”

“I actually played quarterback until my sophomore year and then made a transition to receiver,’’ he said. “I like catching the ball and making plays as a receiver. I feel I can make more of an impact catching the ball.”

College coaches from across the country feel the same way, which is why Gesicki holds 22 scholarship offers, the first coming by way of coach Kyle Flood and Rutgers.

“I’m still talking to schools like Rutgers, Miami, Duke, Florida State, and Wisconsin,” said Gesicki. “But my final

Former Middletown North standout Shilique Calhoun, a sophomore defensive end, is one of the top players for the Spartans.

Kearney currently has additional offers from Monmouth, UMass, and a Buffalo program that is having a promising season after posting a 42-14 victory over Eastern Michigan and defeating Connecticut and Stony Brook earlier in the season.

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Cliff Lavelle

www.clearedge.zenfolio.com

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A major reason is due in part to the abundance of Shore Conference talent within the state-wide class. Here is a close-up look at the top junior prospects.

Long Branch’s Hunter Baillie (6-2/200) is very sound tackler and leader for the Green Wave who has impressive speed and agility and can play any of the linebacker spots due to his athletic ability and toughness. Is Shore Sports Network's Chris Melvin with (from left) Barnegat's Cinjun Erskine, Manny Bowen and Sam Madden a bit of a tweener due to his dimensions – but there is a place for Baillie on any level. two schools are Penn State and Ohio State.”

Monmouth Regional’s Isaiah Searight (6-4/190) is a diamond in the rough for coach Rich Mosca. He is a Gesicki took an official visit to Ohio State two weeks receiver/defensive back with great size and skills and a ago and enjoyed the experience. “My Ohio State visit was player who has the ability to get a lot of looks from major great,’’ he said. “I got a chance to sit there and watch film. programs following a promising junior campaign.

I got along with all the players.

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he New Jersey Class of 2015 has the chance to be one of the most promising and deepest when it comes to Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision talent.

place-kicker. Averages 55 yards a punt, 63 yards on kick-offs, and his longest field goal was from 63 yards in practice. He has range beyond 50 yards in game settings. Prefers kicking over punting.

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JUNIOR CLASS: LOADED WITH MAJOR TALENT

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By Chris Melvin – Shore Sports Network contributor

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Holmdel Boys Soccer Hands Rumson Its 1 st Loss

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By Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer

thletes at any level will not typically admit to overlooking an opponent, which is why Holmdel junior Eric D’Aleo’s statement about his team’s anticipation for a rematch with Rumson-Fair Haven carries some weight.

“Ever since we lost to them, we haven’t been thinking about any other team,” D’Aleo said, referencing a Sept. 16 loss to the Bulldogs. “We had other games against other good teams, but all we could think about was getting another shot at Rumson.”

Holmdel dug out of a one-goal deficit and fought back for a 2-1 win Saturday over the previouslyunbeaten Bulldogs – the No. 2 team in the Shore Sports Network Top 10 – to extend their unbeaten streak to six games and move into sole possession of first place in Shore Conference Class A Central.

D’Aleo converted the game-winning penalty kick in the 60th minute after junior Gino D’Agostino tied the game by finishing a through ball from Jack Flanagan in the 53rd.

“Every team at the beginning of the year is trying to figure out who they are and what they can do,” Holmdel coach John Nacarlo said. “Maybe Rumson was a little ahead of the game at the beginning of the year because they have so many seniors, but I just know that with us, we’ve been searching for who we are and how we’re going to play, and I think we

found out a lot about ourselves today.”

energy, and we weren’t even close to matching it and it cost us a goal.”

Beating Holmdel A little more than 3-2 in the first three minutes after meeting was a Rumson took the lead, significant win for Holmdel drew even. the senior-laden Flanagan threaded a Bulldogs pass to D’Agostino, considering that the who slotted a shot just Hornets are threeinside the far left post. time defending A Central champions Holmdel again and had not lost a a chance in the created home game since the 60th when senior Jason 2009 season.

Kyriacou dribbled Saturday, the through two defenders Hornets went to and was taken down Borden Stadium on inside the 18-yard box. the campus of Holmdel senior Jack Flanagan The takedown drew a Rumson-Fair Haven foul call, which gave looking to regain the Hornets a penalty control of a division they have owned since the 2010 for a chance to take the lead.

D’Aleo buried his kick season. shot to the lower right corner.

Rumson-Fair Haven broke a scoreless tie in the Martin’s goal left Rumson with a 1-0 lead and an 50th minute on a goal by sophomore Jamie Martin off 11-4 shot advantage, but Holmdel switched from a 5a corner kick by senior Chris Drummond. Drummond 4-1 formation to a 4-4-2 and mounted an attack. From sent the ball from the left corner to the far side of the the time of the switch, Holmdel outshot Rumson 7-4. box, where senior Kieran Doherty sent it back to the left post. Martin’s first shot was rejected by Holmdel “I had stressed to our backs that I wanted them to goalkeeper Tyler Machiano, but the sophomore look to push up and attack, but we have some new finished his second chance for the 1-0 Bulldogs lead. guys back there and maybe they just aren’t

“We’ve had a bad habit lately of coming out flat to start the second half, and we did it again today,” Nacarlo said. “Rumson comes at you with a lot of

comfortable doing that,” Nacarlo said. “By pushing guys up, it puts them in that mindset to attack, and the four guys in the back can still focus on

by:

Matt Manley

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10/7/13

“We don’t have the seniors like Rumson does, but we still have guys who have played in big games before,” Flanagan said. “They have talent, but they

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“I’ve told Tyler from Day One that he’s going to have his ups and downs because he’s a sophomore and he’s in his first year,” Nacarlo said. “The important thing is when you have your bad days you have to learn from them and get better. He’s had

Holmdel has been to two straight Shore Conference Tournament finals and three straight NJSIAA Group finals on top of the three straight division titles, but lost three All-Shore first-team players to graduation and three other starters on top of that.

are just starting to play in these big games while we have guys who have played in them every year. They got us the first time around, but today I think we showed we still know how to win when the pressure is on.”

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Rumson outshot Holmdel 15-11 with nine shots on goal to Holmdel’s five. Marchiano kept the Hornets in the game by making eight saves, including three acrobatic saves in the final four minutes of the first half to keep the Bulldogs off the board.

some rough moments, but he’s never let it get to him, and he stepped up big time today.”

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defending.”

A S A M P L I N G O F C U R R E N T A N D F O R M E R M AC A L L - S TA R S

n Thomas Acerra—Monmouth Regional n Jared Allison—Matawan n Kaysonne Anderson—Manasquan n Robert Barksdale—Asbury Park n Joey Beggans—Red Bank Regional n David Bergeron—Middletown North n Mike Bland—Long Branch n Jared Bradham—Long Branch n Jawann Brown—Matawan n Chris Bunge—Middletown South n Brian Calder—Colts Neck n Shilque Calhoun—Middletown North n Cleveland Cannon—Long Branch n Dwayne Chapman—Matawan n Swede Chevalier—The Lawrenceville School n Allen Choback—Red Bank Catholic n Joe Cilurzo—Shore Regiona n Dwight Clark—Long Branch n Jason Corley—Long Branch n Tom Corley—Matawan n Rahmir Cottman—Red Bank Regional n Richie Curran—Red Bank Catholic n Charles Davis—Neptune n Amir Dew—Toms River North n Drew Diakos— St. John Vianney n Sean Dolan— Red Bank Catholic n Brian Dominianni—Point Beach n Alex Faherty—Brooklyn Polytech (NY) n Glen Ford—Red Bank Catholic n Chris Fortunato—Wall Township n Jeremy Fountain—Matawan n Tyrone Garland—Matawan n Wesley Garland—Matawan n Clifton Geathers—Carver’s Bay (SC)

n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n

Kwame Geathers—Carver’s Bay (SC) Nick Gialanella—Red Bank Catholic Tom Gorski—Holmdel Tajh Hammary—Asbury Park Malcolm Harris—Neptune Chris Herring—Matawan Carl Howard—Matawan Jihaad Howard—Brick Memorial Anthony Hubbert—Freehold Boro Darryl Jackson—Red Bank Reg. Bobby Jameson—Matawan Greg Kafaf—Don Bosco Prep Tom Kalieta—Matawan Larry Kelly— Manasquan Caleb King— Christian Academy (GA) Terrence King— Long Branch Tyler King—Buford H (GA) Donald Klein—Shore Reg. Donnie Klein—Manasquan Kyle Leach—Point Pleasant Beach Frank Lefkowitz—Colts Neck Joe Lepore—Colts Neck Glennis Lester—Matawan Ron Lewis—Asbury Park Matt Maddox—Manasquan Christian Martino—Point Pleasant Beach Joseph Martucci—Matawan John Masini—Morristown Beard School Tyron McCalister—Asbury Park Eric McCoo—Red Bank Regional Terrance McKeller—Long Branch John McLaughlin—Middletown South

V i s i t o u r w e b s i t e , w w w. m a c t e s t i n g . c o m

n n n n n n n n n n

Joe Mickens—Manchester Knowshon Moreno—Middletown South Kevin Moriarity—Shore Regional TJ Moriarity—Red Bank Catholic Darius Morris—Long Branch Matt Moulton—Colts Neck John Pellegrino—St. John Vianney Jim Pittenger—Wall John Pittenger—Wall Stephon Pluviose—Matawan n Mike Postell—Matawan n Simon Press—Asbury Park n Ryan Quinlan—Wall n Dave Reeves—RBC n Charlie Rogers—Matawan n Jerret Sanderson—Long Branch n Tyler Schmelz—RBC n Bill Shea—Keyport HS n Branden Smith— Booker T. Washington (GA) n Chris Stavola—RBC n Stephen Swift—Red Bank Regional n Jamuir Taylor—Neptune n Maurice Turpin—Long Branch n McArthur Underwood - Matawan n Tony Vergari— Point Pleasant Beach n Joey Villapiano—Ocean Township n Scott Wellerson—Point Pleasant Beach n Kade Weston—Red Bank Regional n Cassius Williams—Matawan Knowshon Moreno RB Middletown South, University of Georgia, Denver Broncos 1 st Rd Draft Pick

732-741-6112

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Jackson Memorial’s Eric Carter Commits to Delaware

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By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

ix-foot-8 Jackson Memorial senior Eric Carter announced on Sept. 27 that he has verbally committed to Delaware, becoming the third Division I recruit for the Jaguars in the last four years.

Carter chose the Blue Hens over Drexel, Northeastern and Towson. He was a second-team AllShore selection as a junior after being the leading scorer on a Jaguars team that finished 22-6. He projects as a stretch-four, point forward-type of player.

“I just felt it was the best fit for me academically, playing-wise and for my family and friends,” Carter said.

He joins former Jaguars’ standouts Jimmy McDonnell (Temple) and Brandon McDonnell (Dartmouth) as Division I recruits for a program that has become a perennial top 10 team in the Shore under coach Joe Fagan. Fagan also credited Brandon McDonnell with mentoring Carter and helping him become a leader.

“A ‘project’ would probably be a nice word when he first entered the program,” Fagan said. “He has lost 40-45 pounds, and went from not having a great work ethic to having a great work ethic. He has really come a long way, and this is a testament to that. Brandon used to do the butt-kicking in practice, and now Eric does it.”

“It just brings a smile to my face,” Carter. “(Fagan) told me after my freshman year I have a chance to be something special and go to college and play the game I love. I’m just happy it’s all paying off and put a smile on my mom’s face that I finally did it.”

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Junior running back/defensive back James McAlary was on the soccer team at Manasquan last year, so there were no bad memories to cause any potential jitters down the stretch. St. John Vianney is probably wishing he stuck with European football, as McAlary ran for a pair of touchdowns and had the game-sealing pass break-up in the final seconds at Vic Kubu Warrior Field to power a 21-14 win in Class A Central that sent the Lancers (1-3, 0-3) to their third straight loss.

“It’s been crazy, but it’s been great,” McAlary said about playing football for the first time. “I’ve had so much fun. Playing with all my friends has been great. I came to a spring workout to see what it was like, but I had no plans on following through with it. But all my friends were doing it, and I’ve always wanted to do it.”

“McAlary stepped up at corner and made a couple big plays,” Manasquan coach Jay Price said. “He’s also a fresh set of legs (on offense). For someone who’s never played, he sees the field very well.

He changed the complexion of the game, he really did.”

Manasquan’s ensuing drive stalled, and the Warriors avoided potential disaster thanks

Junior RBJames McAlary

It forced St. John Vianney to have to start the drive at its own 28 rather than potentially inside the Manasquan 30 if the block was not returned for a touchdown. The defense stood strong one last time, ending with McAlary’s pass break-up.

The victory vanquished the demons of last season’s loss to the Lancers, and also gave Manasquan some momentum as it faces a top-five team in Middletown South in a tough nondivisional game next week.

“We’ve got mountains on our schedule, and this is a game we had to win,” Price said. “We had to be 3-1. We know what we’re up against next week.”

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Bill Normile

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Manasquan (3-1, 2-1) was hanging on to 14-7 lead in the third quarter when McAlary, who ran for 92 yards on only nine carries, cut back across the field for a 28-yard touchdown run for what proved to be the winning score and a 21-7 advantage with 3:30 left in the period.

The Lancers made it interesting in the end, hearkening a lesser version of last season’s comeback from a 35-6 deficit to beat Manasquan 39-35.

Down by seven, they drove 49 yards in six plays to Manasquan’s 23-yard line with 1:13 to go, but two incompletions and a 4-yard pass set up fourth-and-6 from the 19-yard line. McAlary, who was part of a secondary that was tested all afternoon in giving up 274 yards passing, dove to break up a pass on fourth down and seal the win with 28.2 seconds left in the game.

“We have a ‘next play’ mentality,” McAlary said. “You make a mistake, you make up for it on the next play.”

McAlary, who is nicknamed “Bubba,” also has adjusted to the pressurized atmosphere of football at a school that has won a Shore Conference-record 11 NJSIAA sectional titles.

“Going from five people watching a soccer game to a couple hundred here is definitely different, but it’s exciting,” he said.

The game was scoreless into the second quarter before the Warriors put together a nine-play, 55-yard drive that ended with senior tailback Joe Murphy bulling his way in on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line for a 7-0 lead. It appeared that it would go into halftime that way, but McAlary took a handoff on a basic draw play, shook a pair of defenders and zig-zagged his way to the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead with only 10.5 seconds remaining in the half.

“Our offensive line was great all day,” he said. “They weren’t getting tired, and they kept working. I give all the credit to them on that play.”

McAlary, who also had two touchdowns in a win over Raritan last week, doesn’t have to worry about the offensive line shying away from taking credit.

“I recruited him,” senior two-way lineman Matt Forst said. “I’m taking full credit for ‘Bubba Mac’ playing Manasquan football. I brought him to my house, showed him my brother Rob and Art’s state championship rings, put a couple highlight videos on and said, ‘Hey, if you were going to another school, you play soccer. When you’re at Manasquan, you play football.’ He’s been a hell of an addition.”

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“Forst had me all summer, calling me every day, showing me films and his brother’s rings,” McAlary said.

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St. John Vianney fought its way back into the game in the third quarter thanks to an outstanding play by junior Liam Casey. Manasquan senior quarterback Tucker Caccavale hit senior wideout Kieran Preston coming across the middle, and he was streaking for a 50-yard gain when Casey came up behind him, ripped the ball right out of his hands, and returned it to the Manasquan 20-yard line.

Seven plays later, senior quarterback Billy DeMato scored on a 2-yard keeper on a zone read play to cut it to 14-7 with 6:21 left in the third quarter. DeMato finished the day with 325 total yards, 74 on the ground on 11 carries and 251 through the air on 16-for-36 passing, one year after throwing six touchdowns in the comeback win over the Warriors.

After McAlary answered DeMato’s touchdown with his 28-yard score, the Lancers went three-and-out. However, their defense then came up with a fumble recovery at their own 47-yard line. Five plays later, keyed by a 26-yard strike from DeMato to P.J. Braccia, they cut the lead to 2114 when DeMato hit senior wideout Julanee Prince for a 14-yard touchdown with 8:06 left in the game.

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to a great play by senior punter Cody Carrithers. He was filling in for Murphy, who is the starting punter but left the game in the fourth quarter with an injury. On a snap that skipped on the ground multiple times, Carrithers was able to gather it up and somehow get off a punt with two Lancers right in his face.

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“It was not ‘Here we go again,’ it was more, ‘We can’t let this happen again,”’ Forst said. “When you get backed into a corner, you’re either going to get punched or give the punch, and we had to start punching again.”

ne year after surrendering a 29-point lead in a stunning loss to St. John Vianney, Manasquan had the perfect antidote to any potential Lancers comeback on Saturday – a player who had no memory of last season’s game.

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‘Bubba’ Ball: McAlary Leads Manasquan Past St. John Vianney

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t speaks to the potential of this year’s Manalapan team that the Braves can commit 11 penalties, lose their star tailback to an ankle injury in the first quarter, and still beat a top-five team in the Shore Conference by two touchdowns.

The defense registered a second-half shutout and junior tailback Imamu Mayfield ran for a career-high 109 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in relief of starter Tyler Leonetti as the No. 2 Braves won a showdown of unbeatens with No. 4 Middletown South, 29-14, for their 19th straight divisional win on Friday night. The Braves (3-0, 3-0) weathered a hail of penalties and the injury to Leonetti by going to their bread-and-butter – pounding opponents with the run game and stopping the opposing running attack.

“We made a lot of mistakes, a lot of nonsense mistakes that we shouldn’t have made,” said senior tight end/noseguard R.J. Krause. “It still shows that we can just pound and pound and pound. That’s what we’re going to have to do. That’s what Manalapan football is, and we’re just going to pound it, and pound it out. In the end, that’s how we finished it.”

Manalapan ran for 218 yards, while limiting the Eagles (2-1, 1-1) to 46 yards rushing on 29 attempts, including minus-one yard in the second half, to become the rare team to beat Middletown South four straight times.

“The penalties were hard on us because that was all our fault,” said senior safety Anthony Barone, who had three pass break-ups. “We had to face adversity, but we took the pressure.”

Another reason Manalapan was able to overcome its miscues was because of its explosive offensive threats who can change the game on one play. Leonetti ripped off a 57-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage in the game for a 7-0 lead before spraining his ankle following a 3yard catch on Manalapan’s next series.

Middletown South tied it at seven with a 14play, 74-yard drive in which a personal foul and a pass interference penalty on the

Braves helped the Eagles finish it off with a 4-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Kyle Brey to junior tight end Pat Senior QB Dan Anerella

Crowe with 6:02 left in the second quarter.

“I told them all those mistakes are unacceptable,” Manalapan coach Ed Gurrieri said. “I don’t know how many drives were kept alive by stupid penalties.

Out of the eight penalties we had in the first half, most of them were on defense, and giving them first downs.”

The Braves answered with their second big play of the game when junior John Cheung, part of their deep stable of running backs, returned the ensuing kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown and a 14-7 lead with 5:50 left in the half. The Eagles came right back to tie it up again when Brey took a deep shot down the right sideline to senior wideout Andrew Wisialko, who eluded multiple defenders with a great run after the catch to polish off a 51-yard touchdown only 43 seconds after Cheung’s score.

The Braves took the lead for good with a four-play, 59-yard drive in which they took advantage of a penalty by the Eagles. An interception was wiped out by a pass interference call, and on the next play, junior quarterback Dan Anerella found Rutgers recruit Saeed Blacknall over the middle. He shrugged off three defenders and sped to the corner of the end zone for a 31-yard touchdown and a 21-14 lead that Manalapan took into halftime.

“Come fourth quarter, we just looked at each other and were like, ‘This is it, Manalapan football, we’ve got to pound it down their throats,”’ Krause said.

“We saw in their face at the end of the game that they were tired. They had a lot of people going both ways, so we knew right away we had to come after them and just finish the job.”

“We’re actually further ahead than I thought we could be up front,” Gurrieri said. “If we want to take the air out of the ball and play Manalapan football, we can. I think we got a little too cute in the first half trying to figure out how to get the ball to Saeed, and then we just let the game dictate how we played.”

Mayfield, who is a transfer from Freehold, gave the Braves a 27-14 lead with a 36-yard burst with 9:17 left in the game.

“I knew that Tyler was a powerful running back, so I knew I had to play with composure and that’s what I did,” said Mayfield, who also plays linebacker. “I played a lot of varsity last year at Freehold, and just had to get used to the fast pace again at running back.”

“He did a great job” Gurrieri said.

“We’re loaded with running backs.

They all have the mantra of ‘next man in.”’

The Braves then pushed the lead to 29-14 on Middletown South’s next possession when Krause came roaring up the middle and sacked Brey for a 13-yard loss in the end zone for a safety. It was one of three second-half sacks for Manalapan’s defense.

“That’s what happens when you have that kind of kid on the field,” Gurrieri said.

“He’s a home run hitter. He can take it to the house at any given moment.”

The teams were scoreless in the third quarter, with Manalapan’s defense making a solid stand when Middletown South defensive back Nolan Pereless returned an interception to the Braves’ 11-yard line. A false start and a personal foul made it second-and-30 from the 31-yard line, and senior cornerback Chris Cruz picked off a pass by Brey to end the threat.

Manalapan seized that momentum to mount a nineplay, 74-yard drive in which its offensive line began to exert its will to pave the way for Mayfield, who had five carries for 74 yards on the drive.

“Really it was more about stopping the run, and then they had to throw the ball,” Gurrieri said. “Once they had to throw the ball, we could go get ‘em. When they were in second-andmediums and thirdand-shorts, you get that 50-50 option, but we came out in the second half and shut the run down and made them have to throw the ball.”

The

secondary also adjusted after Brey threw for 106 of his 178 yards in the first half.

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Several teams that appeared to be in trouble at key positions this weekend pulled out hard-fought wins thanks to brilliant performances by back-ups in pressure spots.

Manalapan took home a 29-14 win over Middletown South in a showdown of unbeaten top-five teams, and certainly a key reason was the performance of junior tailback Imamu Mayfield. A transfer from Freehold, Mayfield for a career-high 109 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in relief of senior tailback Tyler Leonetti, who was a 1,300-yard rusher last year. After ripping off a 57-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage in the game, Leonetti left one series later with a high ankle sprain suffered on a dumpoff pass to the flat and did not return.

Mayfield shouldered the load and

that helped put the game away. A runner with a good blend of power and speed, Mayfield is part of a deep group of running backs at Manalapan that also includes junior John Cheung, who had a 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the win. Several of their running backs would start for at least half of the other teams in the Shore.

Speaking of a player who would start for most other teams in the Shore, Lacey junior Conor Davies was outstanding in relief of senior starting quarterback Tom Kelly on Friday night for a crucial Class A South win over Toms River South. Kelly suffered a concussion on a helmet-to-helmet hit in the first half and did not return.

Davies went 15-for20 for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns, powering a 32-24 win that kept the Lions unbeaten.

Davies normally plays wide receiver when Kelly is in there, but he started multiple games last season when Kelly was out with a broken collarbone. Davies is the son of Lacey offensive coordinator Cory Davies and the younger brother of former record-setting Howell quarterback Ryan Davies, so he is far from the average back-up. He obviously knows the offense inside and out, and he was ready at a moment’s notice to make it happen on Friday.

had a 37-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter Manalapan RB Imamu Mayfield

In Monmouth Regional’s 21-13 win over Holmdel on Saturday that improved the Falcons to 2-1, junior Isaiah Searight stepped in at quarterback for James Green, who left

the game with bruised ribs after running for a first-quarter touchdown. Searight led two more scoring drives for Monmouth, including one that ended with his own 1-yard touchdown run. He also had the game-sealing interception on defense in the end zone as time expired with Holmdel at Monmouth’s 7-yard line.

Searight is a good all-around athlete who was competing with Green for the starting

quarterback spot in the preseason, and he fits well into the zone read scheme because of his running ability.

varsity fire when a starter in the secondary got hurt, and he came up with his first interception at a key juncture in the game to help the Patriots register the shutout.

Finally, Manasquan junior James McAlary has proven to be a great addition to the Warriors’ backfield.

His speed and elusiveness on the

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In Freehold Township’s 12-0 win over Marlboro for its first victory, freshman Anthony Lotti was thrown into the

Monmouth Reg. jr QB Isaiah Searight

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analapan’s impressive win, some great performances by back-ups stepping in for injured starters, and a pair of statement wins by defending division champions all highlighted Week Four in Shore Conference football.

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Ahead

Continued from page 8 “In the first half they were beating us on the screen play, so we helped out with the safety attacking that first and helping the corner over the top,” Barone said. “We also helped out with the outside linebackers in coverage more. Last year we got beat a couple times by No. 45 (Tayler Hendrickson), the tight end, and we know he’s a great athlete so we tried to make adjustments around him. If we could stop him, we could hopefully stop the rest of the team.”

The Braves have not lost a game in Class A North since being realigned into the division in 2010, and the main obstacle to a fourth straight crown appears to be unbeaten Colts Neck. After beating a quality team despite all the mistakes and a key injury, they know there is still potential to improve as they chase the program’s elusive first NJSIAA title after losing in the finals the past two seasons.

“If it wasn’t for the penalties, this would’ve been a whole different game,” Barone said. “We know that if we fix all of that, the sky is the limit.”

Senior RB Tyler Leonetti Junior LB Joe Mendez

Photos by: Cliff Lavelle www.clearedge.zenfolio.com

For someone who has only played backyard football his entire life until this year, McAlary also has good vision, as he showed on this cutback run for a touchdown here.

McAlary, who also plays in the secondary,

Lacey's Conor Davies

“My older brother and my friends have just called me that forever,’’ McAlary said.

“There are a lot of nicknames in the Heights.

Photo by

Bill Normile

www.billnormile.zenfolio.com

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“That’s a (Spring Lake) Heights thing,’’ Manasquan head coach Jay Price said. “God knows where he got it.”

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“He texts me saying, ‘Coach is it OK if I come out to practice with you guys today?’’ defensive coordinator P.J. Gibbs said. “It all happened the same day with him coming

The 5-foot-7, 170-pound McAlary also has the unlikely nickname of “Bubba.”

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outside have been a good complement to the power running of senior tailback Joe Murphy. McAlary ran for a pair of touchdowns and helped out the run game in a 21-14 win over St. John Vianney with Murphy getting banged up in the second half. Murphy left the game in the fourth quarter and was on crutches afterward, so McAlary’s presence could really be needed in the coming weeks.

from soccer right to us.”

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played soccer his entire life before deciding to switch and play football this season after some heavy lobbying by his teammates over the summer. He literally went to the first day of soccer practice, left and was at the second session of Manasquan’s doublesession football practice the same day.

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The euphoria from early in the day had faded into the fatigue late into the night from the toll of a successful but grueling six-month legal battle in state and federal courts for Anthony and his family that ended with an unprecedented decision by the NJSIAA on Friday.

Only hours before kickoff in Brick’s eventual 47-21 win over the Indians, the Staregos were informed that Anthony, 19, a kicker who has multi-symptom autism, would be granted an unprecedented fifth year of eligibility by the NJSIAA to finish this season with the Green Dragons.

“We were thrilled,” Anthony’s father, Ray Starego said.

“Anthony was excited and crying and emotional when I told him. It’s been so long a road. It’s been really draining. We’re just absolutely exhausted.”

It reversed an initial ruling by the NJSIAA appeals committee in March denying him a waiver for a fifth year after he made national headlines in 2012 following a gamewinning field goal in the final seconds of an upset win over Toms River North. He may be the first athlete to ever combine words “autism” and “competitive advantage” in the same sentence, thanks to his heroics last year in wins over Toms River North and Toms River East. In its ruling on Friday, the NJSIAA waived its age limit and semester restriction to allow Anthony to play the rest of this season after having never seen a case like his in its existence.

While mulling over whether to reverse its stance on Starego’s eligibility, the NJSIAA contacted all of Brick’s remaining opponents from this season to see if they had any objections to him possibly returning, and there were no complaints.

Anthony attempted one extra point with the Green Dragons up by 26 points in the fourth quarter, but it was wide right. While he has been able to practice with the team, his reps have been limited because of his eligibility situation, so he is trying to shake the rust off as he competes with incumbent Steve Ferlisi for the starting placekicker job.

“I’m hoping he does eventually win the starting job,” his father said. “Whether he does or doesn’t, it’s still a tremendous story, and now the awareness starts.

The key in all this is to show what kids can do that no one expected them to do.”

The family received indications on Thursday that a possible decision by the NJSIAA was coming Friday, leading to a long night as they hoped to hear that Anthony would be eligible in time for the Toms River South game.

“We weren’t sleeping last night, that’s for sure,” Anthony’s mother, Reylene Starego, said. “It’s just been a very long day. All day, we were like, ‘(The ruling) has to get to this person, now it has to get to that person, and now it needs a revision, and on and on.”

What made it clear that Anthony was back where he belonged on Friday night wasn’t the moment where he trotted out to attempt the extra point. It was seeing him chest bumping and fist-bumping teammates, high-fiving and

“Rutgers is like a family to him,” Fattaruso said. “But he chose to come to our game because he wanted to be with our family even more.”

Football has given Anthony the quality of life that few thought he could one day attain when Ray and Reylene adopted him as a 3-year-old orphan in 1997 after he had bounced around to 11 different foster homes. He had an asthmatic condition and kidney reflux disease. He also had a tactile issue that made him hyper-sensitive to being touched or held, and he was largely non-verbal. That’s a far cry from the teenager who instinctively reached out to shake this reporter’s hand on Friday night and was right in the middle of a joyous huddle following the win.

The repetitive nature of kicking makes his autism an asset because of his tendency to constantly repeat things, but the camaraderie he has experienced and the way it has transformed him as a person is really the reason why the NJSIAA made the right decision to allow him back.

It wasn’t about Anthony making a game-winning field goal or even hitting his extra point last night. It was about him putting on that No. 40 jersey and showing that athletics can propel a boy with autism to accomplish way more than anyone ever thought, on and off the field.

The time for court battles and legal wrangling has come to an end. Now it’s just about football again, and soaking up the last few precious moments like any other senior.

“He didn’t care if he missed that extra point or not,” Dahl said. “At the end of the game, he was smiling, and that’s what it’s all about.”

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His bond with his teammates runs deep and has become a crucial part in his improvement off the field. He and his family are diehard Rutgers fans, and it was Jeremy Ito’s game-winning kick in an upset of Louisville in 2006 that inspired him to become a kicker. However, he turned down his usual great seats at High Point Solutions Stadium for the Scarlet Knights’ game against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 14 to instead stand on the sideline and cheer the Green Dragons on to their 21-14 win over rival Brick Memorial in the season opener.

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“That was absolutely amazing,” said junior running back/linebacker Ray Fattaruso. “Hearing that in the locker room just made us want to win even more.”

“I’m happy for Anthony,” Brick head coach Rob Dahl said.

“It was great to see him smiling today.”

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unching on a hot pretzel under the cover of darkness outside the locker room after the cameras surrounding him were put away and lights turned off following a win on Sept. 27 over Toms River South, Brick’s Anthony Starego managed a wan smile.”I’m happy,” he said. “But I’m tired.”

“In the locker room when we found out, it got a little emotional,” Sclafani said. “It gave us a little more juice for this game. Anthony is a great figure to have in this program. He just raises everyone’s spirits. It was awesome to find out Anthony could come back and be part of this team.”

celebrating the win, only a few years after he used to become hysterical when anyone touched him because of his symptoms. It was watching the pure joy he gets from being an official part of the team.

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The team was in the locker room preparing for the game when it received word that Anthony would be back in pads and his No. 40 jersey after spending the first two games on the sidelines in his kelly green shirt and white tie cheering on his teammates. Junior quarterback Carmen Sclafani, a Toms River North transfer who was on the losing end of Anthony’s game-winning kick last year, already grasps Anthony’s impact in just the short time he has known him.

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