10/9/18 Volume-X Issue-18 2018 Shore Sports Network Shore Conference Football Mid Season Review

October 9, 2018 Volume-X Issue-18

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

”Is this going to be on ?”

?”

Shore Sports Network has established itself as a leader in scholastic sports coverage in Monmouth and Ocean counties, providing more video highlight clips, in-depth reporting, feature stories and regular updates than ANY OTHER OUTLET in the area.

Shore Sports Network Web Site Features n Get Video Highlights of all the important games that Shore Conference fans will be talking about. n Catch up on the action you might have missed n Watch video clips of everything from the action early in the event to the big finish as well as video interviews with various athletes. n www.shoresportsnetwork.com is the most visited sports site in the Shore Conference during the scholastic year n Follow us on Twitter (over 16,000 followers) and Facebook, we keep fans posted on the latest scores and news n Established leading portal for local high school coverage.

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The Shore Conference has announced a new logo to represent its member schools beginning this fall

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he new-look design draws inspiration from National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) conference logos such as the Big 10, Big 12, Big East, ACC, Conference USA and others, and features a strong, minimalistic layout that succinctly represents the conference.

"We are truly excited about the fresh new look of our Shore Conference logo,” said Shore Conference President Rich Carroll, who is also the Director of Athletics for Middletown schools. “The committee did a great job capturing the true spirit of the proud tradition of Shore Conference athletics and the communities we live in."

Immediately noticeable in the new logo is the prominent display of the word ‘Shore’. The Jersey Shore encompasses Monmouth and Ocean Counties, and the area is mostly referred to simply as ‘The Shore’. When viewing the new logo it is unmistakable as to who is signifies.

The wave that travels atop the logo is an image associated with ‘The Shore’ and symbolizes the conference’s strengths as well as the uniqueness of its individual schools.

No two waves are alike, but they are all strong. The sum of the 48 schools in the Shore Conference is a powerful athletic organization.

A Central, A South, B North, B Central and B South.

Although the divisions have been modified over the years, this feature pays respect to the past and the strong tradition of the conference.

The two seagulls signify Monmouth and Ocean Counties and the unity of the conference. They also represent that the conference is comprised of both public and non-public schools working together to provide the best athletic experience for all studentathletes.

The Shore Conference is of course a member of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), and the silhouette of New Jersey situated within the ‘O’ in Shore gives homage to being part of a greater statewide community of schools and conferences The Shore respectfully competes with.

The new logo will be featured on all Shore Conference championship banners beginning this fall as well as across social media platforms.

The Shore Conference of High Schools was founded in 1936 with nine schools competing in football, basketball, baseball and track and field. It has since grown to include 48 public and non-public high schools in Monmouth and Ocean Counties offering over two dozen sports programs. The conference strives to promote the physical and mental health of all athletic participants, uphold the educational standards for all student-athletes and further the spirit of the game. Individually, our schools are strong and successful. United, WE ARE THE SHORE!

The six spikes on the sun denote the Shore Conference’s six traditional divisions – A North,

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very week this regular season, Jersey Mike’s and Shore Sports Network will be selecting a Team of the Week based on its performance over the past weekend.

Junior running back Cameron LaMountain led the way in Holmdel’s three-headed, groundbased attack by rushing for 153 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Senior running back Dean Gallo added 103 yards rushing on 15 carries and senior quarterback Jeff DeCicco also ran for a touchdown.

Holmdel set the tone right away by driving 80 yards for a score on the game’s opening possession, capped by DeCicco scoring on a 1-yard run. Later in the first half, LaMountain scored on a 15-yard touchdown run and the Hornets were able to take a 14-3 lead into halftime.

Donovan Catholic trimmed the lead to 14-11 with a touchdown run and a 2-point conversion in the third quarter, but Holmdel responded with a drive capped by LaMountain’s 17-yard touchdown run to extend its lead to 21-11. The Hornets were able to hold onto the lead throughout the fourth quarter and earn a huge win in a meeting between the last two remaining undefeated teams in the division.

Led by a standout senior class, Holmdel is enjoying its best season since 2007 when it went 10-1 to set a school record for wins in a season. That was also the last time the Hornets captured a division title. They can clinch at least a share of the National Division championship with a win over Asbury Park in Week 6, and wins over both the Blue Bishops and then Point Beach in Week 7 will give them the outright division crown.

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On the season, Gallo leads the Hornets with 527 yards rushing and seven touchdowns while averaging just under 10 yards per carry. LaMountain has 349 yards rushing and six touchdowns and DeCicco has contributed 212 yards rushing and three touchdowns plus 300 yards passing and five touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Mack Byrne has eight receptions for 164 yards and three touchdowns and has also returned a kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown.

he Jersey Mike’s Team of the Week for Week 5 is Holmdel, which took a major step toward securing its first division title in over a decade by defeating Donovan Catholic, 21-11, in a critical Shore Conference National Division game. Shore Sports Network was at practice Tuesday to present the Hornets and head coach Jeff Rainess with a special game ball and a $500 Jersey Mike’s gift card.

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he Jersey Mike’s Team of the Week for Week 4 is Freehold Township, which stunned previously-undefeated and then-No. 5 Toms River North, 16-14, on a 22yard field goal by senior Colin Taptich with three seconds left in regulation. Shore Sports Network was at practice Tuesday to present the Patriots and head coach Cory Davies with a special game ball and a $500 Jersey Mike’s gift card.

Toms River North took a 7-0 lead on an 18-yard touchdown run by Jarrod Pruitt midway through the first quarter before Taptich’s 24-yard field goal with 4:35 left in the second quarter made it 7-3 at halftime.

Freehold Township took a 10-7 lead with 4:48 left in the third quarter when sophomore quarterback Lorenzo Chirichella stepped in for senior Nick Reardon and threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver John Manfre. Taptich then split

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eek 3 Neptune

20-14 over Colts Neck

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eek 2 Pinelands

26-22 over Matawan

the uprights on a career-long 38-yard field goal on the final play of the third quarter to give the Patriots a 13-7 lead.

Good field position helped Toms River North take the lead with 2:55 left in the game. The Mariners drove 43 yards across nine plays and pulled ahead, 14-13, on a 2-yard touchdown run by senior Dashawn Wilder. However, Freehold Township was able to put together one final scoring drive to complete the upset and secure one of the biggest victories in program history.

Taptich had 10 points with field goals of 24, 38 and 22 yards while also converting his only extra point attempt. Chirichella finished 9 of 11 for 121 yards and a touchdown and Manfre caught seven passes for 125 yards and a score to pace Freehold Township’s offense.

Freehold Township’s defense did a tremendous job holding Toms River North to just 14 points after the Mariners entered the game averaging 35 points per game. Senior linebacker Sean Fiolek had 14 tackles (10 solo), linebacker Mike Ruegger made 13 stops and senior defensive back Michael Woods had an interception to lead the way.

The victory evened Freehold Township’s record at 2-2 midway through the regular season.

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eek 1 Toms River North

15-14 Over Manalapan

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very week this regular season, Shore Conference football fans will have their chance to vote for the Orthopaedic Institute of Central Jersey/ Shore Sports Network Football Player of the Week on our website, with tens of thousands of votes cast already this week.

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4 Player of the Week winner

is D o n o v a n C a t h o l i c

sophomore running back/ linebacker Dominick Nocero, who had a big game on defense and also scored the game’s opening touchdown as the Griffins shut out Asbury Park, 24-0, to start the season 3-0 for the first time in over 15 years.

pass in the flat, slipped out of an ankle tackle, juked another defender and sprinted to the end zone for a 44-yard touchdown.

Donovan’s defense was on the field for more than double the plays of its counterpart as Asbury Park put together several long drives. The Griffins limited the Blue Bishops to 238 yards on just 3.8 yards per play and, more importantly, kept them out of the end zone.

Nocero recorded a game-high 16 tackles, including one tackle for loss. In three games this season, Nocero has 25 tackles and one sack.

Nocero’s first career reception was a big one Nocero finished atop the poll with 26.71 percent of as it gave the Griffins a 7-0 lead two plays after the votes to win over Manasquan’s Rashid Tuddles, he helped the defense force a turnover on Wall’s Casey Larkin and Brick Memorial’s Tyler Sindel. downs. Asbury Park had used nine minutes of clock to open the game but Donovan quickly snatched the momentum when Nocero took a

Donovan Catholic so. RB/lB Dominick Nocero

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eek 3 Player of the Week winner is

Groschel. He capped the game with a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown.

who had a hand in all five touchdowns in the Dragons’ 34-15 victory over Freehold.

It was a bounce-back win after suffering a 21-7 defeat to St. John Vianney in Week 2. Additionally, Brick was looking for revenge after losing to Freehold, 35-28, in last season’s NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals.

Brick senior quarterback/ defensive back Jimmy Leblo,

Leblo finished with 216 yards between passing, rushing and receiving while also scoring a defensive touchdown as Brick handed the Colonials their first loss. Leblo ran for 102 yards and scored on a 43-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to give Brick a 14-8 lead. He threw for 83 yards with touchdown passes of 33 and 15 yards to fellow senior Cole Groschel and also caught a 31-yard touchdown pass thrown by

Last week’s victory also moved Brick back into the Shore Sports Network Top 10.

Leblo won a close poll with 18.84 percent of the votes to win the award over Keyport’s Devin Wollner, Mater Dei’s Malik Ingram, Red Bank Catholic’s Jaden Key and Manalapan’s Nico Santorelli.

Brick sr. qb/db Jimmy Leblo

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Toms River North so. quarterback Jake Kazanowsky

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Brick sr. linebacker Rich Tallmadge

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Red Bank Catholic sr. defensive end Gino Tartamella

he Jersey Mike’s Game of the Week returns to the Shore Sports Network this fall with the regular season broadcast schedule to begin on Friday, September 7 when Jackson Memorial takes on Southern Regional, 7:00pm at Southern Regional High School.

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and the annual Thanksgiving Day meeting between rivals Manasquan and Wall. As in the past, coverage will include NJSIAA Playoff games right through to championship weekend in e a r l y D e c e m b e r. A l l g a m e s c a n b e h e a r d on 92.7 WOBM and will be streamed live on shoresportsnetwork.com and through the new Shore Sports Network app.

Matt Harmon is back as the play-byJersey Mike’s Subs returns as the title sponsor of the game broadcasts and will play voice of the game broadcasts and a l s o s p o n s o r t h e p o p u l a r Te a m o f t h e w i l l b e j o i n e d b y l o n g t i m e p a r t n e r s K e v i n Williams and Ed Sarluca. The trio have Week program throughout the season. been together for nearly 20 years calling The schedule includes a weekly Friday Shore Conference football games in night b r o a d c a s t , O c e a n a n d M o n m o u t h C o u n t y.

Friday Friday Friday Friday Friday Friday Friday Friday Friday Friday *Thr

8/31 9/7 9/14 9/21 9/28 10/5 10/12 10/19 10/26 11/2 11/22

*Game to be broadcast on 1160/1310AM)

Brick Memorial Jackson Mem. Wall T.R. East Middletown South Rumson-Fair Haven T.R. South T.R North Point Boro NJSIAA Playoffs Wall NJSIAA Playoffs

49 14 6 35 35 13

at at at at at at at at at (TBD) at TBD

Central Southern Jackson Mem. T.R. South Central Brick T.R. North T.R. East Donovan Cath.

Manasquan

0 0 12 24 0 0

(11am)

Schedule is subject to change ngineer/Producer: Brad Burascano

All games broadcast on 92.7 wobm and streamed live at shoresportsnetwork.com and on the FREE Shore Sports Network App

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eek 5 was unique compared to past Shore Conference seasons as six division titles were on the line and another paired the top two teams. The rankings held true across the board in the three top-10 matchups form last week and there were no upsets otherwise.

Top-ranked Red Bank Catholic used a big second half to defeat No. 4 Long Branch, 41-14, to win the Freedom Division title. No. 2 Mater Dei Prep cruised to the Patriot Division crown with a 43-0 win over then-No. 10 Barnegat. No. 3 Rumson-Fair Haven leaned on its defense to shut out then-No. 7 Brick, 130, to clinch the Colonial Division title.

Red Bank Catholic (6-0) Senior quarterback Steve Lubischer completed 9 of 15 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a 49-yard touchdown to lead the Caseys to a 41-14 win over No. 4 Long Branch that clinched the Freedom Division title.

Senior wide receiver M.J. Wright caught five passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns and junior running back Billy Guidetti ran for 67 yards and three touchdowns.

Week-6: Bye Week & will return to action Week-7 against No. 3 RFH on Oct. 19

Mater Dei Prep (6-0) Junior running back Malik Ingram ran for 185 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries and senior quarterback Rob McCoy completed 6 of 9 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns as the Seraphs clinched the Patriot Division title with a 43-0 win over Barnegat. McCoy had a 77-yard touchdown pass to Clarence Lewis, a 64-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Noguera, a 20-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Alston and also ran for a touchdown. Mater Dei has now won 16 straight games against Shore Conference teams.

Week-6: Saturday vs. No. 6 Manasquan (5-0)

Rumson-Fair Haven (5-0) Junior quarterback Collin Coles threw touchdown passes to Ian O’Connor and Andrew Lawless and senior linebacker Keegan Woods made 12 tackles and recorded one sack to lead the defense in a 13-0 shutout of Brick that clinched the Colonial Division title. Senior running back Alex Maldjian added 113 yards rushing on 24 carries while Ryan Dupree recovered a fumble and blocked a punt, Gordon Forsyth forced a fumble and recorded a sack, safety Ryan Ruane had an interception and Von Factor also recorded a sack as Rumson held Brick to 91 yards of total offense.

Week-6: Saturday at Lakewood (0-5)

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Fifth-ranked Middletown South claimed the American Division title with a 14-13 win over Toms River North, No. 6 Manasquan beat Colts Neck, 41-6, to win the Liberty Division championship and No. 7 Jackson Memorial topped Marlboro, 20-6, to take home the Constitution Division title.

The only division that was not officially decided was the National Division, but Holmdel took a major step toward the title with a 21-11 victory over Donovan Catholic.

There is one new team in this week’s Shore Sports Network Top 10 as Red Bank debuts at No. 10. The 4-1 Bucs are coming off a 35-7 win over Toms River East and their only defeat is to No. 1 RBC. With every division decided except for the National Division, the final three weeks of the regular season will feature some very interesting nondivisional games. Week 6 will be highlighted by Freehold and Freehold Township meeting for “The Duke”, No. 4 Long Branch and No. 8 Wall squaring off, Manalapan visiting Brick Memorial, Red Bank traveling to Raritan, the Civil War between Toms River North and Toms River South and No. 6 Manasquan battling No. 2 Mater Dei Prep.

Given those matchups, the rankings could look much different this time next week.

Long Branch (4-1) Senior quarterback Marc Dennis ran for a touchdown and threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Jayon Farrar, but the Green Wave were overtaken by Red Bank Catholic in the second half in a 41-14 defeat.

Senior wide receiver Matt Clarke caught five passes for 118 yards and junior running back Jermaine Corbett ran for 88 yards on 15 carries Week-6: Friday at No. 8 Wall (4-1)

Middletown South (5-1) Senior quarterback Trevor Brey had a 1-yard touchdown run and a 4-yard touchdown pass to senior Matt Tardy as the Eagles defeated Toms River North, 14-13, to capture the American Division championship.

Junior Vinny Condito ran for 84 yards and also blocked a third-quarter extra point try that proved to be the difference.

Week-6: Bye Week 6 & will return to action Week-7 against St. John Vianney on Oct. 19

Manasquan (5-0) Senior running back Canyon Birch ran for 144 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries and senior fullback Scooby Tuddles ran for 93 yards and a touchdown on seven carries as the Warriors defeated Colts Neck, 41-6, to win the Liberty Division title.

Quarterback Ryan O’Leary threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Riley Callahan and senior defensive end Dylan D’Anton recorded 2.5 sacks and two tackles for loss to lead the defense.

Week-6: Saturday at No. 2 Mater Dei Prep (6-0)

Wall (4-1) Senior quarterback Dylan Richey completed 10 of 11 passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 126 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries to power the Crimson Knights to a 49-21 win over Southern. Logan Peters, Casey Larkin and Mike Galos each had touchdown catches and Larkin also ran for 112 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Larkin added two interceptions on defense, Dale McNally also had an interception and Kamaal Cofer had eight tackles, two sacks and two tackles for loss.

Week-6: Friday vs. No. 4 Long Branch (4-1)

Brick (3-2) The Dragons defense played well but the offense mustered just 91 yards in a 13-0 loss to No. 3 Rumson-Fair Haven.

Week-6: Friday vs. Lacey (4-2)

Red Bank (4-1) Senior Nigel Mitchell ran for 123 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and also caught a touchdown pass as the Bucs beat Toms River East, 357. Junior running back Makai Mickens ran for 107 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, quarterback Jack Chamberlain was a perfect 7-for-7 for 100 yards and two touchdowns and Donovan Turner also tossed a touchdown pass. Nick Ferrogine and Jack Niesz also had touchdown receptions.

Week-6: Friday at Raritan (4-1)

Teams to watch:

Jackson Memorial (5-0) The Jaguars remained undefeated and clinched the Constitution Division championship with a 20-6 win over Marlboro.

Week-6: Friday at Jackson Liberty (1-4)

Holmdel (4-1) Raritan (4-1) Freehold (3-2) Freehold Township (3-2) Manalapan (3-2) Toms River North (3-2)

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very week this regular season, Circle Chevy, The W ind M ill and Shore Sports Network will be selecting a Team of the Week based on its performance over the past weekend.

South boys soccer team played at the outset of 2018. The Eagles opened with Holmdel - the team that has been No. 1 in the Shore Sports Network Top 10 since winning the Shore Conference Tournament last year - and also had to play current No. 4 Ocean, No. 8 Long Branch and No. 1 CBA within their first six games.

Second-year Middletown South coach Rob Grella described it as a sinkor-swim moment for his team and wondered how his junior-heavy squad would respond to a 1-5 start against the brutal schedule: would the competition make them better or discourage them to the point of checking out early on the season?

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t is hard to fathom a more difficult schedule to open a season than the one the Middletown

The Eagles gave their coach a resounding answer over the last week, winning three straight games against ranked teams to climb above .500 for the first time this season. With consecutive wins over Manalapan, Manasquan and Freehold Township to cap a five-game winning streak, Middletown South earned the third Circle Chevy Team of the Week Award of the current season.

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he top four teams in the current and preseason Shore Sports Network Top 10 Holmdel, Christian Brothers Academy, Jackson Memorial and Ocean - are a combined 23-2 through Wednesday's games.

One of those two losses was at the hands of St. Benedict's, the No. 1 team in the country, according to USA Today. The other is the second Circle Chevy Boys Soccer Team of the Week of the 2018 season.

Manasquan slipped into a two-goal hole against Ocean on Sept. 14 and climbed back to send the game to overtime before winning it on a golden goal by junior midfielder and Jackson Memorial transfer Drew Greenblatt. The Warriors rallied with goals by Chris Pierro and Matt Drake in the final 10 minutes of regulation to put the Spartans on their heels before Greenblatt delivered the knockout punch.

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his week’s recipient of the honor is Long Branch. The Green Wave (4-2-1) rebounded from a 2-1 setback to No. 2 Christian Brothers Academy on Sept. 12 with a pair of overtime triumphs against Southern and Middletown South before settling for a 2-2 draw with host Manalapan on Thursday.

FOR SHORE SPORTS NETWORK ADVERTISING INFORMATION Contact:

Steven Meyer 732-233-4460 steve.meyer@townsquaremedia.com

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During its 1-5 start to the season, Middletown South lost to Holmdel, Ocean and CBA by a combined score of 10-2 and gave up a 3-1 lead in the final 10 minutes in a 4-3, overtime loss to Long Branch. In four of their five losses, the Eagles were either winning or tied at 1-1 - they led Ocean 1-0 at halftime and were tied with CBA, 1-1, in the second half.

After falling to CBA, the Eagles got on track by beating Point Pleasant Boro and Middletown North and jumped out to a 2-0 lead on No. 10 Manalapan in pursuit of a third straight win. The Braves rallied to send the game to overtime, but junior Danny Minze sent the Eagles home winners with a golden goal.

Senior Jonathan Santos then scored the difference-making goal in a 1-0 win over Manasquan, which was ranked No. 10 at the time, on Sept. 29. The apex of the five-game winning streak came on Tuesday, when Middletown South topped No. 5 Freehold Township, 2-0.

Middletown South's streak ended Thursday against another surging team in Howell, so to qualify for the Shore Conference Tournament, the Eagles will have to go no worse than 1-1-1 against the trio of Raritan, Colts Neck and Marlboro before the Wednesday cutoff.

After beating Ocean on a Friday afternoon, Manasquan responded with wins over Rumson-Fair Haven and Shore - both by a one-goal margin. Greenblatt again scored the game-winner in the Sept. 17, 2-1 win over Rumson and sophomore Tommy Johnson buried the golden goal in a 1-0 win over Shore on Sept. 20.

Manasquan is currently the No. 10 team in the Shore Sports Network Top 10 and on top of playing games against the teams ranked No. 1 (Holmdel), No. 4 (Ocean) and No. 5 (Neptune), the Warriors were also supposed to play No. 3 Jackson Memorial in a game that was postponed indefinitely due to rain. The Warriors are 1-2 in those games and most recently pushed Holmdel to the brink on Wednesday before dropping a 2-1 decision to the reigning Shore Conference and Group II champion.

The other Manasquan loss this season came Monday at Wall in a 10, overtime defeat. Since losing its first game of the season, Wall has won eight straight matches and figures to appear in the next SSN Top 10.

On Saturday, senior Stiviny Silva converted a penalty kick in regulation and delivered the golden goal a minute into overtime to lift Long Branch past Southern, 2-1. Two days later, Silva struck twice to raise his season goal sum to a Shore Conference-best nine and senior Rey Guzman buried a 35-yard blast in the second overtime to seal a 43 decision over Middletown South.

The Green Wave extended its unbeaten string to three with the tie at Manalapan on Thursday. Deadlocked at 1-1, junior Patrick O’Dwyer snapped the stalemate for Long Branch with a finish deep into the second half only to have the Braves counter with an equalizer in the 79th minute.

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By Matt Manley - Senior Staff Writer

his week’s top 10 has a postseason flavor to it – it is the last top 10 before the seeding of the Shore Conference Tournament. The 10 teams in the mix this week are effectively in position to get high seeds in the SCT but there has been so much parity outside of the top four teams all season.

Last week, that parity started to permeate the top four as well, with CBA and Jackson Memorial suffering noteworthy divisional losses.

As much as any year, the Shore Conference pecking order will have to be decided on the field once the actual tournament starts.

Holmdel (11-0, 5-0)

Holmdel likely sewed up the No. 1 seed with its win over CBA and is two more games away from reaching the tournament undefeated.

The only possible foil would be if the Hornets fall victim to an upset at Shore, Jackson Memorial beats Toms River North and Freehold Township beats CBA. Barring those stars aligning, the defending champs will enter the tournament the favorite once again.

Christian Brother Academy (10-3, 5-1)

The No. 2 spot in the SCT is still up for debate and CBA still has a significant hurdle to clear in the form of a road game at Freehold Township. If, however, the Colts can pick up one more win, they should be a relative certainty to be the No. 2 seed given wins over Ocean and Delran, plus a Class A North title.

Jackson Memorial (10-1, 5-1)

The No. 1 seed is not totally out of sight for Jackson Memorial, but the Jaguars will need some help, plus a win over a tough Toms River North team. On the flip side, the No. 3 seed is not a certainty because if the Jaguars don’t win the division, teams like Ocean, Howell, Southern and Toms River North could potentially climb over them.

Howell

(9-3, 4-2)

Despite losing at the end of the week, Howell climbs all the way from No. 7 in last week’s rankings to No. 4 on the strength of a win over CBA, which beat Ocean on Sept. 29. That is the only common opponent between Howell and Ocean, so that gives the Rebels the nod.

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Ocean

(11-2, 6-0) Ocean’s game against Wall on Wednesday night will likely factor in the seeding if word of the results trickles into the seeding meeting, but technically, the fact that that is a night game means the book is effectively closed on the Spartans’ resume. The undefeated division record does not include Wall and the only win outside the division against a team that is a lock for the tournament is over a 6-5-1 Freehold Boro squad, but there is no team with an ironclad case to jump Ocean for No. 5.

Freehold Township (7-3-1, 4-2-0)

Freehold Township still has a chance to climb because its last game before the seeding will be home vs. CBA. With a tie, the Patriots will have a strong case to jump Ocean and a win would mean Freehold Township would have the best case to be the top-ranked team from Class A North. The only cause for concern in the event of a loss to CBA is two losses to teams that are currently not in the tournament (Manalapan and Middletown South) and no real nondivision wins of note.

Southern

(6-4-1, 3-1-1)

A loss to Brick might weigh Southern down in a climb toward the top five, but the Rams have some noteworthy wins: Jackson Memorial, Toms River South, Manalapan and Lacey. Even if Manalapan misses the tournament, those other three wins are a pretty strong foundation for an overall top-eight body of work.

Toms River North (7-2-3, 4-1-1)

Toms River North’s best result is probably a tie vs. Freehold Township and maybe the best thing going for the Mariners right now is how the rest of A South has played outside the division. Toms River North has been fine in that regard, but wins over Point Boro, Donovan Catholic and Jackson Liberty don’t move the needle much.

Wall

(9-3, 4-2)

Like most teams in the field, Wall is going to be a hard one to seed. The Crimson Knights lost their opener to Freehold Boro, won nine games in a row, then lost two more in a row to teams that might not make the tournament – St. John Vianney and Colts Neck. Factor in that the Colts Neck loss was ugly (4-0) and Wall is not a top-10 lock. A win over Raritan on Monday would probably make them a front-runner for a top-10 spot but this is probably as high as Wall can climb.

Marlboro

(5-4-2, 2-3-1)

There is no greater turnaround story at the Shore than Marlboro, which was very young, very inexperienced and very injured last year, when the Mustangs went 1-14-2 and winless in Class A North play. Under new head coach Ryan Morris, Marlboro has returned to contention and done so by going toeto-toe with some of the Shore’s best. A win over Howell should play well in the room and none of the losses should bury the Mustangs. With all that being said, Marlboro still needs at least one tie against two tough teams – Toms River East and Middletown South – before the cutoff.

Dropped Out: Long Branch (5-7-1, 1-4-1) - Up until this week, Long Branch had either won, tied or lost by one goal in all of its games. With a 4-1 loss to Marlboro and a 3-1 loss to Freehold Township last week, the Green Wave lost that distinction and now must beat a St. John Vianney and Neptune to make the SCT.

Manalapan (4-5-2, 3-2-1) - By losing to Toms River

East on Saturday the Braves need at least a win and a tie vs.

Franklin and Howell to make the SCT. At the same time, Manalapan still entered the week with a shot at the A North public division title.

On the Bubble: Toms River South (4-4-1, 2-3-1) Freehold Boro (6-5-1, 1-4-1) Pinelands (8-3, 6-0) Neptune (8-3-1, 4-2-0) Manasquan (8-4, 5-1) Middletown South (6-7, 2-4)

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Holmdel Solidifies No. 1 Spot With Win Over CBA

By Matt Manley - Senior Staff Writer

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he Holmdel boys soccer team had its best season in program history in 2017 and it was the kind of year that should keep the Hornets in the discussion for best public school teams in the history of the conference.

As great as the 21-1-1 season was, it was missing something: a win over the gold standard of the Shore Conference.

On Saturday, Holmdel and the six returning starters from last year's team got their long-awaited shot against Christian Brothers Academy and added one more feather in their collective cap during this dominant year-and-a-half run.

The Hornets - the No. 1 team in the Shore Sports Network Top 10 - withstood an early wave of CBA possession and scored two goals in a span of two minutes of the second half to claw past the No. 2 Colts, 3-1, to extend their perfect start to the 2018 season.

"Last year, we were winning games 5-0, even 10-0," junior Eric Hinds said. "This year, it has been 2-1, 2-0. It's been more of a struggle. We've had to use the starters for the full game and also deal with injuries. But the whole time, we had this game circled. Once we got past (Red Bank Catholic) on Thursday, I think the excitement set in and we were ready for the challenge."

"We haven't had that," Holmdel coach John Nacarlo said of the threat of the long throw. "We have always faced teams that had that. With the three defenders we had coming back and to get a guy who was on junior varsity playing the way he's been playing and the way he played today is huge. He is a very good defender, but to have that throw - if we don't have that, who knows how we get that second goal?"

Holmdel jr. Mark Malier (17) celebrat es his goal wit h Jack Russo (right )

Fellow junior Jack Giamanco beat his man to the ball and poked it off a short hop and inside the near post for a goal that seemingly came out of nowhere after the visitors controlled the ball up to that point.

"I hadn't touched the ball at all at that point because (CBA was) pinging it around on us," Hinds said. "But I saw the defender was shielding me one way, so I went the other way. I was going to play it back to Torre, but I turned it up and fortunatel played a ball that made it to the far post. Jack G. made a great run and finished it wonderfully."

"We had to stay composed and once we got them spread out, Eric Hinds on the right side of the field played a beautiful ball to me and I finished it off," Giamanco said. "My teammates did a great job of working hard and I think that's the thing that's carried us all year. We play hard for 80 minutes."

The goal was Giamanco's team-high 11th and his production has been a necessity with the Hornets dealing with an injury to leading returning scorer Anthony Arena.

"It's obviously tough not having Anthony at full strength," Giamanco said. "He is a special player and playing with him up top makes things so much easier, but we have a lot of hard-working, talented players out there and we all play for each other. I've just gone out and tried to do my job every day."

While the goal woke up Holmdel, it did not bury CBA. The Colts responded with the equalizer in the 46th minute when junior Luke Pascarella redirected a

There were two seasons in which both CBA and Holmdel were having banner seasons but did not meet in the Shore Conference Tournament. The Colts and Hornets were the top two seeds in the 2010 SCT, but Holmdel lost to Toms River North in the quarterfinals and CBA went on to win the tournament by beating Toms River North.

It took only 5:24 on the clock for Holmdel to answer with another go-ahead goal and it came on a bizarre play. Senior fullback and throw-in specialist Peter Vassilakos fired a throw-in from the left side and the ball carried just far enough that CBA keeper Eric Wnorowski could not handle it but short enough that he got his right hand on it. After the deflection, the ball bounced into the goal for what proved to be the game-winner.

The Hornets wasted little time adding an insurance goal, with junior Mark Walier scoring his first career goal 1:57 later.

Senior Anthony Arena slipped a ball through to Walier, who made the run from his outside fullback spot and poked a shot past Wnorowski for a 3-1 Holmdel lead in the 54th minute.

While Holmdel's six returning starters Joe Arena, Anthony Arena, Torre Avitabile, Mark Walier, Jack Russo and Jack Murray - were especially motivated to add a win over CBA to everything they accomplished last season, it was a pair of bench players from last year who ignited Hornets on Saturday. After CBA dominated possession for the first 30 minutes of the game, Hinds beat his man and blasted a diagonal cross to the far left post hoping to get his team a scoring chance.

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cross from senior Joe Lozowski into the far right corner of the goal, tying the score at 1-1.

"It all came from moving the ball," Walier said. "We moved it around in the back and back to the middle and I just made the run. Anton played me a great ball and all I had to do was just finish it. Being my first goal, it was the greatest feeling, but I knew we still had a lot of soccer left to play against a really good team."

"We have been pushing Walier and telling him, 'It's not just Russo that can go forward. You can make those runs too,'" Nacarlo said. "It was nice that he was in the right spot there to get his first goal."

Last year, CBA was also the No. 1 seed but was eliminated on penalties by Toms River South in the SR. Joe Arena quarterfinals. Holmdel went on to win the tournament in dominant fashion, outscoring SCT opponents 19-1 and beating Ocean 7-1 in the championship game.

This year marked the third season in which the two teams were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 at a point during the season but the first in which they played one another, which added to the luster of a regular-season win.

"Last year, we won but we also missed out on playing CBA," Walier said. "This year, we had them on the schedule so we knew it was going to be a big game from the very beginning. We always have to take it one game at a time, so we focused on our first 10, but we were always looking forward to this 11th game and coming out and trying to win it."

By beating CBA on Saturday, it also raises the possibility of Holmdel doing something else it could not do in 2017: finished undefeated. It looks like a guarantee that the Hornets won't approach anything resembling the 122-14 goal-differential last year's team posted, but they are two wins away from making it to the postseason without a loss or a draw - which last year's team failed to do.

"Losing last year was definitely an important wake-up call," Walier said. "We have a lot of returners from last year who remember how it felt to lose against Pingry and that loss still carries over. We know that we can compete with anyone, but we can't just go out and play the game and win without bringing our full intensity."

Saturday's win likely secured Holmdel the No. 1 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament, which opens next Saturday.

Holmdel's last game before the seeding meeting is at Shore Regional on Wednesday.

With a win or a draw, Holmdel would clinch the outright Class A Central championship for the second straight year.

Arena's contributed to the scoring despite not starting and being limited by a left hamstring injury that he sustained three weeks earlier in a win over Colts Neck.

"Anthony Arena is a good player but this is an allaround good team," Nacarlo said. "It was nice to show we can win a game like this without him being at 100 percent."

"I think there is enough experience tasting defeat with the guys on the field," Nacarlo said. "They don't want to lose anymore. I don't know it losing a game would have helped like it did last year, but I think winning a big game like this shows what kind of team we are."

With a two-goal lead and 26 minutes to the finish line, Holmdel crowded the midfield and held Russo and Walier back on the outside of the defense to protect the advantage.

"We noticed that Russo loves to attack on the outside and they kept attacking that side while Russo jR. Jack was trying to get back," Nacarlo said. "Once we were up 3-1, we dropped Russo back and we went to five in the middle and got more defensive. They didn't really have anything too dangerous down the stretch."

The meeting between the two accomplished Shore Conference programs was just the third since 2006, which was the first year in which Holmdel won an NJSIAA sectional championship. CBA defeated Holmdel, 4-0, in the 2011 Shore Conference Tournament final on the way to a 21-0 season. Holmdel got a measure of revenge with a regular-season win at CBA in 2014.

Giamanco by:

Matt Manley www.shoresportsnetwork.com

Photos by:

Paula Lopez

WWW.PALIMAGES.COM.COM

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By Bob Badders - Managing Editor

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t’s hard to believe the 2018 Shore Conference football season is halfway over, but as we head to the middle of October that’s exactly where we stand.

The eight-week regular season is more than halfway complete with six of the seven divisions having already crowned champions. There have been some tremendous games and individual performances, thrilling endings, stunning upsets and more.

Now it’s time to take stock of the first half of the season and try to forecast what to expect the rest of the way as teams make their final push toward the playoffs. We’ll touch on a number of categories and give our picks for what stood out in the Shore Sports Network Midseason Football Report.

Note: All statistics based off those reported to Shore Sports Network by Monday, October 8.

DIVISIOn WInNERS A MERICAN: Middletown South C OLONIAL: Rumson-Fair Haven C ONSTITUTION: Jackson Memorial F REEDOM: Red Bank Catholic L IBERTY: Manasquan P ATRIOT: Mater Dei Prep N ATIONAL: To be determined 16

FIVE offEnsIVE PLaYER Of thE yEaR candIdaTEs Steve Lubischer, Sr, QB, Red Bank Catholic Lubischer, who is committed to Boston College, leads the Shore in passing with 1,055 yards, 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions with a 72 percent completion rate. He has also rushed for 240 yards and five touchdowns on an average of 11.4 yards per carry to lead an RBC offense averaging 40.7 points per game.

Jermaine Corbett, Jr., RB, Long Branch Corbett has picked up right where he left off after a superb sophomore campaign by rushing for 653 yards and 11 touchdowns on an average of 9.2 yards per carry in five games. His play has helped the Green Wave to a 4-1 start and the No. 4 ranking in the SSN Top 10.

Alex Maldjian, Sr., RB, Rumson-Fair Haven After two years as a fullback, Maldjian has flourished as Rumson’s starting tailback with 694 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns on an average of 10.7 yards per carry, helping the Bulldogs start 5-0 and claim the Colonial Division championship.

Matt Krauss, Sr., QB, Freehold Krauss leads the Shore in rushing through Week 5 with 864 yards and six touchdowns and has also thrown for 669 yards and three touchdowns. The Colonials are 3-2 with wins over Middletown North, Brick Memorial and St. John Vianney.

Canyon Birch, Sr., RB, Manasquan As the tailback in Manasquan’s power rushing attack, Birch has 696 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns in five games as the Warriors have started 5-0 and claimed the Liberty Division title.

FIVE DfEnsIVE PLaYER Of thE yEaR candIdaTEs Keegan Woods, Sr., LB, Rumson-Fair Haven A first-team All-Shore selection last season, Woods has made 66 tackles with seven tackles for loss and three sacks to lead a Bulldogs defense that is allowing just 6.8 points per game and has already clinched the Colonial Division title.

Rich Tallmadge, Sr., LB, Brick Tallmadge led the Shore in tackles with 58 through four weeks and also had a defensive touchdown for a Brick defense that has allowed 14 points per game.

Collin McCarthy, Jr., DE, Jackson Memorial A force off the edge for Jaguars defense allowing just 6.4 points per game, McCarthy has made 31 tackles with 13 tackles for loss and four sacks through four games. The Jaguars are currently 5-0 and have clinched the Constitution Division title.

John Columbia, Sr., LB, Red Bank Catholic Red Bank Catholic’s offense gets most of the attention, but its defense has been very good, as well, in holding teams to 8.2 points per game. Through five games, Columbia had made 44 tackles with six tackles for loss and two sacks.

bEsT endInG Week 1: Toms River North 15, Manalapan 14 On the heels of a 1-9 season, Toms River North stunned Manalapan to end the Braves’ 16game Shore Conference winning streak.

Manalapan took a 14-7 lead with 46 seconds left in the game when a 73-yard run by Nico Santorelli set up Dale Sieczkowski for a 1-yard touchdown run. Toms River North senior Dashawn Wilder returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, however, to make it 14-13 and Toms River North elected to go for the 2-point conversion. Sophomore quarterback Jake Kazanowsky hit Wilder for the successful 2-point try and the Mariners came away with a sensational and improbable 15-14 win.

bEsT gaMEs Week 2: Middletown South 17, Manalapan 14 A back-and-forth contest that re-ignited a former rivalry ended with Middletown South senior Chris Kaldrovics kicking a walk-off 20-yard field to give the Eagles a heart-pounding win.

A 25-yard interception and return by junior linebacker Matt Benedetti set up a short touchdown run by senior Dale Sieczkowski to give Manalapan an early 7-0 lead. Middletown South came back on a touchdown run by Jamie Petrillo, but Manalapan took the lead again when junior quarterback Sean Kehley connected with senior tight end Alan Presler on an 11-yard touchdown pass with 3:34 left in the third quarter.

Middletown South answered immediately with a 71-yard drive that tied the score at 14 on Vinny Condito’s 2-yard touchdown run. On the game-winning drive, junior Matt Krellin made a tough catch along the sideline and ran for a 36-yard gain to set up the game-winning field goal.

Week 2: Red Bank 28, Holmdel 26 The Bucs earned a thrilling nondivisional win over the Hornets when Jack Chamberlain threw a touchdown pass to Nigel Mitchell with 10 seconds left in regulation to cap a back and forth battle.

Week 2: Jackson Memorial 12, Wall 6 (OT) A classic defensive battle on a muddy field saw the host Jaguars prevail in overtime on a short touchdown run by fullback Michael Fiore. Defensive lineman Hunter Rose delivered a fourthdown stop on Wall’s overtime possession to clinch a victory that ended up being Jackson’s biggest hurdle on its way to the eventual Constitution Division title.

Week 3: Toms River East 35, Toms River South 24 The Raiders had not enjoyed victory against the rival Indians in six seasons before scoring the final 14 points of the game to snap the losing streak and pick up their first win of the season. Offensive lineman Brady Gibbons recovered a fumble in the end zone with 6:09 left and Alex Smith added a 21-yard touchdown to ice the game with 1:19 remaining.

Kashaun Turner, Sr., DT, Red Bank The Bucs are out to a 4-1 record and a big reason is Turner, who has made 43 tackles with 12 tackles for loss and five sacks. Outside of a 42-7 loss to No. 1 Red Bank Catholic, Red Bank’s defense is allowing 13 points per game.

See

Midseason Report

page 18

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Midseason Report

from page 17

Week 4: Neptune 24, Point Boro 21 One week after ending a 12-game losing streak, Neptune earned its biggest win in over two years by stunning the Panthers on a walk-off 25-yard field goal by Kevin Clohosey. The combination of sophomore quarterback Nino Bua and senior wide receiver Raven Joseph was electric in connecting on touchdowns of 89, 43 and 18 yards.

bIGGEsT UpsET Week 4: Freehold Township 16, Toms River North 14 Freehold Township entered its Week 4 game against Toms River North with a 1-2 record while averaging just 12 points per game and allowing 33 points per game.

Conversely, the Mariners were averaging 35 points per game and allowing a paltry 6.7 points per contest. It was a mismatch on paper, but Freehold Township had other ideas.

The Patriots’ defense rose to the occasion to hold Toms River North to a pair of touchdowns and senior Colin Taptich kicked three field goals, including the gamewinning 22-yard kick with three seconds left in regulation. Taptich also had field goals of 38 and 24 yards and sophomore quarterback Lorenzo Chirichella threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to John Manfre to key the stunning victory.

mOsT DRaMaTIC FInIsh Week 5: Raritan 21, Point Boro 20 Point Boro had the ball at Raritan’s 20-yard line trailing 21-14 with two seconds left. The Panthers run the triple-option offense so with 20 yards necessary the options in the playbook were limited.

Head coach Brian Staub went to his bag of tricks and called for a hook and lateral, and the Panthers executed it perfectly when quarterback Garrett Romer hit Ryan Visco for a 9-yard gain and Visco flipped it to Kyle Komanitsky, who ran the remaining 11 yards for the touchdown. The home crowd at Al Saner Field was going wild and the Panthers were an extra point away from forcing overtime.

Point Boro elected to go for the 2-point conversion and the win, however, but Raritan stuffed the rush attempt when Justin Acevedo and Jaylen Smith combined on the stop to give the Rockets the thrilling win and their first 4-1 start since 2009.

bEsT cOMEBaCk Week 2: Pinelands 26, Matawan 22 Trailing 16-0 after the first quarter, the Wildcats rallied for a 26-22 win over Matawan thanks to a 397-yard rushing performance. Senior Evan Burton ran for 261 yards and three touchdowns and sophomore Nik Dileo added 133 yards and a touchdown behind a dominant performance by the offensive line.

SuRpRIsE tEaM Raritan The Rockets entered the season sporting a new offense and with several new starters but are off to a 4-1 start for the first time since 2009. Their only loss is at the hands of No. 6 Manasquan and they own wins over Point Boro, Neptune, Colts Neck and Monmouth Regional.

SuRpRIsE indIVIduaL Collin Coles, Jr., QB, Rumson-Fair Haven In his first year as the starter, Coles has given Rumson everything it hoped at the quarterback position and served as a great compliment to an explosive rushing attack.

Through Week 5, Coles has thrown for 637 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 67 percent of his passes. His play has helped Rumson to a 5-0 start and the Colonial Division title.

cLuTCh KICks Kevin Clohosey, Sr., Neptune: Clohosey drilled a walk-off 25-yard field goal to give Neptune a dramatic 24-21 win over Point Boro in Week 4.

Chris Kaldrovics, Sr., Middletown South: CKaldrovics connected on a 20-yard field goal with no time left to lift the Eagles to a 17-14 victory over Manalapan in Week 2.

Colin Taptich, Sr., Freehold Township: Taptich kicked a game-winning 22-yard field goal with three seconds left in regulation when the Patriots stunned Toms River North, 16-14. He also had field goals of 38 and 24 yards, plus an extra point, to account for 10 of Freehold Township’s 16 points.

bEsT indIVIduaL offEnsIVE PERfORManCE Freehold Sr. QB Matt Krauss vs.

Middletown North In a 22-20 victory over Middletown North in Week 1, Krauss exploded for a careerhigh 305 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 35 carries and also threw for 169 yards and a touchdown.

bEsT indIVIduaL DfEnsIVE PERfORManCE Collin McCarthy, Jr., DE, Jackson Memorial vs. Wall In Jackson’s 12-6 overtime win over Wall in Week 2 that cleared a major hurdle en route to the Constitution Division title, McCarthy was unstoppable with 13 tackles, six tackles for a loss and two sacks.

See

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Midseason Report

page 20

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Midseason Report from page 18 bEsT rushInG PERfORManCE

bEsT rECEIVInG PERfORManCE

Malik Ingram, Jr., RB, Mater Dei Prep

Jaden Key, Sr., WR, Red Bank Catholic

Against a defense that was allowing 2.3 yards per carry entering the game, Ingram ran for 185 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries, averaging an unreal 30.8 yards per attempt, as the Seraphs delivered a 43-0 win over Barnegat that clinched the Patriot Division title.

Key had a career game in a 42-7 victory over Red Bank with five receptions for 129 yards and four touchdowns. The recent University of Pennsylvania commit has 10 receptions for 312 yards and five touchdowns this season.

bEsT PassInG PERfORManCE

bEsT KICkInG PERfORManCE

Jake Kazanowsky, So., QB, Toms River North

Colin Taptich, Sr., Freehold Township

In a 42-6 win over Central, Kazanowsky threw for 242 yards and five touchdowns – all in the first half – to give the Mariners their third win in a row to start the season. Kazanowsky has thrown for 707 yards with nine touchdowns and one interception this season.

Taptich accounted for 10 of Freehold Township’s 16 points in a stunning 16-14 win over Toms River North in Week 4, including a game-winning 22-yard field goal with three seconds left. He also kicked a career-long 38-yard field goal and connected on a 24-yard field goal, plus knocked through his only extra point attempt. Taptich is 7for-8 on extra points and 4-for-5 on field goals this season.

See

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Midseason Report

page 22

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Midseason Report from page 20 SaCk masTER

Wall’s Defense

Matt Tardy, Sr., DE/LB, Middletown South Tardy has the best single-game passing rushing performance so far this season, recording three sacks during a 37-0 shutout victory over Freehold Township. Tardy had seven tackles, a pass breakup and a safety in the game, as well.

baLL Hawks

Right behind Brick are the Crimson Knights, who have nine interceptions as a unit.

Casey Larkin, Matt DeSarno and Teddy Sharkey each have two picks while Tanner Powers, Dale McNally and Tom Schneider have one interception apiece.

Brick’s Secondary The Dragons may or may not have the best secondary in the Shore Conference, but there’s no denying they’re the greediest with a conference-best 11 interceptions. Senior defensive back Mike McGuigan leads the Shore Conference with four interceptions while Cole Groschel has three, Jimmy Leblo has three and Shane Williams has one.

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO PROVIDED THE PHOTOS USED THROUGHTOUT THIS ISSUE Paula Lopez

Rob Samuels

Richard O'Donnell

PALIMAGES.COM.COM

boofacephotography.com

richardodonnellphotography.com

FOR SSN ADVERTISING INFORMATION Contact: Steven Meyer 732-233-4460 22

steve.meyer@townsquaremedia.com

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Did You Know

By Jason A. Nitche, MD

T

Brielle Orthopedics

hat over past 20 years, incidence of ACL tears in young athletes has increased %

2.3

annually

ACL tears are a common sports related injury in young athletes resulting from non-contact and contact. n T h e r e a r e a p p r o x i m a t e l y 150,000 A C L injuries per year in the U.S. n G i r l s a r e 2-8 m o r e t i m e s l i k e l y t o t e a r a n A C L . n I n t h e N F L , A C L i n j u r i e s e n d e d 32 p l a y e r s ’ s e a s o n s . n O n l y 30% o f a l l A C L i n j u r i e s a r e f r o m c o n t a c t .

Surgery is usually required to treat ACL tears in young athletes and can t a k e u p t o 2 y e a r s f o r f u l l r e c o v e r y.

I n s o m e r e p o r t s , o n l y 6 0 % o f a t h l e t e s r e t u r n t o t h e i r p r e - i n j u r y l e v e l o f p l a y.

"ACL injuries in high school athletes are devastating injuries both p h y s i c a l l y a n d e m o t i o n a l l y. A t e a m a p p r o a c h b e t w e e n t h e p a t i e n t , s u r g e o n , a t h l e t i c t r a i n e r, a n d p h y s i c a l t h e r a p i s t i s usually succesful at getting the athlete back on to the playing field." says Dr Jason A. Nitche, MD, orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine at Brielle Orthopedics.

S p o r t s t h a t c o m m o n l y c a u s e A C L t e a r s a r e s o c c e r, f o o t b a l l , b a s k e t b a l l , a n d l a c r o s s e .

Jason A. Nitche, MD Board Certified, Fellowship Trained Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in Sports Medicine, Knee & Shoulder Surgery

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E

very week this regular season, Shore Sports Network & Surf taco will be selecting a boys & girls player of the week based on there performance over the past week. Surf taco will present the winners with a surf taco backpack and a $25 gift card.

WEEK-4: POINT BEACH Sr. Ki Costa

P

oint Beach is officially the Shore Conference Class B Central champion for the first time ins five years and Costa's performance last week helped cover a lot of the heavy lifting necessary to get there.

From Sept. 24 to Sept. 30, Costa doubled his goal total for the season, scoring five in two wins over Asbury Park and Ranney to up his season total to 10. The senior scored two in a 4-0 win over Asbury Park and put up a hat trick in a 3-1 win over the Panthers.

WEEK-4: PINELANDS Jr. Aileen Cahill

T

he Wildcats had another banner week to improve to 71-1, this time rolling up decisive wins over Barnegat and Donovan Catholic before knocking off Holmdel. Cahill was a machine, scoring eight of the team’s 16 goals during the week.

The junior scored four goals in a 7-0 win over Barnegat, accounted for six of the seven goals vs. Donovan Catholic (two goals and four assists) and scored both goals in a 2-1 win over the Hornets.

With a win over Lakewood during this week, Pinelands clinched no worse than a share of the Class B South division championship and can win it outright with a perfect 7-0 division record by beating Manchester on Tuesday. After scoring two more goals in the win over Lakewood, Cahill now has 15 goals and seven assists for the season.

Cahill won this week's contest with 55 percent of the more than 6,500 votes cast, which beat runner-up Kate MacLeod (21.5 percent) of Rumson by more than 30 percentage points. Senior captain Gabi Triolo of undefeated Middletown North also checked in with a double-figure percentage of the vote, scoring 14.2 percent.

WEEK-3: POINT BEACH Sr. Sarah Shwahla

WEEK-3: MANASQUAN Sr. Ryan Caruso

I

S

Last week, the Braves knocked off Freehold Township on the road and rallied to earn a draw against Long Branch, with Caruso contributing scoring in both. He scored the game-winner against the Patriots to open the week and scored three minutes into the Braves’ wild 2-2 draw with the Green Wave.

Caruso won the most recent Player of the Week contest with 38.6 percent of the 16,336 votes cast, which was a little more than 10 percent better than runner-up Ademola Odunlami of Ranney.

After scoring a goal vs. Mater Dei and a goal and an assist in a win over Keyport, Shwahla turned in a career effort with four goals in a 7-0 Garnet Gulls win over the Griffins.

In winning the latest Player of the Week poll, Shwahla surpassed the 50 percent threshold to beat runner-up Morgan Cupo of Reg Bank Catholic (24 percent) by more than double the vote total. Shwala drew 20,530 of the 40,666 votes cast.

f Manalapan’s Week 2 showed off the Braves’ collective pride after starting the season 0-2, its Week 3 showed this could be a team to fear going forward.

hwahla went from a having a good Week 3 to a great one with her performance against Donovan Catholic on Sept. 20.

WEEK-2: BARNEGAT Fr. Isabel Guiro

WEEK-2: FREEHOLD BORO Jr. Isaac Ball

T

here are Shore Conference players with more goals than the three Freehold Boro junior Isaac Ball has scored this season but it would be hard to find a player who has made the most out of his goals more than Ball has.

Over the first two weeks of the season, Ball has proven to be one of the Shore best clutch goal-scorers, with game-winning goals in all three of Freehold Boro’s wins. Last week, the junior forward scored the winning goal with 1:17 left in a 3-2 win over Middletown South and scored the first goal of a 3-0 win over Point Boro.

Ball also assisted a goal by senior Abel Herrera in the come-from-behind win over Middletown South and during the previous week, he scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Wall.

After Toms River East's Dan Bodziak won by a razor-thin margin last week, Ball had a little more breathing room over runner-up Jack Giamanco of Holmdel. Ball collected 47.6 percent of the more than 17,000 votes submitted to beat out the 38.5 percent drawn-in by Giamanco.

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Costa's run continued into this week as well, as the senior midfielder assisted the firsthalf equalizer and scored the winner in the 68th minute of a 2-1 win over St. Rose that clinched the Class B Central championship. Costa now stands at 13 goals and seven assists for the season.

This week's Player of the Week vote was one of the most competitive on record, with five nominees recording a double-digit percentage of the vote and the winner being decided by half a percentage point. Costa won with 24.42 percent of the 27,823 votes cast to beat out Point Boro goalkeeper Steven Redler, who won 23.92 percent.

Holmdel's Mark McStay (15 percent), Middletown South's Jonathan Santos (14) and Freehold Township's Bennett Messinger (11.5) all drew better than 10 percent of the vote.

G

uiro's stellar start to her freshman season continued in Week 2 with two goals and an assist in Barnegat's 8-4 loss to Brick Memorial. Through six games this season, Guiro has scored seven goals to lead all Barnegat players.

The Week 2 Player of the Week vote came down to Guiro and runner-up Colleen Lillis of Matawan, who came within two percentage points (fewer than 500 total votes) of Guiro's winning 41.2 percent of more than 34,000 votes cast.

Boys WEEK-1: TOMS RIVER EAST Jr. Dane Bodziak

Girls WEEK-1: MONMOUTH Jr. Ranya Senhaji

FOR SHORE SPORTS NETWORK ADVERTISING INFORMATION Contact: Steven Meyer 732-233-4460

steve.meyer@townsquaremedia.com 27

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2 0 1 8 Melting Pot Friday Night Lights Tee Shirt Toss

T

he Shore Sports Network is delighted to partner with The Melting Pot of Red Bank & Awards of Brick for this year’s Tee-Shirt Toss.

Each week between the first and second quarters of our Jersey Mike’s Game of the Week broadcast we toss Shore Sports Network/Melting Pot tee shirts into the home stands which have become quite popular, especially with the student sections. One Tee Shirt will have a special $25.00 Melting Pot Gift Certificate that a lucky fan will receive.

The SSN would like to thank The Melting Pot of Red Bank for sponsoring this weekly promotion & Awards of Brick for the tee-shirts which will continue throughout the season. Visit the Melting Pot at 2 Bridge Ave., Red Bank.

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Award-winning broadcasters Kevin Williams, Ed Sarluca and Bob Badders cover the entire Shore Conference from Matawan to Pinelands. Broadcast live each week the show features players, coaches and a preview of upcoming games.

Wednesday, 7-8pm on 105.7 The Hawk, www.1057thehawk.com & www.shoresportsnetwork.com.

The only weekly radio and online show that covers Ocean and Monmouth County High School Football

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