11/11/18 Volume-X Issue-20 2018 NJSIAA Football Championship Season

November 22, 2018 Volume-X Issue-20

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 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) & Facebook, we keep fans posted on the latest scores and news n Established leading portal for local high school coverage.

Check out our latest issue on stands now

Kevin WILLIAMS Shore Sports Network Director

kevin.williams@townsquaremedia.com

Steve MEYER Shore Sports Networkn Director High School Division

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

Senior Content Providers BobBadders // bob.badders@townsquaremedia.com MattManley // Mmanley21@gmail.com

Shore Sports Network Journal is published by: Townsquare Media 8 Robbins Street Toms River, NJ 08753

Copyright 2018 Townsquare Media . All rights reserved Reproduction in whole or in part without the permission of Shore Sports Network is prohibited

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AOPPORTUNITIES DVERTISING

AVAILABLE For your SPECIAL SSN FOOTBALL AWARDS

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e part of a tradition that reaches a large and enthusiastic audience from Monmouth and Ocean counties by having your business featured in our SPECIAL 2018 FOOTBALL AWARDS PROGRAM. This detailed full color issue put together by the SSN staff will feature the this years Offensive/Defensive Players, Coach of the year and 1st, 2nd & 3rd SSN All-Shore teams. The issue will be distributed to Shore Conference High Schools, all Jersey Mike’s & Supper WAWA locations throughout Ocean & Monmouth counties, will serve as a keepsake for all the players & coaches involved. Not only is the program a chance for your business to reach a wide and passionate audience, it is a chance to become a permanent part of a lasting memory for many members of the Shore Conference community.

Call TODAY for more Info 7832-233-4460

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

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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 teeshirts which will continue throughout the season. Visit the Melting Pot at 2 Bridge Ave., Red Bank.

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No. 7 Manasquan fell to undefeated Hillside, 36-10, in the Central Jersey Group 2 final. It was a 14-10 game in the fourth quarter before Hillside extended its lead with 10 minutes left and tacked on two additional scores in the final five minutes to balloon the final score and win its second straight title.

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ectional championship weekend featured four Shore Conference teams in three separate games, and when the dust settled two squads emerged with championships.

Long Branch, ranked No. 3 in the Shore Sports Network Top 10, defeated No. 5 Brick, 21-14, to win the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 4 title. A third-quarter surge enabled the Green Wave to capture back-to-back sectional titles for the first time in program history.

In the Central Jersey Group 3 final, No. 4 Rumson used an epic rushing performance by senior Alex Maldjian to take down previously-undefeated Somerville, 42-35, and claim their fifth title in the last six seasons. Maldjian carried the ball 49 times for 271 yards and four touchdowns behind an offensive line that dominated at the point of attack.

Long Branch and Rumson will now play in NJSIAA Bowl Games on Dec. 1 at MetLife Stadium against winners of the South Jersey brackets in their respective groups. Long Branch takes on Shawnee in Group 4 and Rumson squares off against Woodrow Wilson in Group 3.

The five Thanksgiving games take center stage during the week as Manasquan hosts Wall, Middletown North meets Middletown South, Long Branch hosts Red Bank, Asbury Park travels to Neptune and Toms River South welcomes Lakewood for the 99th turkey day meeting.

The big one comes on Saturday, however, as the top spot in the Shore will be decided when topranked Red Bank Catholic clashes with No. 2 Mater Dei at MetLife Stadium in the NJSIAA NonPublic Group 3 state championship game.

Red Bank Catholic (9-0)

Rumson-Fair Haven (9-2)

Middletown South (7-3)

Next game: Sat., Nov. 24 at MetLife Stadium vs.

Mater Dei Prep (10-1) in the Non-Public Group 3 final.

Next game: Dec. 1 at MetLife Stadium vs.

Woodrow Wilson in a Group 3 Bowl Game

Next game: Thanksgiving at Middletown North (2-8).

Mater Dei Prep (10-1)

Brick (8-3)

Next game: Season complete

Long Branch (10-1)

Red Bank (7-2) Next game: Thanksgiving at No. 3 Long Branch (10-1)

Toms River North (6-2)

Next game: Sat., Nov. 24 at MetLife Stadium vs. Red Bank Catholic (9-0) in the Non-Public Group 3 final.

Manasquan (8-2) Next game: Thanksgiving vs. Wall (5-3)

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Holmdel (8-2)

Next game: Sat., Dec. 1 at MetLife Stadium vs.

Shawnee in a Group 3 Bowl Game.

Next game: Season complete

Next game: Season complete

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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. quickly drove down the field and got the inside the 5-yard line with four seconds left but junior defensive back Tahaj Parland knocked away a pass in the end zone to clinch the thrilling victory.McCoy had a 1-yard touchdown to run cap a 16-play, 71-yard drive to open the game and give the Seraphs a 7-0 lead. A fumble recovery by Isaiah Noguera at DePaul's 9-yard line set up McCoy for his second touchdown run that made it 14-0 less than eight minutes into the game.

Mater Dei led 14-7 at halftime but DePaul pulled ahead with a field goal and a touchdown to take a 17-14 lead. Mater Dei answered with a 45-yard touchdown pass from McCoy to Isaiah Alston to pull back in front, 21-17. After DePaul re-took the lead, 23-21, on a 24-yard touchdown catch by Sean Kelly, Mater Dei drove for the winning score to conclude a wild game.

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he Jersey Mike’s Team of the Week for Week 10 is Mater Dei Prep, which knocked off defending champion DePaul, 28-23, in a sensational and dramatic Non-Public Group 3 semifinal game to advance to a third straight state championship game. Shore Sports Network was at practice to present the Seraphs and head coach Dino Mangiero with a special game ball and a $500 Jersey Mike’s gift card.

Senior quarterback Rob McCoy threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Clarence Lewis with 41 seconds left in regulation to give Mater Dei a 28-23 lead. DePaul

Mater Dei is now 10-1 with its only loss coming by one point to Cheshire Academy, a postgraduate school from Connecticut. The Seraphs have not lost to a Shore Conference team since 2015 and will enter the state championship game with the No. 1 offense (39.2 ppg) and a top-five defense (10.8 ppg) in the Shore. McCoy, Lewis, Alston, Noguera and junior running back Malik Ingram lead the Seraphs’ explosive offense while Boston College recruits Izaiah Henderson (defensive tackle) and Shittah Sillah (linebacker) anchor the defense along with senior eek 8 linebacker Russell Ferrisi and junior Midd. South defensive lineman Amir Coleman.

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The state championship game will pit the Seraphs, ranked No. 2 in the Shore Sports Network Top 10, against No. 1 and undefeated Red Bank Catholic (9-0) in a highly-anticipated meeting between the top two teams in the Shore. Two Shore Conference teams have met in an NJSIAA Non-Public state final since 1980.

As the No. 6 seed in the bracket, Asbury Park had to make the 79-mile trip to South Jersey to take on a Thundering Herd team that entered with a 5-2 record. The long bus ride didn’t faze the Bishops as they jumped out to a 14-0 lead on a 5-yard touchdown run by senior running back Quadir Lawson and an 8-yard touchdown run plus a successful 2-point conversion by sophomore running back Junior Haughton. The lead grew to 20-0 in the third quarter when Lawson scored on another 5-yard run and Haughton capped the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Asbury Park is one of just three No. 6 seeds statewide to win a first-round game and advance to the sectional semifinals.

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he Jersey Mike’s Team of the Week for Week 9 is Asbury Park, which shut out Woodbury, 27-0, to pull the upset in the first round of the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 1 playoffs. Shore Sports Network was at practice to present the Blue Bishops and head coach Tim Fosque with a special game ball and a $500 Jersey Mike’s gift card.

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The Blue Bishops’ running game was dominant behind a physical offensive line and rushed for 334 yards on 51 attempts. Haughton led the way with 31 carries for 165 yards and Lawson ran for 135 yards on 17 carries. Devan Martin added 28 yards rushing on just two carries.

14-7 Rumson-Fair Haven

7 Week RBC

14-13 Rumson-Fair Haven

6 Week Jackson Lib. 14-0 Jackson Memorial

5 Week holmdel

21-11 Donovan Catholic

4 Week Freehold Twp. 16-14 Over TR North

3 Week Neptune

20-14 over Colts Neck

2 Week Pinelands

26-22 over Matawan

Lawson led the defense with five tackles, one sack and a forced fumble as Asbury Park recorded its first shutout of the season. Alexander Peavy also recorded five tackles while Basean Fraser pulled down his fifth interception of the season. God Allah had a sack and Naiheem Crooms had a fumble recovery.

1 Week TR 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.

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eek

10/NJSIAA semifinals

Player of the Week winner is

Red Bank Catholic Senior linebacker/fullback Steve Cmielewski , who led

the Caseys’ defense and also scored a touchdown in a 27-0 victory over Pope John in the Non-Public Group 3 semifinals.

RBC’s defense recorded its second shutout of the season by blanking the Lions and Cmielewski led the way with 14 total tackles, two sacks and three quarterback hurries. He also had a 7-yard touchdown run that gave the Caseys a 13-0 lead.

Red Bank Catholic is ranked No. 1 in the Shore Sports Network Top 10 and is the lone undefeated team (9-0) in the conference heading into the championship games. Cmielewski has been an integral component of RBC’s success on both sides of the ball, especially as a linebacker for a defense that has allowed just 10 points per game this season. Cmielewski missed basically his entire junior year after being injured in the first game of 2017 and his return has clearly made a huge difference.

The Caseys are now in their first state final since winning NonPublic Group 3 in 2014 and will take on Mater Dei Prep in a highly-anticipated game on Saturday, Nov. 24 at MetLife Stadium.

The Seraphs (10-1) are the No. 2 team in the Shore and are coming off a 28-23 win over defending champion DePaul in the semifinals. The last time two Shore Conference teams squared off in a Non-Public state championship game was 1980.

Cmielewski was the runaway winner of this week’s poll with nearly 60 percent of all votes cast.

Red Bank Catholic sr. linebacker/fullback Steve Cmielewski

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eek 9/NJSIAA quarterfinals Player of the Week winner is

Wall Sophomore Logan Peters , who played wide

receiver, quarterback and linebacker and nearly led the Crimson Knights to an improbable comeback against Timber Creek in the first round of the South Jersey Group 3 playoffs. Although Wall fell five points short in a 33-28 loss, Peters was outstanding in having a hand in all four of the Knights’ touchdowns and leading the team in tackles on defense.

Peters caught an 11-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to tie the score at seven, and when senior quarterback Dylan Richey went down with an injury later in the quarter the

Wall sO. QB/WR/LB Logan Peters

W eek 8

W eek 7

RBC Jr. Running Back Kevin Degnan

W eek 4

Donovan Cath so. RB/LB Dominick Nocero

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Brick sR. QB/DB Jimmy Leblo

Wall was trailing, 20-7, at halftime but closed the gap when Peters threw a pass to Mike Galos in the flat that turned into a 67-yard touchdown. Timber Creek once ahead went ahead by two scores but Peters led another Wall response by tossing a 5-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Tanner Powers to cut the deficit to 27-21. Timber Creek scored again to go up by 12 but Peters spearheaded another scoring drive that culminated in a 12yard touchdown pass to Dale McNally to make it 33-28 with 4:20 left in the game.

On defense, Peters tied for the team lead with eight tackles, including one tackle for loss.

For the season, Peters has seven receptions for 77 yards and two touchdowns, 177 yards passing and three touchdowns and 37 tackles on defense.

The Crimson Knights are eliminated from the playoffs but still have one huge game left. Wall will take on archrival Manasquan in their annual Thanksgiving Day game on Thursday, Nov. 22.

Peters secured 22.8 percent of the votes to win a close race against Manalapan linebacker Matt Benedetti and Brick running back/linebacker Joe Carchio.

W eek 6

Marlboro Sr. RB/DB Dontrell Alston

W eek 3

Crimson Knights turned to Peters at quarterback. He responded by completing 7 of 15 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns in a tremendous relief performance.

Ocean Linebacker Ryan Moran

W eek 2

TR North so. quarterback Jake Kazanowsky

W eek 1

Brick sr. linebacker Rich Tallmadge

W eek 5

Midd South jr. Running Back Vinny Condito

W eek 0

RBC 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 11/16 11/22

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

49 14 6 35 35 13 0 48 7 14

at at at at at at at at at at at

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

Long Branch Manasquan

0 0 12 24 0 0 42 7 28 21 (11am)

*Game to be broadcast on 1160/1310AM)

Schedule is subject to change Engineer/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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Rotator Cuff Symptoms

By David Gentile, MD - Professional Orthopaedic Associates

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he rotator cuff is a common source of shoulder pain, especially in athletes that use their arm in an overhead position such as swimmers, pitchers, and volleyball players. The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles which are attached to the shoulder blade and their tendons which connect the muscles to the upper arm bone. The coordinated contracture of the muscles stabilizes the shoulder blade to provide a stable platform that allows movement of the arm and hand above the level of the shoulder.

In the overhead athlete, rotator cuff problems often result from inflammation of the rotator cuff tendons known as tendonitis or the soft tissue bursae between the tendons and the bones which is called bursitis.

Symptoms often result from overuse of the rotator cuff and less frequently are caused from a direct injury or tear of the tendons.

Determining the exact cause of the shoulder pain requires a careful history as to the nature of the symptoms, how the symptoms developed and a focused physical examination of the shoulder.

A common list of symptoms that may be present with rotator cuff problems include pain, difficulty with overhead movement of the arm, and weakness. Pain usually involves the outside of the arm between the top of the shoulder and the elbow which is made worse with sleeping or laying on the affected side, lifting items with the arm away from the body, or even lifting the weight of the arm itself above the shoulder. Weakness may involve lowering the arm to the side from an overhead position or lifting the arm away from the side of the body especially while it is held away from the body and holding items in the hand.

An orthopedic surgeon can perform a physical examination of the shoulder including specific tests which helps to determine the structures which are causing the shoulder pain and evaluate the strength and function of each of the shoulder muscles including the rotator cuff.

Based on the findings of the history and physical examination, imaging studies such as X-rays and an MRI of the shoulder will help to confirm the diagnosis and assist to determine the extent of damage to the involved structures of the rotator cuff and other soft tissues.

If you are experiencing symptoms which affect your activities of daily living, exercise participation, or work you should consider a consultation with an with an orthopedic surgeon..

David R. Gentile, MD, FACS Arthroscopic Surgery, Sports Medicine, Shoulder & Elbow, Hand & Wrist David R. Gentile, MD, FACS, is an orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in arthroscopic surgery, sports medicine, shoulder, elbow, hand, and wrist. Dr. Gentile joined Professional Orthopaedic Associates in 1998.

Dr. Gentile is certiďŹ ed by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. He was also recognized as a New Jersey Monthly Top Doctor in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016

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NON-PUBLIC GROUP 3 FINAL

1-Red Bank Catholic (9-0) vs. 3-Mater Dei Prep (10-1)

By Bob Badders - managing Editor

WHO: 1-Red Bank Catholic (9-0) vs. 3-Mater Dei Prep (10-1)

RED BANK CATHOLIC STAT LEADERS:

WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 24, 4:05 p.m.

Steve Lubischer, Sr., QB: 78-for-109, 1,481 yards passing, 21 TDs, 4 INTs; 32 carries for 334 yards and 6 TDs.

WHERE: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford

Billy Guidetti, Jr., RB: 123 carries for 875 yards and 11 TDs. M.J. Wright, Sr., WR/DB: 34 rec. for 548 yards and 6 TDs.

RED BANK CATHOLIC’S ROAD TO THE FINAL:

Jaden Key, Sr., WR/DB: 16 rec. for 403 yards and 5 TDs.

First-round bye; defeated Pope John, 27-0, in the semifinals.

Kevin Bauman, Jr., TE/DE: 14 rec. for 282 yards and 2 TDs.

MATER DEI’S ROAD TO THE FINAL: Defeated Donovan Catholic, 35-21, in the quarterfinals; defeated DePaul, 28-23, in the semifinals.

Kevin Degnan, Jr., RB: 33 carries for 347 yards and 5 TDs.

RED BANK CATHOLIC’S BEST WIN:

Steve Cmielewski, Sr., RB/LB: 4 TDs.

Charlie Gordinier, Jr., TE/LB: 9 rec. for 119 yards and 3 TDs. Ryan O’Hara, Sr., K: 42-for-43 on extra points, 4-for-4 on field goals with a long of 44 yards.

41-14 over Central Jersey Group 4 champion Long Branch on Oct. 5.

MATER DEI’S BEST WIN: 28-23 over DePaul in the semifinals.

MATER DEi stat Leaders

PLAYOFF HISTORY: Red Bank Catholic is making its first state finals appearance since

Malik Ingram, Jr., RB: 131 carries for 1,664 yards and 21 TDs.

winning Non-Public Group 3 title in 2014…The Caseys are 13-23 in 26 all-time playoff berths…They have reached the finals five times and won two titles…Mater Dei is just 10-11 all-time in 13 playoff appearances but is in the finals for the third straight year…The Seraphs have won eight playoff games since 2013 and are 7-1 in three years under Dino Mangiero…The last time two Shore Conference teams met in an NJSIAA Non-Public championship game was 1980 when St. John Vianney defeated RBC, 14-6, in the South Jersey Non-Public A sectional final.

Rob McCoy Jr., Sr., QB: 52-for-80, 1,127 yards, 16 TDs; 38 carries for 314 yards and 7 TDs. Isaiah Alston, Sr., WR: 32 rec. for 546 yards and 8 TDs. Clarence Lewis, Jr., WR/DB: 21 rec. for 411 yards and 6 TDs.

on the season. He is both physical and athletic and has been a load to handle for all of Mater Dei’s opponents this season. After sitting out the first four games of the season stemming from his transfer from Camden Catholic, senior Rob McCoy Jr. has helped take Mater Dei’s offense to another level. He’s a pass-first quarterback but can beat teams with his legs as well. He has a fantastic group of receivers with 6-foot-4 senior Isaiah Alston and game-breaking juniors Clarence Lewis and Isaiah Noguera.

Tight end Chris Autino is a first-year player who attends Ranney School and plays for Mater Dei as part of the schools’ co-op agreement, but at 6-foot-7 he brings another difficult matchup to the table.

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he most anticipated Shore Conference matchup of the season is upon us as No. 1 Red Bank Catholic and No. 2 Mater Dei Prep will meet for the NJSIAA Non-Public Group 3 title this Saturday under the bright lights of MetLife Stadium.

RBC has been the top-ranked team in the Shore Sports Network Top 10 since the preseason while Mater Dei has been in the top-five all season and ranked No. 2 for several weeks. The last time two Shore Conference non-public schools met in an NJSIAA championship game was 1980. St. John Vianney defeated Red Bank Catholic, 14-6, that year, but that was in a sectional final. Two Shore teams have never played for an overall nonpublic state title since the format was switched in 1993.

Mater Dei has the No. 1 scoring offense in the Shore at 39.2 points per game thanks to a dynamic group that can scorch defenses on the ground and through the air. Junior running back Malik Ingram is a first-team All-Shore candidate with over 1,000 yards rushing and over 10 touchdowns

Sr. Steve lubischer

Mater Dei also sports a top-10 defense in the Shore led by a pair of FBS recruits. Senior defensive lineman Izaiah Henderson and senior linebacker Shittah Sillah, both of who are verbally committed to Boston College, spearhead a defense that has yielded just 10.8 points per game and recorded three shutouts. Junior Amir Coleman is also a force along the defensive line while senior Russell Ferrisi is a three-year starter at linebacker. Lewis and Noguera are playmakers in the secondary, as well.

Jr. Malik Ingram See

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Group 3

page 14

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Group 3

from page 12

when necessary, averaging 10.5 yards per attempt with 347 yards and five touchdowns. Lubischer is also dangerous out of the pocket and has contributed 334 yards rushing and six touchdowns on an average of 10.4 yards per carry. Senior fullback Steve Cmielewski does the dirty work leading the way and also has four rushing touchdowns. Senior Tommy Smith leads the way up front on the offensive line.

Mater Dei cruised through its divisional schedule where all of its opponents were overmatched. In the second half of the season, however, the Seraphs have faced better tests and been able to prove just how good of a team they are. After beating Barnegat, 43-0, to clinch the National Division title, they crushed Central Jersey Group 2 finalist Manasquan, 41-0, and then beat Donovan Catholic, 48-12. The Seraphs’ only defeat this season is a 34-33 loss to Cheshire Academy, a Connecticut school with postgraduates similar to Hun School, Blair Academy and Lawrenceville in New Jersey.

RBC also has arguably the best kicker in the Shore in senior Ryan O’Hara, who is 42-for-43 on extra points and 4-for-4 on field goals with a long of 44 yards.

The Caseys’ defense is allowing just 10 points per game and has recorded two shutouts. The defensive line is stout with Smith in the middle and senior Gino Tartamella coming off the edge with Bauman also seeing time at defensive end. Cmielewski and fellow senior John Columbia lead the defense from their linebacker positions while Gordinier has also had an excellent season defensively.

The secondary features Key, Wright, senior Anthony Romano and junior Sean Rossback.

The Seraphs’ biggest statement of the season and likely in program history came in the playoff semifinals when they went on the road and beat defending-champion DePaul, 2823, in an instant classic. McCoy threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Lewis with 41 seconds left and Tahaj Parland knocked down a pass in the end zone on the final play of the game to send Mater Dei to its third straight state final.

Red Bank Catholic’s offense is also filled with playmakers and FBS recruits, and the Caseys will enter the state final averaging 35.9 points per game. Senior quarterback Steve Lubischer is also a Boston College recruit and guides RBC’s pro-style offense under the direction of head coach Frank Edgerly. Lubischer has thrown for 1,481 yards and 21 touchdowns with just four interceptions, and has completed 72 percent of his passes. Senior wide receiver M.J. Wright has had a breakout season with a team-high 34 receptions for 548 yards and six touchdowns. Senior Jaden Key has been a big-play machine with 16 catches for 403 yards (25.1 average) and five touchdowns. RBC has a pair of 6-foot-5 tight ends in junior Kevin Bauman, a Notre Dame recruit, and junior Charlie Gordinier, who has an offer from Rutgers and interest from other FBS schools.

Junior running back Billy Guidetti leads Red Bank Catholic’s ground game with 875 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns on an average of 7.1 yards per carry.

Junior Kevin Degnan has proven to be more than capable of stepping in

Red Bank Catholic has a pair of signature wins this season over a pair of public-school sectional champions. The Caseys defeated Central Jersey Group 4 champion Long Branch, 41-14, on Oct. 5 and edged Central Jersey Group 3 champion Rumson-Fair Haven, 14-13 in an instant classic, on Oct. 19.

There are plenty of intriguing matchups with talented players all over the field for both teams. Who will win out between the top twoway players in the receiving corps and the secondaries? Which set of linemen will impose their wills and control the trenches? Which top player comes through with a big game to lead their team to a state championship? The possibilities seem endless.

Sr. Anthony Romano

Sr. Isaiah Alston

It all goes down inside an NFL stadium on Saturday. No. 1 in the Shore vs. No. 2 in the Shore for a state title. The stakes have never been higher.

FOR SSN ADVERTISING INFORMATION Contact: Steven Meyer 732-233-4460 14

steve.meyer@townsquaremedia.com

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Long Branch Tops Brick to Win 1st Backto-Back State Titles in School History

By Scott Stump - SSN Contributor

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n the 44-year history of the NJSIAA playoffs, no Long Branch team had ever been able to utter the statement the Green Wave made after Friday night's victory.

"We're still the champs,'' senior linebacker Luke Arnold said.

"Back-to-back feels so good."

Top-seeded Long Branch won consecutive sectional titles for the first time in the playoff era by retaining its Central Jersey Group IV crown with a nail-biting, 21-14 win over third-seeded Brick in front of a capacity crowd at Bresett Stadium.

"The feeling is indescribable,'' senior quarterback/defensive back Marc Dennis said. "We wanted this so bad. I can't even put it into words."

The victory also means the Green Wave (10-1) made another bit of history as the first Shore Conference team to punch its ticket to one of the new NJSIAA bowl games that were implemented ahead of this season. Long Branch will play South Jersey Group IV winner Shawnee, which also repeated as champs, at MetLife Stadium on the first weekend of December.

Beating Brick (8-3) to deny them their first state title since 2014 made it even sweeter for a Long Branch senior class looking to send a message. The two teams played each other for the first time in 45 years after nearly tangling in last year's championship game.

"(Brick) thought they could come here and beat us on our home field, and that would never happen,'' said senior defensive back Devyn Blount. "They're a tough team, they had a couple big plays, but we shut it down in the end."

Dennis and junior tailback Jermaine Corbett l e d t h e w a y

Freehold beat Brick in last year's semifinals, and then Long Branch edged the Colonials in an overtime thriller at Rutgers for their first state title since 1999. "(Brick) called us out in the beginning of the year, and we gave them what they wanted,'' Arnold said.

"They said they could beat us, and we showed them."

"Before the season, they told us they feel like we stole their championship last year,'' Dennis said. "This is what we wanted. We felt like they were the second-best team in our group, and tonight showed that if we played them last year we would've won, too."

A resilient defensive effort that kept Brick off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter brought home the fourth overall state title in Long Branch's history on Friday night. The Green Dragons, ranked No. 5 in the Shore Sports Network Top 10, had one last shot to tie it, but the No. 3 Green Wave forced an incompletion on fourth down from their own 40yard line with five seconds remaining to set off the celebration.

Jr. jermaine Corbett

Cerruti returned an interception three yards to give Long Branch a 14-7 lead on the first series of the third quarter.

Senior defensive tackle Imir Durant, who had three tackles for a loss or no gain in the win, tipped a screen pass by Brick quarterback Anthony Prato into the air, and Cerruti snatched it and rumbled into the end zone.

Cerruti, who is a star wrestler in addition to being an All-Shore lineman, was mobbed by his teammates on the sideline while he waved his arms to pump up a roaring crowd.

"I just saw the ball in the passing lane and I just tried to swat it down,'' Durant said. "I saw Kevin Cerruti take it for a touchdown and the crowd just went really wild."

"He scored a touchdown and I thought he was gonna run and jump into the bleachers,'' Dennis said. "I've never seen Kevin Cerruti get that happy."

offensively by combining for all 227 of Long Branch's rushing yards and a pair

Brick answered in the second quarter with a six-play, 48yard drive that ended with a 24-yard touchdown toss from Prato to senior wideout Cole Groschel, who had 5 catches for 84 yards in the loss.

The score remained deadlocked at the half thanks to Brick senior Jimmy Leblo. He became the first player to pick off a pass in 109 attempts by Dennis this season when he registered his seventh interception of the year at Brick's 2-yard line to end the half.

Cerruti's fireworks to start the third quarter then got the crowd charged up and gave the Green Wave a 14-7 lead they would not relinquish.

of touchdowns, but were held to 72 total yards on the ground in the second half.

The Green Wave defense followed by forcing a three-and-out thanks to a tackle for loss on third down by Arnold. That set up a six-play, 52-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard quarterback keeper by Dennis for a 21-7 advantage with 6:14 left in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, the defense limited Brick's vaunted running game to 2.9 yards per carry on 37 attempts and harassed its multiple quarterbacks into a combined 10-for-33 passing performance with a pair of interceptions.

The defense also came up with a crucial touchdown when 6foot-3, 285-pound senior defensive tackle Kevin

sr. marc dennis See

16

With Brick's defense zeroing in on Corbett, Long Branch added more designed quarterback runs in the second half for Dennis, who

Long Branch

page 26

17

#

Name

Grd

Pos

#

Name

Grd

Pos

1

Makai Mickens

11

rb/db

24

Tucker Cochrane

11

wr/db

2

Donovan Turner

12

qb/db

28

Ethan Munzlinger

10

wr/db

3

Jack Chamberlain

11

qb/db

32

Jerry Diaz

10

wr/lb

4

Nigel Mitchell

12

rb/db

33

Will Dal Pra

11

te/lb

5

David Hicks

11

rb/db

41

Gavin Mahoney

12

te/de

6

Nick Walsack

10

te/lb

44

Josue Gomez

11

rb/lb

7

Kashaun Turner

12

te/dt

50

Jakir Johnson

10

ol/dl

8

Tyquan Crawford

11

rb/lb

51

Dan Jurek

10

ol/dl

9

Chris Maida

11

wr/db

52

Vincent DiLorenzi

11

ol/dl

10

Kyle Weisman

11

te/lb

53

Brian Navitsky

10

ol/dl

11

Owen Laughlin

10

qb/db

54

Colin Chatto

12

ol/lb

12

A.J. Sollecito

10

rb/lb

55

Evin Lawlor

12

ol/lb

13

Jack Niesz

12

wr/db

56

ANasim bdullah

10

ol/dl

14

Jack Dengler

10

wr/db

57

Kevin Screen

11

ol/dl

15

A.J. Abarno

11

wr/db

60

Tomi Luna

10

ol/dl

16

Luke Jurek

12

wr/db

62

Luke Chrampanis

10

ol/dl

18

Khabir Muhammad

12

wr/db

65

Justin Gooding

12

ol/dl

19

Louie Ferraro

10

wr/db

66

Michael Jannuzzi

10

ol/dl

20

Robbie DeMarco

12

rb/db

74

Sam Wasserfall

11

ol/dl

21

Keymar Wright

10

rb/db

78

Zachary Petersen

11

ol/dl

22

Liva Helt

11

k/p

23

Nick Ferrogine

10

rb/lb

Head Coach: Nick Giglio

red BANK (7-2)

at

#

Name

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 33 36 40 41 42

Jayon Farrar Jermaine Corbett Luke Arnold Devyn Blount Che-Czar Lovett Jarell Sherin Matthew Clarke Nicholas Reilly Qua'Zahun Dennis Marc Dennis Earnest Reevey Latrell Bennett JaQue Coleman Berkeley Hutchinson Niles Montgormery Michael Bacon Tamir Reed Beyan Jennings Karon Laws Jr. Tyrone Hastings Alexander Aviles Bobby Lawrence Masiah Hall Zahdierr Blueford Jah'Kwan Gordon Qu'Ron Wakefield David Rodriguez Jr. William Levy Jayson Glasper Mark Hall La'Qym Morris Herbie Rivera Zimeir Tutt Joseph Mazza Jack Friedman Kheper-Ra Reynoso

Grd

Pos

Ht Wt

10 WR/DB 5'10 145 11 RB/DB 5'7 172 12 RB/LB 5’11 190 12 RB/DB 5'9 163 12 WR/DB 5'8 156 11 RB/DB 5'10 166 12 WR/DB 6'3 190 11 QB/DB 5'9 145 12 WR/DB 5'9 180 12 QB/DB 6’0 167 11 QB/LB 6’2 183 12 RB/LB/DB 5’11 168 12 WR/DB 5’0 166 10 WR/DB 5'8 140 12 TE/DB 6’1 175 10 QB/DB 5’7 144 11 WR/DB 5'9 163 11 TE/DE 6’2 175 10 RB/DB 5'8 140 12 RE/DB 5'10 165 11 WR/DB 5'6 123 10 RB/LB 5'8 165 12 WR/DB 5'10 170 12 WR/DB 5'10 160 11 RB/LB 6’0 170 11 RB/LB 5'9 167 10 TE/LB 5’11 165 12 RB/LB 5’11 178 11 WR/LB 6’2 173 12 RB/DB 6’10 168 12 RB/LB 5'10 186 12 WR/DB 5'10 162 10 WR/DB 5'10 144 12 WR/LB/K 5'10 173 10 WR/DB 6'0 160 12 TE/DB 5'8 159

# Name 44 45 49 50 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 68 70 71 73 74 75 76 78 79 80 81 82 88 89 99

Geno Pothier Andrew Conklin Diego oBarkaszi Imir Durant William norman Kevin Cerruti Marwan Dismuke Tracey Taylor Jr. Jahaire Smith-Moore Raul Rivera Hunter Metzler Marcelo Barboza-Santiago Santiago Cortes Simon Puryear Luis Rodriguez Jonathan Friel Jahquise Moore Antoine Padilla Vincent Mandica Matthew Guidetti Matthew Ganthier Isaiah Battle Tyquan Lewis Emanuel Ventura Mario Olivera Victor Torres Ja'Kym Perez-Basket Jahovah M c cullers Devin Hills Marvin Hall Traevon Bundy Lucas Telles De Sa Sean Starkes

Grd

Pos

12 10 10 12 12 12 10 11 12 12 12 10 10 10 11 11 11 12 11 11 10 12 11 12 12 12 10 11 10 12 11 11 11

RB/DB WR/LB WR/LB OL/DL LB/FB OL/DL OL/LB OL/DL OL/LB OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL K OL/DL FB/LB OL/DL OL/DL WR OL/DL OL/DL WR/LB OL/DL DE OL/DL OL/LB OL/DL Ol/DL WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB TE/DE TE/DE

Ht Wt 5'10 5'8 5'10 6’12 5'10 6'5 5'9 5’11 6’2 6’1 6’1 5'10 5'9 5'9 5'10 5'10 6’0 5’10 6’0 5’10 5'9 6’1 5'10 6’1 5'11 6’0 6’1 612 5'9 6'0 6’1 6'3 6’2

169 160 160 211 170 285 162 225 243 255 218 227 160 170 165 183 205 160 247 260 180 245 165 200 180 255 278 190 159 145 165 220 195

Head Coach: DAN GEORGE

LONG BRANCH (10-1), 10:30 a.m.

th

All-time series: 96 meeting; Long Branch leads 61-31-3 Last five results: Red Bank Players to Watch Long Branch Players to Watch: 2017: Red Bank 21, Long Branch 20 (OT) 2016: Long Branch 27, Red Bank 0 2015: Red Bank 35, Long Branch 12 2014: Long Branch 28, Red Bank 14 2013: Long Branch 16, Red Bank 8

18

Makai Mickens, Jr., RB/DB Nigel Mitchell, Sr., WR/DB Kashaun Turner, Sr., DT/TE Colin Chatto, Sr., LB Nick Ferrogine, So., WR/DB

Jermaine Corbett, Jr., RB/DB Marc Dennis, Sr., QB/DB Matt Clarke, Sr., WR Luke Arnold, Sr., LB Kevin Cerruti, Sr., OL/DL

19

WALL (5-3) at

MANASQUAN (8-2), 11 a.m.

Grd

Pos

Ht Wt

# Name

Grd

Pos

Ht Wt

10

Jack Fabean

Sr.

TE/LB

5'10

180

47 Trevor Wells

So.

WR/LB

5'7

11

James Pendergist

Sr.

WR/DB

6'2

185

50 Dylan D'Anton

Sr.

OL/DL

6'4

210

12

Ryan O'Leary

Sr.

QB/DB

6'2

170

51

Sr.

OL/LB

5'11

205

13

Cam Teza

Jr.

QB/DB

6'2

180

52 Andrew Miller

Sr.

OL/DL

6'1

170

14

Rashid Tuddles

Sr.

RB/DB

5'10

210

55 Anders Scala

Sr.

OL/DL

6'2

200

15

Jack Heenan

Sr.

WR/DB

5'9

155

56 Charles Sawitsky

Jr.

OL/LB

6'2

200

16

Frank DiNatale

So.

WR/DB

6'1

160

58 Thomas Knobel

So.

OL/DL

6'1

155

2017: Manasquan 20, Wall 6

17

Jack Collins

So.

QB/DB

6'3

165

59 Joe McKiever

Sr.

OL/DL

6'0

170

20 Matt Lyons

Sr.

WR/DB

5'10

190

60 Jake Martin

So.

OL/DL

5'11

180

2016: Wall 21, Manasquan 3

21

So.

RB/LB

5'7

175

61

Jr.

OL/DL

5'9

190

So.

FB/LB

5'9

175

62 Alec Wells

Sr.

OL/DL

5'11

230

23 Christian Masonius So.

RB/DB

5'10

160

63 Dylan Aloi

Jr.

OL/DL

5'9

215

2014: Wall 21, Manasquan 14

24 Sean Rogers

Sr.

WR/DB

5'9

165

64 Ken Simeone

Sr.

OL/DL

5'8

180

25 Mike Page

Sr.

FB/DB

6'1

185

66 Aidan Byrne

Jr.

OL/DL

5'11

205

2013: Manasquan 17, Wall 7

26 Joe Introna

Jr.

WR/DB

5'7

165

70 Jay Hilla

So.

OL/DL

5'8

220

27 Nick Pilatos

Sr.

RB/LB

5'10

185

71

Garrett Terlizzi

Jr.

OL/DL

6'5

260

28 Matt McCann

Jr.

RB/DB

5'10

170

72 Jack Cunningham

Jr.

OL/DL

5'10

175

30 Hayden Grecsek

So.

RB/DB

5'7

150

73 Brian Bergin

So.

OL/DL

5'10

230

31

220

All-time series: 19th meeting; tied, 9-9

Last five results: 2015: Wall 43, Manasquan 35

Manasquan Players to Watch:

Tommy Rice

22 Shayne Leddy

Alan Juarez

So.

RB/LB

5'6

145

74

So.

OL/DL

5'11

Jr.

RB/LB

5'9

150

75 Jake Robustelli

Sr.

OL/DL

5'8

185

33 Canyon Birch

Sr.

RB/DB

5'8

185

77 Art Foreman

Sr.

OL/DL

6'3

245

36 Angel Aparicio

Jr.

WR/DB

5'9

165

80 Henry Hunt

So.

TE/DL

6'3

175

37 Billy McManus

So.

WR/DB

5'7

145

81

So.

WR/DB

5'6

145

38 Evan Melaro

So.

WR/DB

5'7

170

83 Collin Harsin

Sr.

WR/DB

5'11

175

Dylan D’Anton, Sr., DE

40 Nick Peeples

So.

WR/DB

5'8

140

85 John Foreman

Jr.

WR/DB

6'0

185

42 Riley Callahan

Sr.

WR/DB

6'0

165

87 Patrick Bilello

Jr.

WR/DB

6'2

155

Jack Fabean, Sr., LB

43 Jacob Ganley

So.

WR/DB

5'6

140

88 Luke Butkus

Jr.

WR/DB

6'2

170

44 Tyler Callahan

Jr.

RB/LB

5'10

185

Head Coach: J. Price

Rashid Tuddles, Sr., FB/DB James Pendergist, Sr., WR/DB

Alex Pilatos

Mike LaPoint

Trey Mccallum

150

32 Ricky Reyes

Canyon Birch, Sr., RB/LB

20

# Name

Aidan Accisano

# Name

Grd

Pos

Ht Wt

# Name

Grd

Pos

Ht Wt

1 Logan Peters

10

QB/LB

6'1"

179

42 Dean Terry

11

TE/LB

6'

150

2 Kamaal Cofer

12

WR/DB

5'11"

190

43 Jake Meyer

10

WR/DB

5'10"

159

5 Charlie Sasso

9

RB/DB

5'11"

187

44 Will Terry

11

RB/LB

6'

165

6 Dale McNally

11

RB/DB

5'9"

161

45 Kelan Giaimo

10

WR/LB

5'11"

156

7 Dylan Richey

12

QB/DB

5'9"

165

50 Hunter Pappas

10

OL/DL

5'9"

239

8 Teddy Sharkey

11

WR/DB

5'11"

169

51 AJ Schilpp

10

OL/DL

5'7"

176

9 Justin Kelly

11

WR/DB

5'10"

146

52 Mike Donahue

10

OL/DL

5'8"

167

10 Stephen Riesco

12

K/DB

5'11"

155

53 Ian Ackerman

11

OL/DL

6'1"

219

11 Jaden Carrasquillo

11

WR/DB

5'11"

162

54 Austin Lord

10

OL/DL

6'

199

12 Frank Passantino

11

QB/DB

6'

175

55 KeyShawn Reevey

12

OL/DL

5'9"

205

14 Nick Ramiz

12

WR/LB

6'

177

56 Grant Puharic

10

OL/DL

6'1"

219

15 Gus Setteducato

11

WR/DB

5'9"

169

57 Sal Gargiulo

11

OL/DL

5'9"

182

17 Mike Galos

11

WR/DB

6'

169

58 Avery Latz

11

OL/DL

5'11"

198

21 Dean Chapman

12

RB/DB

5'6"

161

60 Nick Chapman

10

OL/DL

5'7"

178

22 Rocco Palmieri

10

WR/DB

5'6"

127

65 Jack Wolter

11

OL/DL

6'2"

236

23 Casey Larkin

10

RB/DB

5'11"

171

66 Jonathan Ruvalcaba

11

OL/DL

5'10" 267

24 Matt DeSarno

11

RB/DB

5'11"

180

70 Joe Fardella

12

OL/DL

6'1"

247

25 Ryan Betz

11

WR/DB

5'9"

147

71 Robert Lorenzo

10

OL/DL

5'10"

199

28 Alexander Latz

12

RB/LB

5'8"

182

73 Mike DeLaura

12

OL/DL

5'11"

213

30 Eric Rodriguez

11

WR/DB

5'7"

147

74 Brady Scott

12

OL/DL

6'2"

265

32 Jose Olivares

11

RB/DB

5'6"

169

75 Ed Van Woudenberg

10

OL/DL

5'9"

198

33 Richie Wonsala

10

RB/LB

5'7"

166

76 Vincent Lorenzo

11

OL/DL

5'11"

217

34 Tom Schneider

12

RB/LB

5'9"

185

77 Jacob Halbe

10

OL/DL

6'

200

35 Orlando Valeriano

10

WR/DB

5'9"

144

83 Tanner Powers

12

TE/LB

6'

195

36 James Petrides

10

WR/DB

5'6"

121

86 Connor Molloy

12

TE/DL

6'2"

201

40 Ryan Legere

10

TE/LS

5'10"

185

87 Kyle Pettit

10

TE/LB

5'9"

169

41 Joe Shimko

12

LS/LB

6'1"

205

Wall Players to Watch: Dylan Richey, Sr., QB/DB Casey Larkin, So., RB/DB Tanner Powers, Sr., TE/LB Logan Peters, Jr., QB/WR/LB Kamaal Cofer, Sr., LB

Head Coach: Tony Grandinetti

21

# Name

Grd Pos

Ht Wt

# Name

Grd

Pos

Ht Wt

#

Name

1

1

God Allah

SR

WR/DL

5’11” 190

20 Knasir Austin

FR

RB/DB

5’8” 170

2

B a Sean Fraser

SO

QB/DB

5’10” 170

21

SO

RB/LB

5’8” 200

3 Kaliq Walker

SO

RB/DB

5’8”

22 Tyshown Doly

SR

WR/DL

6’3”

4 Najier Massey

SO

QB/LB

5’9”

5

Alexander Peavy

SR

RB/LB

6

Kharod Young

SR

WR/DB

160 170

Junior Haughton

Pos

Name

Grd

Pos

Tymir Owens

SR

FS,WR

24

Zahkee Spivey

SO

WR,CB

2

Jayden Mckinnon

SR

SB,QB,WR,CB

25

Kevin Clohosey

SR

K, DB, WR

RB,OLB

33

Richard Ruiz

SR

WR,CB

3

Marquel Mcmillian

SR

185

4

Kevin Mabry

SR

WR,CB

34

Isaiah Leeks

SO

RB,SB

5

Tyrese Turner

SR

RB,OLB

35

Tyrese Washington

JR

RB

6

Hassan Worthy

SR

CB,WR

44

Kevin Huff

SO

FB,NG

7

Saadiq Armstead

SR

WR,CB

50

Javon Rowe

SR

DE,DT

8

Khalil Garrett-Dogan

JR

SB,QB

51

Jeremy VanMeter

JR

G,NG

9

Najiere Hutchinson

SR

OLB,SS

52

Elijah Barnes

SR

DE,DT

10

Raven Joseph

SR

WR,CB

53

Uriel Lazo-Paz

SR

G,DT

11

Tyron Hutchinson

JR

OLB

54

Kyle Montgomery

SR

C,DE

12

Zafir Anderson

SR

SS,WR

55

Sajjad stathum

SR

NG,DT

13

Tyler West

SR

SB,CB

56

Justin Bennett

JR

C,DE

24 Javon Carter

SO

WR/DB

5’8”

150

5’11” 185

28 Tajier Burrus

FR

WR/LB

5’9”

160

5’11” 180

30 Cequan Johnson

SO

WR/DB

5’8” 130

7 Quadir Lawson

SR

RB/LB

5’10” 185

32 Tyrese Coke

SO

RB/LB

5’6”

150

8 Knajee Alston

SO

WR/DB

5’9”

165

33 Raheim Oakley

FR

WR/LB

5’7”

165

9

SR

RB/DB

5’6”

155

40 Tahj Howard

SR

WR/LB

5’9”

175

Devan Martin

#

Grd

10 Lydell Brown

FR

RB/DB

5’7” 140

50 Lazarus Chathuant

SR

OL/DL

5’11” 270

14

Emanuel Rushing

SR

LB, RB

57

Nyron Mitchell

JR

TE,DE

13 Mikai Jones

SO

WR/DB

6’1”

160

52 Jarred Chathuant

SO

OL/DL

5’11” 255

15

John Gannon

JR

MLB

58

Jaheim Copeland

JR

DT,G

14 Zachariah Simmons-Bryant

SO

RB/DB

5’8”

160

54 Jean Michel

JR

OL/DL

5’10” 285

16

Mikhai Ellington

JR

QB,WR,CB

59

Nas'cir Green

SR

DT,G

17

Nino Bua

SO

QB

64

Isaiahs Thomas-Palafox

SO

G,T,DT,NG

18

Kayvon Banks

SO

QB

69

Henry Watkins

JR

TE,DT

19

Joshua Williams

JR

LB, RB

83

Adrian Brackett

SO

DE,G

20

Zahnier Carter

SO

WR,CB

21

Di'Jon Dunbar

JR

DB, WR

22

Jago Charles

SR

DE,FB

15 Daniel Simmons

SR

RB/DB

5’9” 145

55 Haleem Stevens

JR

OL/LB

5’11” 215

16 Jadon Carter

JR

WR/DB

6’1”

175

56 Dajhon Riddick

SO

OL/DL

5’6” 235

18 Corey Thermitus

SO

RB/DB

5’5”

110

58 Anthony Swearine

SO

OL/DL

6’1”

19 Nyjaha McDowell

JR

WR/DB

5’6”

125

Head Coach: Timothy Fosque

ASBURY PARK (4-5) All-time series: 90 th Last five results: 2017: No game

22

235

Head Coach: Tarig Holman

at NEPTUNE (4-5), 10:30 a.m. meeting; Neptune leads 48-37-4

Asbury Park Players

to

Watch:

Neptune Players

to

Watch

Junior Haughton, So., RB/LB

Najiere Hutchinson, Sr., RB/LB

2016: Neptune 21, Asbury Park 20

Quadir La wson, Sr., RB/LB

Nino Bua, So., QB

2015: Neptune 21, Asbury Park 17

Kharod Young, Sr., WR/DB

Raven Joseph, Sr., WR/DB

2014: Neptune 44, Asbury Park 15

Basean Fraser, So., QB/DB

Saadiq Armstead, Sr., LB

2013: Neptune 13, Asbury Park 6

Alexander Peavy, Sr., RB/LB

Tyrese Turner, Sr., RB/LB

# Name

Grd

Pos

Ht Wt

1

Sincere Moore

SR WR/OB/QB

6'2"

2

Haaziq Barksdale

so

RB/DB

3

Vahmal Johnson

JR

WR/LB

4

Tymir Bergstro

JR

WR/LB/K

5

Rodney Wall

JR

6

T.J. Paturzo

7

Grd

Pos

Ht Wt

# Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 15 17 18 19 20 21 23 24 25 26 28 30 31 32 35 36 39 40 43 45 50 51

33 Gustavo Saavedra

so

FB/DL

5'9"

185

5'7" 160

40 Angel Gonzalez

so

FB/OL

6'1"

190

6'1"

44 Dante Morris

SR

RB/LB

6'2" 220

6'3" 170

50 Javon McDaniels

so

OL/OL

6'2" 225

WR/DB

6'1"

51

SR

OL/DL

5'9" 270

JR

QB/DB

5'9" 190

52 Tye Pierce

SR

OL/Dl

5'9" 255

Josh Gonzalez

JR

RB/LB

5'8" 170

53 Francisco Santillan JR

OL/DL

6'1"

8

Erik Torres

JR

SB/DB

5'8" 170

55 Eric Rice

SR

OL/DL

5'10" 300

9

Antonie Cummings

SR

WR/DB

6'2" 180

56 Jaylin Overton

JR

OL/DL

5'10" 305

10

Matt Sutton

so

WR/DB

5'10" 140

70 Rey Velez

so

OL/DL

6'0" 230

11

Juan Ramirez

so

WR/DB

5'10" 160

72 Eric Flores

so

OL/DL

5'7" 220

12

Miguel Mendoza

so

K

5'9" 150

74

JR

OL/DL

6'2" 295

18

Asael Hernandez

so

WR/LB/K

5'10" 160

75 Rob Leal

so

OL/DL

5'10

20 Luis Melendez

so

WR/DB

5'9" 150

76 Kevin Rodriguez

SR

OL/DL

5'10" 245

21

Naseem Brown

SR

WR/DB

6'1"

77 Camilo Renteria

JR

OL/DL

6'1" 290

22 Ja'mar Mcleod

JR

RB/LB

6'0" 210

24 Emanuel Rangel

JR

WR/LB/K

6'0" 180

27 Dan Campos

so

WR/LB

5'9"

175

# Name

190

175

170

165

Sebastian Salazar

Kevin Rybakowski

Head Coach: L.J. Clark

LAKEWOOD (1-8)

at

210

235

JORJEN HARRIS DAMOLA FASAKIN MATT CARLSON SAM AKINLOLU TRAVIS SQUIRE JALEN HIBBERT JACK HUBER NAYSHAWN SMALL RYAN TOBIN DOMINIC SAMONES ANTHONY MEROLA GERRY FERRIGNO KEITH CALLOWAY SAM CONOVER DWAYNE CORBIN MAT XIQUES LOUIE MADAMA TYLER MADEO ANTHONY JONIN DOMINIC CATS JEREMY ROSE VINNY ALBANESE AJ RUTLEDGE KENNEY JOHNSON GEOVANNI SESSA JOEY ROCKHILL JOSH ODEBODE JALEN RUSH JACK GALLIN DEMITREOUS CORBIN DEVON SULLIVAN DARIUS MOSES JOHN VERDEROSA MATT SALMONES

Grd

Pos

SR. SR. SR. SR. SO. SR. SO. SR. SO. SR. SR. SO. SR. SR. SR. SO. SO. SO. SO. SO. JR. JR. SO. SR. SO. SO. JR. JR. SO. SO. JR. SR. JR. JR.

WR/DB WR/DB RB/DB RB/LB RB/DB RB/DB QB WR/DB RB/DB WR/LB WR/LB QB/LB DL QB/DB WR/DB QB RB/DB WR/DB RB/DB RB/DB RB/LB RB/LB WR/DB RB/LB RB/DL WR/DB RB/DB WR/DB RB/LB WR/DB RB/DB WR/LB OL/DL OL/DL

Ht Wt 6’1 5’11 5’8 5’10 5’9 5’9 6’3 6’1 5’10 6 5’9 6 6’4 5’11 6 5’10 5’9 6 5’10 5’10 5’9 5’9 5’8 6 6 5’7 5’10 5’10 5’11 5’7 5’10 6 6’2 6

175 160 160 180 183 165 170 180 160 190 170 180 230 180 175 150 160 170 175 155 180 180 165 235 165 145 175 160 175 140 170 180 205 220

# Name 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 77 78 79 80 87 88 89 95 99

Grd

JORDAN JEFFERS DYLAN APPLEGATE SHANE COFFEE TYLER FERNANDEZ JOEY CAPRIGLIONE TYLER PAPIAMITIS MARK MONOCHIO AARON HEIGHT DOMINIC SPEDALIERE JOE FAMILIAR MICHAEL AYALA BEN SCRUDATO BOBBY GRADY BRANDON MARKLE SHANE WATKINS BRIGHTON CIROULO MATT RICE DAMIAN SILVA CHRIS TINE JORDAN M C CORMACK TOMMY DOLAN ANTHONY TOWNSEND JACOB DECKER JJ VENEGAG JUSTIN BONILLA SAL MURANTE CARLOS DOMINGUEZ ANTHONY GOODFRIEND JOHN TIMONEY JULIAN SORRELL BILLY ZYKOWSKI SHELDON HARVEY

SR. JR. SR. SO. JR. SO. JR. SO. SR. SO. JR. JR. SO. JR. SO. SO. SR. SR. SO. JR. SO. SR. JR. SO. SR. SO. JR. SO. JR. JR. SR. SO.

Pos

Ht Wt

OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/LB OL/LB OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL DL/LB OL/DL RB/LB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB K/P DL

6’4 6’2 6’2 6’2 6’2 6’2 6’2 6 5’11 6’1 6 6’1 5’11 6’2 6 6 5’11 6.2 6 6’3 6’1 6’1 5’9 6 6 6’1 5’10 5’10 5’9 5’9 5’11 5’11

225 250 225 285 240 215 260 190 200 220 215 235 205 250 230 201 240 240 250 295 275 240 240 205 225 205 195 150 160 160 185 230

Head Coach: RON SIGNORINO JR.

TOMS RIVER SOUTH (2-8), 11 a.m.

All-time series: 99 th meeting; Toms River South leads, 55-39-4 Last five results:

Lakewood Players

to

Watch:

TR South Players

to

Watch:

2017: Lakewood 26, Toms River South 12

Dante Morris, Sr., RB/LB

Sam Akinlolu, Sr., RB/LB

2016: Lakewood 28, Toms River South 24

Tye Pierce, Sr., OL/DL

Sam Conover, Sr., RB/QB/DB

2015: Toms River South 20, Lakewood 6

Sincere Moore, Sr., WR

Kenny Johnson, Sr., DE

2014: Toms River South 30, Lakewood 26

Yahmal Johnson, Jr., RB/LB

Dominic Spedeliere, Sr., LB

2013: Toms River South 53, Lakewood 26

Haaziq Barksdale, So., RB/LB

Gerry Ferrigno, So., LB

23

# Name

Ht Wt

# Name

Grd

Pos

11

QB/DB

6'1

170

36 Luke Burbank

Ht Wt

# Name

WR/DB

5'11

155 230

1 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 12 13 14 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 33 34 39 41 45 47 51

Grd

Pos

10

1

Tyler Cuccia

2

Vincent Bonavita

11

QB

5'10

150

38 Vincent Condito

11

RB/DL

5'10

3

Luke Albrecht

10

WR/DB

5'11

160

40 Matthew Tardy

12

TE/LB

6'2

215

4

Nick Trezza

10

RB/LB

5'9

135

41 Jack Prancl

11

RB/LB

5'9

185

5

Jamie Petrillo

12

RB/DB

5'6

155

46 Charlie Honan

10

WR/DB

5'8

145

6

Trevor Brey

11

QB

5'10

165

47 Liam Gough

10

RB/DB

5'5

120

7

Matt Mauro

10

QB

5'10

145

48 Mark Tardy

10

LB/WR

6'1

160

8

Liam Murphy

10

RB/DB

5'8

150

49 Ian Rahill

10

OL/DL

6'

210

10

Christopher Kaldrovics

12

K

5'7

140

50 Tyler Kline

11

OL/DL

5'7

215

11

Shane Murphy

11

RB/DB

5'8

160

51

Michael Dunn

11

OL/DL

6'1

200

12

Francis Brown

10

WR/DB

6'

160

52 Matthew Fusella

11

OL/DL

5'8

185

13

Christopher Fleming

12

RB/DB

5'10

170

53 James Antonio

10

LB/WR

6'2

165

10

WR/DB

5'7

160

55 Thomas Mielnikiewicz

11

OL/DL

5'11

200

14 Nick Altillio 17

12

WR/DB

6'1

185

56 Joe Stanzione

10

OL/DL

6'1

235

20 Thomas DeMarco

Matthew Cruz

10

OL/LB

5'4

130

58 Nick Bonfiglio

11

OL/DL

5'11

200

21

Robert Esposito

10

WR/DB

5'7

145

59 TJ Latore

11

LB/OL

5'11

195

22 Gavin Goldbaum

12

RB/DL

5'9

195

62 Alex Higgins

10

Ol/DL

6'

220

23 Michael O'Connor

10

K

6'1

175

64 Brady Smith

12

DL/OL

6'1

245

25 Ken McCarthy

12

RB/LB

5'10

190

66 Doug Miranda

12

Ol/DL

5'9

195

26 Chris Lotito

11

RB/LB

5'11

165

68 Daniel Buchsbaum

12

OL/DL

5'11

275

27 Dennis Brown

12

WR/DB

5'10

160

70 Jordan Braycewski

11

OL/DL

5'10

200

29 Nick Williams

10

RB/DB

5'7

160

71

12

OL/DL

5'11

250

31

10

RB/DB

5'7

130

74 Eddie Strom

10

OL/DL

5'10

260

32 Riley Dowd

11

RB/LB

5'9

160

82 Connor Ard

11

WR/DB

6'2

170

33 Dylan Walling

12

RB/LB

6'

200

83 Brendan Bigos

10

OL/LB

6'2

195

34 Matt Krellin

11

WR/DB

5'11

175

35 Troy Burbank

12

RB/LB

5'10

170

Jacob Stoddard

Joseph DellaValle

Head Coach:

Steve Antonucci

Grd

Pos

12 12 11 11 11 10 11 12 11 12 12 10 10 10 11 11 10 12 10 11 10 10 10 11 10 10 12 12 11 12 12 12 10

WR/DB WR/CB WR/CB WR/CB WR/CB WR/CB WR/S QB/S QB/S WR/S WR/CB QB/CB QB/LB WR/LB RB/LB WR/S WR/CB RB/CB RB/LB RB/LB RB/S WR/CB WR/S WR/S WR/LB RB/LB TE/LB RB/LB TE/LB TE/LB DL/RB RB/K/S OL/DL

Rob Higgins Bryan Tanglao Cheyenne Williams Anthony Soto Miccah Taylor Jack Butler Rob Inzinna Sean Glenn Nicholas Ferreira Aidan Campbell Nick DeWise Dominic Scerbo Sean McMahon Aidan Mihalovic Edward Farrell Matt Spencer Quentin Soler Alec Zenker Julian Cartagena David Pagano Christopher Miranda Marco Astorino Joseph Kang Edward Fay Matthew Sottosanti Jake Jankowski Stephen Barry Connor Robbins Travis Thompson Patrick Connelly Zane Claudio Joey Cavanagh Brian Robbins

Ht Wt 6' 5'9 5'9 5'9 5'8 5'6 5'11 5'11 5'9 5'10 5'9 5'6 5'5 5'6 5'9 6 5'7 5'9 5'6 5'6 5'7 5'4 5'6 5'9 5'10 5'9 5'11 5'10 5'9 5'10 6' 5'7 5'11

175 165 149 160 153 122 159 155 165 163 160 150 155 141 150 150 131 150 140 147 145 124 140 145 150 182 195 195 200 176 175 168 216

# Name 52 53 55 56 58 59 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 83 85 87 88 99

Jacob Anderson Jacob Wang Christian Bracken Steven Holler Kaden LeTual Andrew Kanski Adam Ibraimovic Aidan McManus Declan MacKay Dominick Pianoforte Andrew Zamor Justin Saginor Brendan Candeloro Gordon Toth Shane Doyle Leo Van Sant Robert Kelly David Rodriguez Donny Antenucci Jake Marazzo Ryan Daunoras Aidan McGivney Aaron Vanderhoof Nicolas Cerbo Michael LaRocca Mike Ancona Anthony Gerardi Frankie Santoro Logan Halloran Hunter Kordzikowski Kyle Spangler

Grd

Pos

12 11 12 12 11 11 10 11 11 12 10 11 10 10 11 11 11 12 12 12 12 11 12 10 10 12 11 10 10 11 11

OL/LB OL/DL OL/DL C/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/LB TE/LB WR/S WR/CB WR/CB TE/K/DL TE/LB TE/LB

Last five results:

at MIDDLETOWN NORTH (2-8), 10:30 meeting; Middletown South leads 30-12-1

Midd. South Players

to

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Midd. north Players

to

a.m.

Watch:

2017: Midd. South 21, Midd. North 7

Trevor Brey, Sr., QB

Sean Glenn, Sr., QB

2016: Midd. North 24, Midd. South 6

Matt Tardy, Sr., LB/TE

Connor Robbins, Sr., RB

2015: Midd. South 39, Midd. North 16

Jamie Petrillo, Sr., RB/DB

Aidan Campbell, Sr., WR/DB

2014: Midd. South 20, Midd. North 13

Kenn y McCarthy, Sr., RB/LB

Anthon y Soto, Jr., WR/DB

2013: Midd. South 43, Midd. North 6

Vin Condito, Jr., RB/DL

Steven Holler, Sr., DE

24

6'1 5'11 6'1 5'7 6 5'8 5'8 5'9 5'11 5'11 5'9 5'11 5'10 6 5'11 5'10 5'10 5'8 5'5 5'11 6'3 6' 6'1 5'10 5'8 6 5'5 5'8 6'2 5'9 5'5

Head Coach: Steve Bush

MIDDLETOWN SOUTH (7-3) All-time series: 44 th

Ht Wt 212 216 205 160 217 206 220 204 198 202 225 208 172 174 236 266 311 235 182 222 300 230 220 187 194 157 129 133 200 163 181

Running to Glory: Rumson tops Somerville for CJ-3 title behind legendary rushing performance

By Bob Badders - managing Editor

I

n the past, it has been RumsonFair Haven’s defense delivering sensational playoff efforts to lead the Bulldogs to championships. This time, it was a legendary offensive performance that dethroned an undefeated opponent and locked up yet another state sectional championship.

Senior running back Alex Maldjian had an epic game with 49 carries for 271 yards and four touchdowns behind a dominant offensive line as Rumson defeated previously-unbeaten Somerville, 42-35, in a Sunday afternoon classic at Brooks Field to take home the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 3 championship.

“I really can’t believe it right now,” said senior offensive lineman Ryan McCann. “We knew we were going to come in here and we were going to take it home.”

“They were fantastic,” said Rumson head coach Jerry Schulte. “The offensive coaches came up with a great game plan and the kids executed it. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

Rumson’s senior-laden offensive line of McCann, Evan Davis, Tim Kelly, Ethan Ardolino and Spencer Short mauled Somerville’s front seven and paved the way for the Bulldogs to churn out 405 yards of offense and gain a whopping 24 first downs. Maldjian had 96 yards on 21 carries at halftime and added 28 carries for 175 yards in the second half. He scored on runs of 10, 4, 13 and 17 yards, the last of which came with 2:41 left in the game to give Rumson a 42-28 lead.

Somerville cut Rumson’s lead to 42-35 when senior quarterback Jalahn Dabney threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Duke McDuffie, but Rumson was able to recover the onside kick with 1:48 left. One first down was all the Bulldogs needed to clinch the title, and Maldjian delivered an 11-yard gain on third-and-1 at midfield with under a minute to play to seal Rumson’s fifth sectional title in six years and sixth championship overall.

“It was an inside zone,” Maldjian recalled. “Everybody probably knew it was going to me but we knew it wasn’t going to be stopped. We knew we were going to get that and win it. We had no doubt in our minds.”

“We knew that was the game, that was the season, and we had to bring it with everything we’ve got,” McCann said. “Most of the offense is seniors; the whole O-line is seniors. We knew this was our last shot.”

Senior tight end Ian O’Connor had a clutch game for Rumson with a 71-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter and a 6-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter. Junior quarterback Collin

Coles finished with 113 yards passing and two scores and also ran for a key first down to convert a fourth-and-3 on a Rumson scoring drive in the second quarter.

Somerville’s explosive offense made sure Rumson could never breathe easy as Dabney threw for 242 yards and four touchdowns, ran for a touchdown and rushed for a pair of 2-point conversions. The Bulldogs’ were able to get a huge stop when they needed to, however, when they sniffed out a trick play Somerville tried to execute on fourth-and-4 from its own 31-yard line with 5:41 left in the game. The defensive stand led to Maldjian’s fourth touchdown run and a 42-28 advantage.

“We weren’t perfect, that’s for sure, but we did what we had to do when we had to do it,” Schulte said.

“Our defense, even though they let up some plays they didn’t go away,” Maldjian said. “They had that huge fourth down stop and gave us the ball back, and we knew we had to score.”

Rumson has a history of shutting down high-powered offenses in state championship games, but this time it was the Bulldogs who had the unstoppable offense. Getting into a back-and-forth scoring battle with a Somerville team averaging 45.6 points and 463 yards per game and a quarterback with over 3,000 yards of offense and 50 touchdowns was certainly not the plan, but Rumson’s relentless rushing attack made it work to hold off the Pioneers.

Last season, Somerville threw plenty of different looks at Rumson and scored a 20-15 upset win in the sectional final. This time, Rumson returned the favor by flipping the script on Somerville with a new look of its own. The Bulldogs usually work out of the shotgun with Maldjian and Peter Crowley in the backfield, but on Sunday they operated with Coles almost exclusively under center. “(Offensive line coach) Joe Murphy came into our meeting Monday and said ‘We’re going under center. If we’re going down we’re going down swinging’,” said Rumson offensive

Sr. Alex Maldjian

assistant Chris Quinn.

“We cut our splits down and just punched them in the mouth up front,” McCann said. “It was a fist fight in a phone booth. That’s what we do.”

Rumson (9-2) set the tone on its first possession and never looked back, sending a message to Somerville that its running game would have the final say. The Bulldogs stopped the Pioneers three and out to open the game and then went 55 yards on 11 straight running plays to take a 7-0 lead. Maldjian carried eight times and polished off the drive with a bruising 10-yard touchdown run.

Somerville answered immediately when Dabney found a wide-open Joe Ciempola for a 63-yard touchdown pass, but Rumson remained in front when sophomore Drew Frankel blocked the extra point. The Bulldogs were able to respond with a big play of their own shortly after when Coles lofted a pass down the visiting sideline and the 6-foot-4 O’Connor leaped over a defender to snatch it out of the air. He then spun away from the defensive back and sprinted to the end zone for a 71-yard touchdown and a 14-6 lead.

Somerville once again showed why it entered the game 11-0, quickly driving down the field for another score to keep pace with Rumson. Isaac Vernon sacked Dabney for a 5-yard loss on first down, but he came right back with a 28-yard strike to Ciempola to move the chains. A 21-yard run by Duke McDuffie moved the ball to the Rumson 16-yard line, and three plays later Robbie Fiorentino bounced off a tackle and turned a short pass into an 11-yard touchdown reception. Rumson stopped the 2-point conversion attempt when Ryan Dupree intercepted Dabney’s pass to keep the lead at 14-12.

Rumson’s next drive was halted when McDuffie undercut a route and intercepted Coles at the Somerville 42-yard line, but the Bulldogs’ defense rose up to force a three-and-out as senior defensive lineman Henry Sullivan made a tackle for loss on a third-down swing pass.

Rumson then put together a 14-play, 73-yard drive that spanned 7:01 to stretch its lead to 21-10. Coles converted a third-and-6 with a 10-yard pass to Jackson McCarthy and also hit Crowley for 10 yards to the Somerville 34-yard line. On fourth-and-4 from the Somerville 27, offensive coordinator John Corneliusen dialed up a bootleg and Coles moved the chains with a 5-yard run. Three plays later, Maldjian plowed into the end zone from four yards out to make it a two-score game at halftime.

Rumson was set to receive the kickoff to begin the third quarter, and

See

RFH

page 26

25

Long Branch

from page 16

finished with 102 yards rushing on 19 carries.

On the third-quarter drive that produced what proved to be the game-winning points, he had a 21-yard run and a clutch 14-yard pass to senior wideout Matt Clarke on third-and-7. Corbett's 13yard burst then set up Dennis' one-yard plunge. "(Dennis running) is something we've had, but we haven't had to go to really until tonight,'' said Long Branch coach Dan George. "He can run it and throw it."

A senior-laden Brick team was not going down without a fight. Prato recovered a fumble by Corbett at Long Branch's 40-yard line and the Green Dragons took full advantage to tighten the margin.

Senior running back Joey Carchio took the ball on a jet sweep and then stopped and unloaded a 35-yard pass that Groschel leaped over two defenders to grab. Two plays later, Leblo plowed in from three yards out to make it a one-score game with 30 seconds left in the third quarter.

RFH

from page 25

the question was whether Somerville had made any kind of defensive adjustment that could slow down Rumson’s ground attack. The answer? Nope.

Rumson sent another message on its first possession of the second half by marching 80 yards with nine straight running plays to go up 28-12. Maldjian had a 25-yard run into Somerville territory and finished off the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run. Rumson did not reach third down on the entire drive.

“We talked a lot about what we did wrong last year and how we tried to do too much and weren’t focusing on what we do best,” Maldjian said. “This year we wanted to get back to what we do well and just try to win the game that way.”

“We really wanted to control the line of scrimmage; that was a huge thing coming into the game. We knew if we won the line we would win the game. I’m really proud of those five guys working together.”

"That's Brick football,'' Green Dragons coach Len Zdanowicz said. "We're never gonna quit. Our kids are gonna play their hearts out every minute of the game."

Somerville kept hanging around thanks to its quick-strike offense. An 18-yard catch by McDuffie preceded his 29-yard touchdown catch with 6:01 left in the third quarter and Dabney then ran in the 2-point conversion to slice Rumson’s lead to 28-20. Rumson punched back, however, with a 9-play, 68-yard scoring drive. Crowley had a 16-yard catch into Somerville territory and a personal foul on the Pioneers moved the ball to the 23-yard line. On third-and-5 from the 6-yard line, Coles executed a play-action fake and hit O’Connor for a 6-yard score. The play O’Connor and fellow wideout Jackson McCarthy refer to as ‘pick and roll’ put Rumson up 35-20 with 1:01 left in the third quarter.

"They have incredible playmakers,'' Dennis said. "Leblo, Cole, they're ridiculous. On the sideline after they scored and made it 21-14, I brought all the defensive backs in, and I told them, 'This is our house. We're not letting no one come back on us like this.'''

While Rumson’s offense was not being stopped, neither was Somerville’s at this point. The Pioneers again cut their deficit to one score when Dabney capped a 60-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. He then took the 2-point conversion himself across the goal line to make it 35-28 with 9:57 to play.

That was as close as Long Branch's defense would allow, as the Green Wave bent but never broke in the final quarter. They thwarted a 12-play drive that started at Brick's 9-yard line by forcing an incompletion on fourth down at their own 42 with 2:37 remaining, and then got the final stop on downs in the waning seconds to seal it.

Things then got very interesting when Rumson was stopped and forced to punt for the first time all game.

A personal foul call on the punt return pushed Somerville back to its own 12-yard line, but the Pioneers now had the ball with a chance to tie the score. This was far from a vintage performance by the RFH defense, but when it mattered most they came up huge. After a 13-yard gain on first down, the Bulldogs’ buckled down to force a fourth-and-4 from the 31-yard line. Somerville decided to go for it and tried to run a trick play where McDuffie crouched low behind the line and tried to sneak out from the pack, but Rumson’s defense was not fooled and stopped him after two yards to force the turnover.

The night began auspiciously for the home team, as Corbett ripped off a 77-yard touchdown run on the second play from scrimmage for a 7-0 lead. The Shore Conference's leading rusher finished with 125 yards on 14 carries to give him 1,787 yards and a conference-leading 28 touchdowns.

"I feel like I let them down,'' Zdanowicz said about his team. "I feel like I got outcoached today.

We didn't do our job and get them prepared to win the game. There was plenty of opportunities, and I feel like I let them down."

The cohesiveness that characterized this Long Branch team was never more evident then when an offense that averages 32.6 points per game sputtered to only 25 total yards in the fourth quarter. The Green Wave could've been rattled, but they never blinked.

"We normally drive that ball in the fourth quarter, put them in the rearview mirror and game over, but we struggled a little bit,'' George said. "Our defense didn't worry about it. They just kept chopping. Great teams have to have that chemistry, and these guys have it."

From there, Rumson gave it to Maldjian six straight times and he scored on a 17-yard touchdown run to make it 42-28 with 2:41 to play.

Dabney’s touchdown pass with McDuffie made it 42-35 with 1:50 to play but Rumson’s punishing line, tight end and fullback and its tough-as-nails running back fittingly closed out the championship by gaining one final first down.

“Huge credit to the offensive line, they really made the job easy today,” Maldjian said. “It really didn’t feel like I was getting stopped at the line at all. We talked about the 10-yard game all week. Win 10 yards and we’ll win the game, and that’s what we did.”

It added up to Long Branch's first back-to-back sectional titles since winning Central Jersey Group III in 1955-56, back when the NJSIAA used to award sectional championships based on opinion because there was no playoff system.

With 49 carries, Maldjian certainly didn’t look like a player who battled an ankle injury for the past few weeks and bruised his ribs in the semifinals. He was a Bulldog personified.

The Green Wave made the transition from the hunters of last year, who went from 2-8 in 2016 to state champions, to the hunted of this year as the defending champs.

Rumson now has five state titles in six seasons and has reached the championship game in all six. The Bulldogs’ six sectional championships have all come since 2010. In four of Rumson’s six state-championship victories they have taken down undefeated teams: Matawan in 2010, Weequahic in 2013, Red Bank in 2015 and now Somerville.

Additionally, in 2016 the Bulldogs beat an undefeated Somerville squad in the semifinals before topping South Plainfield in the final.

"We were ready for this,'' Durant said. "We knew what we could do."

“I said to him, ‘You’re just not coming out’,” Schulte said. “He’s a kid you can count on. You know he’s going to get the job done. Even if I said he was coming out he wouldn’t have listened anyway.”

Now they can debate whether they have surpassed the 1986 Long Branch team that went 11-0 in the argument for the best Green Wave squad of all time at a program that began in 1923.

“To walk out of my high school career being in four state championships and winning three, that’s a special feeling,” Maldjian said. “I know all the hard work was worth it.”

The hardware has been secured, but the season isn’t over yet. Rumson will next play South Jersey champion Woodrow Wilson in an NJSIAA Group 3 Bowl Game at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1 at MetLife Stadium.

They still have their Thanksgiving game against old rival Red Bank (7-2), which is ranked No. 6 in the SSN Top 10, as well as the bowl game against Shawnee to drive home their point and become the first team to win 12 games in program history.

“We always preach 1-0 in December,” said McCann, referring to the previous NJSIAA playoff schedule that had the championship games the first week of December. “We still have one last game to win.”

Although if you ask them, winning back-to-back titles means the case is already closed.

"This is the best Long Branch team ever,'' Durant said. "No doubt."

Sr. Kevin Cerruti 26

Photos by:

Richard O’Donnell

Sr. Ian O’connor

Photos by :

Larry Murphy

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

27

E

very week during the soccer season Circle Chevrolet of Shrewsbury honored a Shore Conference team as the “Team of the Week” based on their recent performance. The honored squad received a special game ball as well as a gift card from The Windmill. The Shore Sports Network would like to thank Circle Chevrolet for sponsoring this program and The Windmill for providing hot dogs and more to some of the shore’s top teams and players.

28

29

Ocean Completes Dream Season, Captures First Group 3 Title Since 1996

By Matt Manley - Senior Staff Writer

S

ome teams might have panicked had they played in an NJSIAA Group III championship game for 50 minutes and could not muster a single shot attempt, but this year's Ocean boys soccer team is not some teams it's not even most teams.

The 2018 Spartans are one of a kind in the history of its soccer program and it is because on Saturday at Kean University, with the game seemingly out of its control past the midway point, Ocean once again saved its best play for the game's biggest moments.

Ocean awoke from a 50-minute malaise for a prolonged surge and senior James Schutz paid it off with the game-winning header in the 72nd minute to give the Spartans a 1-0 win over Millburn and the program's first Group III championship since 1996.

Montesinos, however, was not to be deterred. He collected the ball along the right endline, surveyed the area around the goal and served a back-post cross. Schutz positioned himself on the left post and slammed a header back to the far right of the goal for the game's first and only goal with 8:52 left to play.

"It was the best feeling in the world," Schutz said of scoring the game-winner. "We defended the whole game and we knew we just had to defend a little bit longer.

"It means the world. I have been playing (varsity) since my freshman year and to end my senior year winning a state championships with all my teammates is the best feeling in the world."

"After (Barr) made that second amazing save, I took the ball back out toward the flag," Montesinos said. "I took on one player and I saw James in the middle and James can win a ball over anyone, so I chipped it right to his head. It was a beautiful header by him."

"So may memories with this group," senior goalkeeper Max Winters said. "Even the younger guys - we have always played with them too and to do this with all those guys, we couldn't have asked for a better way to get sent off."

Reilly congratulated his former standout player and protege on the field after the game.

Back in the 62nd minute, Montesinos tested Barr with a well-placed, curling shot from the top of the 18-yard box that the Millers keeper saved with a dive to his right.

The senior midfielder has made an impact throughout his first and only season at Ocean.

Montesinos spent his first three high school seasons as a varsity starter before transferring to Ocean ahead of this school year.

Sr, Max Wint ers

It also marks the third straight season in which a Shore Conference team has won every title, with Ocean joining Holmdel (2017) and Christian Brothers Academy (2016) on that list. Both Holmdel and CBA also won their respective group titles this season.

Ocean eliminated Holmdel in the SCT semifinals on penalty kicks and scored a golden goal in the 14th minute of overtime to win the championship over CBA, which made Saturday's predicament seem relatively routine.

"If wasn't for the CBA and Holmdel games, I would have been thinking, 'Oh (no),'" Winters said. "But knowing that the ball was going to be in our end and that we wanted to possess and attack a little bit more - maybe it wasn't our best game but the chances we got, we knew we'd take advantage of."

Through the 51st minute, Millburn owned an 8-0 shot advantage over Ocean before senior forward and leading scorer Santieno Harding finally uncorked a shot attempt that sailed less than a foot over the crossbar in the 52nd.

That shot nudged the snowball down the proverbial hill and by the midway point of the second half, the Spartans enjoyed a full momentum swing.

That reversal of fortune came to a head in the 72nd minute. Senior Luke Yates struck a 20 yard shot that required a diving save by Millburn goalkeeper Zach Barr. Senior Leo Montesinos crashed the net and followed the miss, but Barr again denied the attempt, this time from right in front of the goal.

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Ocean's Big Red Army student section packed a section of the stands at Kean and large section of the community was on hand to watch the Spartans capture their first title in 22 years. Among those in the crowd was former head coach Tom Reilly, who spent 32 seasons running the program and guided the Spartans to four Shore Conference Tournament titles as well as their only state title back in 1996.

"At that point, I recycled my run," Schutz said.

"I had to wait, I saw Leo cross the ball, I went up for it - bottom right corner."

In Ocean's only other championship season, the Spartans came up short of the Shore Conference Tournament title. That makes this year's team the first in program history to win a division championship, the Shore Conference Tournament championships and an overall group title in the same season.

"I was a sophomore in college at (The College of New Jersey) when the '96 team won and of course I was at the game," said second-year head coach John Terlecsky, who starred as a senior on Ocean's first ever Shore Conference Tournament championship team in 1994. "I remember Anthony Battaglia raising the championship trophy and saying, 'This is for Ocean soccer and everybody who has played in this program.'

That's just how we feel - we're a proud program. To be able to connect all the dots back to that team, it's a pretty cool story."

referencing a playing field that plays wider than most high school turf fields.

"Balls that we were playing from the marking back and hitting across the field, they weren't getting to the targets. Give credit to (Millburn) because they were a high-pressure defense but I thought we could play better and I think the first 40 minutes of the game was us adjusting to the pitch."

"Playing at Shore was great - it's a really good program and I loved my teammates and coaches there," Montesinos said. "But these have always been my guys here. From playing travel with them to hanging out off the field. We thought it might take a few games to implement me into the team.

Nope. It clicked right away."

Millburn did not go quietly and nearly sent the game to overtime with some last-minute heroics. Ocean senior goalkeeper Max Winters tried to corral a loose ball on the left side of the box but it was knocked away by Alex Migoya. With Winters out of the net and on the ground, Migoya swung the ball to the other side of the box and it ended up at the feet of Alfie Smith.

Without hesitating, the sophomore ripped a screaming shot with an open net, but it drilled the near right post before an Ocean defender cleared the ball away with 13 seconds left.

"I've had a few slip-ups with balls in the air and I tried to put them behind me and just be aggressive," Winters said. "I knew I can't let the aggression get away because once I start doubting myself for a second, those balls that I normally get to, I won't get to. I had to stay aggressive, we got a little lucky and the defenders were there to pick me up. That's been the story of the season."

Millburn's last desperate push into the box was cleared away by Schutz to set off the celebration by a Spartans team comprised of 18 seniors.

After conceding eight unanswered shots over the first 51 minutes, Ocean unleashed 10 of the next 11 before Millburn closed with its final flurry to win the shot-count, 11-10. Both Winters and Barr saved six shots in the game and Ocean's one extra shot on goal proved to be the difference.

"I think the bigger field was causing us major problems," Terlecsky said,

Sr, James Schut z "I have seen a lot of soccer here since I was a little kid in middle school," Terlecsky said. "I watched (senior center back) Zach (Sintic's) dad play in high school, coach Reilly was my elementary school teacher and my mom would take me to the games to check out Ocean Township soccer. So I have seen a lot of the teams and I think this team is the best in school history."

Photos by :

Paula Lopez

www.palimages.com

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Holmdel Caps Unbeaten Season with 2nd Straight Group 2 Title

By Matt Manley - Senior Staff Writer

T

hree years ago, Holmdel senior Joe Arena had to make a decision that most talented young soccer players in the U.S. have to in today's world: play academy or play high school?

The academy ranks are considered the safer route for players of Arena's caliber to land a college scholarship but following that path would mean going against every instinct Arena felt up until that point.

When his teammates sprinted toward the Holmdel student section after the final whistle in the Hornets' 3-1 win over Glen Rock in Saturday's NJSIAA Group II championship, Arena stayed behind to share a moment with his head coach, John Nacarlo. It was Arena's way of showing that he indeed made the right decision.

Freshman year and sophomore year, I was debating whether to play academy or not and (Coach John Nacarlo) was 100 percent the reason I played because I love high school soccer and I love playing for him," Arena said. "Last year was a special moment to walk off champs and in my senior year, for it to happen again, is just unbelievable."

Senior Mark McStay scored the goahead goal in the 64th minute and senior Anthony Arena added a capper in the 76th to sew up a win over previously-unbeaten Glen Rock, complete and unbeaten season and likely cement its spot as the No. 1 team in N.J. by way of the NJ.com rankings.

McStay scored the winner by heading in a long free kick from senior outside back Jack Russo. The senior midfielder - who was a key contributor off the bench as a junior last year - elevated over a defender and knocked the ball inside the left post to break the deadlock.

"Our whole motto is ‘Leave your legacy,’" McStay said. "Coach (John Nacarlo) has been talking about this all year. Leave your legacy is basically what we did tonight. We left as a state champion, we left as number one in the state, which no Holmdel team has ever done. It’s just awesome."

goalkeeper Jack Murray after a miscommunication between the two and scored to stun Holmdel into a one-goal deficit. Prior to that shot, the Hornets owned a 9-1 edge in shots. "(Arena) missed the breakaway, Jack (Giamanco) had the header, we hit a couple posts and then giving up the goal we gave up, it was like ‘What’s going on here?,'" Nacarlo said.

Giamanco answered with the equalizer just 4:19 later, poking the ball in after Anthony Arena played him through down the middle of the field. The goal was the team-leading 23rd of the season for Giamanco, who played sparingly as a sophomore last year.

"We know the way we play soccer, sooner or later, it’s going to go in the net," Giamanco said. "As soon as the ball went their way, we knew one was going to go our way so we kept working hard and when we tied the game up, we knew we were going to win the game."

"He puts himself in positions where he is going to bury the ball," Nacarlo said of Giamanco. "(Anthony Arena) had the assist and it was good for him to find Jack’s feet, he kept his composure and he was able to find the back of the net.

Murray came through later in the half with a kick save on a point-blank chance by Kapiloff inside the six-yard box to preserve the 1-1 tie at the break.

"Murray came up with a huge save and I thought that was a big turning point to get us to the half tied," Nacarlo said. "We had a little bit of wind at our backs in the second half and we wanted to take advantage of that."

when it lost to Ocean on penalties in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals. Over the last two seasons, the Hornets went a combined 44-12 with 210 goals scored against just 26 allowed.

"Last year was an unbelievable team," said Joe Arena, who along with Anthony, was a ball boy for Holmdel's 2010 Group III championship team. "I didn’t think this team was going to be that successful. I’m so proud of this group of guys. We worked so hard to get to where we are and yeah, it’s a little more surprising but that almost makes it feel better than last year."

The comparisons between this year's team and last year's are likely to continue for some time and choosing between the two for Nacarlo would be like choosing between children. The 2017 Holmdel team finished 22-11, won the Shore Conference Tournament and Group II titles and outscored opponents 122-14 on the way to a No. 4 finish in the state. This year's team came up short of a second SCT title, but completed an unbeaten season and is likely to claim the No. 1 ranking in the state.

Holmdel opened fast and nearly took a 1-0 lead in the first 1:30.

Arena cleared the back line for a breakaway but keeper Noah Beverin booted it away with a kick save.

"It’s special because I have had a close relationship with a lot of these kids since they were younger," Nacarlo said. "I trained them, I taught them when they were in elementary school. I love these boys. We are a family and to see them go out the way they did was amazing."

Minutes later, Arena served a pinpoint cross to the back left post and Giamanco squared The assist was a noteworthy one Sr, Ant hony Arena up a header that hit the for Russo, who logged at least one left post. Giamanco also assist in each of Holmdel's six postseason wins from his outside back position. The St. John's commit finished with six goals missed a chip over Beverin before breaking the seal in the 36th. and eight assists for the season.

Joe Arena later set up his cousin, Anthony, by playing him short on a free kick and watching the reigning Shore Sports Network Player of the Year unleash a 23-yard strike to the left side of the net for the clincher.

Anthony Arena's goal was a fitting way to cap Holmdel's scoring on Saturday.

The senior has totaled a school-record 65 goals during his three-year high school career and after just missing on multiple chances through the course of the game, he did not miss his last chance.

"We know he is always ready to play no matter what," junior Jack Giamanco said. "Maybe some jitters at the beginning of the game but we knew as long as we worked hard, we would get one and he would probably get one."

Holmdel fell into a 1-0 hole in the 32nd minute when sophomore Jason Kapiloff took the ball away from Holmdel defender Peter Vassilakos and

"We had three or four chances early that were big chances. Anthony had the one breakaway where the keeper came up with a ginormous save, just like Murray did for us later," McStay said. "We did leave the door open and they got a lucky one, but they shut down long enough for us to come right back and tie it."

Where this team has 2017 beat is the sentimentality of the seniors especially Joe Arena and Avitabile riding off into the sunset. Those two were the only two four-year starters on this year's team and they wrapped up their careers with two state championships in three title-game appearances, as well as a Shore Conference Tournament title last year.

Jr, Jack Giamanco

The Hornets also caught a break when it appeared senior center back Torre Avitabile fell to the turf and touched the ball with his hand inside the 18-yard box with the score still 0-0 in the 15th.

The officials did not see a handball and allowed play to continue.

With its win on Saturday, Holmdel capped a season in which it outscored its opponents by a total of 88-12 and suffered the only blemish on its record

Photos by :

Paula Lopez

www.palimages.com

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CBA Stuns Delbarton in Double-OT to Win Non-Public A Championship

By Matt Manley - Senior Staff Writer

L

uke Pascarella wasn't thinking about the clock, the undefeated opponent, the goalkeeper who had already denied him or the fact that he, the leading scorer on the Christian Brothers Academy boys soccer team, had not found the net during the NJSIAA Non-Public A Tournament.

Pascarella wasn't even thinking about himself when he lined up a 33-yard free kick with only seconds remaining until the first ever penalty kick round in the history NJSIAA Group Finals. He was thinking about two things: his senior teammates and the two things he had to do to give them a state championship - get his shot over the wall and to the left post.

CBA's junior striker did both and when his 33-yard direct kick clanged off the left post and nestled into the back of the net with 19 seconds left on the clock in the second overtime period, the Colts had officially ended defending champion Delbarton's 57-game unbeaten streak in the most dramatic of fashions, by a final score of 2-1 in 99-plus minutes of play.

"We have 17 seniors and this is for them," Pascarella said. "You never know when it's going to be your last game and I just wanted to give them one last run and one last state championship. They deserve it and everyone here deserves it. We have been working hard for this since August."

A foul outside the top of the 18-yard box set up CBA with one last scoring chance before the game would have moved to penalty kicks. This is the first season in which group finals will be decided by penalty kicks if two teams are tied after two scoreless overtime periods.

With that scenario looking likely, Pascarella patiently waited over the ball for Delbarton to set up their wall 10 yards away from the spot. Once the wall was set, Pascarella ripped a perfect shot that just cleared the reach of Delbarton keeper Kyle Swift.

"I just needed to get it over the wall," Pascarella said. "Their keeper made some great saves. We were knocking on the door the whole game and I just knew if I got another opportunity, it had to go in. I had no idea of the clock - I just knew if I hit this and it goes in, the game's over."

Once the shot went in, Pascarella's shirt came off and his teammates chased him around the field and all the way to the CBA cheering section to celebrate with its student fan base.

"I just wanted to run forever, Hempstead said. "You don't know even know what to do except scream and jump. It's amazing."

The championship is CBA's second in the last two seasons, seventh overall and third against 13-time champion Delbarton in the Non-Public A final. The last time Delbarton lost in a Non-Public A championship game was in 2011, in overtime, to none other than CBA. Prior to Sunday, Delbarton's last true loss (the Green Wave were eliminated from the 2016 Non-Public A Tournament on penalties) was a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Delran on Sept. 28, 2016 and part of a three-game losing streak that accounted for all of Delbarton's three losses that season.

"It's a surreal night for these kids and for the people who came to watch CBA - they will never forget this night," Mulligan said. "To defeat a program like Delbarton is an honor. It's a tough team to put down but my seniors really came through."

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Pascarella's heroics followed the same by senior outside back Jack Hempstead, who ripped a picturesque shot from 23-yards out to tie the game, 1-1, in the 75th minute for his first career varsity goal.

Unlike its championship win over Delbarton seven years ago and its victory over Seton Hall Prep two years ago, this CBA team was very much an underdog heading into Sunday's game at Kean University, even if the Colts did not think or play like one. CBA outshot the defending champions, 16-10, and controlled most of the possession.

"No disrespect to Delbarton or any of the other great teams we have played on our schedule - for the most part, I have watched a lot of soccer this year and I firmly believe, I told our team the other day, that you're the best soccer-playing team I have played all season," CBA coach Tom Mulligan said. "It hasn't always shown in the result but I'm confident that when people look back on this, no matter what happens, they are going to say that was a team that played really good soccer."

Although a double-yellow card for dissent on Sam Burvill that left Delbarton at a man disadvantage had something to do with the Colts edge in possession and shots, CBA was leading the shot count, 7-5, at the time of the red card and was in control of the ball for most of the 45 minutes since Delbarton took a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute.

"The moment we started playing, we started seeing some weaknesses in them and we started to just know that we can play our game and attack and create chances like we have all year," Hempstead said. "I feel like once we leveled out and were patient, we gained a lot of confidence because we knew it was anybody's game."

All that possession and all of those scoring chances would mean nothing, however, without a goal, which has been a theme for CBA over the last two seasons in lateround tournament games.

"I think those were the two best goals I have ever seen," senior Joe Lozowski said.

"To see those goals go in was a relief. We were banging on the door the entire game and to get that first goal was just great and we knew we could win it from there."

Senior outside fullback Jack Hempstead would not have seemed like a candidate to give the Colts their biggest goal of the past two years given he has not scored a varsity goal as a two-year starter. Yet Mulligan kept telling Hempstead that goal was coming and it was going to be big.

"You talk about a goal," Mulligan said of Hempstead's strike. "It's ironic because I watch him every day in practice and I tell him, 'You are going to get a big goal, Jack.

It's coming, just trust me, it's coming. I don't know if he got the biggest, but he got a big one."

Mulligan was right. Hempstead ran onto a loose ball and unleashed a 23-yard missile that tucked inside the top right corner of the goal to tie the score with 5:08 left in regulation.

"It was one of those shots that when you line it up, you just know you are going to hit it well," Hempstead said. "I have done it in practice a few times and I just knew. I saw that familiar path and it was like a light at the end of a tunnel. It was right there and it went in. No words for that - it was just so much emotion. I've never scored a goal before so this was a good place to do it."

Delbarton grabbed a 1-0 lead just 3:52 into the match on the teamleading 13th goal by junior Brendan McSorley.

Matt Pease uncorked a long throw from the right side and after a CBA defender got a head on it, McSorley line up a shot and drilled it from six yards out for a 1-0 lead.

"Last year, we might have given up that early goal and started to cave and started panicking," senior Jack Gill said. "We continued to play the way we do, our possession game. In the 75th minute, a lot of teams would start kicking and hoping but we kept moving it around the box and we finally got what we felt we deserved."

The early Delbarton goal set off what turned out to be nearly a complete rolereversal from last year's championship game, won by Delbarton over CBA, 4-1. In that game, CBA's Dom Bellomo scored in the third minute to send CBA to the half with a 1-0 lead before Delbarton dominated the rest of the way, eventually gaining a man advantage after a CBA red card.

This time around, it was CBA who took over the game after falling behind early and benefited from the opponent's loss of composure.

"It's unfortunate that they got a red card and had to play a man down, just like it was unfortunate when the same thing happened to us last year," Mulligan said. "Stuff happens, I guess."

CBA's defense kept Delbarton's dangerous rotation of forwards in check after McSorely's breakthrough, with senior Liam Mulvey and junior Connor Anderko controlling the middle and goalkeeper Eric Wnorowski - who was the No. 1 backup to two different goalkeepers in each of the past two seasons - steady in the net.

Wnorowski had to come up with one key save in the second half and did so by rejecting a shot by Ivan Scotto.

"We preach to them as a staff if you play the right way, you are going to have more opportunities than the other team," Mulligan said. "I told them on the bus that our best defense is our possession. The more we have the ball, the less they have the ball and the less opportunities they are going to get, so I was really satisfied with our style of play tonight."

Lozowski and Gill are the two seniors on CBA's roster who played significant minutes on the Colts' 2016 championship team and now have a second championship to go with the title from their sophomore seasons. They are the first pair of Colts teammates to be a part of two state titles since CBA won three championships in five years from 1998 to 2002.

"This is all the seniors wanted," Lozowski said.

"We felt what it was like to win two years ago and then we felt what it was like to lose last year and we just wanted to finish the job really badly this year.

It's a surreal feeling right now."

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

steve.meyer@townsquaremedia.com 35

Did You Know Presented by: Brielle Orthopedics

T

he SPLEEN is the most common organ injured from abdominal trauma.

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A few recommendations to help prevent a Spleen Injury include: n During Pre-participation Physical Exams or “Sports Physicals” doctors will assess the spleen size during the abdominal exam and athletes may be temporarily prohibited from certain sports if an enlarged spleen is found. n Athletes should seek care from a physician if “mono” is suspected or has been diagnosed before resuming physical activity as the spleen may be enlarged and susceptible to injury even after the athlete feels well enough to return to play. Having a certified athletic trainer present at all contact practices and games can help to identify such injuries. n Athletes, parents, coaches and medical professionals should all have a low threshold of suspicion for splenic rupture after an abdominal trauma as signs and symptoms of such injuries may be subtle. n Before your child begins participation in organized school or recreational activities, be sure to arrange a sports physical for them by calling your pediatrician or family doctor.

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It is the most common organ injured as well as the most common cause of death from abdominal trauma.

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2018 PLAYER OF THE WEEK WINNERS WEEK-7: Girls TR NORTH Sr. Marisa Tava

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-8: PINELANDS Sr. Gavin Harris

H

arris took over in goal early in the season and settled in nicely as Pinelands’ keeper of the future.

He also proved he is a keeper for the present when he saved three penalty-kick attempts by Toms River South in Pinelands’ 3-0 shootout victory over the Indians in the South Jersey Group III opening round. Harris also turned in a shutout over the 100 minutes of that game, keeping a three-time defending sectional champion off the board to allow his team to advance.

Boys OCEAN Sr. Santieno Harding

WEEK-6: Girls SOUTHERN Jr. Karagan Bulger Boys

Sr. Dominic Bellomo

WEEK-5: Girls DONOVAN CATHOLIC Jr. Ranya Senhaji Boys MANASQUAN Jr. Joe Weinstein

Pinelands went on to reach the South Jersey Group III final, the first trip to the sectional final round for the Wildcats since 1989. Harris posted a second postseason shutout in a 5-0 win over Cherry Hill West that spanned two days due to rain.

WEEK-4:

Harris beat out Wall's Aidan Newbury and Neptune scoring machine Wilby Alfred for this week's Player of the Week honor.

Boys POINT BEACH Sr. Ki Costa

WEEK-8: MATAWAN Jr. Anna Margarites

Girls PINELANDS Jr. Aileen Cahill

WEEK-3: Girls POINT BEACH Sr. Sarah Shwahla

T

he Central Jersey Group II bracket got blown wide open thanks to a pair of upsets on the top-seed side of the bracket.

That top seed was Rumson and the Bulldogs suffered an early exit thanks to No. 8 Matawan, which knocked off the Bulldogs, 2-1. Margarites scored one goal apiece in the first-round win over Metuchen as well as the upset of Rumson.

Matawan went on to reach the Central Group II final at Governor Livingston and came up just short of a sectional title in losing, 2-1, to the Highlanders on Friday.

Margarites was a primary source of scoring throughout Matawan's memorable year, finishing with nine goals to tie for the team lead with senior Dana Morgan. Margarites will be back as a senior in 2019 to help Matawan try to build on this year's postseason success.

Margarites won the fan vote in Week 8 by a comfortable margin, beating out A South standouts Danielle Christ of Brick and Alyia Canfield of Toms River South, who tied for second.

Boys MANASQUAN Sr. Ryan Caruso

WEEK-2: Girls BARNEGAT Fr. Isabel Guiro Boys FREEHOLD BORO Jr. Isaac Ball

WEEK-1: Girls MONMOUTH Jr. Ranya Senhaji Boys TOMS RIVER EAST Jr. Dane Bodziak

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