12-18-20 Issue 2020 Shore Sports Network Annual Awards

DECEMBER 18, 2020

The first thing fans, players, coaches and 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 Website Features n

GET VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

of all the important games that Shore Conference fans will be talking about. n Catch up on the action you might have missed n Watch video clips of everything from the action early in the event to the big finish as well as video interviews with various athletes. n www.shoresportsnetwork.com is the most visited sports site in the Shore Conference during the scholastic year n Follow us on Twitter (over 18,000 followers) & Facebook, we keep fans posted on the latest scores and news n Established leading portal for local high school coverage.

Kevin WILLIAMS Shore Sports Network Director kevin.williams@townsquaremedia.com

Steve MEYER Shore Sports Network Director High School Division steve.meyer@townsquaremedia.com

732-233-4460 Managing Editor BOB Badders // bob.badders@townsquaremedia.com

Senior Content Providers MATT Manley // mmanley21@gmail.com

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

Copyright 2020 Townsquare Media . All rights reserved Reproduction in whole or in part without the permission of Shore Sports Network is prohibited

2

SOMEHOW WE MADE IT THROUGH THE FALL By kevin Williams - shore sports network director

T

he fact that we even have a Football and Soccer Awards issue is somewhat of a major achievement‌not by us at the Shore Sports Network but by the schools and teams that managed to put together a season under the most challenging and trying circumstances in the recent history of the Shore Conference.

As I have often said, if you think back to the summer months it did not look good for any type of season. Certainly not all football and soccer teams got to play a full schedule but most managed to get on the field with regularity and some were able to play all the way through a manufactured postseason. That in itself is something to celebrate and not to be taken lightly, especially for those seniors who have put on an athletic uniform for the final time.

accomplishments which is what we are highlighting in this issue. Bob Badders (football) and Matt Manley (soccer) have done an exceptional job in selecting the honorees using what they saw first-hand and their extensive list of coaches and other respected contacts. All-Star teams are never perfect but the Shore Sports Network takes the responsibility of these selections very seriously and puts in the time and effort to come up with what we believe are the most deserving selections. Special thanks to Steve Meyer for putting it all together on these pages.

I also want to thank the sponsors whose ads are displayed on the pages of this issue. Without their support during the fall we would not have been able to bring you the coverage we did on a daily basis on shoresportsnetwork.com and in the pages of the Shore Sports Network Journal.

On behalf of our team we wish our readers, viewers and friends the very best during the holiday season. Be safe, be smart and let’s all wish for peace and joy in 2021.

Each week brought highs and lows like never before and that’s before teams stepped on the field. Every day brought new concerns as just trying to stay healthy was as big an opponent as the team you would be face next. Coaches spent as much time imploring athletes to wear masks and socially distance as they did on pre-game strategy. A player missing a practice set off a five-star alarm even if it was just because they had transportation issues.

For all the concerns and issues, we did get to witness some great team and individual

3

E

ach week throughout the 2020 season the Shore Sports Network selected a Shore Conference football team to receive the coveted Jersey Mike’s Team of the Week award.

The honored team received a special game ball and $500 in gift cards from Jersey Mike’s during a special presentation at one of their practices from a SSN representative.

W

e would like to thank Jersey Mike’s Subs for their sponsorship of all our high school football coverage and programming this season. Jersey Mike’s is known nationwide with some 1,500 locations but CEO Peter Cancro has never abandoned his shore roots and he has passed that on to his son Rob, a former football player at Wall High School.

Every Friday night during the season we streamed live the Jersey Mike’s Game of the Week on the Shore Sports Network with Matt Harmon, Kevin Williams and Ed Sarluca calling the action. From Toms River South to Wall Township we brought the excitement of live football action to viewers throughout the Shore area. Our season-long coverage included Wall’s run to a Shore Conference championship that was capped by an epic 18-15 win over Donovan Catholic in an all-time classic.

We are especially appreciative of the support Jersey Mike’s has shown in partnering with us on the Team of the Week program in which 8 different football teams were honored during this past season.

We look forward to many years of teaming up with them to bring a “sub above” to football fields throughout the shore area.

Jersey Mike’s

Rob Cancro 4

5

Idespite t was not without setbacks along the way but a global pandemic, the 2020 Shore Conference

football season was completed. Considering the doubt which enveloped the preseason to how almost one-third of the teams had to shut down during the final weeks, finishing the season with several impactful games is an accomplishment in its own right.

Fortunately, none of the major games were impacted by COVID-19 and that meant, for the first time ever, an undisputed Shore Conference champion was crowned, even if not officially recognized by the Shore Conference of High School.

The consensus top four teams in the Shore were placed in a championship pod for the postseason and a winner emerged in an epic contest to cement itself as the conference’s very best. From start to finish, Wall carried the banner as the Shore Conference’s No. 1 team and with an 18-15 victory over Donovan Catholic in an instant classic, the Crimson Knights clinched the top spot in the final Shore Sports Network Top 10 for the second season in a row.

Conference honors are just the beginning for Wall, however. The Crimson Knights also finished

Final Shore Sports Network Top 10

as the consensus No. 1 team in all of New Jersey, finishing at the top of the NJ.com, USA Today NJ and News 12 New Jersey final rankings.

The rest of the rankings fell into place rather easily and were certainly helped by the results of the postseason pods. The final one or two spots are always difficult because there are usually several teams that can make a case there, and this season was no different in that regard. Headto-head results played a major impact but are not the only metric used in determining our final rankings. Body of work, strength of schedule and more all factor in.

With that said, we are proud to present the final 2020 Shore Sports Network Football Top 10 and crown our 2020 Team of the Year. Thanks for following our coverage all season.

Shore Conference winning streak to 20 games. The current senior class went 25-4 over the last three seasons with an NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 3 sectional title and an unofficial Shore Conference championship, plus a division title in 2019. Several irreplaceable players will graduate, but Wall has several underclassmen returning next season to continue its championship run.

Donovan Catholic (7-1) The Griffins came less than one yard short of beating Wall and finishing the season as an undefeated conference champion, and while there is surely disappointment in the way its season ended, it doesn’t change the fact that Donovan Catholic had a fantastic season and completely changed how it is perceived in the Shore and statewide. Donovan Catholic was 0-10 in 2016 but has steadily risen to become an elite team in the Shore Conference under head coach Dan Curcione.

The Griffins had the No. 1 scoring offense in the Shore at 33.8 points per game and the No. 2 defense at 8.1 points per game. Senior running back Jahdir Loftland was second in the Shore with 1,369 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns, senior wide receiver Jayon Farrar had a huge year with 47 catches for 614 yards and 9 touchdowns and senior quarterback Evyn Menta threw for 1,170 yards and 13 touchdowns. Senior linebackers Quamire Green and Dominick Nocero tied for the team lead with 89 tackles, junior defensive end Levi Wilkins led the team with five sacks and Farrar had a team-high three interceptions. Among Donovan’s victories were a 28-14 win over No. 3 Red Bank Catholic, a 49-6 win over No. 8 Toms River South, a 21-14 win over Southern and a 35-0 win over Toms River North. A tremendous senior class will matriculate out of the Toms River school but several underclassmen standouts will be back next season as the Griffins continue their championship aspirations.

Red Bank Catholic (4-2)

Wall (7-0)

The Crimson Knights authored an unforgettable season that saw them finish undefeated for the first time since 1983, capture an unofficial Shore Conference championship with an epic 18-15 win over Donovan Catholic and secure the No. 1 ranking in New Jersey. Wall had the No. 1 defense in the Shore and one of the great defenses in Shore Conference history as it allowed just 38 points all season (5.4 points per game) and recorded four shutouts. It’s offense finished No. 2 in scoring average at 33.3 points per game. Several standouts led the way, including senior running back/cornerback Casey Larkin, senior quarterback/safety Logan Peters, senior lineman Grant Puharic, junior linebackers Charlie Sasso and Colin Riley, junior tight end/defensive end Blake Rezk and junior center Brian Byrne, but Wall was truly the sum of its parts. The stars did what stars do, but the Crimson Knights receiving impactful contributions from their entire lineup on both sides of the ball secured their legacy. Larkin ran for 870 yards and 13 touchdowns on an average of nine yards per carry in six-plus games while Peters threw for 433 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 402 yards and six touchdowns.

Sasso was outstanding for Wall’s fantastic defense with 97 tackles, 3 sacks, 6 tackles for loss and one interception. Junior linebacker Colin Riley recorded 72 tackles with 7 sacks and 7 tackles for loss, junior defensive end Blake Rezk made 41 tackles, 4 sacks and 6 tackles for loss and Peters had 47 tackles and a team-high two interceptions. Wall has been on an unprecedented run over the last two seasons, going 19-1 and extending its 6

The Caseys’ season was cut short to six games because of COVID-19 exposure but a pair of key regular-season wins established them as the No. 3 team in the Shore. RBC opened the season with a 10-3 victory over Mater Dei Prep and also defeated Rumson-Fair Haven, 21-14, in Week 3. Those two victories over the No. 4 and No. 5 teams, respectively, in the final rankings help offset a 32-25 loss to a Middletown South team that finished 2-4. The Caseys’ other loss came to Donovan Catholic, 28-14, in the Shore Conference championship pod semifinals. Senior quarterback Anthony Borriello threw for 672 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 164 yards and a touchdown while sophomore running back Sabino Portella ran for 305 yards and six touchdowns and sophomore wideout Najih Rahman had 270 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Defensively, junior defensive end Alex Bauman recorded a team-high 53 tackles and a team-leading four sacks. The Caseys will say goodbye to standouts like Borriello, two-way linemen Jake Louro and JJ Lodato, defensive back Lenny Loria and linebackers Scott Ungemah and Luke Guidetti but have a great young nucleus going forward and should once again be among the Shore’s top teams next season.

Mater Dei Prep (5-2) Although it ended on a sour note, 2020 was another strong season for the Seraphs.

Mater Dei’s last-minute 26-19 victory over Rumson-Fair Haven on a hook and lateral play in Week 5 helped it reach the championship pod as the No. 4 seed. Mater Dei opened the season with a 10-3 loss to No. 3 Red Bank Catholic but then won five straight games to reach the championship pod. Its season came to an end in the championship semifinals via a 42-0 loss to No. 1 Wall.

Junior quarterback Alex Brown thew for 957 yards and eight touchdowns and ran for 239 yards, senior wide receiver Naran Buntin caught 27 passes for 470 yards and three touchdowns and junior running back Ra’Jahn Cooper ran for 434 yards and three touchdowns. Senior defensive end Dom Giudice led the way on defense with 59 tackles, 6 sacks and 7 tackles for loss. Among Mater Dei’s losses to graduation will be three FBS recruits: Giudice (Michigan), Buntin (Kent State) and two-way lineman Rakim Cooper (Temple). Brown, Ra’Jahn Cooper, junior wide receiver Kyree Drake and junior tight end/defensive end Tafari Thompson lead the cast of returners for next season.

Rumson-Fair Haven (6-2) A last-minute loss to Mater Dei Prep on a trick play in Week 5 prevented the Bulldogs from reaching the championship pod, but they responded with two quality victories over ranked teams to finish the season strong. In the postseason pod that featured teams ranked fifth through eighth, Rumson handed Colts Neck its only loss of the season with a 28-14 victory and then shut down Freehold’s high-powered offense in a 28-3 triumph. Rumson’s losses came to No. 3 Red Bank Catholic, 21-14, and No. 4 Mater Dei Prep, 2619. Rumson’s offense was among the Shore’s best in averaging 29.3 points per game while its defense yielded just 10.8 points per game.

Senior running back John Volker ran for 1,184 yards and 16 touchdowns, senior wide receiver Patrick Jamin caught 19 passes for 312 yards and four touchdowns and senior quarterback Josh Harmon threw for 817 yards and eight touchdowns. On defense, Rumson had several standouts including senior safety Ryan Ruane (54 tackles, 2 INTs), senior defensive lineman Von Factor (71 tackles, 6 sacks), junior linebacker John Lista (75 tackles, 4 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries) and junior defensive end Aiden Moriarty (60 tackles, 7 sacks, 1 INT). Rumson will graduate a great senior class but has several impact juniors, especially on the defensive side, returning next year.

Colts Neck (7-1) The Cougars used a power running game and a tough defense to turn in one of the best seasons in program history and finish the year with only one loss.

Colts Neck put itself into the Top 10 in Week 2 with a sensational 3635 comeback win over Freehold and remained there for the rest of the season. A 21-14 overtime victory over Manalapan gave the Cougars a sweep of their Freehold Regional High School District foes and they closed the season with a 17-14 victory over a solid Southern Regional team. Colts Neck’s only loss was a 28-14 defeat to No. 5 Rumson-Fair Haven in a Pod 2 semifinal game. Senior running back Joe Barsky ran for 1,129 yards and a Shore Conference-leading 20 touchdowns, junior quarterback Tommy Fallon threw for 720 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 475 yards and two touchdowns and senior wide receiver Matt Scully caught 28 passes for 317 yards and two touchdowns for an offense that averaged 26.6 points per game. Colts Neck’s defense allowed 13.1 points per game and was led by senior defensive end Delano Marcelus (76 tackles, 5 sacks, 7 tackles for loss), junior linebacker Anthony Bonanno (84 tackles), Scully (69 tackles, 2 INTs), junior linebacker John Manos (64 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 3 INTs), senior defensive lineman Chris Montefusco (47 tackles, 3 sacks) and junior defensive back John Runfolo (3 INTs). A strong group will return next year including the aforementioned juniors, sophomore linebacker Will Surdez and junior offensive linemen Dan Volpe and Ryan Whalen.

Freehold (6-2) After a down year in 2019, Freehold’s offense got back to its explosive ways to lead the Colonials to a six-win season and a top-10 finish. A 14-12 win over a Manalapan team that began the season ranked eighth put Freehold into the Top 10 and the Colonials stayed there for the rest of the season. A 36-35 loss to No. 6 Colts Neck knocked them back briefly, but they responded with five straight wins before a season-ending 28-3 defeat to No. 5 RumsonFair Haven. Among Freehold’s victories were a pair of thrilling wins over Middletown North (40-37) and Southern (38-35) on late field goals by junior Kayden Hutchinson. Freehold’s offense averaged 30.8 points per game and was led by senior quarterback Sha’Kim Shuler and junior playmakers Yahsin Calhoun and Kamore Gill. Shuler had a monster season with 1,206 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns and 1,155 yards passing and eight touchdowns. Calhoun ran for 406 yards and six touchdowns and caught 29 passes for 564 yards and three touchdowns,. Gill ran for 429 yards and two touchdowns and caught 18 passes for 390 yards and three touchdowns. Freehold’s defense was in the middle of the pack, statistically, in allowing 23 points per game but had two players turn in huge seasons. In addition to his offensive numbers, Calhoun led the Shore Conference with 113 tackles and also led the Shore with six interceptions. Junior defensive end Tyler Ochojski recorded 10 sacks and 57 total tackles. Shuler will be a big loss along with linebackers Matt Grady and Jason Lee but the Colonials bring back several of their top players next season.

Toms River South (6-2) Despite suffering four straight losing seasons entering 2020, expectations were high for Toms River South because of a tight-knit senior class. It took only one game for the Indians to show the 2020 season would be a turnaround year when they stunned then-No. 2 Toms River North, 28-21, to jump into the Top 10 and announce their return to prominence. A balanced rushing attack and a big season from senior quarterback Jack Huber helped the Indians win six games for the first time since 2013 and for just the second time since 2003. Toms River South’s other key victories were a 15-12 win over then-No. 3 Southern and a 41-25 win over Jackson Memorial in its season finale. The Indians' losses came to No. 2 Donovan Catholic (49-6) and Brick Memorial (21-7). Huber threw for 1,009 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 236 yards and five touchdowns. Gerry Ferrigno ran for 478 yards and six touchdowns and caught 16 passes for 392 yards and a touchdown, Travis Squire ran for 410 yards and six touchdowns, Devon Bond ran for 274 yards and four touchdowns, Tyler Madeo caught 20 passes for 351 yards and two touchdowns and Gavin Migliori caught 22 passes for 313 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Devin Raevis had a team-high 83 tackles, Wyatt Sternberg led the way with 7.5 sacks and 9 tackles for loss and Dominic Cats intercepted four passes. With so many seniors graduating the question is whether the Indians can build off this season for 2021.

Holmdel (6-1) Having completed the fourth season under head coach Jeff Rainess, it’s clear the Hornets are far from oneyear wonders. In finishing 6-1, Holmdel further established its identity as a power running team with multiple weapons in its split-back veer offense that is complimented nicely by a tenacious defense. For the first time in program history, Holmdel has put together four straight winning seasons, all with at least six wins. The Hornets’ only setback of the season was a 24-7 loss to St. John Vianney in Week 4. Their season was bookended by their two best victories - a 26-14 win over No. 10 Raritan in Week 1 and a 20-13 win over Manasquan in Week 7.

Holmdel rushed for 2,472 yards with an average of 353 yards per game.

Junior running back Jade Gallo ran for 1,010 yards and 14 touchdowns on an average of 8.5 yards per carry, senior quarterback Christian Donnelly ran for 776 yards and four touchdowns on an average of 12.3 yards per carry and senior running back AJ DeCicco ran for 528 yards and seven touchdowns on an average of 7.5 yards per carry. Junior linebacker Thomas Sardo led Holmdel’s defense with 73 tackles and 5.5 sacks plus 7.5 tackles for loss for a unit that allowed just 12 points per game. Holmdel will lose several key players to graduation but has proven it can sustain those departures and continue winning with its brand of football.

Raritan (6-1) Raritan opened the season with a 26-14 loss to border rival Holmdel, and that was the first and only time the Rockets would taste defeat in 2020. With a balanced offense and a solid defense, Raritan closed the season with six consecutive wins to finish 6-1. Along the way, Raritan topped St. John Vianney, 21-14, bested Lacey, 29-19, and pulled away from Brick Memorial, 42-20, in the season finale. The Rockets’ averaged 28.4 points per game with senior Luke O’Hea rushing for 378 yards and eight touchdowns on an average of 10 yards per carry and catching 15 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore running back Kieran Falzon ran for a team-high 625 yards and nine touchdowns and junior quarterback Ben Hutchins threw for 867 yards and 10 touchdowns with just two interceptions. On defense, O’Hea posted a team-leading 60 tackles, junior linebacker Alex Dekis had 48 tackles and two sacks and junior defensive back Dan Maiers had three interceptions. O’Hea will be a tough player to replace but with Hutchins, Falzon, Dekis and junior slot back Joe Campanella returning the Rockets will be in position to continue their success.

7

kept him out for his entire senior season this past fall. Instead of changing his team's approach to suit a more attack-oriented roster, Linstra plugged in a new group in front of junior and first year-starter Joe Gisoldi in goal and let them evolve once again into one of the Shore’s top back lines.

At 0.59 goals allowed per game (10 in 17 matches), Wall was tied with Colts Neck for the third-best goals-against per-game total at the Shore, with just Christian Brothers Academy (four goals in 14 games, 0.29 per game) and Holmdel (eight in 14, 0.57) performing better.

By Matt Manley Senior Staff Writer

Speaking of Colts Neck, no opponent brought out the best in Wall like its talented Class B North counterpart. Entering a two-game series between the teams during the final week of the regular season, Colts Neck was the Shore’s best team by record (12-0) and goal differential (62-5). Wall responded by sweeping the week with two victories by a 2-1 margin.

During the course of the spring and summer, like so many people shut out of getting haircuts with barber shops and salons closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Crimson Knights coach Garry Linstra grew attached to his long hair. Linstra wasn’t quite ready to cut it but his players made him an offer he couldn’t refuse: if they could win their Shore Conference Class B North division with a perfect 14-0 record, they could then fire up the electric clippers and chop off his mane.

The Wall players indeed earned the right to cut their coaches’ hair and once they gave him a fresh trim (cleaned up by Linstra’s wife, according to the coach), they then took the challenge a step further. There were no more heads to shave, only history to be made.

One year after coming a round of penalty kicks away from an overall state title, this year’s Wall squad became the first ever in the history of the program to finish a season without a loss or tie, going 17-0 while winning the Class B North title, the NJSIAA Central Jersey East Group III South sectional championship and finishing No. 2 in the final Shore Sports Network Top 10.

For leading his team to a 17-0 record and division and sectional titles – all with a completely new back four and goalkeeper – Linstra is the 2020 Shore Sports Network Boys Soccer Coach of the Year.

"I have been doing this 19 years and there is always a hiccup game," Linstra said after completing the unbeaten campaign. "You always tell the kids one game at a time and this was really one game at a time because you don't know when that call is going to come telling you you're shut down. So it was one game at a time, one half at a time

oming off six NJSIAA Tournament shutouts and a penalty-kick defeat in the NJSIAA Group III championship game, the Wall boys soccer team entered the 2020 season a motivated team with one primary goal in mind.

C

Shave their head coach’s head.

8

and the boys showed a great ability to grind and find ways to win throughout the year."

Last season, the Crimson Knights learned the hard way that a team could play a perfect postseason – at least on one side of the field – and still come up short of winning an overall state championship. Wall did not allow a goal in any of its six NJSIAA Group III Playoff games, but could not score in the championship game vs. Millburn and lost a penalty shootout that decided the championship.

All four starters on that 2019 defense graduated and starting goalkeeper Sebastian Campanile sustained an offseason hip injury that

After outplaying Colts Neck in the second half of the first game in Wall for a come-from-behind win, Wall showed its character by winning on the road against the Cougars. Within a span of four minutes early in the second half, Wall jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a goal by Jake Pepe, then went down a man due to a red card as a result of a second yellow. The Crimson Knights battled Colts Neck’s potent attack and finally relented by committing a handball in the box to give the Cougars a penalty-kick equalizer.

Scoring opportunities with only 10 men were limited, but Wall cashed in on its chance when senior Sean Southwell boomed a free kick into the box that found the back of the net thanks to a keeper error. Wall held on for the win to clinch the division title and set Linstra’s haircut appointment.

Like the wins over Colts Neck, Wall had to tap into its late-game poise in order to win each of its three NJSIAA Tournament games. The Crimson Knights fell behind, 1-0, against Toms River South in the sectional quarterfinal before eventually pulling out a 2-1 overtime win on a golden goal by Pepe.

In the sectional semifinal, Brick jumped out to a 1-0 halftime lead before Pepe sparked a three-goal second half (two goals and an assist) to deliver the Knights a 3-1 win and another trip to the sectional final round.

In the championship, Toms River East tied the game in the 70th minute, setting the stage for a winning penalty kick by Southwell in the 76th.

Southwell became the latest All-Shore-caliber defender to anchor Wall’s back four and his move to center back from his 2019 position of defensive center midfield was one of Linstra’s astute lineup decisions of 2020. Linstra also tapped senior goalkeeper Christian Cosenza as his other center midfielder and went with juniors Kyle Horowitz and Dan Hyde on the outside – with Horowitz also shifting from midfielder to fullback.

The 2020 team did not get a chance to keep playing past the sectional final round as the 2019 team did and we will never know how Wall would have fared against a Shore Conference Tournament field (the SCT was not played for the first time since 1983) and against the other top Group III programs. However, between last year’s scoreless run to a state final and this year’s unbeaten performance, Wall has proven it is up for any challenge while again ascending to the upper-echelon of the Shore Conference.

Photos by:

for his Toms River North team.

JAKE PEPE, Sr., Wall 2020 STATS: 10 goals, 15 assists

Teams Selected by Shore Sports Network Soccer Editor Matt Manley, based on first-hand observation, stats and input from coaches.

FORWARDS: ALI BAISH, Sr., Toms River North 2020 STATS: 12 goals, 16 assists For the second straight year, Baish was the top overall scorer on a Toms River North team that captured a sectional championship, this time winning the modified NJSIAA Central Jersey East Group IV South title by beating Jackson Memorial, Freehold Township and Southern in consecutive rounds. Baish played a role in all three playoff victories, collecting three assists over the first two rounds and scored the first of three Mariners goals in the title game vs. Southern.

With his 16 set-ups, Baish led the Shore Conference in assists in 2020 and was fourth in overall scoring behind Southern’s Kevin Kiernan, Colts Neck’s David Tuschmann and Brick’s Zack Meyer. He follows his Second-Team selection from 2019 with a First-Team nod in 2020, capping a memorable three-year varsity career that included 28 goals and 28 assists and, more importantly, back-to-back sectional championships

Without context, Pepe’s numbers reflect an All-Shore player, with the senior striker leading the unbeaten Crimson Knights (along with junior Terence Byrnes) with 10 goals and finishing second in the entire Shore with 15 assists. When Pepe manufactured the bulk of those stats puts him in the Player of the Year conversation. After a midseason groin injury slowed him down during the middle of Wall’s schedule, Pepe came back from a one-game absence and caught fire during the stretch run. In the last eight games, Pepe posted six goals and seven assists, including five assists in his first two games back and six goals in the final five matches of the season.

Pepe scored a goal in each of Wall’s two crucial Shore Conference Class B North divisional wins over Colts Neck to close out the regular season with a division championship. He then scored in each of Wall’s three NJSIAA playoff wins, including a two-goal second half in a sectional semifinal win over Brick. Pepe’s header in the final against Toms River East got Wall off on the right track, as the Crimson Knights sealed a 2-1 to capture their second straight sectional title. Pepe is now a two-time All-Shore honoree after landing a Second-Team spot as a junior and posting 24 goals and 23 assists over the past three seasons.

DAVID TUSCHMANN, Jr., Colts Neck 2020 STATS: 25 goals, 7 assists While Baish and Pepe made the leap from Second Team to First Team in their final high school seasons, Tuschmann is a first-time First-Team player and is still only a junior. The relentless Colts Neck striker finished second in the Shore Conference with 25 goals in 17 games during the 2020 season and led the conference with four hat tricks. In one of his hat tricks, Tuschmann pulled the rare feat of scoring three goals and assisting another three, which he did in a 70 win over Manasquan.

After going scoreless in two Colts Neck losses to Wall in the final week of the regular season, Tuschmann bounced back by finishing his season with a scoring surge. He scored six goals in three NJSIAA Tournament games, including a game-winning goal in the 75th minute of the sectional semifinals against Matawan and a dazzling hat trick in the Central Jersey East Group III North championship win over Cranford. He is set to return for his senior year at Colts Neck with career totals of 36 goals and 12 assists.

PARKER NICKELSEN, Sr., Toms River North 2020 STATS: 15 goals, 7 assists Ali Baish may have been the top scorer on Toms River North’s two sectional championship teams over the past two years, but Nickelsen was equally integral to the Mariners’ seven postseason wins in 2019 and 2020. Toms River North overwhelmed opposing defenses with the dynamic duo of Baish and Nickelsen, with Baish putting up a goal and three assists in three postseason games this past season and Nickelsen complementing him with a goal and two assists – including a goal or an assist in all three playoff wins.

Nickelsen finished his senior season with the fifth-highest goal total in the Shore Conference this season and the top mark on Toms River North. His lone postseason goal came in the second half of a 3-2 win over Freehold Township and proved to be the game-winner. In the week prior to the state tournament, Nickelsen posted three goals and an assist in two games against fellow Class A South co-champion Southern – a standout performance while Toms River North failed to win both matches.

Last year, Nickelsen’s golden goal in the South Jersey Group IV championship win was not enough to push the Mariners forward over the top as an All-Shore player, but he kicked down the door in his final season and finished his last two years with 22 goals and 13 assists.

JOHNNY HART, Sr., Pinelands 2020 STATS: 14 goals, 8 assists For the fourth straight season, Pinelands finished the season on top of the Shore Conference Class B South standings and it is not a coincidence that the four-year streak coincides with the high school career of Hart. The Wildcats senior finished the season tied sixth in the Shore Conference in goals and tied for seventh in total scoring while leading his team to a 12-1-2 overall record. Hart logged five multi-goal games and six times he scored a goal that went down as an official game-winner.

It is one thing to score a game-winning goal but it is something else to perform the way Hart did in crunch time for the Wildcats. You are not guaranteed to see a team score a golden goal in the final two minutes of overtime during the course of an entire season and Hart managed to do it twice. He hit a picture-perfect free kick to beat Lacey in the 99th minute on Oct. 20 and in the NJSIAA sectional quarterfinal round, he scored with less than one second left before the end of the second overtime period to stun Neptune – a memorable final goal of the season. Hart wraps up his high school career with 32 goals and 25 assists, three official division championships and a virtual title in 2020.

MIDFIELD: KEVIN KIERNAN, Sr., Southern 2020 STATS: 27 goals, 9 assists Even in a season shortened due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Kiernan managed to put together a remarkable senior campaign that stacks up against just about any Player-of-the-Year performance of the last decade – at least on an individual level. Team success usually comes with the territory for a Player of the Year and while Southern did not win an outright championship of any kind, the Rams still had a historic season by their program standards. With Kiernan leading the way, Southern unofficially won a share of the Class A South championship for only the second time ever and the first time since 1989. The Rams had never even been to an NJSIAA sectional final prior to this season and nearly won their first title before losing to Toms River North in overtime in the sectional final round.

Kiernan led the Shore Conference both in goals scored and total scoring, scored in 16 of Southern’s 17 games, posted six goals in three games vs. Toms River North – the No. 3 team in the final Shore Sports Network Top 10 – and put up five goals in three NJSIAA Playoff games. He scored six game-winning goals and two overtime golden goals, the second of which game the Rams a 4-3 overtime win at Toms River North on Nov. 9. Still uncommitted as a college prospect, Kiernan finishes his high school career as Southern’s all-time leading scorer, with 65 goals and 18 assists to go with three All-Shore selections – two FirstTeam and one Second.

Soccer All-Shore First Team

Continued on page 29

9

years, Donovan Catholic belonged to the latter group.

For much of their program’s history, the Griffins have been mediocre at best. While there have been some banner moments pre-2017 - a state sectional title in 1976, two division titles and a nine-win season in 1992 – there have been nearly as many one-win or winless seasons (11) as there have been winning seasons (15) in the history of Donovan Catholic football.

That is why what Donovan Catholic has accomplished over the past four years and specifically in 2020 is so impressive. Four years ago when Dan Curcione took the job as the Griffins’ 14th head coach in program history, the program was at rock bottom having just finished 0-10 for the second time in three years. In the four years since, Curcione has taken the Griffins from winless to fearless, from a laughing stock to a juggernaut.

By Bob Badders Managing Editor

uccess is defined in a myriad of ways in the world of high school football. For some teams, it’s championship or bust.

S

For others, it’s simply to have a winning record. For certain programs, just being competitive in every game is the main goal.

Such is the nature of high school athletics in general.

There are programs within the Shore Conference that have the same championship aspirations and expectations every year and others who are just trying to get by. For

The 2020 season wasn’t perfect for Donovan Catholic and didn’t feature a storybook ending, but the fact the Griffins were in position to finish the season as the No. 1 team in the Shore Conference – a previously unthinkable attainment – speaks volumes. For steadily turning a winless program into one of the best in New Jersey, Curcione is the 2020 Shore Sports Network Football Coach of the Year.

This season was certainly not a disappointment for Donovan even if the ending was. The Griffins fell to Wall, 18-15, in the unofficial Shore Conference championship game when the Crimson Knights stopped them on fourthand-goal from the 2-yard line with under a minute left in the game. It was a crushing defeat given how close they were to reaching the top but in the days and weeks after when the team had the chance to properly reflect on what they had accomplished, they knew it was a special year.

“I’m really proud, especially for the players who have been with me for four years,” Curcione said. “They have done something that not a lot of kids do and that’s come to a school that was 0-10 the year before and stick it out through a lot of ups and downs and accomplish what they have. I couldn’t be prouder of those guys. Players win games and coaches are there to not screw things up, so hopefully I’ve done a decent job of that.”

Expectations were high for Donovan Catholic coming off a 9-2 season in 2019 in which they captured the Liberty Division title and reached the NJSIAA Non-Public Group 3 semifinals. With multiple three- and four-year returning starters and impressive talent all over the field there was a legitimate belief that the Griffins could be the best team in the Shore.

Through the first four games of the season, the Griffins were untouchable with wins over Brick Memorial (42-6), Toms River East (47-7), Toms River South (49-6) and Brick (33-0). Then came a

test in the form of a Southern Regional team that featured one of the Shore’s best running backs and a stingy defense.

After four straight blowout wins, the Griffins found themselves trailing 7-0 at halftime and 14-7 early in the third quarter before rallying for a 21-14 victory. The one knock on Donovan Catholic was that it could not get over the hump and win against a fellow ranked team, and the win over Southern answered a major question.

“That was the point I said we were ready to play some of the tougher teams,” Curcione said. “I went in at halftime and told them this is what you need. Was I happy with how we were playing? No, but that’s going to happen eventually. I told them they needed to play in a tight game and get used to that. Now we’ll see what you’re all about. It showed me we had a lot of poise under pressure.”

The following week, Donovan shut down a potent Toms River North offense in a 35-0 victory to finish the regular season 6-0. Next up was the defining stretch, a two-game postseason in a four-team bracket that also included No. 1 Wall, No. 3 Red Bank Catholic and No. 4 Mater Dei Prep in an unofficial Shore Conference Tournament. The Griffins had their eyes on a matchup with Wall, but first they had to get past a Red Bank Catholic program that has been among the Shore’s best for many years and handed Donovan a home defeat in 2019.

If the win over Southern proved whether or not Donovan could beat another ranked team, the Griffins’ 28-14 win over Red Bank Catholic proved they were one of the elite teams in the conference and one that could go toe-to-toe with the other non-public schools. Now, the Griffins were 7-0 and set up to meet No. 1 Wall in the Shore Conference title game.

The night of Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, will be remembered for one of the best games in Shore Conference history, an epic clash in the first-ever Shore Conference championship game, even if it was not officially labeled as such. The Griffins showed toughness, poise and determination in rallying from a 12-0 deficit to take an 18-12 lead in the second half, but Wall authored its own rally to pull ahead and came up with an all-time defensive play to take the title.

The top spot wasn’t in the cards this year, but it took the eventual No. 1 team in New Jersey with an all-time defense to deny Donovan Catholic. The Griffins finished 7-1 and as a top-10 team in the state. Given its ascendence over the past four years, it’s now easy to envision Donovan Catholic as a championship team. Again, this was a program that was 0-10 four years ago.

“I am honored to be selected as coach of the year,” Curcione said. “It is a team effort and I have to mention all the support Father Scott, Dr. Gere, AD’s Joe Gomulka and Tom Moriau and the rest of the administration has given me. I believe I have a great staff that is just as big a part of any honor: Chip LaBarca Jr., Jack Nascimento, Dean Helstowski, Jon Power, Ryan Wells, Deano Helstowski, Sean McPherson, Mile Heilala, Eric Bruno, Bob Coates and strength and condition Coach Mark Deppen.”

“And I have to say, anybody who coached this year, this was not easy for anybody (during COVID-19) so my hat’s off to all the coaches. This is a great coaching conference so to accept any kind of award that recognizes me; there is a lot of really good football coaches in the Shore.”

Photos by: Ray Rich Photography rayrichphotography.smugmug.com 10

11

valuable Larkin is, how the Crimson Knights’ rare twoway star holds the key to Wall’s toolbox.

With Larkin on the field everything changes, and that was again evident in 2020. Larkin played in all seven games and led Wall to the unofficial Shore Conference championship, a perfect 7-0 season and the consensus No. 1 ranking in New Jersey. As a star running back, Larkin ran for 870 yards and 13 touchdowns on an average of nine yards per carry and also led the team in receiving. As a versatile defensive back, Larkin was both a lockdown cornerback and a playmaking strong safety depending on the gameplan and was a leader of a Wall defense that allowed just 5.4 points per game and recorded four shutouts. Wall could have been great without Larkin, but with him the Crimson Knights were legendary. That is why he has been selected as the 2020 Shore Sports Network Most Valuable Player.

By Bob Badders Managing Editor

iven all that Wall has accomplished over the last two seasons, magnifying the one blemish on its resume over the last 20 games is admittingly an odd angle to take. But for the sake of quantifying what Casey Larkin means to the Crimson Knights, it must be done.

G

With an NJSIAA sectional championship, an undefeated season, two Shore Sports Network Team of the Year awards, a Shore Conference championship and now, being crowned the No. 1 team in New Jersey, Wall has literally done it all over the last two years. The Crimson Knights have won 20 straight games against the Shore Conference dating back to 2018 and are 19-1 in their last 20 games. They just completed the program’s first undefeated season since 1983.

So, about that one loss…

Wall did not ascend to No. 1 in the state because of one player but it’s also no coincidence the only game Wall has lost over the past two seasons is the only one in which Larkin did not play. The 2019 NJSIAA Group 3 Regional Championship game against a Woodrow Wilson team loaded with FBS recruits had Larkin stuck on the sideline because a concussion sustained in a Thanksgiving Day win over Manasquan left him unable to compete. He was understandably devastated for not being able to be on the field and even more so when the Crimson Knights came up just short, 12-7, despite a valiant defensive effort.

That game revealed many things and certainly did not diminish Wall’s profile. It showcased how complete of a team the Crimson Knights are and foreshadowed the dominance of its 2020 defense. It also proved just how

12

“It’s just remarkable the capacity of one player, the impact that one player can make,” said Wall head coach Tony Grandinetti. “He came up his freshman year for the playoffs and made an impact on special teams, and since then every opponent who has played us the last three years has had to account for No. 23 on offense and defense. He’s a game-changer because everyone has to gameplan for him.”

Versatility is Larkin’s calling card. He was a priceless chess piece for Wall’s offense that Grandinetti, who doubles as offensive coordinator, used to create matchups nightmares for opposing defenses. On defense, Larkin could do it all and that gave defensive coordinator Jeremy Balina the ability to devise any scheme he wanted.

“As far as me and Jeremy putting him in gameplans, it’s a coach’s dream,” Grandinetti said. “We can put him anywhere. If there’s a wide receiver we need to lock down: Casey. If we need an extra strong safety in the box: Casey. And offensively, good luck guessing where he’s going to be.”

“That’s kind of the Wall way,” Larkin said.

“Ever since we were little we just wanted to play football and anywhere the coach told me to play that’s where I was.”

Larkin’s football future is as an FBS defensive back at Army where he was recruited as a strong safety. This season offered two perfect examples of why.

In Week 3, Wall traveled to Jackson Memorial to face a Jaguars team that featured standout senior running back Will Towns, a Wake Forest recruit who finished the season as the Shore Conference’s leading rusher.

Balina moved Larkin in the box as a strong safety and he recorded nine tackles with two tackles for loss and two passes defensed as Wall held Towns to just 32 yards rushing and shut out Jackson, 22-0. Larkin also ran for 139 yards and two touchdowns.

In the Shore Conference championship game against Donovan Catholic, Wall needed to match up Larkin against the Griffins’ all-state wide receiver, dynamic senior Jayon Farrar. Donovan moved Farrar around a lot to try to create better matchups, but when possible Larkin was glued to Farrar. The star wideout caught seven passes but was limited to 38 yards.

Larkin finished the season with 32 tackles, three tackles for loss, five passes defensed and one fumble recovery. Although he played in all seven games, he only appeared briefly against Manasquan due to tweaking his shoulder early in the game and being held out for precautionary reasons.

“If you’re talking about a lockdown corner you’re talking about someone with very good speed, hips and ball skills,” Grandinetti said. “That’s what a quality corner is at any level and that’s the skill set they have. Casey has that. And then to take a player with that skill set and bring them into the box where you now have a 190-pound kid running a 4.4 and playing in the alley or filling the hole. That’s a rare combination. In high school, you usually get one or the other. Casey has that kind of versatility. If we really wanted to or needed to, we could have even put him at inside linebacker.”

If not for the injury against Manasquan where he had 50 yards rushing on just two carries, Larkin could have reached the 1,000-yard rushing mark in just seven games. Aside from the Manasquan game, he ran for over 100

yards in five of six games. His only other sub-100-yard game was a seven-carry, 72-yard, three-touchdown performance in a 44-0 blowout of Neptune where the starters were out of the game early. He opened the season with 155 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries in a 55-13 win over Point Boro, had 139 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Jackson and ran for 130 yards and a touchdown in a 31-10 win over Middletown South to close out the regular season.

In the Shore Conference Championship Pod semifinals, Larkin ran for a career-high 193 yards on 20 carries and scored two touchdowns as Wall hammered Mater Dei Prep, 42-0. In the championship game against Donovan, an 1815 victory in an all-time classic, Larkin ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.

“My philosophy on offense is that we’re going to change formations,” Grandinetti said. “One week Casey could be in the “I”, the next week we could be under center and then we could go empty and put him in the slot or could go 10 or 11 personnel and put him at quarterback.

The things he did on offense are just so impressive. He carried the ball, he caught the ball and we even had plays where he’s kicking out as a fullback.”

The three phases of football are offense, defense and special teams. For Larkin, it was offense, defense and intangibles. He grew into a leader over the course of his career and the importance of what he did off the field became just as important as his achievements between the lines.

the years,” Grandinetti said. “At first he was just the phenomenal athlete. He was a lead-byexample guy. His junior year into his senior year he was the first one in the weight room and what I saw was his vocal leadership, not just with the varsity but with the guys coming up about how we do things at Wall. He had the ability to talk to his teammates.

If Casey Larkin is saying something guys are listening.”

Although he is reluctant to admit it, missing the Woodrow Wilson game at the end of the 2019 season was painful for Larkin and drove him throughout the offseason leading into his senior year.

“He won’t come out and say it, but I’ve known Casey

well enough that I know it bothered him,” Grandinetti said.

“That he wasn’t, not only able to play, but he wasn’t able to be there for his friends, he felt like he was letting them down, which he was not. But that drove him all offseason. That motivated him. And when your best players on the team are driven and motivated and the first ones in and the last ones to leave, everyone else is going to buy in.”

In 2020 where so much is out of everyone’s control, Larkin was able to end his career on his own terms and how he envisioned. He stepped on his home field one final time with a group of friends he’s known for most of his life and won an epic championship game. It was the storybook ending from one of the best teams Wall has ever fielded led by one of its all-time great players.

“It’s something I can’t even put into words,” Larkin said. “There was a time in the beginning of the season when we didn’t know if we were even going to be able to play (because of COVID-19). Coming off last year and that loss at Rutgers, we thought we had something to prove. This season is something I’m never going to forget. Ending the way it did, that’s something you dream about playing backyard football with your boys. It’s something I’ll talk about the rest of my life.”

“It was great to see him mature over

P h o t o s b y : Richard O’Donnell richardodonnellphotography.com . & Ray Rich Photography rayrichphotography.smugmug.com

13

14

ven the best players in their given sport have a bad day now and again and maybe that was true of Southern Regional star midfielder Kevin Kiernan during his first three high-school seasons.

E

By Matt Manley Senior Staff Writer

If you are looking for a bad game during Kiernan’s fourth and final season of high school soccer – one that was in doubt during the summer due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus – you will be searching forever. He didn’t have one.

Kiernan made the absolute most out of his last season on the pitch at Southern and his team just about did the same. With a ShoreConference-best 27 goals and nine assists to lead his Rams to a 142-1 record, an unofficial Class A South co-championship for the first time in 31 years and a first ever trip to an NJSIAA sectional final, Kiernan is the hands-down choice for 2020 Shore Sports Network Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

"The kid is phenomenal," Southern coach Guy Lockwood – former standout player at Southern himself – said of his star player. "He has a great future ahead of him. He is just is way ahead up in the mind. We could see his brilliance as a sophomore. He is spectacular. He can change the game for you in a heartbeat and the way the guys play off of him is fantastic as well because they are very confident he'll put them in the right spot to do something with it."

It was one thing for Kiernan to lead the Shore Conference with his 27 goals and 63 total points while playing in a Class A South division that was, arguably, the toughest in the conference from top to bottom. It was another for him to score than many goals – the most by a Class A South player since Cameron Geerinck (Toms River South) and Robert Biele (Lacey) each scored 28 in 2015 – in just 17 matches.

The low games-played total – the product of a condensed 2020 season – was not even the most impressive part of Kiernan’s season-long scoring barrage. Over the course of 17 games, in only one did Kiernan fail to score a goal and it came against a Central Regional side that finished the season 09-3. Even in getting shut out of a scoring a goal for himself, Kiernan assisted both goals in the Rams’ 2-1 win over the Golden Eagles on Nov. 3.

The numbers associated with Kiernan’s season are staggering, but the aesthetics to Kiernan’s game are more smooth than spectacular. According to coach, there are subtleties Kiernan possesses that others don’t and they help him get himself in position to score.

“He has this ability where, if you’re the defender, he knows exactly when your foot is going to move to try to get to the ball,” Lockwood said. “It’s like a Messi brilliance. His strides are always set to what your feet are doing and as soon as you go to reach, he’s already gone.”

The 2020 season was arguably the best ever for the Southern program, whose only Class A South division championship was a co-title in 1989. The Rams failed to win three of their 17 games this season and it was not because the opponent shut down Kiernan. Southern’s attacking midfielder scored two goals in each of those three games – a regular-season 3-2 loss at Brick, a 33 draw vs. Toms River North to end the regular season, and a 3-2 overtime loss at Toms River North in the NJSIAA Central Jersey East Group IV South championship game.

Kiernan r e m a i n s uncommitted as a prospective college soccer player, according to Lockwood. He offers a unique set of skills, which includes that seemingly effortless pace that opponents struggle to match and surprising physicality for a player with his slender build.

"He is easily the best player I have ever played against," Toms River North senior Danny Moreno said of Kiernan. "He is insane. He is technical everywhere. He can pass, shoot, he is good in the air - which is insane.”

Above all else, teammates, opposing players and coaches praise Kiernan’s ability to see plays before they happen and position himself to score goals and set up teammates.

"He was a thorn in our side every game," Toms River North coach Joe Mahon said of Kiernan.

"The ball always seems to find him, but he reads the game so well, that he is always anticipating. He is never reactive because he knows where the play is going. You can't follow the ball, you have to stay with him. We try to man-mark him, but he always finds a way. He's a special player."

Of course, Kiernan’s scoring prowess helped Southern win 14 games as well. He scored six game-winning goals, two overtime golden goals and scored five goals in three postseason games. His first golden goal came in a 2-1 win at Toms River South and he notched a second game-ending score to cap a thrilling, 4-3, win at Toms River North on Nov. 9. Kiernan also scored the lone goal in Southern’s 1-0 win over Long Branch in the sectional semifinal round of the state tournament.

Kiernan posted multiple goals in eight games, with four two-goal performances in his final five games, including all three showdowns vs. fellow Class A South co-champion Toms River North. He recorded two hat tricks – one a four-goal performance vs. Brick Memorial and the other a three-goal match in a 3-0 win over Toms River East.

During his four-goal game vs. Brick Memorial on Oct. 6, Kiernan became Southern’s all-time leading goal-scorer and created plenty of distance between himself and prior record-holder, Matt Kmosko, over the remainder of the season. Kiernan finished his career with 65 goals and 18 assists.

Photo Courtesy Michelle Kiernan 15

QB – Sha’Kim Shuler, Sr., Freehold One of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in New Jersey, Shuler had a tremendous season by passing and rushing for over 1,100 yards each in just eight games to lead Freehold to a 6-2 record and the No. 7 ranking in the Shore. Shuler completed 57 percent of his passes for 1,155 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions and ran for 1,206 yards and 15 touchdowns on an average of 7.4 yards per carry. He also had a kickoff return for a touchdown and on defense recorded 21 tackles with two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He ran for over 200 yards three times, including rushing for 267 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries in a 40-37 win over Middletown North. Shuler was also selected as the Offensive Player of the Year in his division by the coaches.

QB – Jake Kazanowsky, Sr., Toms River North A two-time first-team All-Shore selection, Kazanowsky led the Shore Conference in passing for the second consecutive season by throwing for 1,652 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 69 percent of his passes.

He also ran for 372 yards and four touchdowns on an average of 8.9 yards per carry for a Mariners offense that averaged 22.6 points per game. His signature game came in Toms River North’s 42-40 win over Jackson Memorial when he completed 16 of 22 passes for 266 yards and a career-high five touchdowns and ran for a career-high 156 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.

16

RB – Jahdir Loftland, Sr., Donovan Catholic The 2020 Shore Sports Network Offensive Player of the Year, Loftland ran for 1,369 and 17 touchdowns on an average of 8.8 yards per carry for the No. 1 scoring offense in the Shore to help the Griffins go 7-1, finish No. 2 in the SSN Top 10 and finish No. 9 in New Jersey.

Loftland ran for over 100 yards in all eight of Donovan’s games, including 200-yard games against Southern and Brick and 127 yards against a Wall defense that had not allowed a 100-yard rusher in two years. Loftland performed great in Donovan’s most important games with a career-high 224 yards rushing in a win over Southern, 160 yards rushing in a win over Red Bank Catholic and 127 yards vs. Wall in the Shore Conference championship game.

He also ran for 146 yards and three touchdowns on just five carries in a win over Toms River South. Loftland was selected as the co-Offensive Player of the Year in his division by the coaches.

RB – Will Towns, Sr., Jackson Memorial The 2020 Shore Conference rushing champion, Towns led the Shore with 1,379 yards and 13 touchdowns on an average of 7.3 yards per carry to earn first-team All-Shore honors for the second straight year. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound standout ran for over 100 yards in six of eight games, including one 200-yard game and two 300-yard games. He added two receiving touchdowns. In a 42-40 loss to Toms River North, Towns ran for 300 yards and five touchdowns on 29 carries and also returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown. He followed that performance with 232 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries in a win over Brick. His sensational three-game stretch concluded with a careerhigh 303 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 26 carries in a win over Jackson Liberty. Over his three years, Towns totaled 3,243 yards rushing and 33 touchdowns. Towns will continue his career at Wake Forest University.

RB – John Volker, Sr., Rumson-Fair Haven After battling injuries throughout his junior year, Volker stayed healthy and put it all together as a senior to earn a spot on the All-Shore first team. Volker ran for 1,184 yards and 16 touchdowns on an average of 7.7 yards per carry for a Rumson offense that averaged 29.3 points per game. The Bulldogs went 6-2, finished No. 5 in the SSN Top 10 and won their four-team pod with victories over Colts Neck and Freehold.

Volker ran for over 100 yards in all eight of Rumson’s games, including a season-high 206 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-6 win over Middletown South. Incredibly, Volker scored on Rumson’s first offensive play in each of the first three games of the season, breaking a 65-yard touchdown run against Middletown North, a 56-yard touchdown run against Long Branch and a 56-yard touchdown run against Red Bank Catholic. He was selected as the Offensive Player of the Year in his division by the coaches. Volker will continue his career in the Ivy League at Princeton University.

TE – Alex Bauman, Jr., Red Bank Catholic

OL – Grant Puharic, Sr., Wall

After showing flashes of his potential as a sophomore, Bauman emerged as a great two-way player for a Caseys team that finished No. 3 in the SSN Top 10. As a tight end he caught 14 passes for 232 yards and as a defensive end he led the way with 53 tackles, four sacks and one safety. In a 103 win over No. 4 Mater Dei to open the season, Bauman had 12 tackles and one sack and in a 21-14 win over No. 4 Rumson-Fair Haven he made 10 tackles.

His play helped the Caseys go 4-2 and qualify for the Shore Conference Championship Pod. The 6-foot-4, 225pounder has begun to garner considerable FBS interest and owns scholarship offers from Notre Dame, Rutgers, Wake Forest and Coastal Carolina.

A two-way standout and one of Wall’s senior leaders, Puharic’s play up front was one of the major reasons Wall went 7-0, won the Shore Conference Championship Pod and finished No. 1 both in the SSN Top 10 and the final New Jersey state rankings. At left tackle, Puharic blocked for an offense that rushed for 1,678 yards and 26 touchdowns and averaged 33.3 points per game. Along the defensive line, Puharic made 14 tackles with one sack, two passes defensed and one fumble recovery for a unit that allowed just 5.4 points per game and recorded four shutouts. Puharic hopes to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point.

WR – Jayon Farrar, Sr., Donovan Catholic A two-time first-team All-Shore selection, Farrar had his best season yet in his first and only season at Donovan Catholic after transferring from Long Branch. Farrar led the Shore in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns with 47 catches for 614 yards and nine touchdowns. He was also a weapon on jet sweeps with 144 yards rushing on an average of 6.5 yards per carry. On defense he added 22 tackles and three interceptions. Farrar’s top games came against Toms River East with eight catches for 154 yards and a touchdown and in a win over Red Bank Catholic with 10 catches for 100 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-14 victory. His played helped the Griffins go 7-1, finish No. 2 in the SSN Top 10 and finish No. 9 in the New Jersey.

WR – Zac Browne, Sr., Toms River North An All-Shore selection for the second consecutive season, Browne was second in the Shore in receptions and yards with 42 catches for 606 yards and one touchdown for a Toms River North offense that averaged 22.6 points per game. His high-water mark was a 12-catch, 149-yard performance against No. 2 Donovan Catholic.

WR – Naran Buntin, Sr., Mater Dei Prep A game-breaking wideout who will play at the FBS level, Buntin caught 27 passes for 470 yards and three touchdowns for a Mater Dei Prep team that went 5-2, finished No. 4 in the SSN Top 10 and qualified for the Shore Conference Championship Pod. Buntin’s best games came in wins over Long Branch, RumsonFair Haven and Manalapan. He caught four passes for 72 yards and a touchdown in a 34-20 victory over Long Branch and had four catches for 88 yards and a touchdown, which included a game-winning hook-and-lateral touchdown, in a 26-19 win over Rumson. He was unstoppable in a 27-10 win over Manalapan with nine receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown. Buntin is verbally committed to Kent State University.

OL – Cam McNair, Sr., Donovan Catholic A 6-foot-5, 325-pound behemoth, McNair was the top lineman for a powerful Donovan Catholic offense to earn firstteam All-Shore honors for the second year in a row. McNair’s blocking paved the way for Offensive Player of the Year Jahdir Loftland to rush for 1,369 yards and 17 touchdowns and the Griffins to total 2,107 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns on an average of 263 yards per game. Donovan also had the No. 1 scoring offense in the Shore at 33.8 points per game. McNair even scored a rushing touchdown and chipped in on defense with 19 tackles and one sack. His play helped Donovan go 7-1, finish No. 2 in the SSN Top 10 and finish No. 9 in New Jersey. He holds multiple FBS scholarship offers, including Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Liberty and Buffalo.

OL – Rakim Cooper, Sr., Mater Dei Prep The 6-foot-4, 285-pound Cooper was a two-way standout up front for a Mater Dei team that went 5-2, finished No. 4 in the SSN Top 10 and qualified for the Shore Conference Championship Pod. His blocking helped the Seraphs rush for 1,105 yards on an average of 5.7 yards per carry and pass for 957 yards and eight touchdowns. He also contributed on defense with 24 tackles, 2 sacks and 3 tackles for loss. An FBS recruit, Cooper recently de-committed from Temple and has reopened his recruitment. He also holds FBS offers from Buffalo, Central Michigan, Coastal Carolina, West Virginia, Navy and several FCS offers, including Monmouth University.

OL – Dan Volpe, Jr., Colts Neck A 6-foot-6, 305-pound mountain in the trenches for the Cougars, Volpe helped pave the way for Colts Neck to rush for 1,844 yards and 25 touchdowns on an average of seven yards per carry, pass for 720 yards and five touchdowns and average 26.6 points per game. He also chipped on defense with 26 tackles and one sack for a unit that allowed 13.5 points per game. His play helped the Cougars go 7-1 and finish No. 6 in the SSN Top 10.

OL – Joey Mancino, Sr., Holmdel Holmdel’s veer offense was among the best in the Shore with an average of 27.4 points per game and Mancino’s blocking was a major reason why. The 6-foot-3, 305-pound road grader helped pave the way for Holmdel to rush for 2,472 yards and 26 touchdowns on an average of 8.6 yards per carry in just seven games. Holmdel had a 1,000-yard rusher, a 700-yard rusher and a 500-yard rusher and averaged 353 yards rushing per game. The Hornets went 6-1 and finished No. 9 in the SSN Top 10. Mancino has multiple scholarship offers along with preferred walk-on opportunities at Nebraska and Texas Tech.

UT – Luke O’Hea, Sr., Raritan O’Hea fits the definition of a utility player perfectly as he made contributions as a rusher, pass-catcher and defensive back to lead the Rockets to a 6-1 season. As a slot back in Raritan’s option-based offense, O’Hea ran for 378 yards and eight touchdowns on an average of 9.95 yards per carry and caught 15 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns.

On defense, O’Hea made a team-leading 60 tackles, intercepted a pass and scored a touchdown. His play helped Raritan close the season on a six-game winning streak and finish No. 10 in the SSN Top 10.

OL – James Smith, Sr., Rumson-Fair Haven A two-time first-team All-Shore selection, Smith was the top lineman for a Rumson offense that averaged 29.3 points per game, ran for 1,652 yards and 23 touchdowns on an average of six yards per carry and totaled 309 yards of offense per game. His play in the trenches helped the Bulldogs go 6-2, finish No. 5 in the SSN Top 10 and win their postseason pod with victories over Colts Neck and Freehold. Smith is verbally committed to Merrimack College, which plays at the FCS level in the Northeast Conference.

First Team Offense Continued on page 18

17

First Team Offense

Continued from page 17

K – Mason Shenk, Jr., St. John Vianney UT – Jaiden Brown, Jr., Southern In his third year as a starting running back and second at Southern, Brown had another 1,000-yard campaign to enter the Rams’ record book and earn a first-team All-Shore designation. A powerful tailback, Brown rushed for 1,091 yards and 14 touchdowns on an average of 7.2 yards per carry for a Southern team that averaged 27.6 points per game. In the process, he became Southern’s all-time leading rusher and the Rams’ all-time leading scorer. Brown ran for 200 yards twice, including a career-high 240 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries in a 48-14 win over Toms River North and 222 yards and four touchdowns in a 28-13 win over Brick Memorial. He was also a standout linebacker and made a team-high 68 tackles and two interceptions. Brown was the co-Offensive Player of the Year in his division as selected by the coaches.

18

Shenk was the Shore Conference’s leading scorer among kickers with 42 points, including going a perfect 24-for-24 on extra points and connecting on a conference-high six field goals with a conference-long of 44 yards. Shenk was also a standout defender at outside linebacker with 46 tackles, 5 sacks, 9 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery to help the Lancers go 5-4.

Photos by:

very high school soccer player in New Jersey had to wait an additional month to start their season in 2020 and the Christian Brothers Academy soccer team had their offseason drag on for an additional nine days - eight of which required them to isolate from one another.

E

Mojares and Ethan Beyer turned into the strength of the team, with Longo leading the way as a third-year starter.

By Matt Manley Senior Staff Writer

Sieg remained a steady presence in the midfield as one of the three returning starters and tallied four goals and five assists in the process.

Senior Shane Borenius, meanwhile, was the team's most dynamic player and in his second year starting at outside midfielder, he led CBA in scoring with nine goals. He scored goals in wins over Rumson-Fair Haven and Long Branch, then starred in victories over Holmdel (a goal and an assist), St. Joseph (the lone goal of a 1-0) win and St. Rose (two goals in a 4-1 win).

That meant no games or no official practices while the CBA campus was shut down and classes were all conducted remotely due to COVID-19 protocol.

While soccer finally returned and raged on in the Garden State and throughout the Shore, one of the state's more prestigious programs was stuck at home.

Graydon Santos was the other major contributing senior in the CBA midfield and juniors Declan Kelly, Jake Homowitz and Marco Mastriani were both integral in their first season as varsity midfielders, with Kelly providing versatility as an outside defender as well.

When the Colts finally joined the 2020 season, they more than made up for the lost time.

Despite returning only three starters from a 2019 side that finished 13-4-3 and No. 2 in the Shore Sports Network Top 10, this year's CBA squad authored an unbeaten season that included victories over some of the Shore's best programs and an NJSIAA sectional championship. Their pristine 2020 resume earns the Colts the first ever Shore Sports Network Team of the Year trophy in boys soccer - presented to the top team in the Shore Conference from the past season and to be displayed at the winning school until the start of next season.

The abbreviated 2020 schedule eliminated the Shore Conference Tournament for the first time since its inception in 1984, meaning neither CBA nor any other Shore team could prove its supremacy within the conference via a shared tournament. That meant every team that fancied itself a contender for the No. 1 ranking in the area had to prove it each and every game and the body of work CBA put together in that pursuit wound up a step ahead of the field - even though the Colts started the season more than a week behind.

As always, the Shore Conference Class A North division was as good as any in the conference, particularly at the top of the table. Because of the lost time at the beginning of the season and a later cancellation of a game vs. Marlboro, CBA played only 10 of 14 divisional matches but did enough in those 10 to prove itself the best side in the field.

The Colts twice beat Freehold Township - the reigning Shore Conference Tournament champions and the preseason No. 1 team heading into 2020 - and outscored the Patriots by a 4-1 aggregate score.

The other powerhouse squad in A North during 2020 was Long Branch and although their scheduled pair of games was postponed due to CBA's shutdown, the teams squeezed in one of the two meetings on a Saturday morning in Lincroft.

CBA left no doubt about its A North supremacy, turning back the Green Wave, 3-0.

The defense kept the opposition away from CBA's senior goalkeeper tandem of Michael Jakub and Thomas Manner, but both first-year varsity keepers were up to the task when the ball came their way. The two combined on a Shore-best 10 shutouts and Manners twice saved penalty kicks, which came in wins over Long Branch and Middletown South.

The early cancellations afforded CBA an chance to schedule two games outside of the A North division and the Colts made the most of opportunity. They opened their season with a 3-0 win over a Rumson-Fair Haven team that spent time late in the season in the Shore Sports Network Top 10 and figures to be in a similar position next year, when the Bulldogs return three top offensive producers.

The second of the two inter-divisional meetings was the more noteworthy of the two and, perhaps, CBA's biggest win of the year. The Colts made the short trip to Holmdel High School on Nov. 7 and in defeating the host team, 3-1, ended Holmdel's 65-game unbeaten streak that dated back to early October of 2017.

After breaking Holmdel's streak, CBA recharged for the NJSIAA Tournament with a pair of games against Manalapan, including a surprising 0-0 draw against the winless Braves (010-1) in the first of the two games. That was CBA's lone blemish of the season and it came on a day in which senior captain, center midfielder and Monmouth University commit Brett Sieg was sidelined with a foot injury he sustained early in the second half of the win over Holmdel.

CBA bounced back by beating Manalapan to close their regular season and winning two more games to complete its postseason run. The Colts edged Non-Public rival St. Joseph of Metuchen, 1-0, in the NJSIAA Central Jersey East NonPublic semifinals, than rolled to a 4-1 win over St. Rose in the championship.

CBA's unbeaten 2020 season was spearheaded by a defense that allowed just four goals in 14 games over the course of the season - the best mark in the Shore Conference by a wide margin this season and the lowest single-season total in program history. The all-senior trio of Jack Longo, Ryan

Not only were CBA's forwards productive in 2020, but the group will remain largely intact in 2021. Junior Dylan Cupo finished second on the team with seven goals, including two in the win over Long Branch and one in the 3-1 win over Holmdel.

Sophomore Will Thygeson scored three goals on the season - two of which opened the scoring in two of CBA's biggest wins. He scored the first goal in a 3-1 win over Freehold Township and tallied a goal and two assists in the championship win over St. Rose.

Jack D'Eletta was CBA's other sophomore forward and he also delivered two huge goals during the season. His goal at Freehold Township was the difference in a 1-0 Colts win that capped a season sweep of the Patriots and he also scored the third goal in the win at Holmdel.

Senior Tommy Glynn also saw time up top off the bench and his first career goal was the official game-winner in the first win over Freehold Township.

The 2020 season continues CBA's successful stretch under head coach Tom Mulligan. Mulligan was a player at CBA when the program began to take off as an area powerhouse and he succeeded his former coach and 500-game winner Dan Keane in 2016. In his five seasons at the helm, CBA is 89-12-5 with two overall NJSIAA Non-Public A championships (2016, 2018), four sectional championships (2016-2018, 2020), one Shore Conference Tournament title (2016) and one No. 1 finish in the state (2016).

There was no Shore Conference Tournament this year, but 36 years after CBA won the first ever SCT championship, the Colts closed their 2020 as the first ever Shore Sports Network Team of the Year.

19

By

Bob Badders - Managing Editor

onovan Catholic head coach Dan Curcione knew Jahdir Loftland had the talent and work ethic to be one of the best running backs in the Shore Conference. And he also knew Loftland had the patience. You don’t decide to attend a school coming off an 0-10 season without a willingness to put in the time.

That belief was further reinforced in the 391 days between the start of his junior season and the beginning of his senior year. Loftland could have been the starting running back on most teams in the Shore Conference as a junior, but instead, he split carries with a standout senior while starting on defense at outside linebacker. Instead of bemoaning his lack of carries, Loftland continued to hone his craft, making sure that when his time came he would be ready.

The 2020 season was his chance to shine, and with the role of starting running back clearly his in Donovan Catholic’s offense, Loftland took the job and literally ran with it.

In eight games, Loftland ran for 1,369 yards and 17 touchdowns on an average of 8.8 yards per carry to help lead Donovan Catholic to a 7-1 record, the No. 2 ranking in the final Shore Sports Network Top 10 and the No. 9 ranking in New Jersey. He ran for over 100 yards in every game this season, including a pair of 200-yard games, and was the only running back to rush for over 100 yards against No. 1 Wall. Loftland was second in the Shore in rushing yards and ninth in the state. For his outstanding senior year, Loftland is the 2020 SSN Offensive Player of the Year.“He was an extremely loyal kid to the program,” Curcione said. “He was definitely good enough to start for a ton of teams last year when he and Nasir (Calhoun) shared carries and it definitely had to be frustrating for him. Both guys were really good and in this day and age kids don’t like to wait their turn, but he didn’t complain, didn’t miss workouts. He just kept working and working.”

See 20

Offensive

page 22

By

Bob Badders - Managing Editor

y Any Means Necessary.

That was the rallying cry in the huddle seconds before Wall made one of the greatest and most memorable plays in the history of its football program, stopping Donovan Catholic on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line to cement its 18-15 victory in the Shore Conference championship game.

One of the players involved in that play was junior linebacker Charlie Sasso, who epitomizes the aforementioned motto as much as any player in New Jersey. No matter the situation, Sasso finds a way to get the job done and has been doing so ever since his talent left Wall’s coaching staff no choice but to start him as a freshman. As a junior, he was a superstar defender for an all-time defense on a team that finished No. 1 in the state, making it an easy choice to select him as the 2020 Shore Sports Network Defensive Player of the Year.

Shouldered with even more responsibility as a third-year starter at inside linebacker, Sasso responded with 97 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 interception and 2 fumble recoveries in seven games. He was a dominant force on a defense that will go down as one of the best in Shore Conference history as Wall allowed just 5.4 points per game and posted four shutouts en route to an undefeated season that included a Shore Conference title and the No. 1 ranking in the final state poll.

“We took it up a notch from last year,” Sasso said. “We knew we could do great things if we played like we know we can.”

Sasso is a talented athlete with an innate ability to make plays, but what sets him apart is the way he prepares.

“To be (Defensive Player of the Year) you have to have the talent and Charlie clearly has that, but what I love about Charlie is his work ethic,” said Wall head coach Tony Grandinetti.

He puts in the time in the offseason in the weight room with us and is always working on his speed and agility, and then you look at his leadership skills and his film study. All of the things you need from your better players, Charlie is the guy who leads us. He’s in the right spot at the right time and that’s a combination of ability and film study.”

Wall’s roster is chock full of talent, especially in its junior class that features three three-year starters. The Crimson Knights’ coaching staff knew what they had in Sasso when he entered the varsity program in 2018 and gave him an early opportunity to show what he could do. He made his presence felt immediately.

See

Defensive

page 24 21

Offensive

Continued from page 20

“Any good running back wants the ball and that is not lost on me or any of our coaches, but he waited his turn and then took full advantage.”

“I’m very appreciative and honored to receive this award,” Loftland said. “It’s a blessing.”

Even with limited carries over his first three seasons, the evidence was there that Loftland could have a monster senior season as the featured ball carrier. Over Loftland’s first three seasons, Donovan’s power spread offense was dominated by quarterback Ryan Clark, who was a four-year starter. As a sophomore, Loftland ran for 489 yards and three touchdowns and averaged a whopping 10.2 yards per carry. As a junior, he ran for 381 yards and six touchdowns on an average of 7.8 yards per carry. All the while he was excelling on defense, too. He had 49 tackles and a sack as a sophomore and recorded 51 tackles, 8 tackles for loss and 2 sacks as a junior.

Donovan’s one and only loss of the season came to top-ranked Wall, 18-15, in the Shore Conference championship game but Loftland did what no other running back had done over the last two seasons by rushing for over 100 yards against the Crimson Knights’ vaunted defense.

He finished with 127 yards and t w o touchdowns on 21 carries.

It took only one game this season to see Loftland was ready to be an elite running back. In Donovan’s season-opening game he ran for 171 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries in a 42-6 win over Brick Memorial. He followed that up with 127 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries in a 47-7 win over Toms River East and then ran for 146 yards and three touchdowns on just five carries in a 496 win over Toms River South. Then, in a 33-0 win over Brick, Loftland ran for a career-high 230 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries.

The turning point of the season came in Week 5 when Donovan came from behind to defeat Southern Regional, 21-14, for their first win over a ranked team in the four years under Curcione. The Griffins’ ground game wore down the Rams as Loftland ran for 224 yards and a touchdown on a careerhigh 34 carries.

Donovan closed out a perfect 6-0 regular season with a 35-0 win over Toms River North and Loftland starred again with 184 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 14 carries. The win ensured Donovan Catholic a spot in the four-team postseason pod that also included Wall, Red Bank Catholic and Mater Dei Prep in a mini Shore Conference Tournament, the first of its kind in a season unlike any other.

In the SCT semifinals, Donovan earned a program-defining type of victory when it knocked off Red Bank Catholic, 28-14. It was the only game Loftland didn’t find the end zone, but his 160 yards rushing on 29 carries were instrumental in the Griffins clearing a major hurdle.

22

The long touchdown runs certainly stand out, but Loftland’s ability to be a complete back should be noted. He ran with power between the tackles and speed along the edges. He wasn’t asked to often, but he was a reliable pass-catcher out of the backfield. Being able to pick up a blitzer in pass protection was another stout yet unheralded part of his overall game.

“I think the first thing was that he came in with a lot of experience from playing two years before and he understood the offense and

the running game we have,” Curcione said. “He’s tremendous in pass protection, which nobody says (about high school running backs. He’s just a tough, hard-nosed, hard-working kid. He’s really difficult to bring down on the first hit and his balance is out of this world. He has a really good center of gravity and when you think you have him down he has his hand in the dirt and is getting five more yards.”

“It goes to what he is about as a person. He works hard on the field, in the weight room and in the classroom.

And he’s a gentleman. He does it all with class.”

Loftland is part of a special senior class for Donovan Catholic. He and his classmates came to the school as freshmen in Curcione’s first season when the Griffins were coming off a winless season. Together, they

transformed the identity of the program and set the foundation for a winning culture.

“Watching a kid like him and the way he’s worked to get to where he was this year with his performance, watching him do it for four years and helping to build a team that could win, that was awesome,” Curcione said. “When you have a bunch of guys who just want to win first it’s easy to coach them. His leadership and the way he went about it; he stepped up as a vocal leader this year and took a lot of pride in the fact that we built this. They wanted to be on the big stage and play in the types of games we did and it’s because of guys like Jahdir and his hard work.”

“The most satisfying thing was that he went from being a kid who wasn’t even All-Shore last year to all the work he put in and now he’s the Offensive Player of the Year. It says a lot about who he is.”

Photos by:

23

Defensive

Continued from page 21

“The way I run camp the freshmen practice with the varsity so we’re all together, so when we’re doing offense the freshmen are running defense and vice versa,” Grandinetti said. “We’re doing an inside run drill and me and (defensive coordinator Jeremy) Balina looked at each other and said let’s bring the kid up and see what he can do. He comes up and puts a junior or senior running back in the dirt with a really physical hit and me and Jeremy look at each other and say, ‘Ok, let’s groom this kid’.

And who better than Jeremy Balina to work with your stud linebackers. Every day he’s been molding him.”

Now a two-time first-team All-Shore selection, Sasso has been consistently great for the last two years in which Wall has gone 19-1, won an NJSIAA sectional title, finished No. 1 in the Shore twice, captured a Shore Conference title, finished No. 1 in New Jersey and allowed just 8.4 points per game and posted five shutouts. Sasso recorded at least 10 tackles in all seven games this season and made 15 or more stops in each of the final four games of the season. He had 13 tackles and a fumble recovery when Wall shutout Jackson Memorial, 22-0, and held Shore Conference rushing champion and Wake Forest recruit Will Towns to just 32 yards. In a 21-0 win over archrival Manasquan, Sasso had 16 tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss as the Knights held the Warriors to two yards rushing, 27 total yards of offense and only one first down. Sasso had 15 more tackles in a 31-10 win over Middletown South to end the regular season.

In the Shore Conference championship pod semifinals, Wall bludgeoned Mater Dei Prep, 42-0, in an eye-opening show of dominance and Sasso was at the forefront on defense again with 16 tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss. Then came the highlyanticipated clash of No. 1 vs. No. 2, Wall vs.

Donovan Catholic, in the unofficial Shore Conference championship game. Sasso was phenomenal with 17 tackles and a fumble recovery. On the game-winning defensive stop, sophomore defensive lineman Keisun Sanders shed his block and stopped Donovan’s Levin Wilkins just as he was set to run through a massive hole before Sasso and senior safety Casey Larkin came in to finish off the stop at the 1-yard line.

Even with a defense that includes All-State cornerback Casey Larkin and All-Shore safety Logan Peters, Sasso is the man in the middle orchestrating it all. It’s like having an extension of Balina and the defensive staff on the field.

“He makes every call,” Grandinetti said. “Logan will check some of the coverages but everything with the front seven, every call is Charlie. He calls the strength, the shifts, everything we’re doing. And it goes back to his preparation that he recognizes everything. He has the keys to the car.”

It is rare for an underclassman to receive the accolades Sasso has already earned, and while he has already enjoyed a career most would dream of, his legacy is far from complete. Despite graduating Peters, Larkin, two-way All-Shore lineman Grant Puharic and offensive lineman Eddie Van Woudenberg, Wall returns eight of 11 starters on defense, including all four of its linebackers and six of its starters in the front seven. Peters and Larkin will leave massive voids on offense, but seven offensive starters return. The challengers won’t stop throwing everything they have at Wall but the Crimson Knights don’t have any intentions of relinquishing their throne.

“There’s a lot of kids who are excited to play at the high school but they all know there’s a special culture with our high school program that is unlike a lot of places,” Grandinetti said. “To see Charlie embrace that culture and really take it to the next level, it’s exciting. He’s one of the faces of the program with Casey and Logan and with those guys graduating he’s taking the program on his shoulders. There’s no one else I’d rather have.”

That Sasso was great in an all-time classic and involved in a legendary defensive play is not at all surprising, certainly not to Wall’s coaches and Sasso’s teammates. His greatness has come to be expected and that is mainly because of the way he approaches being a football player.

Photos by:

“As odd as this is going to sound, for a 16-year old kid he carries himself like a professional,” Grandinetti said. “He takes it extremely seriously. The demeanor he has after a game is that he’s celebrating with the guys on a Friday night, but on Saturday morning it’s back to work.”

FOR INFORMATION ON HI-RES COLOR PRINTS OF ANY PAGES & IMAGES IN ANY OF OUR PUBLICATIONS CONTACT: S t e v e n M e y e r 7 3 2 - 2 3 3 - 4 4 6 0 24

steve.meyer@townsquarmedia.com

25

DL – Blake Rezk, Jr., Wall

DL – Dom Giudice Sr., Mater Dei Prep A University of Michigan recruit, Giudice is a two-time first-team All-Shore selection and closed out his career by making 59 tackles with 6 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble and 42 quarterback pressures. His play helped the Seraphs go 5-2, finish No. 4 in the SSN Top 10 and qualify for the Shore Conference Championship Pod. He was the co-Defensive Player of the Year in his division as selected by the coaches.

DL – Von Factor, Sr., Rumson-Fair Haven Factor was a standout along the defensive line for one of the best defenses in the Shore Conference to earn a first-team All-Shore designation. The disruptive defensive tackle was second on the team with 71 tackles and also second on the team with six sacks for a unit that allowed just 10.8 points per game. He had double-digit tackles in four of eight games and recorded a sack six of eight games. He was at his best in the postseason with 22 tackles, 2 sacks and 2 fumble recovery in victories over Colts Neck and Freehold. He also had two rushing touchdowns as a fullback. His play helped Rumson go 6-2, finish No. 5 in the SSN Top 10 and win their postseason pod. Factor is a two-time AllShore selection after earning second-team honors as a junior.

DL – Jake Louro, Sr., Red Bank Catholic A two-time first-team All-Shore selection, Louro is a gamewrecker from his defensive tackle spot and was a player that had to be accounted for by opposing offensive coordinators. His 32 tackles, four sacks, 12 tackles for loss and one safety only tell part of the story as his ability to get pressure up the middle resulted in double-team blocks being sent his way for much of the season.

His play helped RBC go 4-2, finish No. 3 in the SSN Top 10 and qualify for the Shore Conference Championship Pod.

An impact player along the defensive line and also one of the Shore’s best tight ends, Rezk’s play helped Wall go 7-0, win the Shore Conference Championship Pod, finish No. 1 in the SSN Top 10 for the second year in a row and earn the No. 1 ranking in New Jersey. As a defensive end, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Rezk made 41 tackles with 4 sacks, 6 tackles for loss and 1 fumble recovery on a defense that allowed just 5.4 points per game and recorded four shutouts. On offense he had a touchdown catch in a 42-0 postseason win over Mater Dei and was a standout blocker for an offense that rushed for 1,678 yards and 26 touchdowns and averaged 33.3 points per game. Rezk will be one of eight returning defensive starters for Wall next season.

LB – Quamire Green, Sr., Donovan Catholic A two-time first-team All-Shore selection, Green was a four-year starter at inside linebacker for a Donovan Catholic program that ascended to the ranks of the elite in the Shore Conference. He tied for the team lead with 89 tackles this season to go along with four sacks, two tackles for loss and one fumble recovery for a defense that allowed just 8.1 points per game and recorded two shutouts. Green had double-digit tackles in five of eight games, including 15 against Brick and Wall and 12 against Southern and Brick Memorial. All four of his sacks came in the Griffins’ 35-0 win over Toms River North. He concluded his career with 364 tackles, nine sacks and one interception.

LB – Colin Riley, Jr., Wall

LB – Charlie Sasso, Jr., Wall The 2020 Shore Sports Network Defensive Player of the Year, Sasso had an outstanding season playing in the middle of the Shore Conference’s best defense and helped lead the Crimson Knights to a 7-0 record, the Shore Conference Championship Pod title, the No. 1 ranking in the SSN Top 10 for the second year in a row and the No. 1 ranking in the state. From his spot at inside linebacker where he was a threeyear starter, Sasso was a sideline-tosideline force with 97 tackles in just seven games along with 3 sacks, 6 tackles for loss, 1 interception and 2 fumble recoveries for a defense that allowed just 5.4 points per game and recorded four shutouts. He had doubledigit tackles in all seven games, including 17 in Wall’s 18-15 win over Donovan Catholic in the Shore Conference championship game, 16 each in wins over Manasquan and Mater Dei and 15 in a win over Middletown South. Sasso leads the way among Wall’s eight returning defensive starters for next season.

LB – Dominick Nocero, Sr., Donovan Catholic A four-year starter and a leader on Donovan Catholic’s stout defense, Nocero is a first-team All-Shore selection after earning third-team honors as a junior. A standout inside linebacker, Nocero tied for the team lead with 89 tackles and added three tackles for loss, three sacks and one forced fumble for a Griffins’ defense that was second in the Shore in scoring average at 8.1 points per game and posted two shutouts. He had 16 tackles in a 21-14 win over Southern and had eight tackles and three sacks in a 35-0 win over Toms River North. Nocero finished his career with 323 tackles, 9 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. He was also selected as the co-Defensive Player of the Year in his division by the coaches.

Another member of Wall’s outstanding defense, Riley was a versatile linebacker who could play on or off the ball and impact the game wherever he was lined up. He recorded 72 tackles with a teamleading 7 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, 11 hurries and a forced fumble for a Crimson Knights’ defense that allowed just 5.4 points per game and recorded four shutouts. Riley had double-digit tackles in four of seven games and recorded a sack in six of seven games. He had 14 tackles and two sacks in a 31-10 win over Middletown South, made 11 tackles with two sacks in a 44-0 win over Neptune and posted 13 tackles with one tackle for loss in a 42-0 win over Mater Dei. His play helped Wall go 7-0, win the Shore Conference Championship Pod, finish No. 1 in the SSN Top 10 for the second year in a row and claim the No. 1 ranking in New Jersey. He is one of eight returning starters for Wall on defense next season.

LB – John Lista, Jr., Rumson-Fair Haven The latest standout linebacker for Rumson, Lista had a great junior season for a defense that was fourth in the Shore in scoring average at 10.8 points per game. In eight games, Lista recorded a team-high 75 tackles along with 4 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries as the Bulldogs went 6-2, finished No. 5 in the SSN Top 10 and won their postseason pod with wins over Colts Neck and Freehold. He had at least eight tackles in every game, including posting 12 tackles with two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in a 28-0 win over Long Branch.

Football 1 st Team Defense Continued on page 28

26

27

Football 1 st Team Defense

Continued from page 26

LB – Thomas Sardo, Jr., Holmdel The leading tackler for a Holmdel defense that was among the Shore’s best, Sardo helped the Hornets go 6-1 to give the program four straight winning seasons for the first time in school history. Holmdel finished No. 9 in the SSN Top 10. Sardo posted 73 tackles with 5.5 sacks, 8 tackles for loss and 1 forced fumble for a Hornets defense that allowed just 11.3 points per game. Sardo was also selected as the Defensive Player of the Year by the coaches in his division.

DB – Casey Larkin, Sr., Wall The 2020 Shore Sports Network Most Valuable Player, Larkin was a do-it-all player for Wall throughout his career and saved his best for last in helping deliver Wall an undefeated championship season. As a versatile defensive back, Larkin was both a shutdown cornerback and a playmaking strong safety, finishing with 32 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 5 passes defensed and 1 fumble recovery for a defense that allowed just 5.4 points per game and recorded four shutouts. As one of the Shore Conference’s best running backs, Larkin ran for 870 yards and 13 touchdowns on an average of nine yards per carry and also led Wall in receiving yards with four catches for 132 yards and a touchdown. Larkin concluded his career with 2,691 yards rushing and 30 touchdowns, 47 catches for 824 yards and six touchdowns, 119 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 6 interceptions and 16 pass breakups. He will continue his career at the FBS level when he heads to West Point to play for the Army Black Knight

DB – Logan Peters, Sr., Wall A great two-way player and leader, Peters was instrumental in Wall authoring a perfect 7-0 season that included the Shore Conference Championship Pod title, the No. 1 ranking in the SSN Top 10 for the second year in a row and the No. 1 ranking in New Jersey. As a safety, Peters made 47 tackles with 2 interceptions, 5 passes defensed and 1 tackle for loss on an alltime defense that allowed just 5.4 points per game and recorded four shutouts. As Wall’s quarterback, Peters threw for 433 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 402 yards and six touchdowns to guide an offense that averaged 33.3 points per game. In addition to his football talents, Peters is also a standout basketball player and one of the best lacrosse players in New Jersey. He is committed to continue his lacrosse career at Rutgers University.

28

UT – Scott Stevens, Jr., Lacey

DB – YahSin Calhoun, Jr., Freehold A fantastic two-way player, Calhoun made a huge impact on defense and on offense to help the Colonials go 6-2 and finish No. 7 in the SSN Top 10. The junior safety had the rare distinction of leading the Shore Conference in both tackles and interceptions by making a whopping 113 stops and pulling down six interceptions in eight games. He also forced two fumbles. Offensively, Calhoun was a dynamic playmaker who totaled 970 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns to help the Colonials average 30.8 points per game. He caught 29 passes for 564 yards and three touchdowns to finish third in the Shore in receiving yards and added 406 yards rushing and six touchdowns. He was selected as the co-Defensive Player of the Year in his division by the coaches.

DB – Ryan Ruane, Sr., Rumson-Fair Haven

A knee injury cut Stevens’ season short and limited him to just six of Lacey’s nine games, but before that he was having a great two-way season as the Lions’ forged a four-game winning streak early in the season. The 6-foot, 230-pound Stevens finished with 51 tackles for an average of 8.5 tackles per game along with six tackles for loss and one forced fumble. Stevens was also a punishing blocker and a bruising short-yardage running back for an offense that rushed for 1,996 yards and 24 touchdowns. Had had 154 yards rushing and five touchdowns on 31 attempts. Stevens was also selected as the Defensive Player of the Year by the coaches in his division.

P – Vincenzo Rea, Sr., Manalapan

Selected as the co-Defensive Player of the Year in his division by the coaches, Ruane had another outstanding year to earn first-team All-Shore status for the second straight season. A versatile safety, Ruane recorded 54 tackles, intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble for one of the best defenses in the Shore. Rumson was fourth in scoring average allowing just 10.8 points per game and posting one shutout. His play helped the Bulldogs go 6-2, finish No. 5 in the SSN Top 10 and win their postseason pod with victories over Colts Neck and Freehold. Ruane will continue his career at Holy Cross. \

UT – Anthony Borriello, Sr., Red Bank Catholic Borriello was both a standout cornerback and a dual-threat quarterback for a Caseys team that went 4-2, finished No. 3 in the SSN Top 10 and qualified for the Shore Conference Championship Pod. Borriello threw for 704 yards and six touchdowns and ran for 205 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Borriello had 27 tackles, three interceptions, a forced fumble and three passes defensed.

One of the top all-around kickers in New Jersey, Rea didn’t have the same field goal opportunities as last season when he was the firstteam All-Shore place kicker, but he was still an important weapon for the Braves despite their 2-4 season. Rea converted 16 of 18 extra points and kicked a 20-yard field goal. His only other attempt was from over 50 yards. He averaged 36.4 yards per punt with a long of 72 and two punts downed inside the 20-yard line. On kickoffs, 15 of his 26 kicks went for touchbacks. Rea will continue his career at Monmouth University.

Photos by:

Richard O’Donnell richardodonnellphotography.com

Ray Rich Photography rayrichphotography.smugmug.com

Paula Lopez www.palimages.com

Soccer 1st All-Shore Team

Continued from page 9

CHRIS FONTANAZZA, Sr., Raritan 2020 STATS: 16 goals, 7 assistss Like so many other high school players, Fontanazza was not sure if there would be a high school soccer season. He just knew he wanted to be a part of it. After not playing high school soccer during the early part of his career, Fontanazza decided to make 2020 his first foray into the varsity soccer game and he left a lasting impression. The Rockets center midfielder joined a young roster short on returning scoring production and helped Raritan ascend closer to the top of the Class A Central standings.

Fontanazza’s 16 goals ranked fourth in the Shore Conference and he put up that number in 14 games while the other four players among the Conference’s top-five scorers played 17 games. He scored in 11 of Raritan’s 14 games, registered four straight multi-goal games in October against Monmouth, Shore (twice) and Ocean and also scored a goal against Holmdel – the second-hardest team at the Shore to score against, according to team goals allowed. Fontanazza’s last goal was his best, a golden goal to beat Rumson-Fair Haven in the sectional quarterfinals.

BRETT SIEG, Sr., Christian Brothers Academy 2020 STATS: 5 goals, 4 assists One of only three starters back from a Colts side that finished No. 2 in the 2019 Shore Sports Network Top 10 but did not win a championship of any kind, Sieg quickly established himself as a leader and facilitator on a 2020 team that won just about everything that it could. He ran the center of the field for a Colts squad that finished 13-0-1, finished atop the Class A North division standings, ended Holmdel’s 65-game unbeaten streak and rolled to an NJSIAA Central Jersey East Non-Public sectional championship.

An already-limited schedule became even more so when CBA shut down during the first two weeks of the season, leading to three of the four game cancelations of the season for the Colts. That held down the numbers of Sieg and his teammates over the long haul and in the short term, it challenged the Colts to get prepared without being able to formally practice. Despite the frayed start, Sieg and CBA came out red hot, with the senior scoring five goals and two assists in his team’s first five games. A foot injury on Nov. 7 slowed Sieg the rest of the way, but the Monmouth University commit came back after sitting for a week to help CBA win a sectional title and complete an unbeaten season.

JASON LAVIOLA, Sr., Long Branch 2020 STATS: 5 goals, 7 assists The Long Branch program broke out at the end of 2019 and Laviola’s standout play in the middle of the field was a prime reason why. The momentum from the end of last season carried over into 2020, with Laviola emerging as one of the Shore’s most gifted, in-control midfielders for a Long Branch team that lost just three times all year – once to CBA, once to Freehold Township and once to Southern. The Green Wave also beat Freehold Township, with Laviola playing a strong game in the middle and assisting the winning goal in the comefrom-behind 2-1 win.

Laviola scored five goals on the season and two of them were of the go-ahead variety. His header gave Long Branch a lead during a 2-1 win at Marlboro and on Halloween against Howell, Laviola scored the game-winning goal in the final minute of regulation in a 3-2 Green Wave win. Laviola capped his final season with a goal and an assist in the regular season finale vs.

Middletown North and assisted a goal in a sectional quarterfinal win over Brick Memorial. Laviola departs a successful career at Long Branch to continue his soccer career at Division III Christopher Newport University in Va.

ZACH ORRICO, Sr., Freehold Township 2020 STATS: 6 goals, 11 assists The 2019 Shore Sports Network Player of the Year returned off a 17-goal junior season as Freehold Township’s striker and top scorer and had only one goal on his mind for his senior season: help his team win. In this particular season on this particular Patriots team, that meant Orrico was to play more midfield – passing up on some goal-scoring opportunities to involve himself more in the middle of the field. The result was a season as a facilitator, with Orrico finishing tied for third in the Shore Conference with 11 assists.

Orrico still came up with some big goals as well. With his team trailing late against Middletown North in the second game of the season, Orrico scored the game-tying goal in the final 1:30 and followed with the golden goal in overtime to deliver a dramatic win for Freehold Township over the Lions. Orrico also scored a goal in each of Freehold Township’s two games vs.

Class A North division rival Long Branch, including a go-ahead goal in a game Long Branch went on to win, 2-1. By the end of his final season, Orrico accumulated 31 goals and 29 assists in his four-year varsity career and will continue his career at Steven Institute of Technology.

DEFENSE: JACK LONGO, Sr., Christian Brothers Academy 2020 STATS: 1 goal, 1 assist While CBA finished the season 13-0-1 and No. 1 in the Shore Sports Network Top 10, it was not behind a juggernaut goal-scoring outfit. Instead, the Colts relied on an airtight defense that not only made up for an offense that only scored four goals twice but also helped protect two first-year varsity goalkeepers. Longo was the captain of that unit, starting on the outside for the third year – a rare CBA player to start from his sophomore year on.

Longo and his CBA defense allowed only four goals all season long – the lowest single-season total in the history of the program and the best per game average (0.29 goals allowed per game). Two of those goals came with the game well in hand: one with a 3-0 lead in a 3-1 win over Holmdel and the other with a 4-0 lead in a 4-1 win over St. Rose to close out a sectional championship. Even when the Colts could not score in 100 minutes vs. Manalapan, CBA’s defense did not break. Longo, who is headed to continue his career at Bryant University, also scored a goal in the 5-1 win over Howell, but his best work came on the other end for a defense that helped CBA go an entire season without ever trailing.

SEAN SOUTHWELL, Sr., Wall 2020 STATS: 4 goals, 4 assists On a 2019 Wall team that came ever so close to winning an overall NJSIAA Group III championship, Southwell carved out a niche as a defensive center midfielder as a junior. With plenty of midfielders and forwards back from last year and an entire back line to replace, Southwell gave up his spot in the midfield to shift to center fullback for a Wall team that always prides itself on keeping the ball out of its own net. Southwell led a defense that again served as a strength for Wall, allowing the third-lowest goal total in the conference (10 goals in 17 games) with seven clean sheets and no games allowing more than one goal.

B North nemesis Colts Neck that both led to game-winning goals – one by junior Emmett Aravich and another that was mishandled by the goalkeeper for a goal for Southwell. With an unbeaten season on the line, Southwell connected on the gamewinning penalty kick in the 76th minute as the Crimson Knights beat Toms River East to win the NJSIAA Central Jersey East Group III South championship.

GOALKEEPER GAVIN HERSEY, Sr., Raritan 2020 STATS: 14 games, 17 goals allowed, 111 saves, 5 shutouts A three-year starter for Raritan, Hersey was a leader for a Rockets team that had inexperience in a number of positions around the formation, including in the back. The 6foot-4 keeper posted five shutouts, including four straight to open the season and another over 100 minutes in a 0-0 draw vs.

Rumson-Fair Haven.

Hersey’s play in goal gave his team a chance to win in all but one of its matches, the exception being a 4-1 loss against Rumson-Fair Haven that came after the Class A Central division had been decided and right before the teams were to meet in the sectional quarterfinal round of the state tournament.

Hersey was up for the challenge in the playoff showdown, limiting Rumson to one goal on a penalty kick.

Two of the five goals Holmdel scored against Raritan came off penalty kicks (one right after Hersey saved the initial attempt) and in the second meeting against the 12-1-1 Hornets, Hersey kept Holmdel out of the net for the final 47 minutes while Raritan played with 10 men. There were keepers with more shutouts and fewer goals allowed, but none commanded a box better than Hersey.

Photos by:

Southwell also helped create scoring chances on the other end as Wall’s top set-piece server as well as its top penaltytaker. He took two huge free kicks in Wall’s two wins over Class

29

WR – Patrick Jamin, Sr., Rumson-Fair Haven

DL – Tyler Ochojski, Jr., Freehold

WR – Xavier Hendricks, Sr., Southern

DL – Brendan Bigos, Sr., Middletown South

WR – Chris Carasia, Sr., Ocean

LB – Devin Raevis, Jr., Toms River South

OL – Shane Watkins, Sr., Toms River South

LB – Lou Pilla, Jr., Wall

OL – Brian Byrne, Jr., Wall

LB – Tyron Blackwell, Sr., Jackson Memorial

OL – Taz McNair, Jr., Donovan Catholic

LB – Julian Young, Sr., St. John Vianney

OL – Luke Guidetti, Sr., Red Bank Catholic

LB – Imeer Johnson, Sr., Central

OL – Paul DeFalco, Sr., Raritan

DB – Matt Dollive, Jr., Wall

QB – Savon Myers, Jr., Manchester

UT – Kamore Gill, Jr., Freehold

DB – Najih Rahman, So., Red Bank Catholic

QB – Tommy Fallon, Jr., Colts Neck

UT – Owen Laughlin, Sr., Red Bank

RB – Joe Barsky, Sr., Colts Neck

k – Kayden Hutchinson, Jr., Freehold

RB – Jaden Gallo, Jr., Holmdel RB – Shane McLaughlin, Sr., Shore

DL– Aidan Moriarty, Jr., Rumson-Fair Haven

TE – Ethan Capone, Sr., Donovan Catholic

DL – Delano Marcelus, Sr., Colts Neck

Shane Borenius, Sr., Christian Brothers Academy Adam Havens, Sr., Freehold Township Connor Hinds, Sr., Holmdel Jake Gershon, Sr., Colts Neck Marvin Muñoz-Garcia, Sr., Neptune

Tomas Zolofra, Sr., Holmdel Steve Bado, Jr., Jackson Memorial Zack Meyer, Sr., Brick

DB – Andrew Vernieri, Sr., Barnegat DB – Anthony Matrone, Sr., Manalapan ut – TJ McArthur, Sr., Brick Memorial ut – Gerry Ferrigno, Sr., Toms River South

Felix Doebbel, Sr., Holmdel Josh Leonetti, Sr., Freehold Township Gavin Harris, Sr., Pinelands

John Paul Prosperi, Sr., Southern Mike Conklin, Sr., Toms River East Brendan Rebele, Sr., Holmdel

Owen Edwards, So., Manchester

Ryan Lee, Sr., Colts Neck

Ryan Mojares, Sr., Christian Brothers Academy

Lupo Ryder, So., Raritan

Mattia Assante, Jr., Toms River North

Jack Montanile, Sr., Toms River North

Ryan Kuldanek, Jr., Monmouth

Augusto Bontempo, Sr. Long Branch

Stephen Ciccarone, Sr., Colts Neck

Brian Completo, Sr., Long Branch

Alex Bogues, Sr., Middletown North

Sean Palmer, Sr., Brick

Luke Pentikis, Jr., Rumson-Fair Haven 30

Kody Besser, Jr., Lacey

31

QB – Evyn Menta, Sr., Donovan Catholic QB – Alex Brown, Jr., Mater Dei Prep RB – Keontae Wiggins, Sr., Monmouth RB – Josh Glenn, Sr., Manchester RB – Akhi Barksdale, Sr., Brick Memorial TE – Joe Stanzione, Sr., Middletown South WR – Quentin Soler, Sr., Middletown North

32

WR – Jack Collins, Sr., Manasquan WR – Mikai Brown-Jones, Sr., Asbury Park OL – Nick Hall, Sr., Freehold OL – Matt Milone, Sr., Jackson Memorial OL – Eddie Van Woudenberg, Sr., Wall OL – Pat Fulginiti, Sr., Southern OL – Aaron Crooms, Jr., Donovan Catholic UT – Matt Scully, Sr., Colts Neck UT – Christian Donnelly, Sr., Holmdel UT – Zach Goodale, Sr., Toms River North K – Evan Weiner, So., Manchester

DL – Nate Committee, Jr., Southern DL – Joe Teresi, Sr., Ocean LB – Jamie Mazzacco, Jr., Shore LB – Khalil Elamin, Sr., Mater Dei LB – Alex Dekis, Jr., Raritan LB – Patrick Beltran, Sr., Keansburg LB – Shayne Leddy, Sr., Manasquan LB –Anthony Bonanno, Jr., Colts Neck DB – Trevor Pruitt, Sr., Donovan Catholic DB – Nick Ferrogine, Sr., Red Bank DB – Elijah Johnston, Sr., Mater Dei Prep DB – Wally Doman, Sr., Jackson Memorial

DL – Eric Ibe, Jr., Jackson Memorial DL – Gavin Claro, Sr., Manalapan

UT – Mikal Braithwaite, Jr., Keansburg UT – Nick Totten, Sr., Toms River East

33

2020 Shore Conference Soccer Final Stat Leaders

by Matt Manley - Senior Staff Writer

BASED

ON

STATS REPORTED

TOTAL SCORING

Player Kevin Kiernan David Tuschmann Zack Meye Ali Baish Chris Fontanazza Parker Nickelsen Johnny Hart Ryan Kuldanek Jake Gershon Jake Pepe Charles Anyichie Matt Kirkpatrick Tommy Boyan Luke Pentikis Owen Edwards Tom Samaras, Kyle Corrigan Lupo Ryder JaQuan Lunsford Danny Lindov Johnny Troiano Noah Hamouda Derek Haaf Adam Havens Josh Boyan Eli Chong Alex Heid Zach Orrico Jean Roody Salomon Sean Palmer Marvin Muñoz Garcia

34

School Goals Assists Pts Southern 27 9 63 Colts Neck 25 7 57 Brick 17 8 42 TR North 12 16 40 Raritan 16 7 39 TR North 15 7 37 Pinelands 14 8 36 Monmouth 13 10 36 Colts Neck 12 11 35 Wall 10 15 35 Ranney 14 6 34 St. Rose 14 2 30 Ranney 10 10 30 Rumson 12 4 28 Manchester 11 5 27 Colts Neck 9 9 27 St. Rose 9 8 26 Raritan 10 5 25 AP 8 9 25 TR South 10 4 24 SJV 10 4 24 10 4 24 Lacey Colts Neck 9 6 24 Free Twp 7 10 24 Pt Beach 10 3 23 Brick 9 5 23 TR East 9 5 23 Free Twp 6 11 23 AP 10 2 22 Brick 9 4 22 Neptune 9 4 22

TO

SHORE SPORTS NETWORK

Lucas Da Costa Terence Byrnes Shane Borenius Kaan Pehlivan Ryan Leavitt Steve Bado Noah Raimonde Preston Kyriakoulis Brandon Sogness Mattia Assante Luke Hamill Tomas Zolofra James Vitale Jason Laviola Aidan Cardella Johnny Contini Charlie McCann D.J. Edinger James Cahill Augusto Bontempo

GOALS

Player Kevin Kiernan David Tuschmann Zack Meyer Chris Fontanazza Parker Nickelsen Johnny Hart Charles Anyichie Matt Kirkpatrick Ryan Kuldanek

Long Branch Wall CBA Monmouth Southern Jackson Mem TR East Donovan Manchester TR North St. Rose Holmdel St. Rose Long Branch Midd North MDP Ranney Lacey Pinelands Long Branch

10 10 9 9 7 9 7 7 7 4 4 8 8 5 7 7 7 6 6 3

School Southern Colts Neck Brick Raritan TR North Pinelands Ranney St. Rose Monmouth

1 1 3 3 6 0 4 4 4 10 10 1 1 7 2 2 2 4 4 10

21 21 21 21 20 18 18 18 18 18 18 17 17 17 16 16 16 16 16 16

Goals 27 25 17 16 15 14 14 14 13

BY

COACHES

Ali Baish Jake Gershon Luke Pentikis Owen Edwards Jake Pepe Tommy Boyan Lupo Ryder, Danny Lindov Johnny Troiano Noah Hamouda Josh Boyan Jean Roody Salomon Lucas Da Costa Terence Byrnes Tom Samaras Kyle Corrigan Derek Haaf Eli Chong Sean Palmer Marvin Muñoz Garcia Shane Borenius Kaan Pehlivan Alex Heid Steve Bado JaQuan Lunsford Tomas Zolofra James Vitale Adam Havens Ryan Leavitt Noah Raimonde Preston Kyriakoulis Brandon Sogness Aidan Cardella

OR

DESIGNATED TEAM REPRESENTATIVES. TR North Colts Neck Rumson Manchester Wall Ranney Raritan TR South SJV Lacey Pt Beach AP Long Branch Wall Colts Neck St. Rose Colts Neck Brick Brick Neptune CBA Monmouth TR East Jackson Mem AP Holmdel St. Rose Free Twp Southern TR East Donovan Manchester Midd North

12 12 12 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7

Johnny Contini Charlie McCann Dylan Cupo Michael Reid Billy Caruso Mike Cafiero Alec Pentikis Colin Westhoven

ASSISTS

Player Ali Baish Jake Pepe Jake Gershon Zach Orrico Ryan Kuldanek Tommy Boyan Adam Havens Mattia Assante Luke Hamill Augusto Bontempo Kevin Kiernan Tom Samaras JaQuan Lunsford Zack Rogacki Johnny Hart Kyle Corrigan Davenson JoinVilmar Brandon Notte Zack Meyer David Tuschmann Chris Fontanazza

MDP Ranney CBA Ocean Brick Mem Manasquan Rumson St. Rose

7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

School Assists TR North 16 Wall 15 Colts Neck 11 Free Twp 11 Monmouth 10 Ranney 10 Free Twp 10 TR North 10 St. Rose 10 Long Branch 10 Southern 9 Colts Neck 9 AP 9 Jackson Mem 9 Pinelands 8 St. Rose 8 AP 8 Southern 8 Brick 8 Colts Neck 7 Raritan 7

Parker Nickelsen Jason Laviola Isaac Enu Charles Anyichie Derek Haaf Ryan Leavitt Justin Skeete Adam Haaf

TR North Long Branch Pt Beach Ranney Colts Neck Southern Matawan Colts Neck

GOALKEEPER SHUTOUTS Player Aidan Rowohlt John Wilhelm Gavin Harris Joe Gisoldi Dawson Kaniuk Dylan Aportela Shane Killeen Anthony Leporino Tyler Abbot Dominick Santaniello Nathaniel Bott Tommy Chyzowych Ryan Testa Gavin Hersey Andrew Paige Matt Zyckowski Keith Fallon Christian Wheeler Amir Houllier Andrew Arrendondo Ayendi Batista

7 7 7 6 6 6 6 6

School Shutouts Colts Neck 8 Free Twp. 8 Pinelands 8 Wall 7 TR North 7 Pt Beach 7 St. Rose 7 Lacey 6 Long Branch 5 Monmouth 5 Southern 5 Holmdel 5 TR East 4 Raritan 4 Howell 4 TR South 4 Manchester 4 Matawan 3 Neptune 3 Holmdel 3 Jackson Lib 3

35

2020 Coaches’ All-Division & All-County Girls Soccer Teams

By Matt Manley - Senior Staff Writer

SELECTED

BY

SHORE CONFERENCE GIRLS SOCCER COACHES.

COACHES' ALL-DIVISION

Abby Nadjzinowicz

RBC

Midfield

Jr.

CLASS B NORTH

CLASS A NORTH

Sam Cesario

RFH

Midfield

Jr.

Player

Mia Agresti

Shore

Midfield

Jr.

Olivia Ramiz

Wall

Ocean

Midfield

So.

Jordana Golove

Colts Neck

Player

Team

Position

Year

Team

Sofia Gialanella

St. Rose

Defense

So.

Year

Brook Luchina

Mater Dei Prep

Defense

Sr.

Forward

Sr.

Jenna Defazio

St. Rose

Defense

Sr.

Forward

Jr.

Alli House

Pt. Beach

Defense

Sr.

Position

Cassidy Corcione

Freehold Twp.

Forward

Fr.

Abigail Desmarais

Ryann Leohner

Freehold Twp.

Forward

Sr.

Caroline Rebele

Holmdel

Defense

Sr.

Ava Chiarelli

Manasquan

Forward

Jr.

Anna Torres

Trinity Hall

Defense

Sr.

Sydney Spilsbury

Manalapan

Forward

Fr.

Aubrey Silverman

RBC

Defense

Sr.

Caitlin Decker

Red Bank

Forward

Sr.

Olivia Fazzolari

Trinity Hall

Goalkeeper

So.

Ashley Dietrich

Midd. North

Forward

Sr.

Adrianna Morales

Holmdel

Defense

Jr.

Abby Giunta

SJV

Forward

Jr.

Morgan Highland

Pt. Beach

Goalkeeper

So.

RFH

Defense

Sr.

Ava Gregorio

Colts Neck

Forward

Jr.

Year

Rhett Schnoor

Midd. North

Forward

Sr.

Cortland McBarron

Katie Coyle

Midd. South

Midfield

Sr.

Clara Ford

Shore

Defense

Jr.

Kiersten Brown

Wall

Midfield

So.

CLASS B SOUTH

So.

Parker Grimm

Shore

Goalkeeper

Jr.

Juli Coniglio

Colts Neck

Midfield

So.

Player

Team

Position

Barnegat

Forward

Sr.

Lacey

Forward

Sr. So.

Gabby Koluch Samantha Jay

Freehold Twp. Marlboro

Midfield Midfield

Sr.

Allie O'Keefe

Midd. North

Midfield

Sr.

CLASS A SOUTH

Caitlin Gresko

Howell

Midfield

Sr.

Player

Team

Position

Year

Sr.

Alexis Garcia

TR North

Forward

Fr.

TR North

Forward

Sr.

Gabby Zuczek

Freehold Twp.

Defense

Brooke Buonomo

SJV

Midfield

Sr.

Jillian Jankowski

Abby O'Shea

Manasquan

Midfield

Sr.

Juliana Rettino

Jamie Valvo

Wall

Defense

Sr.

Beth Stephens

Lacey

Forward

Jr.

Shae Yocum

Pt. Boro

Forward

Sr.

Sunni DiElmo

Pinelands

Forward

Sr.

Gabriella Medel

Matawan

Defense

Meghan Carragher

Midd. South

Defense

Jr.

Isabella Pures

Carolyn Scenna

Wall

Defense

Jr.

Carly Binn

Midd. North

Defense

Sr.

Gianna Simon

Southern

Forward

So.

Kylie Jacoutot

Colts Neck

Defense

So.

Roselyn Rojas

Lakewood

Forward

Sr.

Abby Doherty

Midd. South

Defense

So.

Victoria Pungello

Jackson Mem.

Forward

Jr.

Kaitlyn Torres

Colts Neck

Goalkeeper

Sr.

Abby Stephens

Lacey

Midfield

Jr.

Sr.

Olivia Carney

Brick Mem.

Forward

Jr.

Chelsea Lavezzo

Jackson Liberty

Midfield

Fr.

Sr.

Reese Beggs

Brick

Forward

Sr.

CLASS B CENTRAL

Frankie Ryan

Pt. Boro

Midfield

Sr.

Stephanie Silva Kelly Chaballa

Long Branch Howell

Defense Goalkeeper

Madison DiEugenio

TR North

Midfield

So.

Player

Team

Position

Year

Isabel Guiro

Barnegat

Midfield

Jr.

CLASS A CENTRAL

Julia Lamparello

TR East

Midfield

Sr.

Emma Acanfora

Pt. Beach

Forward

Sr.

Olivia Conroy

Donovan Cath.

Midfield

Jr.

Player

Year

Hannah Reese

Jackson Mem.

Midfield

Sr.

So.

Marley Besser

Lacey

Defense

Fr.

Brick

Midfield

Sr.

Jackson Liberty

Defense

Sr. Sr.

Team

Position

Alexandra Poham

Trinity Hall

Forward

Katie Aglione

RFH

Forward

Jr.

Abby Kennelly

Isabella Tomassini

St. Rose

Forward

Fr.

Hailey Wiese

Morgan Cupo

RBC

Forward

Jr.

Jacqueline Graham

TR North

Defense

Sr.

Yazmin Henke

Trinity Hall

Forward

Jr.

Sunniva McCabe

Pt. Boro

Defense

Taylor Bielan

Holmdel

Forward

So.

Tia Argento

Central

Defense

So.

Cameryn Keane

Trinity Hall

Midfield

Jr.

Abby Hart

Pinelands

Defense

Sr.

TR East

Defense

Jr.

Sr.

Zoey Bates

Donovan Cath.

Defense

So.

Chase Boyle

RFH

Forward

Sr.

Lizzie Gillen

Daryl Monticello

Pt. Beach

Midfield

Sofia Mancino

Holmdel

Midfield

Sr.

Krista Louro

Jackson Mem.

Defense

Sr.

Carolina Moore

Ranney

Midfield

Sr.

Morgan Brustman

Manchester

Goalkeeper

Sr.

Lindsay Guarnaccia

Holmdel

Midfield

Sr.

Gracie Curci

TR South

Defense

Sr.

Isabella Bernarz

Keyport

Midfield

So.

Mackenzie Kopf

Donovan Cath.

Goalkeeper

Jr.

Brynn Pritchard

RFH

Midfield

Sr.

Cameron Kennett

TR North

Goalkeeper

Sr.

Kate Braun

Mater Dei Prep

Midfield

Jr.

Riley Miller

Jackson Mem.

Goalkeeper

Fr.

COACHES ALL-COUNTY TEAMS FIRST TEAM

Player Olivia Ramiz Katie Aglione Cassidy Corcione Morgan Cupo Ryann Leohner Taylor Bielan Sofia Mancino Katie Coyle Kiersten Brown Lindsay Guarnaccia Brynn Pritchard Gabby Zuczek Caroline Rebele Jaime Valvo Aubrey Silverman Meghan Carragher Kelly Chaballa Kaitlyn Torres

Team Wall Rumson-Fair Haven Freehold Township Red Bank Catholic Freehold Township Holmdel Holmdel Middletown South Wall Holmdel Rumson-Fair Haven Freehold Township Holmdel Wall Red Bank Catholic Middletown South Howell Colts Neck

to all the

ALL-OCEAN-COUNTY

SECOND TEAM Position Forward Forward Forward Forward Forward Forward Midfield Midfield Midfield Midfield Midfield Defense Defense Defense Defense Defense Goalkeeper Goalkeeper

Year Sr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr.

Player Chase Boyle Sydney Spilsbury Jordana Golove Ashley Dietrich Gabby Koluch Abby Najdzinowicz Sam Cesario Juli Coniglio Cameryn Keane Mia Agresti Cierra DiSabato Carly Binn Adrianna Morales Cortland McBarron Abby Doherty Ava Madoff Katie Rogers

Team RFH Manalapan Colts Neck Middletown North Freehold Twp. RBC RFH Colts Neck Trinity Hall Shore Manalapan Middletown North Holmdel RFH Middletown South Freehold Twp. Freehold Boro

Position Forward Forward Forward Forward Midfield Midfield Midfield Midfield Midfield Midfield Midfield Defense Defense Defense Defense Goalkeeper Goalkeeper

Year Sr. Fr. Jr. Sr. So. Jr. Jr. So. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr.

Player Reese Beggs Alexis Garcia Olivia Carney Victoria Pungello Jillian Jankowski Sunni DiElmo Madison DiEugenio Hannah Reese Abby Kennelly Juliana Rettino Shae Yocum Daryl Monticello Jacqueline Graham Krista Louro Marley Besser Abby Hart Lizzie Gillen Hailey Wiese Cameron Kennett Morgan Brustman

SPECIAL THANKS

Position Forward Forward Forward Forward Forward Forward Midfield Midfield Midfield Midfield Midfield Midfield Defense Defense Defense Defense Defense Defense Goalkeeper Goalkeeper

PHOTOGRAPHERS Who Supplied the GREAT PHOTOS Seen in our publications & Website

36

Team Brick Toms River North Brick Memorial Jackson Memorial Barnegat Pinelands Toms River North Jackson Memorial Brick Lacey Point Pleasant Boro Point Pleasant Beach Toms River North Jackson Memorial Lacey Pinelands Toms River East Jackson Liberty Toms River North Manchester

Year Sr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr.

Final 2020 Shore Conference Football Statistical Leaders

by Bob Badders

Managing Editor

all 2020 stats were submitted by Shore Conference coaches If a team’s stats are not included, they were not sent by the coach.

FINAL STATS SCORING Player Barsky, Colts Neck Loftland, Donovan Shuler, Freehold Volker, Rumson Towns, Jackson Memorial Brown, Southern Gallo, Holmdel Larkin, Wall O’Hea, Raritan Glenn, Manchester Wiggins, Monmouth McLaughlin, Shore Calhoun, Freehold Farrar, Donovan Barksdale, Brick Mem. Falzon, Raritan Jensen, Lacey Grey, TRN Brown-Jones, Asbury Park Moore, Monmouth Beltran, Keansburg DeCicco, Holmdel Massey, Asbury Park Shenk, SJV Ferrigno, TRS DiLeo, Barnegat Totten, TRE Croce, Point Boro Hutchinson, Freehold Braithwaite, Keansburg Gill, Freehold Hendricks, Southern Clark, Manchester Portella, RBC Rahman, RBC Peters, Wall Howard, Manasquan Thomson, Keyport Squire, TRS Myers, Manchester Doman, Jackson Mem. Kazanowsky, TRN

TD PAT FG 2-pt Total pts 20 0 0 1 122 17 0 0 0 102 16 0 0 0 96 16 0 0 0 96 16 0 0 0 96 14 0 0 0 86 14 0 0 0 84 14 0 0 0 84 12 0 0 0 72 11 0 0 1 68 11 0 0 1 66 11 0 0 0 66 9 0 0 2 58 9 0 0 2 58 9 0 0 0 54 9 0 0 0 54 9 0 0 0 54 9 0 0 0 54 8 0 0 0 48 6 0 0 5 46 7 0 0 0 42 7 0 0 0 42 7 0 0 0 42 0 24 6 0 42 7 0 0 0 42 7 0 0 0 42 7 0 0 0 42 7 0 0 0 42 0 27 4 0 39 6 0 0 1 38 6 0 0 0 38 6 0 0 1 38 6 0 0 0 36 6 0 0 0 36 6 0 0 0 36 6 0 0 0 36 6 0 0 0 36 6 0 0 0 36 6 0 0 0 36 6 0 0 0 36 6 0 0 0 36 6 0 0 0 36

RUSHING

Laughlin, Red Bank

119

713

3

McArthur, Brick Mem.

141

713

5

Coleman, Matawan

107

696

5

DiLeo, Barnegat

132

679

7

Player Farrar, Donovan Browne, TRN

Falzon, Raritan

129

625

9

Glenn, Manchester

99

625

6

Beltran, Keansburg

126

606

Massey, Asbury Park

67

Totten, TRE

101

Jeannotte, Pinelands McLaughlin, Shore

Receiving Receptions 47 42

Yards 614 606

TDs 9 1

Calhoun, Freehold

29

564

3

Hendricks, Southern

40

563

4

6

Glenn, Manchester

24

533

5

552

5

Brown-Jones, Asbury Park

25

500

7

551

7

Buntin, Mater Dei

27

470

3

76

541

4

Carasia, Ocean

21

437

4

66

540

9

East, SJV

22

431

2

DeCicco, Holmdel

70

528

7

Pezzullo, SJV

70

506

4

Z. Mendes, Marlboro

131

500

2

Granit, Lacey

83

496

7

Ferrigno, TRS

63

478

6

Fallon, Colts Neck

57

475

2

Moore, Monmouth

73

440

5

Cooper, Mater Dei

74

434

3

Gill, Freehold

42

Squire, TRS

429

73

2

410

6

16

392

1

Gill, Freehold

18

390

3

Thomson, Keyport

25

389

6

Clark, Manchester

26

378

6

Brown, Manchester

27

377

2

Soler, Midd. North

27

372

3

Ferrogine, Red Bank

21

368

3

Madeo, TRS

20

351

2

Dengler, Red Bank

12

345

3

17

336

5

Calhoun, Freehold

104

406

6

Collins, Manasquan

Peters, Wall

75

402

6

Flanzbaum, Keansburg

14

326

5

Scully, Colts Neck

28

317

2

Migliori, TRS

22

313

1

Jamin, Rumson

19

312

4

Doman, Jackson Mem.

12

310

5

Passing Player

Completions Attempts

Yards

TDs INTs

Kazanowsky, TRN

119

173

1,652

9

6

Robinson, Keansburg

20

301

4

Myers, Manchester

90

155

1,400

15

4

Goodale, TRN

13

294

2

Menta, Donovan

81

108

1,170

13

5

Alia, Point Beach

11

286

3

Shuler, Freehold

66

115

1,155

8

5

Kozlowski, Manasquan

16

285

3

Brown, Asbury Park

73

120

1,058

14

4

Huber, TRS

70

126

1,009

4

6

Campanella, Raritan

9

278

2

Munt, Southern

65

106

1,004

13

Rahman, RBC

19

270

5

Brown, Mater Dei

63

98

957

8

2

O’Hea, Raritan

15

269

3

Giannone, Midd. North

89

157

933

8

6

Criss, Barnegat

16

267

2

Barksdale, Brick Mem.

22

264

1

Grey, TRN

19

259

1

10

258

5

21

255

2

Patten, Manasquan Braithwaite, Keansburg

53 58

91 114

904 897

12 11

4 5

Hutchins, Raritan

38

75

867

10

2

Rainone, Southern

Harmon, Rumson

63

111

817

8

8

Cardone, Freehold Twp.

Xiques, Barnegat

65

122

797

5

2

Laughlin, Red Bank

38

74

772

9

5

Rosato, SJV

58

112

745

6

3

Fallon, Colts Neck

68

101

720

5

2

McGhee, Shore

46

69

688

6

5

Attempts

Yards

TDs

Wright, Marlboro

51

106

673

5

7

Towns, Jackson Memorial

188

1,379

13

Borriello, RBC

57

110

672

5

2

Loftland, Donovan

155

1,369

17

Alvarez, Keyport

56

99

666

8

6

Shuler, Freehold

162

1,206

15

Brunatti, Lacey

52

111

601

5

4

Volker, Rumson

153

1,184

16

Douglas, Ocean

42

89

584

5

4

Barsky, Colts Neck

161

1,129

20

Goodman, Howell

45

90

536

3

7

Wiggins, Monmouth

132

1,094

10

Buonagura, Matawan

44

69

460

2

7

Brown, Southern

152

1,091

14

Totten, TRE

29

60

441

5

5

Gallo, Holmdel

119

1,010

14

Peters, Wall

20

39

433

5

3

Jensen, Lacey

149

934

9

McArthur, Brick Mem.

40

76

432

2

5

Larkin, Wall

97

870

13

Farmer, Central

25

60

421

4

4

Donnelly, Holmdel

63

776

4

Foderaro, Jackson Mem.

24

57

413

5

6

Player

Ferrigno, TRS

Kicking Player Shenk, SJV Hutchinson, Freehold Nguyen, Donovan Borel, Lacey Worobel, Rumson Monteforte, Colts Neck Weiner, Manchester Dettlinger, Manasquan Bilancione, Jackson Mem. Xiques, Barnegat Oakley, Wall Costa, TRE Torres, Shore Stein, TRS Mendini, Holmdel

PATs

PATs

Made 24 27 32 25 29 26 20 24 21 15 20 16 22 19 18

Attempted 24 34 37 27 32 28 23 26 30 18 24 16 27 21

FGs 6 4 0 2 0 1 3 1 1 3 1 2 0 1 1

Long 44 37 0 32 0 24 37 23 25 33 26 32

22

Points 42 39 32 31 29 29 29 27 24 24 23 22 22 22 21

Rea, Manalapan Hurley, Central Dautaj, Red Bank Henry, Point Boro Taurozzi, Point Beach Occhiogrosso, Brick Mem Demato, Midd. South A. Perez, Midd. North Halloran, Midd. North Sautner, Keansburg

DEFENSE

16

18

1

13 16 10 11 2 5 3 6

13 17 10

1 0 2 1 2 1 1 0

4 5 3 12

20 40 18

26 33 0

19 17 16 16 16 14 8 8 6 6

Tackles

Player Total tackles (solo+assists) Calhoun, Freehold 113 Sasso, Wall 97 Widawsky, Jackson Mem. 90 Nocero, Donovan 89 Q. Green, Donovan 89 Onuoha, Matawan 89 McArthur, Brick Mem. 86 Hayes, Matawan 86 Bonanno, Colts Neck 84 Young, SJV 84 Raevis, TRS 83 Cerulli, Howell 79 Marcelus, Colts Neck 76 Lista, Rumson 75 Sardo, Holmdel 73 Langton, Southern 73 Riley, Wall 72 Factor, Rumson 71 Blackwell, Jackson Mem. 70 Scully, Colts Neck 69 Brown, Southern 68 Jones, Monmouth 64 Manos, Colts Neck 64 Ferrigno, TRS 64 Grady, Freehold 63 Surdez, Colts Neck 63 Committee, Southern 62 Iannello, Donovan 61 Farrell, Donovan 61 Savage, Ocean 61 Bodin, Matawan 61 Claro, Manalapan 61 O’Hea, Raritan 60 Moriarty, Rumson 60 Ramos, Point Beach 60 Guidice, Mater Dei 59 Henderson, Jackson Mem. 59 Gallacher, Southern 59 Doman, Jackson Mem. 58 Jankowski, Midd. North 57 McKay, Rumson 57 Porcelli, Barnegat 57 Ochojski, Freehold 57 Ferrogine, Red Bank 56 Pontecorvo, Ocean 56 Mazzacco, Shore 56 Dallicardillo, Central 56 DiLeo, Barnegat 55 Abdul-Ghaffar, Matawan 55 Ibe, Jackson Mem. 55

Statistical Leaders Continued on page 38

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

steve.meyer@townsquaremedia.com 37

Sadler, Manalapan Cats, TRS Haddow, Midd. North Ruane, Rumson Dodaro, Lacey Bauman, RBC Brescia, Barnegat Swain, Rumson R. Burns, Manasquan Harmon, Shore Beltran, Keansburg Coleman, Matawan Abarno, SJV Stevens, Lacey Davi, Colts Neck Ahmed, TRE Armstrong, Barnegat Lee, Freehold Pruitt, Donovan Ungemah, RBC Dekis, Raritan Marquez, Raritan Height, TRS Horgan, Central Sura, Central Peters, Wall Montefusco, Colts Neck Shenk, SJV Mitchell, Keyport Portella, RBC Plasteras, Monmouth Kelly, Rumson Matrone, Manalapan Tobin, TRS Arthur, Southern Gallo, Brick Mem. Jurek, Red Bank Johnson, Central Weir, Barnegat Brewton, RBC Thompson, Mater Dei McCormick, Matawan Musso, Central Flannigan, Ocean Curylo, Red Bank Leddy, Manasquan Lambe, SJV Farah, SJV Christina, Lacey Stokes, Barnegat Rezk, Wall Co. Iandoli, Howell Lovinsky, Matawan Rozell, Lacey Marrone, Central Jankowski, Brick Mem. Glen, Point Beach Grauso, Point Beach C. Harris, Pinelands Clayton, SJV Cadavero, Jackson Mem. Totten, TRE Douglas, Ocean

38

55 55 54 54 54 53 53 53 53 53 52 52 52 51 51 51 49 49 49 48 48 48 48 48 48 47 47 46 46 45 45 45 45 45 45 44 44 44 43 43 43 43 43 43 42 42 42 42 42 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 40 40 40 40 40

SACKS Player

INTERCEPTIONS Sacks

Ochojski, Freehold

10

Ibe, Jackson Mem.

10

Claro, Manalapan

9

Henderson, Jackson Mem.

8

Player Calhoun, Freehold Vernieri, Barnegat Cats, TRS

TEAM STATS INTs 6 5 4

Sternberg, TRS

7.5

Madera, TRE

4

Jurek, Red Bank

7

Sanger, Lacey

3

Moriarty, Rumson

7

Manos, Colts Neck

3

Blackwell, Jackson Mem.

7

Riley, Wall

7

Blair, Jackson Mem.

3

Dodaro, Lacey

6

Lawrie, Pinelands

3

Guidice, Mater Dei

6

Runfolo, Colts Neck

3

Factor, Rumson Committee, Southern

6 6

Sardo, Holmdel

5.5

Cerulli, Howell

5.5

Kozlowski, Manasquan Maiers, Raritan

3 3

Matrone, Manalapan

3

Connallon, Keyport

5

Farrar, Donovan

3

Marcelus, Colts Neck

5

Jankowski, Brick Mem.

3

Shenk, SJV

5

McCormack, Matawan

5

Cadavero, Jackson Mem.

5

Wilkins, Donovan

5

Johnson, Central

5

Thomson, Keyport

Ramos, Point Beach

5

Madeo, TRS

2

Lista, Rumson

4

Grady, Freehold

2

Young, SJV

4

Steineke, Holmdel

2

Bauman, RBC

4

Teresi, Ocean

4

J. Chathuant, Asbury Park

4

Scully, Colts Neck

2

Verriest, SJV

2

Flanzbaum, Keansburg

2

Loria, RBC Cilento, Point Boro

2

2 2

Rezk, Wall

4

Peters, Wall

2

J. Burns, Manasquan

4

Davi, Colts Neck

2

Co. Iandoli, Howell

4

Iannello, Donovan

4

Q. Green, Donovan

4

Donnelly, Holmdel Kennedy, Rumson

2 2

Christina, Lacey

4

Ruane, Rumson

2

Musso, Cenrtral

4

Gill, Freehold

2

Montefusco, Colts Neck

3

Canavan, Ocean

3

Aldarelli, Ocean

3

Trench, Ocean

3

Vecchiarelli, Howell

2

Garrett, Ocean

3

Herbert, Matawan

2

O’Connor, Lacey

3

Stokes, Barnegat

3

Kang, Midd. North

3

Sasso, Wall

3

Hall, Freehold Portella, RBC Franklin, Manasquan

Shuler, Freehold Ishmael, Mater Dei

Mitchell, Keyport Blake, Neptune

2 2

2 2

Haddow, Midd. North

2

3

Pruitt, Donovan

2

3

Brown, Southern

3

Hendricks, Southern

2 2

Beltran, Keansburg

3

Cawley, SJV

3

Nocero, Donovan

3

Weir, Barnegat

3

Terra-Nova, Point Beach

Chadwick, Lacey

3

Peters, Ocean

2

Milone, Jackson Mem.

3

Flannigan, Ocean

2

McArthur, Brick Mem.

3

Totten, TRE

2

Carr, TRE

2 2

OFFENSE

TEAM STATS Pts per game

DEFENSE

Pts allowed per game

Donovan Catholic

33.8

Wall

5.4

Keansburg

22.6

Wall

33.3

Donovan Catholic

8.1

Freehold

22.8

Shore

31.2

Shore

10.5

Brick Memorial

24.4

Rumson-Fair Haven

10.8

Matawan

24.5

St. John Vianney

11.3

Ocean

25.3

12

Keyport

26.5

Colts Neck

13.5

Neptune

Freehold

30.8

Rumson-Fair Haven

29.3

Asbury Park

29.2

Raritan

28.4

Manalapan

13.5

Middletown North

28.7

Southern

27.6

Central

14.7

Monmouth

29.6

Holmdel

27.4

Manasquan

15.5

Pinelands

29.6

Colts Neck

26.6

Barnegat

15.5

Point Beach

30.1

Jackson Memorial

25.6

Lakewood

31.9

Toms River North

32.4

Manchester Keansburg

24.1 24

Holmdel

Howell Red Bank Catholic

16 16.2

Raritan

17

Point Boro

32.5

Southern

17

Jackson Liberty

32.6

Lacey

23.7

Mater Dei

17.3

Freehold Township

Manasquan

22.9

Lacey

17.7

Marlboro

Toms River North

22.6

Jackson Memorial

18.4

Toms River South

22.3

Toms River South

18.6

Manalapan

22.2

Asbury Park

19.2

St. John Vianney Point Boro Ocean

21.8 21.7 20

Manchester

20.3

Brick

20.6

Long Branch

19.8

Red Bank

Red Bank

19.7

Middletown South

Mater Dei

18.3

Howell

18.2 18

Barnegat

17.9

Toms River East

16.5

Middletown North

16.3

Pinelands

16

Matawan

15.7

Monmouth

15.6

Middletown South

14.8

Keyport

14.8

Brick Memorial

14.6

Central

14.1

Neptune

13.3

Marlboro

12.3

Freehold Township

11.8

Point Beach

11.7

Long Branch

10.6

Brick

10.4

Jackson Liberty

8.2

20

Toms River East

Red Bank Catholic

Lakewood

27

21 21 21.8

33 33.1

39

40