All Shore Media High School Sports 4-23-12 Issue - Volume IV Issue-8

April 23, 2012 - Volume-IV - Issue-8

Dei's Dickinson 3 Mater Gets 400th Win Aaman 4 Raritan's Commits to Rhode Island South's Frank 6 TR Sets State Record

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BACK IN THE BOX

Elite Sports 10 New Performance Center Shore Loses A 11 The Legend Lax Wins 12 Rumson Showdown Makes 13 Coscarelli His College Choice Holup 14 Jackson's off to Great Start 15 Stumpy’s Corner

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company that provides exciting and innovative coverage to high school athletics in the Shore Conference in order to highlight the achievements of local athletes in one of the premier conferences in New Jersey. Whether it’s the star of the team or the last player off the bench, everyone has a story and it is our mission to recognize as many athletes as possible and add to the memories for all of the families, coaches, friends and fans who support Shore Conference sports. Whether in print or on the Web, All Shore Media is your main source for all things exciting in the Shore Conference.

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Log on to www.allshoremedia.com regularly to get V I D E O H I G H L I G H T S of all the important games that Shore Conference fans will be talking about. Catch up on the action you might have missed and watch video clips of everything from the action early in the event to the big finish as well as video interviews with various athletes. If you can’t make it to the game, we’ll bring the game to you, and if you were at the game and want to relive the excitement, www.allshoremedia.com is all you need to get inside the action.

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Mate r De i Pre p S of tba ll Co ach Jea nne Di cki ns on R eac he s 400 W ins

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor Mater Dei Prep softball coach Jeanne Dickinson certainly takes pride in the fact that she has reached the 400-win milestone, but it’s the achievements of her players and the bond they have built over a 30year span that has made it a memorable journey.

“It really has nothing to do with me,’’ she said. “I would love to say it was me that made a difference, but if I didn’t have girls that believe in what I believe in and worked hard, something like this could never happen.

It’s really special.’’

On April 5, the Seraphs cruised to a 23-0 win over Asbury Park that put Dickinson at the rare 400-win mark in her 31st season as head coach. Mater Dei Prep has had a winning record in 28 of her 30 seasons, including a magical run to the NJSIAA Non-Public B title in 2008.

It was that season that Dickinson learned just how much the program has meant to her players over the years. She wanted to take the players to Disney World to play in a showcase early in the season, so she sent out fund-raising letters to every one of her former players, which dates back to 1982.

“The response was amazing with the letters and the wishes for success, and girls saying they wished they could come back and

do it all over again,’’ Dickinson said. “To see a lot that still remember it and had a great time was great.’’

In 2008, the Seraphs beat St. John Vianney and Wall for the first time ever and then later captured the Non-Public B title with an 11-2 win over Montclair Kimberley for the program’s first state title.

“It certainly was a memorable year,’’ she said. “I could replay every out of every game. That season is definitely something at the top of the list.’’

Dickinson can also remember reaching a sectional final in her first season in 1982 and losing in extra innings on a coaching mistake.

“I re-live that one as well,’’ she said before laughing.

She also has seen the game change dramatically with the rise of travel teams, skill-specific coaches and girls playing year round rather than playing multiple sports.

“The girls are different, the parents are different, and the sport is different,’’ she said. “It has its pros and cons. If you talk to the players who played for me when I first started, I’m sure they will tell you that I have changed a lot, too.’’

Regardless of how some things have changed, two things that have remained constant under Dickinson are winning and girls forming life-long memories by playing softball for Mater Dei.

“It’s a great feeling when you see the kids come back and reminisce,’’ she said. “We break out the old stat sheets and laugh a lot, so it’s fun.’’

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Raritan Star Mike Aaman Commits to Rhode Island

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

After nearly deciding to play for Dan Hurley in high school and then committing to play for him at Wagner, Raritan's Mike Aaman finally will realize his goal of playing for him at Hurley's new job at the University of Rhode Island.

While visiting Rhode Island, Aaman committed to the Rams on April 14, becoming one of Hurley's early recruits since he left the head job at Wagner to take over the Rams.

The distance from Aaman's home in Hazlet was initially a concern, but playing for Hurley and his brother, former Duke star Bobby Hurley Jr., eventually won out over any hesitation of playing too far from home. The 6-foot-9 Aaman, who was a two-time All Shore Media Player of the Year selection, had signed with Wagner before being released from his Letter of Intent after Hurley took the job at Rhode Island.

"Rhode Island is four hours away, so the distance was a factor,'' Aaman said Saturday night. "I thought, 'Am I really ready to go 4 hours away?' I realized it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play for the Hurley brothers. Even if I don't play professionally, I'm still connected with the Hurley family if one day I want to be a coach or a scout.''

The senior forward became the second commit since Hurley took over, as 6-9 power forward Jordan Hare from Saginaw, Mich., who had previously committed to URI, reaffirmed his commitment on April 5. Rutgers center Gilvydas Biruta, who played for Hurley in high school, also recently announced he is transferring to URI.

Aaman was impressed with the Ryan Center, the URI basketball arena that seats 7,700, as he took a tour and also played a pickup game on the campus.

"I did the tour, and I couldn't name one bad thing about the school,'' he said.

He also was excited about jumping up a level to the Atlantic 10, a multiple-bid NCAA Tournament conference, from the Northeast Conference.

"I like to challenge myself, and the A-10 was ranked the seventh-strongest conference out of 32,'' he said.

The bond he had built with the Hurleys, who began recruiting him as a sophomore, was an important factor.

Aaman also nearly went to play for Dan Hurley at St. Benedict's Prep in Newark before deciding on Raritan, and then Hurley later took the Wagner job. Both Hurleys met with him at a Dunkin' Donuts in Hazlet earlier this week. He noted that he is particularly close to Bobby Hurley, and when he spoke to Dan after he took the Wagner job, Dan indicated immediately that he was interested in having Aaman follow him to Rhode Island.

"I've been talking more so to Bobby,'' Aaman said. "He and I always talk on phone (since Aaman was granted his release). Also, right now (Dan Hurley) is someone I look at as a person who will always be in my life. I just thought, 'This is the coach I want to play for, and this is the place I want to be.'''

Class A Central title. He also was selected as the Shore Conference Player of the Year by the coaches.

Aaman says he will begin as a power forward at Rhode Island but is trying to develop his skills to also play the small forward spot.

Rhode Island was Aaman's first visit, and he had numerous other schools interested in him, but decided to commit without taking any of his allotted four other official visits.

"I could've taken other visits knowing I was going here just to get free stuff, but I just couldn't do that,'' he said. "It wouldn't feel right, when I know I'm going here. I'm just really happy right now.''

He averaged 21.9 points per game, good for second in the Shore, and led the conference with 16.4 rebounds per game while also blocking 4.1 shots per game. Aaman is Raritan's all-time leading scorer with 1,330 points, and he also set the single-season school record with 550 points. A four-year varsity player, he also finished with a school-record 1,034 career rebounds. His career-high 41 points in a regular-season win over Red Bank were one shy of the single-game school record and marked the season-high for any player in the Shore Conference this year. Aaman led a team with four new starters to a 17-8 record and the Rockets' second straight

Photo courtesy of:

Charlie Gutch

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Chief Indian: Ken Frank Sets State Career Wins Record

By Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer Following his team's 7-1 win over Southern Regional on April 11, Toms River South baseball coach Ken Frank spoke in front of a throng of fans, family members, former players, alumni, administration and seemingly everyone that ever had a conversation with the 34-year skipper of the Indians, and said he felt like he was speaking at a wedding reception.

If there is anybody who could host a major life event on a baseball diamond, it is Frank, especially considering the baseball complex at Toms River South High School is named after a still-active coach - Ken Frank Baseball Stadium. For the last 34 years, Frank has led Toms River South's baseball program and for quite some time now, even with Division I players and future Major Leaguers playing between the lines, Frank has been Toms River South baseball.

In front of a large crowd at the stadium bearing his name, Frank and his team celebrated his 755th win as a head coach, giving him a place in New Jersey baseball history as the state's all-time winningest coach. Frank passes the late Tony Ferrainolo of Memorial High School in West New York, who passed away last year.

"It's an honor to be the top guy, I just can't believe it. I'm a little stunned with all that's going on," Frank said.

"There's people here I haven't seen in a long time. I've talked to them on the phone, but I haven't seen them and it's unbelievable to see all of them here. You ought to take a picture of that (the crowd) rather than me."

"The people in this crowd, there were a lot of ballplayers here, they made this job easy," Frank said. "I thank everybody from my wife, to my parents, to my kids, to the players, to the administration here, to the Diamond Club, to you guys, to the fans here. I hope I don't leave anybody out because everybody deserves credit, I'm just a part of it."

As much as the night was a celebration of Frank's accomplishment, his focus was insulating his players as much as possible.

"I didn't mention a word about the number before the game to the kids because I didn't want them to think about it," Frank said. "I thought they were a little nervous at the start of the game with all the people here and playing under the lights, but they eventually settled down and played ball."

Among the people in attendance to congratulate Frank was the coach in the other dugout, Tom Natoli, who graduated from Toms River South in 1995 and was the right fielder on the 1994 NJSIAA Group III championship team. Natoli and his Rams team were out to win the game first, of course, but once the Indians recorded the final out on a fly-out, one of Frank's many former players had nothing but praise for the man who helped shape his coaching career.

"He's a class act," Natoli said. "The thing I remember most about him is he got the most out of me and he got the most out of every player that ever played for him, whether it was the best player on the team or the last guy on the bench. He always stressed family and what you learn on the field, the

life lessons you learn while playing for him, you never forget that."

"If anybody was going to beat us tonight, I'd want it to be him," Frank said of Natoli. "We're still close, we talk a lot and he's one of my guys. He was part of the '94 state championship team. He knows what it takes."

Frank has been coaching at Toms River South for more than 40 years and took the head coaching position in 1979.

The first person he invited to be an assistant coach with him was younger brother Bill, who has been the head coach at Toms River East for 28 years, and according to the younger Frank, the two set out to bring the "city ball" they played at Snyder High School in Jersey City to the Shore.

"We want to beat each other more than anything, but when we're not going up against each other, we want to see each other succeed," said Bill Frank, who has 484 wins himself.

"We're brothers, so he's my biggest rival and I'm his biggest fan at the same time. I look at him tonight, and I'm just so proud to be his little brother. I've always looked up to him and I can't think of a better big brother and a better man to accomplish something like this."

While the two brothers have contributed to the crosstown rivalry as rivals themselves, they have also been each other's biggest supporter. Ken Frank was noticeably taken back by the outpouring of support, but his younger brother was equally reflective, especially when bringing up their father, Bill Sr., who died at 89 in February of 2010.

memorable."

"We were all looking forward to this night and you can tell how much it means when you see all of the former players here to watch coach Frank get the record," Leiter said. "He's a great coach and a great leader who gets everything he can out of the players on the team, and I was happy to go out there and help get him this win."

Toms River South teams under Frank have been both lauded and criticized over the years for their distinct style and approach to the game, although few people argue with the results. The Indians host a loud dugout, fire the ball around the diamond during the middle of at-bats, and haven't changed their uniforms in the 34 years Frank has been running the show.

"The kids buy in and that's what makes it all work," Frank said. "The alumni were just talking about how we still have the stirrup socks when everybody else is wearing the pants down around their shoes. We're a tradition team, and they love to be a part of it. They're proud of it."

They also play ferociously hard and take little for granted on the field, picking off runners and taking extra bases. Frank nearly wrapped up his record-breaking win when Southern senior John Hasney singled to left field and nearly got thrown out by Devish after taking a wide turn at first.

"I wanted it to end on that play and when I see (the umpire) tomorrow, around town, I'll have to talk to him about that," Frank joked.

There may not have been a more fitting conclusion to win No. 755 than catching a base-runner taking a wide turn, but in the end, a win against his former championship-winning right-fielder, under the lights on his own field with hundreds of people there to give him the proverbial "This is Your Life" tribute, Frank had a night worthy of a record-holder.

"I'm still pretty numb," he said. "Maybe it'll hit me when I get home, but this is even more than I expected."

"I know the one thing we both wish is that our dad is watching," Bill said. "He had such an influence on who we both became and was always our biggest supporter, and I know it hurts not having him here. But to see the support and what this means to the people who came out tonight, I know it means a lot to my brother and to me to see everyone who could be here tonight."

The Frank brothers had a good day overall, with Bill Frank's Raiders knocking off Jackson Memorial, the No. 3 team in the All Shore Media Top 10, 4-1 earlier in the day.

"I guess it's a good day to be a Frank," Bill said.

As Natoli alluded to, Frank has always paid mind to each player on the roster, and not many Indians teams have a greater appreciation for that than this year's squad. Only shortstop R.J. Devish and pitchers Kyle Driscoll and John Leiter returned with starting experience, but Toms River South is off to a 10-1 start, nonetheless.

"Last year's team was picked to be number one in the Shore and other teams have been picked high, so we really wanted to be the team that surprised people," senior Andrew Hourigan said. "We knew coach was coming up on the record, and we are honored to be the team that got him the record. Now we want to make this season even more

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By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

or the first few weeks after it happened, whenever Eric Scamardella would go to nod off on his couch o n a lazy afternoon or settle into b ed at night, he would snap a wake.

A lefty who throws in the high 80s, Fowler reared up and let one fly in an attempt to back Scamardella off the plate.

"Then all hell broke loose,'' Fowler said.

The fastball grazed the side of Scamardella's batting helmet before slamming full force into his left temple. He staggered and then lost consciousness, falling

That same fastball was still hurtling directly at his skull.

"To this day, I can still see it coming right for me,''

facedown and lying motionless in the dirt as mouths were covered in horror in the stands and an eerie silence descended on the field.

Scamardella said.

It was May 10, 2011, and Scamardella and his Holmdel baseball squad were taking on visiting Red Bank Regional in a game between Class A Central rivals. The bases were loaded in the second inning with Holmdel leading 5-0 when Scamardella, Holmdel's first baseman and middleof-the-order hitter, walked to the plate.

One batter earlier, Scarmardella's father, Anthony, had trudged up the hill to Holmdel's field after cutting out of work early in Manhattan, happy to get a chance to see his son play on a sunny afternoon.

A switch hitter, Scamardella dug into the right side of the batter's box, ready to face Red Bank senior Jack

"He's on the ground, and I'm thinking, 'I just killed him,''' said Fowler, who is now a

freshman pitcher at Felician College.

"I honestly thought that.''

Fowler. The Bucs' ace had felt good in the bullpen and was amped up for a big divisional showdown, but was struggling mightily to start the game.

A high school player dying after being hit by a pitch is certainly not unheard of. In 2010, Thomas Adams, a 16-yearold at Garfield High School, died after he was hit in the chest by a pitch during a practice with his all-star travel team. In 2009, 16-year-old Patrick Clegg of Lebanon High School in Missouri was killed when he was hit by a wild pitch just below his helmet.

"When a kid is unconscious, you

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don't know what to think,'' said Holmdel head coach Dan Mondelli, who has been coaching for 27 years.

"I've seen kids get hit before, but this was scary.''

Scamardella's mother, a registered nurse, rushed on to the field as Holmdel athletic trainer Shannon Davis ran to home plate along with Mondelli.

Anthony Scamardella also ran toward the batter's box, saying a prayer as he went.

"I was thinking, 'Just get up,''' Anthony said. "Who gives a damn if you'll ever play baseball again.''

Scamardella began drifting in and out of consciousness while Holmdel assistant Gene Crimoli called 911 as his teammates watched with pulses racing. The Red Bank players, some of whom played summer travel ball on the same team with Scamardella, all went down on one knee to say a prayer. Then-Red Bank coach Chris Lemore, who had coached Scamardella at a Christian Brothers Academy baseball camp over the summer, later called it "one of the scariest days of coaching that I have endured in my 12 years."

"I saw the fastball out of his hands,'' Scamardella said. "I was just late getting out of the way of it and caught it in the side of my helmet. I remember the coaches calling my name and waking up in the ambulance.''

Emergency medical technicians from Holmdel arrived and strapped him to a spine board while administering oxygen as they transported Scamardella to a waiting ambulance. The incident was traumatizing enough that the teams postponed the rest of the game, eventually replaying it in its entirety the following day.

While Scamardella was being rushed to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune, Fowler felt the eyes of the entire crowd boring a hole into him.

"I just felt weird,'' he said. "I was that (expletive). I was the one who caused him to be carted off.''

At the hospital, Scamardella was diagnosed with a severe concussion but no further damage. He had been hit so hard that the imprint of his batting helmet was still on his face that night at the hospital.

"I think that was the benefit of being unconscious,'' he said. "I didn't get to see how ugly how it looked to everyone else.''

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Finding Normal

Scamardella was discharged from the hospital and returned home the following day.

He experienced typical concussion symptoms like dizziness, nausea, sleepiness and irritation by bright lights.

The night of the incident, Anthony Scamardella called Fowler to tell him that his son was in stable condition.

"After I heard that, I felt so relieved,'' Fowler said. "I had just felt horrible.''

Fowler later reached out to Scamardella on Facebook and the two spoke about it.

They had known of one another just by their teams being division rivals but did not have any personal relationship before the fateful pitch.

"The first thing he said to me was sorry, that it slipped and he had no intention of hitting me,'' Scamardella said. "I said, 'Don't worry about it, it's part of game.

Don't make it take away from your stuff and pitching inside.'''

Scamardella was out for the rest of Holmdel's season, and he also spent the last few weeks of his junior year on home instruction instead of attending school. He often attended Holmdel's games, watching in frustration as the Hornets sunk to an 8-14 season after having been in contention for a division title.

He also had issues to deal with away from his anxiety and helplessness while stuck in the dugout. In the first few weeks after the beanball, the nightmares began.

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coming at him. When he was telling me that, there was a time in June where it was crossing my mind that he might not play again.''

The summer after a player's junior year is absolutely crucial to baseball recruiting. It's a chance to attend showcases and play in travel events before college scouts. Missing that time might mean missing an opportunity to play at the next level. That meant there was only one thing Scamardella could do to stop the nightmares if he wanted to be able to play in the summer - get back in the box.

Scamardella plays for the New Jersey 9ers Baseball Club, which features a host of local talent, primarily from Monmouth County. He had been invited to participate in the prestigious SelectFest event in late June featuring some of the

Northeast's top talent and dozens of college and pro scouts. Pretty much every pitcher at the event throws in the high 80s or 90s, and they are certainly not afraid to come inside.

He barely had two weeks to get ready.

Scamardella began by hitting off a tee at practices for Holmdel's summerleague team. Then with SelectFest looming, he finally stepped back into the box during an intrasquad scrimmage by the 9ers.

"I purposely had an intrasquad before

"For a few weeks it was rough on him,'' Mondelli said.

"Every time he tried to go to sleep, he would see the ball

what happened,'' Scamardella said. "You clear your mind and get in there like any other at-bat.

After the first pitch was thrown, I was right back in it.''

He performed as well as he could at SelectFest even though he was far from 100 percent, but it wasn't until about mid-July in a showcase in North Carolina where he said he finally began to feel like his old self again. Getting back in the game had melted the nightmares away.

"What really was a shame was that it happened in the beginning of May, which hurt his summer,'' Mondelli said. "I think this injury might have cost him. I think he's a Division Ilevel player. If he had his full junior year and summer, I think things are different. He wasn't right until the end of the summer.''

Whether it's wondering what might have happened if that pitch was a few more centimeters to the right and struck him flush without grazing his helmet or

where he might have ended up with a healthy summer, Scamardella will not wallow in it. Shortly before his senior season began this spring, he committed to Catholic University, a Division III program.

"You could always play the 'what if?' game,'' Scamardella said. "I try not to do that. The only thing that it can do is to just keep it in the back of your mind, which is not helpful.''

Scamardella and Fowler have also forged an unlikely friendship out of the tension of that day.

"I check up on him to see how he is doing at Felician,'' Scamardella said. "Our relationship got stronger through the incident.''

"I just hope they just take it easy on Red Bank,'' Fowler said before laughing.

The Hornets are off to a 7-3 start this season after winning eight games all of last year.

Through April 18, Scamardella was hitting a team-high .444 with 12 hits, 9 RBIs, 5 stolen bases and 3 doubles while also boasting a teambest 1.45 earned run average on the mound.

However, he suffered a hamstring injury on April 20 that he is now trying to recover from.

"He's back to the way he was,'' Mondelli said.

"Watching him play now, there's no effect. He never bails. He stays right in there. I'm glad to see that because he's such a good kid. You see what happens to guys like Tony Conigliaro where they're never the same after something like that, so I'm glad that didn't happen to him.''

He digs back into the batter's box with confidence despite the type of incident that has turned many players into a shell of themselves.

SelectFest to make sure he would see pitches before he went there,'' said NJ 9ers coach Rob Maida. "I remember being nervous. Leading up to the scrimmage, he took a couple rounds of batting practice, and I purposely put kids out there who were strike throwers, pitching 75-80 on a flat line.''

"Obviously you step in and you still have memories of

"I look at it as a fluke,'' Scamardella said. "I love baseball, and there was no way that was going to prevent me from getting back in the game.''

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The Best of Both Worlds: Elite Sports Performance Center

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

While building a successful physical therapy business over the past nine years, Dr. Sharon Wentworth was able to witness firsthand what worked and what did not when it came to performance training centers.

Her business was housed in several different centers that came and went over the years. Now she has a place she can call her own that combines her Elite Sports Physical Therapy business with a cutting-edge performance training center run by some of the top strength and conditioning authorities in the area. The Elite Sports Performance Center, which is housed in the American Red Cross building on West Park Avenue in Tinton Falls, is a 16,000-square foot facility, designed after the U.S. Olympic Training Center, featuring the latest equipment and 6,000 square feet of artificial turf.

The center combines Wentworth’s well-respected physical therapy business with a place where athletes can train for their respective sports under the tutelage of some top strength and conditioning coaches.

“I feel like there’s not another sports facility that offers what we offer,’’ Wentworth said. “It’s important to have that ‘wow’ factor, and there are college facilities that are not this good.’’

Over the years, Wentworth watched as either a facility had a financial backer with money but no expertise in the field or had strength and conditioning experts with little money, a poor facility and limited business knowledge. Helping with the business side is the fact that Wentworth is partnered with Dr. Stephen Bade, the son of Dr. Harry Bade, who has built a long-

standing successful business with Professional Orthopaedic Associates in Tinton Falls.

The performance training business, which is called Reach Your Potential Training (RYPT), is run by Bobby Smith, who was an All-American javelin thrower at Monmouth University, and Adam Feit. Feit is a former Division III All-American football player who worked on the strength and conditioning staff at the University of Louisville before becoming the head sports performance coach at Eastern Michigan and then joining the staff of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers as a strength and conditioning coach.

The business is focused on working with high school, college and professional athletes, so the equipment is designed specifically for that purpose.

There also is a

60-yard artificial turf area for work on 40-yard dash times and more.

RYPT’s Adam Feit works with Matt Golden who is successfully recovering from a knee injury

Catholic graduate Donald Brown and Dallas Cowboys star and former Monmouth University wide receiver Miles Austin were present at the grand opening in March, Feit and Smith also have established relationships with high-level athletes.

On the physical therapy side, Wentworth estimates that 80 percent of her business is working with college or pro athletes, so unlike many therapy centers, she does not have to mix in treating elderly clients doing physical therapy with athletes in order to buoy her business.

“No other businesses The steady clientele of in the area can really Elite Physical Therapy say they specialize like and a 20-year lease we do,’’ Wentworth allows Feit and Smith said. “I can help time to build their facility Bobby’s business while without financial they’re building, and I pressures immediately truly think it’s just a being exerted. The matter of time before stability of the business (RYPT) will be a allows RYPT to focus regular destination for strictly on training high Dr. Sharon Wentworth works with Danae O’Halloran local athletes.’’ school, college or pro on knee injury pervention athletes, whereas many This coming summer, businesses in the past RYPT is looking to become a place where local have often had to resort to working with younger athletes coming home from college can continue to children in order to pay the bills. Considering train at a high level and execute the goals set forth by Indianapolis Colts running back and Red Bank their own coaches and strength trainers from school.

With the highly-qualified Smith and Feit guiding them, they can follow their programs, whereas many college athletes often come home and don’t get close to sticking with the plan designed by their respective schools.

The staff also traveled around looking at what works in the strength and conditioning programs at everywhere from Rutgers to Kean University to the New York Giants in order to design the facility with the best equipment out there along with cutting-edge programs. It has all added up to an impressive combination of a top-flight physical therapy service and athlete training business, all housed in one of the top facilities in the area specifically designed for athletes.

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The Shore Loses a Football Coaching Legend

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

The Shore Conference lost one of its iconic figures on April 22, when Shore Football Coaches Foundation Hall of Famer John Amabile passed away at 73 years old after a battle with cancer.

Amabile was a head coach for 48 years, spanning from the 1960s in Jersey City to a one-year stint at Allentown in 2009, and he is most remembered for his highly-successful runs at Wall and Neptune. This past fall he served as Long Branch's offensive coordinator under coach Dan George. Known for his straw hat and fiery demeanor, Amabile cut a memorable figure on the sidelines of Shore Conference football for decades.

Amabile grew up in Jersey City and was a firstteam All-State quarterback at St. Peter’s Prep before going on to star at Boston College. He began his coaching career in Jersey City in 1961 and came to the Shore Conference as the head coach at Middletown High School in 1970. His teams went 2022-3 during his time at Middletown before he became the head coach at Wall from 1977-1984 and had an exceptional run.

His teams went 55-31-2 during his time at Wall, winning the school’s first NJSIAA state sectional titles ever by capturing consecutive Central Jersey Group III championships in 1982 and 1983. During that time, the Crimson Knights had a 33-game winning streak, which is the third-longest in Shore Conference history. They also won four straight Shore Conference Class B South titles from 1981-1984.

Amabile went to Neptune from 1985-2000, piling up a record of 118-43-3 during his time there and winning five division titles and three state titles. The Scarlet Fliers won their first NJSIAA sectional title in school history in 1995 and finished No. 1 in the state after beating Franklin 21-12 in the Central Jersey Group III final. Neptune added a Central Jersey Group II title in 1997 and another Central Jersey Group III crown in 1998, the latter of which was the program’s last state sectional title before the Scarlet Fliers won one this past fall. Neptune made 11 state playoff appearances in Amabile’s tenure, and its first three state sectional titles in program history came under Amabile. The Scarlet Fliers also won five straight Shore Conference Class B North titles from 1994-1998.

Donohue Sr. also has over 200 career wins but amassed more than 100 while coaching at multiple South Jersey programs.

Amabile then went to St. John Vianney, coaching the Lancers from 2003-2008, finishing with a 21-39 record and leading them to the state playoffs in 2006.

He then spent 2009 coaching at Allentown, where the Redbirds went 4-6 and tied the school single-season record for wins before he decided to step down after the season. Amabile also was a long-time scout for the New York Giants.

Since coming to the Shore, Amabile has compiled a career record of 218-141-8, joining Brick/Lakewood’s Warren Wolf, the late Vic Kubu of Manasquan and Middletown North fame, Lacey’s Lou Vircillo and Keyport’s Mike Ciccotelli as coaches who have 200 or more career wins that were all amassed while coaching in the Shore Conference. Southern's Chuck

Photo by:

Bill Normile www.billnormile.zenfolio.com

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Boys Lacrosse: Rumson Wins Showdown With CBA

By Bob Badders – Senior Staff Writer Losing several proven scorers to graduation and fielding a defensive trio comprised entirely of sophomores has Rumson-Fair Haven leaning on its leaders more than ever.

That's where Jack Curran comes in.

The Villanova-bound senior attackman pumped in a gamehigh five goals on April 17 to lead the Bulldogs past host Christian Brothers Academy, 11-8, in a Shore Conference nondivisional matchup. In an early-season measuring stick for both teams, Rumson (5-0) opened a five-goal lead in the second quarter and held off a furious charge by the Colts (32) in the final 12 minutes.

"Jack Curran is a Division-I player – he's the best player out there," said Rumson head coach Reid Jackson. "He needs to score three goals a game, and when he doesn't he's letting his teammates down. Today he played a great game."

"Us leaders have to step it up and it just happened to be me today," Curran said. "We have other guys on the team that can step up when needed as well."

Junior attackman Michael Clarke added three goals, junior attackman Stephen Sutphen found the back of the net once and senior middies Dan Babiak and Ryan McCausland also scored to help Rumson remain unbeaten. Senior goalie Artie Tildesley made 19 saves against 34 CBA shots, including six in the final quarter.

Colts senior Donny Finn led the charge with four goals and three assists to eclipse the century mark in both categories. He now has 103 goals and 102 assists for his career. Luke Habich struck for three goals and two assists.

Christian Trigani made 12 saves.

"We need more games like this," Jackson said. "They're good for us."

A methodical first quarter produced just one goal when Curran scooped a ground ball and flicked it past Trigani with 1:13 left. The Bulldogs began to find their groove in the offensive end during the second quarter. Curran dished to a cutting Sutphen who snapped a shot through for a 2-0 lead at 11:13, but CBA answered with an unassisted goal by Finn at 10:15. From there, Rumson took control of the game with four unanswered goals to open up its biggest lead of the game.

Dominic Padula, one of the aforementioned sophomore defenders, found Clarke with a transition pass that led to Rumson's third goal at 9:02. Less than a minute later, Curran added his second goal for a 4-1 advantage. Some nifty passing down low gave Rumson a 5-1 lead.

Padula found Sutphen at the goal mouth in great position for a scoring chance, but Sutphen made the extra pass across the crease to a wideopen Curran who had no trouble finding twine.

Tildesley got into the offensive action when he raced all the way to the mid-field stripe before yielding to Babiak, who did the rest for a 6-1 lead just before halftime.

"We just started executing better in the second quarter," Curran said. "We were sloppy, throwing it away in the first. But we got our act together, came out firing and everything started clicking."

"We came here to blow these guys out of the water and I think we demonstrated that in the first half," Jackson said.

"But they demonstrated they're a very good club, and in the second half they gave us a fight."

"This is definitely a game we circle on our With Rumson threatening schedule," Curran said. to put the game out of reach "It's one of the biggest in the second half, CBA games of the season and came out with two straight the amount of respect Rumson’s Jack Curran from last year’s goals

by Habich to cut the each team has for each SCT championship game lead to 6-3. Clarke restored other is unmatched to order with two consecutive any other team in the Shore. We respect each other and play hard against each other goals of his own, however, to put Rumson back up by five. knowing either team can have its day."

The Colts wouldn't go away and drew to within 8-4 on

Finn's second strike, a brilliant shot that is the early leader for goal of the year. Positioned to the left of Tildesley, Finn ripped an over-the-shoulder shot as he was falling down into the top corner with 1:31 left in the quarter.

"Don Finn had an amazing inside roll over-the-shoulder to the top corner goal," Jackson said.

"He came off the field and I told him that's the best shot I've seen in a long time."

But as they did throughout the game, Rumson responded behind one of its leaders. Curran's fourth goal on a straight away blast from the top of the box replenished Rumson's five-goal lead with 34.7 seconds left in the quarter.

Dave Santos' team refused to go away, and closed the gap to 9-7 with three unanswered goals to start the fourth quarter.

Stephen Deiner scored with a shot from the wing at 8:47.

CBA Attackman Donny Finn Capping a long possession, Habich fought through tight defending by Rumson to rip a shot through traffic and over the stick of Tildesley to make it 9-6.

Finn's scorching bouncer from the top of the box with 4:58 to play pulled the Colts to within two .

With CBA on the move, Rumson's big guns delivered.

Tildesley made a key save on Alex Roth's scoring chance with 3:51 to play and Curran pushed the lead back to three with a goal at 3:05. Finn would score again off a behind-the-net feed from Babich with 2:05 remaining, but another big save by Tildesley in the closing minutes and a takeaway off a thunderous check by Christopher Hubler with 1:31 to go sealed Rumson's fourth win over CBA in the last six meetings.

"This is a big win for us," Curran said. "Winning this game means we can compete with the best of the best and we're going to bring that to the rest of the season."

Rumson Photo by

Cliff Lavelle w ww.cle ared ge. z enfolio . com

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Foot ball Defe nsi ve Pl ayer of th e Year C ommi ts t o Coas tal Carol in a

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

Red Ban k Catho lic s enio r d ef en s iv e tackle J o e Co s car elli, th e A ll S h or e M edia D ef en s iv e P lay er of the Year this p as t f all, has s ign ed w ith Coas tal Car o lin a, a F o o tb all Champ ions h ip S ub d ivis io n p r og r am that co mpetes in th e Big S o uth Con f er en ce.

The 6 - f o o t- 1, 245 - p ou n d Co s car elli is a tw otime, f ir s t team A S M A ll- S ho r e s electio n. H e led th e Cas eys w ith 105 tack les , a r ar e amo un t f o r a def en s iv e tack le, and als o h ad a f o r ced f u mb le and tw o f u mble r eco v er ies . H e had 24 s o lo tackles an d 81 as s is ts , and als o h ad 5 . 5 s acks on a d ef en s e th at allo w ed 9.5 p o ints per g ame. RBC f inis hed r anked N o . 1 in th e S ho r e Co nf er ence, w on th e Clas s B N or th title, r eached the N o nP ub lic G r o u p I I I s emif inals and d id n ot lo s e to a S ho r e Co n f er en ce o pp o nent all s eas on .

Co s car elli h ad 16 tackles in a d ou b le- ov er time v ictor y ag ains t Centr al J er s ey G r ou p I I I champ io n N eptun e, had 13 tack les in a do u bleover time lo s s to D elb ar to n in the s tate s ectio nal s emif in als , an d h ad 11 tack les in a 2 1- 0 w in ov er Centr al J er s ey G r o u p I I f in alis t Rums on - F air H aven . A s a ju nio r, he had 10 7 tack les and 7 s acks . Th is s eas o n he w as als o named the Clas s B

N or th Co- D ef en s iv e P layer of th e Year by th e coach es .

Co s car elli join s a b ann er clas s f r o m RBC, as tig ht en d/linebacker D ou g Whitlock ( N avy ) ; f u llb ack /lineb ack er Ch r is D o n ald ( William & M ar y) ; r u nn ing b ack J o hn D iS tef ano ( M ilf or d A cad emy ) ; off en s iv e lin eman Ryan By r ne ( S acr ed H ear t) ; lin eb acker A nth on y D or s i ( D elaw ar e Valley Co lleg e) ; and w id e r eceiver /d ef en s iv e b ack G r eg G old en ( Th e H u n S ch oo l) ar e all co mmitted to con tin u e th eir car eer s at th e n ext lev el af ter h elpin g th e Cas eys w in a s ch oo lr eco r d 1 0 g ames in th e f all.

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Jackson Memorial Ace Brandon Holup Off to a Strong Start

By Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer Jackson Memorial senior right-hander Brandon Holup has taken some hard-luck losses over the past two seasons, including earlier this year in his team's loss to Toms River East, but it would have taken a near-perfect pitching performance on the other side to beat him on April 19 at Ray Ryan Field on the campus of Toms River High School North.

Holup pitched his first career complete-game shutout, limiting the Mariners to three hits and one walk while striking out 11, and the Jaguars - the No. 3 team in the All Shore Media Top 10 - blanked Toms River North 6-0 to keep pace with Toms River South for first place in the Shore Conference Class A South division.

Holup entered the game with a career record of 6-4 and a 2012 record of 1-1 thanks to a stellar performance by Toms River East left-hander Trevor Fitzsimmons in a 4-1 Raiders win over the Jaguars in mid-April. Although his record may not reflect it, Holup has been one of the top pitchers in the conference over the last two seasons, evidenced by an earned-run average of 2.16 last season, a 1.84 ERA after the win over Toms River North and a strikeout-to-walk ratio better than 4-to-1 as a varsity starter.

"This game's in my top five," Holup said. "I've pitched in some big games against good teams before and we've lost some of those games 2-1 or 3-2, so I haven't always gottenwins, but I always feel like I can pitch well enough to win and give us a chance to win."

"He's been pitching like this for us since last year," Jackson Memorial coach Frank Malta said. "He's pitched big games against good teams and unfortunately, we haven't always given him as much run support as we've given other guys, so the record is a little deceiving. I thought he did what he always does. He threw strikes, he mixed his pitches, kept

guys off balance and he made the big pitches when he had to."

After starting the season by scoring 26 runs in two games, Jackson Memorial's offense cooled off in its last five games before Toms River North, averaging 3.4 runs in that span. Despite the relative lack of offense, the Jaguars went 4-1 during that stretch behind their pitching, and Holup joined the run with his showing against the Mariners.

"We've faced some very good pitching so far, maybe the best we've seen this early in the season, and that's a good thing," Malta said. "I want teams to throw their best at us Jackson Memorial right-hander Brandon Holup and force us to play close games so we learn how to handle ourselves in different situations. I hear people ask 'How did you guys lose to (Toms River) East?' Since when is Toms River East not a good team? They are always ready to play and they flat out beat us. It happens. I think you just take it as it comes and move on, and I think that's how our guys are handling it."

In addition to limiting the Mariners to just five baserunners

- one reached on a wild pitch on one of the 11 strikeouts - Holup induced nine ground-ball outs to just one fly out. Jackson Memorial's infield defense was up to the task, making all nine plays without committing an error.

Holup's location was on through his seven innings as he threw 71 of his 113 pitches for strikes and used his breaking ball to induce swinging strikes. Four of his strikeouts ended with swings-andmisses on the breaking ball, which had curveball action for most of the game.

"I don't know if it's a curve or a slider, but I call it a curve," Holup said. "I throw it with different grips and that kind of changes what the pitch does, but for the most part, I use it like a curveball. That's the pitch that I've been using to get hitters out and that's what was working."

Game Video Highlights by:

Matt manley

www.allshoremedia.com

www.allshoremedia.com

A SM / 1 5 make the postseason and win something, even if it what they are winning is cheapened. The main job of most ADs is to get the complainers off their back, and this would help in that instance, so they are going to vote for it.

The New Jersey State

Interscholastic Association approved a proposal on first reading this Month that would expand the public group classifications to five, which would increase the number of overall state sectional champions crowned to 24.

Essentially, there would be a newly-created Group V for the largest public schools to go along with existing four Groups, starting in the upcoming 2012 season.

The proposal is now before the NJSIAA’s program review committee and will be voted on next month at the NJSIAA’s executive committee meeting.

I don’t want to go crazy because it’s still just high school football, but I couldn’t be more against this plan. Just four months ago, the NJSIAA membership was voting to join the rest of civilization and actually play to overall public Group champions in football, which was narrowly voted down by the NJSIAA membership.

Now they want to add four more sections and crown 24 total state champions, which is ridiculous. It’s a total step back, in my opinion. Being called a “state champion” in public school football in New Jersey is starting to mean less and less. It’s becoming harder to win division titles for a lot of these teams than to win a state sectional title.

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This reeks of two things:

The “everybody gets a medal” mentality that is pervading youth sports. This means more teams, including teams with losing records, can now make the playoffs, more teams get a trophy and all that, so that no one’s feelings are hurt when they don’t get to be in the playoffs. In a Star-Ledger story on the proposal, NJSIAA associate director Jack Dubois said that many coaches are “not thrilled” to play in consolation games. Well, coaches, here’s a novel concept: WIN MORE GAMES AND MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. Then you won’t have to play in a consolation game.

A reason why I think the proposal will pass is that athletic directors can go back to their schools and tell them they will have a better chance for their teams to

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Another money grab by the NJSIAA. Ever since this whole Burzichelli business hit the fan over ticket prices, the NJSIAA claims that it is struggling to make money. With more teams in the playoffs, that means more entry fees and more sites to sell programs, T-shirts and other assorted swag. The more teams in the postseason, the more money that comes in. Now that teams with losing records at the cutoff are allowed to be in the state playoffs in every other sport, they are adding football to the list.

If it does get passed, one effect will be that winning a state sectional title won’t be all that much to write home about any more. (Some of them don’t mean a whole lot now). Most of these proposed sections will have about 15-16 teams in them.

Most divisions in a given conference have 6-8 teams in them.

That means a state section has barely double the amount of teams that a division has, so it’s not like you’re beating a large region of teams to win a state title.

I wonder if the Shore Conference can just break off from all this. Just have a Shore Conference football tournament instead. It will be one packed house after another, and winning it would really mean something as opposed to breezing through some mediocre sectional bracket.

If the proposal does happen, here is a look at the brackets from a purely football perspective and who might be the winners and losers in the new realignments.

bracket. The main threat would probably be rival Shore, which would be moved up from playing Group I schools, putting the Blue Devils in a harder bracket than the CJ I section they are in now. Red Bank would also be a big factor with the team it has coming back this year, and Keyport is always dangerous but has not fared very well whenever it has been in a Group II bracket.

Group I – This would continue to be Asbury Park’s playground, although Point Beach will be a serious threat this fall.

South Jersey

Group V – Toms River North, Toms River East and Southern would still be stuck dealing with every South Jersey heavyweight in sight in this bracket, which is similar to the current SJ IV bracket, so no breaks for any of those teams.

Group IV – This is similar to the current SJ III, so Lacey would face the usual array of suspects like Hammonton, Shawnee and Timber Creek.

Group III – This is a good spot for teams like Manchester, Pinelands and Central because it will give them a better chance to make the playoffs every year.

Delsea could have a field day in this bracket after usually being in the current SJ III. Point Boro would essentially move up a weight class, but that might not be the worst thing because it gets them away from West Deptford and Haddonfield in the current SJ II. Group II – It would be status quo for Barnegat, which would still have to deal with West Deptford and Co. Group I – No Shore teams in this bracket.

Central Jersey

Group V – This is pretty similar to the current CJ Group IV, so there wouldn’t be any major change.

Group IV – This is similar to the current CJ III, just with Middletown North and Colts Neck thrown in.

One addition is Pennsauken, which won the South Jersey Group IV title last year and would certainly be a threat to the usual suspects like Middletown South, Neptune, Freehold, and Wall. Colts Neck would also be a new threat among these teams.

Group III – This is like the current CJ II except for two major differences – no Rumson-Fair Haven, which would be in Group II, and the addition of Ocean. Allentown and the Hamilton schools would also avoid the likes of Neptune, Middletown South, etc. Ocean would also not have to tangle with those teams, but still would have to deal with usual tough teams like Manasquan, Matawan, Long Branch and Raritan. This would be a very tough bracket. Winning it might actually mean something.

Group II – If you’re a Rumson fan, you’re definitely not complaining about this new proposal with Danny Roberto, Travis Clark and Co. coming back next season. The Bulldogs would no longer have to deal with the Matawans, Manasquans and Long Branches of the world. They could dominate this

Rumson's Danny Roberto

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