Shore Sports Network High School Sports 4-28-14 Vol-VI Issue-8

April 28, 2014 Volume-VI Issue-8

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

”Is this going to be on

”

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

Shore Sports Network Web Site Features

n Get Video Highlights of all the important games that Shore Conference fans will be talking about.

n Catch up on the action you might have missed

n Watch video clips of everything from the action early in the event to the big finish as well as video interviews with various athletes. n www.shoresportsnetwork.com is the most visited sports site in the Shore Conference during the scholastic year n Follow us on Twitter (over 12,000 followers) and Facebook, we keep fans posted on the latest scores and news n Established leading portal for local high school coverage.

Featured in This Issue

SteveMeyer

Director High School Division smeyer@allshoremedia.com 7 3 2 - 2 3 3 - 4 4 6 0

ScottStump

Managing Editor

stump@alls ho re media .c om

Senior Content

Providers

MattManley // Mmanley21@gmail.com B o b B a d d e r s / / badders@allshoremedia.com

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Football Academic All-Shore Players Honored

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Barnegat Boys Lacrosse Off to a Great Start Middletown North Baseball Advances in the MCT

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Freehold Twp. Roars Back from Slow Start US Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic Rosters Announced

CBA's Luca Dalatri Shines

TR SOUTH’S KEN FRANK REGISTERS 8-9 HIS 800 WIN TH

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Academic All-Shore Players Honored

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

A group of Shore Conference standouts were honored on Sunday for

their performances on the field and in the classroom at the annual Shore Football Coaches Foundation banquet.

The recipients of this year’s Academic All-Shore awards were honored and the rosters and coaching staffs for this summer’s U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic were also announced at the banquet at Gibbs Hall. Kean University head coach Dan Garrett, an Ocean Township resident, gave the keynote speech. Lacey assistant Watson Heilala, a U.S. Army Reserve specialist, spoke on behalf of the U.S. Army, which has continued its generous sponsorship of the state’s oldest all-star football game, which began in 1978. The event was emceed by the Shore Sports Network’s own Kevin Williams.

Bob Generelli. Nani led the Mariners to South Jersey Group IV titles in 1994 and 1997 as well as a pair of division titles.

Generelli won three state sectional titles between his two coaching stints, including leading Raritan to its only state title in program history during an undefeated 2004 season.

Two members of the media will also be inducted. The Shore Sports Network’s own Ed

This year’s game pitting the top seniors from Monmouth County against their counterparts from Ocean County will be at 7 p.m. on July 17 at Brick Township High School. Ocean Township’s Don Klein will coach the Monmouth squad, while Brick coach Rob Dahl, who led the Green Dragons to their first state sectional title since 1994 this past fall, will lead the Ocean team.

At halftime, the SFCF will make its latest inductions into the Hall of Fame. The coaching inductees will be former Toms River North head coach Bob Nani and former Middletown South and Raritan head coach

Kean University head coach Dan Garrett

honorees were Manalapan’s Ed Gurrieri (Class A North); Monmouth Regional’s Rich Mosca (Class A Central); Brick’s Rob Dahl, Toms River South’s Ron Signorino Jr., Jackson Memorial’s Walt Krystopik (Class A South); Ocean’s Don Klein (Class B North); Shore’s Mark Costantino (Class B Central); and Barnegat’s Rob Davis (Class B South).

Two players from each program were selected as Academic All-Shore recipients.

They had to maintain a 3.0 grade-point average or higher and also display Army representitive Watson Heilala character and integrity off the field as well as being a contributor on it. They were selected by their respective coaches. Six players who were Shore Sports Network first-team All-Shore Sarluca, a longselections in the fall also earned academic honors: time sideline Manalapan linebacker Chris Noesges, Ocean linebacker Dan reporter on the Loizos, Jackson Memorial linebacker Ken Bradley and radio broadcasts running back Khani Glover, Matawan kicker/punter Mike and a fixture of Creamer and Point Beach defensive back Noah Yates.

Shore Conference football, will be inducted along Academic All-Shore Team with former Asbury Park Press Asbury Park - Daquane Bland-Bennett, Ricky Cortez columnist and Barnegat – Mark Magoon, Tom Kampo sports editor Joe Adelizzi, another Brick – Drew Scott, Logan Schmitz longtime Brick Memorial – Lance Hansen, Jake Lombardo supporter and Central – Tom Koenig, Paulius Kudarauskas chronicler of Shore football.

Colts Neck – Mike Ververka, Martin Hooper The recipients of the Coach of the Year awards for each of the Shore Conference’s six divisions were also honored. The

Freehold – Simar Ahluwalia, Luke Tiefenthaler

Freehold Township – Sam Beres, Drew Castleman Holmdel – Matt Dixon, Kevin Brady

Howell – Stephen Boncimino, Connor McGlynn

Jackson Liberty – John Veneziano, Nathaniel Matos Jackson Memorial – Ken Bradley, Khani Glover

Keyport – Michael Wingate, Alex Thomson Lacey – Trace Dittenhofer, Tom Kelly

Lakewood – Ivan Marks, Dan Niblack

Long Branch – Conor Mullan, Shabazz Shuler Manalapan – Chris Noesges, Tyler Leonetti Manasquan – Denis Moran, Evan Walsh

Manchester – Nicholas Ientile, Devin Tomei Marlboro – Chris Coyle, Reuben Cruz

Matawan – Mike Creamer, Nick Tomkins

Mater Dei Prep – Sam Miles, Derrick Lopez

Middletown South – Tayler Hendrickson, Andrew Wisialko Middletown North – Jake Betkowski, Jake Zani

Monmouth Regional – Joe Pietz, Michael Morano

Monsignor Donovan – Dean Wilk, Brett Hogancamp Neptune – Nyjeer Wesley, Michael Dove Ocean – Cole Mehr, Dan Loizos

Pinelands – Matt MacPhee, Dan MacPhee Point Beach – Noah Yates

Point Boro – Brendan O’Hara, Matt Gliddon Rumson-FH – Chase Caruso, Kyle Burnett Raritan – Jared Collins, Tyler Jones

Red Bank Catholic – Frank Olmo, Pat Toomey

Red Bank Regional – Adam Lynch, Gary Johnson St. John Vianney – Billy DeMato, Julanee Prince Shore Regional – Brian Miller, James Murphy Southern – Christian Lovas, Vinnie Colecchia

Toms River East – Dean Ramos, Matt Gudzak

Toms River North – Robert Deitlmeier, Nick Silva

Toms River South – Sergio Hernandez, Justin Schuman Wall – Pete Miceli, Jack Cluley

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Barnegat Lacrosse Enjoying Breakout Season

By Bob Badders - Senior Staff Writer

W hen Barnegat walked off the field after the third quarter of its

crucial Shore Conference Class A South game against Lacey on April 23 it was a team barely holding it together.

The Bengals had built a two-goal halftime lead on the Lions, only to see it wiped away during a quarter in which little went right for the host squad. The Bengals’ offense was out of sync, and frustration was mounting. The situation only became more dire when Dan Cannon gave Lacey the lead early in the fourth quarter. If Barnegat was going to keep its undefeated record and division title hopes intact, it had to find its game and do it fast.

“I know they don’t have quit in them,” said Barnegat head coach Ryan Dalon. “Sometimes they do get frustrated and you can see it, but they usually fight through it. When we get momentum going in our direction we know how to use it.”

Trailing by one midway through the final period, the Bengals drew even on a goal by junior attackman Matt Manno and then pulled in front when senior Ethan Tonneson threaded a gorgeous pass to sophomore attackman Ryan Reynolds with 5:23 left. Senior Matt

Grobelny made some clutch saves over the final five minutes and Barnegat held on to edge Lacey, 7-6, in a pivotal Class A South showdown.

“Everyone was saying we hadn’t played that great of teams,” said senior defenseman Greg Moran. “We knew Lacey was a big challenge for us, and to win was a big stepping stone to show we are for real.”

“In the third quarter we kind of fell apart,” Tonneson said. “(To come back) showed how much heart we have.”

Tonneson dished out four assists in the game to extend his team lead. Reynolds and junior midfielder Ricky Gerena each scored twice for Barnegat while senior Anthony Hause, sophomore J.J. McKenna and Manno also found the back of the net. Grobelny finished with 14 saves, including five in the fourth quarter. Seniors Dan Cannon and Joey Long each scored twice for Lacey with goalie Kyle Fisher making 12 saves.

Barnegat’s victory keeps it in line with defending A South champion Southern atop the division standings. After passing a major test against Lacey, defeating Jackson Liberty, 13-5, on April 25 and holding off Shore Regional, 6-4 in a nondivisional game on April 28, the Bengals need to only defeat Toms River North to enter the game versus

Ethan Tonneson (24), Matt Manno (10), Ricky Gerena (1)

VOLUME-VI Southern on May 1 with a chance to win the division title.

Wednesday’s contest was tight from the start, and remained that way throughout.

Barnegat’s two-goal lead at halftime was the largest advantage either team had all game.

Lacey got on the board a mere 37 seconds into the game when Cannon found Long right in front of the net with a great pass for a tap-in goal. Barnegat answered when Gerena scored unassisted off an isolation drive from the top of the box at 10:27, and took a 2-1 lead when Tonneson steered a pass from the right side into the box where McKenna corralled it and zipped a shot past Fisher at 6:57.

Long then tied the game at 4:22 with a great individual effort, curling around the crease and diving through a defender to beat Grobelny and knot the score at two. With 3:03 left in the opening quarter, Tonneson sent a pass to the goal mouth that Reynolds caught and deposited into the net to give Barnegat a 32 lead after the first quarter.

Cannon tied the score at three at 8:28 of the second quarter when he dodged a defender high in the box and blasted a left-handed shot past Grobelny. Barnegat re-gained the lead just over two minutes later when Gerena cut in from the left corner behind the net and sank his second goal of the game. Another great pass from Tonneson pushed the Bengals’ lead to 5-3, as he found Hause with a pass across the box and the senior finished the play at 3:23, enabling Barnegat to enter halftime with a two-goal advantage.

Any momentum Barnegat had built over the first 24 minutes dissipated after halftime, however. Lacey won all three third-quarter face-offs, and the advantage in possession

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looked like a team ready to fold, but the Bengals were able to reverse their fortune over the game’s final six and a half minutes.

Moran started the breakout on Barnegat’s gametying goal when he picked up a ground ball in his own end.

The ball eventually came to Reynolds, who then quickly dished to Manno for a goal that made it 6Junior midfielder Ricky Gerena (1) 6 with 6:28 left. The game-winning goal came off another helped the Lions tie the game, 5-5. They cut the great clear, this one by McKenna. The deficit to one at 9:16 of the third quarter when sophomore ran the ball across the midfield line junior defenseman James Peaney engineered a and out-raced Cannon down the right sideline successful clear and led the rush into the before dishing to Tonneson, who was camped offensive end. He found Pat Quinn in stride, out behind and to the right of the goal. and the senior scored to made it 5-4.

Tonneson quickly flipped a pass to a wide-open Reynolds, who scored for the 7-6 lead.

With 4:20 to go in the quarter, sophomore Ryan Mahon scored from point-blank range to “J.J. is a player that’s on the rise,” Dalon tie the game at five. The damage could have said. “He plays a lot of lacrosse so he been worse if not for the play of Grobelny and understands the game very well. He doesn’t defensemen Ryan Parker, Hunter Narozniak and panic when he has the ball on his stick.”

Moran. Grobelny made five saves in the quarter to help offset a period in which unforced errors “Having Ethan Tonneson out there, his vision and low-percentage shots plagued the Bengals. is so key,” Dalon added. “He’s my offensive field general out there. He calms everything Lacey took its first lead since going up 1-0 down and gets the offense in sync. When he has when Cannon drove to his left and unleashed the ball on his stick I feel comfortable he’s another bomb that rippled the twine behind going to make the right decision all the time.”

Grobelny, putting the Lions up 6-5 just 43 seconds into the fourth quarter. Barnegat For Lacey, Wednesday’s loss marked its first

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defeat since dropping a 10-8 game to Marlboro on April 5. The Lions have already eclipsed their win total from last season (8-10) when they qualified for the NJSIAA and Shore Conference Tournaments for the first time. With a 9-2 record already this season, they’re well on their way to a return to each.

“We knew it was going to be a challenge,” said Lacey head coach Shane Allen. “We had an opportunity to see them earlier in the week, and we knew their lineup was strong top to bottom.

We had to play mistake-free lacrosse, and we didn’t do that today.”

For a team that entered the season having graduated a 50-goal scorer, plus being short on midfielders, offense was a question mark heading into the season. But with Tonneson’s passing and a balanced set of finishers that includes six players with at least 10 goals, the Bengals’ offense hasn’t missed a beat. Add that to a solid defense in front of a stingy goalie and it’s easy to see why Barnegat has enjoyed a breakout year.

And if all continues to go right, they’ll be playing for a division title against last season's South Jersey Group IV champions. The test will be unlike any opponent they've face thus far, however. The Rams crushed Lacey, 15-1, following the Lacey-Barnegat game and have won 11 straight games, averaging over 15 goals per game during that span. The odds are certainly stacked against Barnegat, but a win would not only be a historic moment for its program, but would be a significant step in the growth of Shore Conference lacrosse.

“Every year we come in as underdogs,” Tonneson said. “The whole Shore or A South doesn’t see us as competition, but this year we’re showing everyone we’re coming for it.”

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Middletown North Baseball Advances in MCT M ost high school catchers turn their head toward their dugout somewhere

By Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer

between 70 and 120 times per game to find out what pitch their pitcher will be throwing and, in some cases, how to call the pitch.

Middletown North senior catcher Ryan Goscinski is indeed the first player to find out what pitch his pitcher about to throw, but that’s because he’s the one picking the pitches.

When two players are as familiar with one another as Goscinski and senior right-hander Mike Zibrin, why lean on a middleman?

Zibrin and Goscinski crafted a four-hit gem Saturday as the Lions – the No. 15 seed in the Monmouth County Tournament – took down No. 2 Shore, 3-1, to advance to the quarterfinals, where they will play crosstown rival and seventh-seeded Middletown South.

“Goose (Goscinski) calls a great game, and I just lean on him,” Zibrin said. “We’ve been playing together forever and he knows my stuff as well as I do, if not better. It’s just up to me to execute the pitches and I felt pretty good about throwing all of them wherever Goose wanted them.”

“I’ve always let the catchers call the game on the field,” third-year Middletown North coach Mike Dooley said. “They are the ones playing the game, so they should be the ones to make the decisions out there. It’s the best thing for their own development, and then they can show the younger guys how to do it and you get it passed down from year to year.”

Shore’s lone score was an unearned run in the fifth inning that came following an errant pickoff throw that moved a runner into scoring position. Kevin Donegan followed with a ground ball that rolled through the right side to score the Blue Devils’ lone run.

Zibrin finished with six strikeouts and no walks while pitching on three-days’ rest. The senior threw 5 1/3 innings in a 9-4 loss to Christian Brothers Academy on Tuesday, which dropped the Lions to 3-5.

“I felt good,” Zibrin said. “I didn’t change anything in my routine, and we pretty much treated it like any other day. Normally, this would have been my day to throw off the mound so instead of doing it in practice, I just took it out into the game.”

Senior right-hander Mike Zibrin

VOLUME-VI Zibrin surrendered three of the four hits to the opposing starting pitcher, junior right-hander James Kelly. Although Kelly hurt him out of the clean-up spot by going 3-for-3 with a double to deep center, Zibrin quieted Shore’s two most powerful hitters – center fielder Matt Cosentino and catcher Nick Blaney. Cosentino rolled over two ground balls to shortstop on well-located fastballs and flew to right in his final at-bat, while Blaney went down on strikes, got under a fly ball to right field and grounded out sharply to third base.

both runners in motion. Byrd scored easily on the play and when the throw went to first base to get Bartels, Ventrano came flying around third base to score a second run on the play and give the Lions an early 2-0 lead.

Byrd again reached on an error in the fifth and stole two

“I didn’t treat any one spot in the lineup as the out I needed to get, but I felt like I located well against those guys,” Zibrin said.

Middletown North managed only four hits as well against Kelly, but aggressive baserunning, a couple of Blue Devils errors and a well-timed suicide squeeze helped the Lions make the most of their baserunners.

“We’re getting to a point where if we can get two, three, four runs, we feel like we’re going to win the game,” Dooley said. “In high school baseball, the name of the game is defense. You have to be able to defend and even though we had some tough games in the field early on, the defense has been pretty good lately and that allows us to try some things on offense to try score an extra run here or there.”

Senior center fielder Ryan Byrd reached base twice on errors and scored each time. In the top of the first, Byrd went to third on a wellexecuted hit-and-run by Goscinski. Courtesy runner Anthony Ventrano stole second base, and with one out and runners on second and third, clean-up hitter Mike Bartels dropped a bunt with

Senior center fielder Ryan Byrd

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bases before scoring on a ground out to shortstop by right fielder Conor Youncofski.

Along with Goscinski, Youncofski and Matt Reilly, Zibrin also had one of the four Middletown North hits. Youncofski had the lone extra-base hit, a double to right-center in the third inning.

The preliminary-round win over Manasquan on Friday and Saturday’s win over Shore bumped the Lions back up to .500 (5-5). Although the MCT scheduled is usually staggered enough to allow a team to ride one pitcher throughout the tournament, Dooley insists he will stick to the rotation as he tries to keep his team in contention for the Shore Conference and NJSIAA Tournaments, as well as the A North title. Although the Lions have five losses in the division, A North has been competitive from top to bottom and a winning streak of any degree could be enough to make a difference.

“Our first goal was to win A North and even though that might be a long shot with five losses already, we still want to make the Shore Conference Tournament and position ourselves the best way possible for that,” Dooley said. “I have an equal amount of confidence in anybody I send to the mound, so I don’t feel like we need to set our rotation with one game in mind. I see us as having three number-one guys and whichever game is up next, we’ll throw the next guy up.”

In a 36-year career that has become the best in the history of New Jersey high school baseball, Toms River South coach Ken Frank crossed another record-setting milestone off the list on Saturday night.

Frank became the first baseball coach in state history to reach 800 wins when the Indians defeated visiting Bayonne, 7-2, in a nonconference game. It was the second crack at the milestone after Southern rallied to beat Toms River South, 4-3, a night earlier, and it put Frank in rarefied air among coaches in any sport in the state. Fittingly, it came on the field that bears his name – Ken Frank Baseball Stadium.

Toms River East transfer Tyler Folger pitched a complete game six-hitter and also went 3-for-3 to lead the way to the milestone win. Jake Ryan and Spencer Kapp opened the scoring for Toms River South with back-toback doubles in the second inning and Kapp later scored on an RBI single by Trevor Wagner. Ray Liguori and Ryan each singled in a run in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively, to give Folger all the support he would need.

It added to Frank’s legendary resume, as he became the state’s all-time winningest coach in April of 2012 when the Indians beat Southern for victory No. 755.

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

“The thing that has meant the most to me is just the tradition and the players,” Frank said.

“What is always the most gratifying is seeing guys come back and watch our games or check up on the team because they will always be part of the family that we have created here. I’ve just been blessed with great coaches and great players to work with, and this is really all about these kids and giving them a positive experience.”

Players all the way from current Cincinnati Reds third baseman Todd

Frazier to current Monmouth University star lefty Andrew McGee to the pitcher who earned the win in Frank’s first career victory have all remained close to the program after their high school careers ended. Mike Garrity was the winning pitcher in an 8-2 victory over Monmouth Regional in 1978 for Frank’s career win and was in attendance on Saturday night.

Top assistant Mitch Powitz, the team’s pitching coach, has been by Frank’s side for 21 years after starring for him as a player in the mid-1980s.

Frank took the style of hardnosed baseball he learned while playing at Snyder High School in Jersey City under coach Gerry McKinney in the early 1960s. He went on to play at Miami-Dade Junior College in 1966 under Doc Mainieri, the father of current LSU head coach Paul Mainieri, and then finished his career at Montclair State. Frank has been a fixture at Toms River South since he began teaching there in 1969 and coaching under the legendary Al Fantuzzi before taking over as the head coach in 1978.

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Freehold Twp. Roars Back from Slow Start

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By Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer

little more than a week ago, the Freehold Township baseball team seemed like a jaded team when it came to close games. Now, the Patriots can’t lose.

Freehold Township scored three runs in the first inning for senior right-hander Chris Talbott, who went the distance in leading the Patriots to a 4-3 win over fourth-seed and defending tournament champion Red Bank Catholic Saturday at Count Basie Field in the Monmouth County Tournament first round.

The win was the second of an MCT doubleheader – Freehold Township beat No. 20 Red Bank, 6-4, to earn a game with Red Bank Catholic – and the sixth straight for the

Patriots. Every win during the streak but the Red Bank victory has been by a one-run margin.

“Losing all those close games left a bitter taste in our mouth, and we didn’t want to keep experiencing that,” Talbott said. “We could either quit and let the season get away, or we could work harder and with the talent we have here, we knew if we kept working and kept battling, good things would eventually happen.”

Freehold Township started the season 3-3 and its final game before the tournament was seeded was an 11-9 loss to Middletown South in which the Patriots squandered a 9-3 lead. The pedestrian start resulted in a No. 13 seed, but since that loss to Middletown South, Freehold Township has rolled up wins over Marlboro, Wall, Howell and Middletown North before sweeping its MCT double-header on Saturday.

Senior right-hander Chris Talbott

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

s m e y e r @ a l l s h o r e m e d ia . c o m

VOLUME-VI “I just think we were coming up short on doing some of the little things in the late innings, and it was costing us,” Freehold Township coach Todd Smith said. “We would play a good game, but then we would mess up one play or one inning and that would turn out to be the difference. These guys saw how much one pitch or one play can make the difference in a close game and, basically, they just stayed committed to what they were doing and focused even more on doing those little things late in games that make the difference.”

The win over Wall has been the defining win of the season for the Patriots, even though Wall does not reside in the Class A North division. The Crimson Knights entered that game on April 19 as the unbeaten, No. 1 team in the Shore Conference and the Patriots outlasted them, 5-4, in 15 innings.

“That game was huge, not only to beat a team like that, but to do it in a game that could have gone either way and to be the team that came out on top,” Smith said. “I think getting a win in that spot showed our guys what they can do when they keep fighting until the last out and since then, we’ve had that same mentality.”

Although the Patriots have been on their game over the last nine days, Saturday was the game that saw Talbott flash his best stuff, according to Smith. The senior right-hander pitched into the sixth inning for the first time this season while limiting Red Bank Catholic to seven hits and a walk.

“He got a late start on the mound during the preseason and got on the mound about 10 days later than everybody else,” Smith said of Talbott. “As a result, he’s had trouble getting out of the fourth inning of his starts. Today, he had it all the way until the end, and I actually thought he had some of his

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best stuff in the last couple innings.”

fifth, but induced a game-ending fly out to nail down the win.

Freehold Township’s offense – which included a 2-for-4 day from Talbott with a double and two runs scored – gave its pitcher a lead before he ever took the mound. Talbott and Silvestrone hit back-to-back singles with one out in the first and came around to score on a two-run triple by senior first baseman Nick Cardace. Julius Saporito then plated Cardace with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.

One year earlier in 2012, the Patriots also failed to make the SCT, but they caught fire in the MCT and knocked off Red Bank Catholic in the championship game.

“On a day like today, you can always count on Chris to hit his spots,” junior catcher Joe Silvestrone said. “He was really sharp today.”

Silvestrone went 3-for-3 in the game, later adding an RBI single in the fifth to make it 4-2 after Talbott doubled to deep center field. The single was a response to Red Bank Catholic’s first score of the game, a two-run home run by senior third baseman Matt Kurdewan in the bottom of the fourth.

Kurdewan later launched a second home run in the bottom of the sixth, a towering blast that landed on the adjacent softball field and stayed just to the fair side of the foul pole extended. Prior to Kurdewan’s second home run, Talbott coaxed RBC senior Al Molina to ground into a 1-6-3 double play to clear the bases and record the first two outs of the inning. The double play ensured that Kurdewan’s homer was only a solo shot, which preserved the Freehold Township lead.

“I was definitely kicking myself, especially on the second one, because I hit with (Kurdewan) every week and I’m definitely going to hear about it,” Talbott said.

Talbott hit Chris Bender with two outs in the bottom of the

Freehold Township has made a habit out of late-season runs over the last two years, during which a number of the players on this year’s team have been significant contributors. Last year, Freehold Township bowed out of the MCT early and missed out on both the Shore Conference and NJSIAA Tournaments, but managed to win its final eight games of the season to finish the season with a 13-12 record.

Freehold Township will look to extend its winning streak to seven games Monday against Christian Brothers Academy, the current leader in the Class A North standings. The Colts will likely trot out sophomore phenom Luca Dalatri, who is 4-0 with one earned run allowed and 36 strikeouts in 27 innings this season.

“I think our division is deeper than any other division,” Smith said. “The worst team in the division is not a bad team and at this point, it’s hard to even tell who the worst team is.

Every team has three arms they can throw at you and a deep lineup with guys who can beat you all throughout the lineup.

“I think our kids have learned early on this year and even going back to last year that if you don’t bring it every single day, you’re going to get picked off. We’ve seen it happen to us, and we’ve done it to teams, so I think they have an appreciation for that going forward and it’s just going to be a matter of who plays the best.”

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US Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic Rosters Announced

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

T

he Shore Football Coaches Foundation unveiled the players who will be participating in this summer’s U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic at its annual banquet on Sunday at Gibbs Hall.

The latest edition of New Jersey’s oldest high school football all-star game, which began in 1978, will be at 7 p.m. on July 17 at Brick Township High School. The top seniors from Ocean County will take on their counterparts from Monmouth County. Before the game, the annual Gridiron Classic 7-on-7 championship will be held with the winners from each county squaring off.

The rosters were selected by the SFCF based on players selected to first-, second-, and third-team All-Shore in the fall as well as All-Division. Ocean Township head coach Don Klein, who led the Spartans to a 10-1 season, the Class B North title and an appearance in the Central Jersey Group III semifinals, will coach the Monmouth County squad. Brick’s Rob Dahl, who led the Green Dragons to the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV crown for their first sectional title since 1994, will coach the Ocean team on his home field.

The inspiring story of Anthony Starego, the Brick kicker with autism, will also have another chapter as he will be a kicker for Ocean County and play on his home field one last time. He will be the first special needs player to participate in the 36-year history of the game.

HERE ARE THE ROSTERS AND COACHING STAFFS FOR THE GAME.

R.J. Krause, TE/DT, Manalapan

Chris Veary, OL, Matawan

Bailey Bellissimo, OL/LB, Southern

Brendan Kelly, OL, TR South

Head coach: Don Klein, Ocean Twp.

Dan Loizos, LB, Ocean

Tom Martello, LB/DB, Rumson-FH

John Walsh, OL, Ocean

Joe Bick, OL, Manchester

Jake Lombardo, LB, Brick Memorial

MONMOUTH COUNTY

Assistants: Marc Tomo, Jim Simonelli, Pat O’Neill, Mike Lambusta, Erik Mammano, John Della Pesca, Rich Mosca, Mark Costantino, Mike Whitacre, Tom Gallahue

ROSTER

Jake Betkowski, WR/DB, Midd. North Blaine Birch, LB, Manasquan

John Bostic, OL/DL, Freehold Boro

Kevin Clayton, TE/DE, Rumson-FH Mike Creamer, K/P, Matawan Chris Cruz, DB, Manalapan

Dylan DaVita, TE/DE, Red Bank Regional Nick Douglas, DE, Manalapan

Joe Fittin, WR/DB, Manasquan

Matt Forst, OL/DL, Manasquan

Anthony Gargiulo, RB/LB, Colts Neck Mike Halawani, DE, Ocean

Dustin Jensen, QB/DB, Marlboro

Tyler Jones, LB, Raritan

Tyler Leonetti, RB, Manalapan Cole Mehr, WR/DB, Ocean

Shawn McCord, DE, Red Bank Catholic Sam Miles, LB, Mater Dei Prep Brian Miller, RB/LB, Shore

Joe Murphy, RB, Manasquan

Chris Noesges, LB, Manalapan

Myson Pennington, DB, Long Branch

Kason Preston, QB/WR/DB, Keansburg

Nick Volpe, LB/DE/TE, Colts Neck Dan Weissman, LB, Freehold Twp. Will Wells, LB, Asbury Park

Ryan Wetzel, OL, Colts Neck

Deon Williams, RB/LB, Long Branch

Andrew Wisialko, WR/DB, Midd. South

OCEAN COUNTY

Head coach: Rob Dahl, Brick

Chris Quinlan, WR, Wall

Assistants: Chip LaBarca, Jon Power, Dean Helstowski, Kevin Stockhoff, Brian McNamara, Dan Curcione, Mike Smith, Chris Blackburn, Walt Krystopik, Kurt Wieboldt.

Mark Scherzer, WR, Holmdel

ROSTER

Julanee Prince, WR, St. John Vianney Matt Proto, OL/DL, Shore

Peter Righi, OL, Rumson-FH

Ryan Schoer, LB, Red Bank Catholic Joey Schultz, WR, Howell

Shabazz Shuler, QB/DB, Long Branch Monte Sinisi, OL/DL, Manasquan

Alex Thomson, QB/LB, Keyport

Nick Tomkins, TE/DE, Matawan

Pat Toomey, QB/K/P, Red Bank Catholic

Marcus Ademilola, TE, Jackson Memorial Isaiah Akers, WR, Central

Tom Alber, OL/DL, Jackson Liberty Zach Andrews, OL, Barnegat

Bill Barry, TE/LB, Point Beach

Mike Basile, RB/DB, Brick Memorial

KaShaun Barnes, QB/WR/DB, Manchester

Shaquille Benjamin, WR/DB, Manchester Ken Bradley, LB, Jackson Memorial Jesse Brown, DL, Central

Jerry Caporale, DB, TR East

Kyle Carrington, WR, Msgr. Donovan

Vinny Celidonio, LB, Jackson Memorial Maurice Diawara, DE, Lakewood

Robert Dietlmeier, OL/DL, TR North Marquis Drumright, QB, Central Mason Fazekas, DL, Southern Steve Ferlisi, P, Brick

Joey Fields, WR/RB/DB, Msgr. Donovan Mike Gesicki, WR, Southern

Matt Gliddon, OL/DL, Point Boro Matt Gudzak, RB/DB, TR East

Khani Glover, RB/DB, Jackson Memorial Brian Golad, OL, Manchester

Vinny Grasso, QB/DB, Msgr. Donovan Javon Hardy, RB/DB, Central

Darrius Hart, WR/DB, TR South

Nick Ientile, OL/LB, Manchester Otis Kearney, RB/LB, TR South

Tom Kelly, QB, Lacey

Matt McGovern, OL, Lacey

Russell Messler, RB/LB/K, TR South

Sam Mistretta, OL, Jackson Memorial Mike Muratore, WR/DB, Brick Greg Moran, LB/DE, Barnegat Matt Post, LB, Msgr. Donovan

Mike Randolph, WR/DB, Lakewood

Amani Richardson, WR/DB, Manchester Drew Scott, TE/LB, Brick

Logan Sheehan, QB/DB, Southern

Zach Skesavage, DB, Msgr. Donovan Dom Spalletta, DE, TR East Anthony Starego, K, Brick

Sean Struncius, OL/DL, Point Beach

Rob Triano, QB/DB, Brick Memorial Christian Tutela, WR/DB, Lacey

Ryan Ulrich, WR/DB/K, Barnegat Matt Ulufanua, OL/DL, Brick

Ben Watson, OL/DL, Lakewood Mike Yak, LB, Pinelands

Noah Yates, WR/DB, Point Beach

VOLUME-VI

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ISSUE-8

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4/28/14

15

Dalatri Continues Brilliant Season for CBA Baseball

By Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer

Facing a pitcher Monday who throws a lot of strikes and still avoids contact, the Freehold Township baseball team took a simple approach to hitting: swing a lot.

Once Christian Brothers Academy sophomore Luca Dalatri – the strike-throwing machine in question – caught on to the strategy, he had a simple enough response for someone who makes pitching look so simple: throw unhittable strikes.

Dalatri pitched his fourth complete game of the season and recorded double-digit strikeouts for the third time this year to lead CBA – No. 5 in the Shore Sports Network Top 10 – to a 4-1 win over No. 2 Freehold Township, snapping the Patriots’ six-game winning streak while also extending the Colts’ winning streak to six.

“Coming in, I knew they were going to come after me,” Dalatri said.

“They’re a good hitting team and they were on a great run and this isn’t the end of it by any stretch.”

CBA gave Dalatri four runs on just three hits, but the sophomore righthander also limited the opposition to three hits as well. While CBA drew six walks against Patriots pitching, Dalatri did not issue a single free pass.

Dalatri (5-0) also struck out 10, just one shy of his career-high. After Monday’s performance, Dalatri has now struck out 46 would-be hitters while walking only three batters all year. Freehold Township sought to attack Dalatri early in the count to begin the game, with five of the first seven hitters swinging at the first pitch.

“You look at his numbers and what sticks out is that he’s striking guys out without walking hardly anybody,” Freehold Township coach Todd Smith said. “Anytime you see a guy with high strikeout and low walk numbers, it means he’s got great stuff, and it’s great stuff in the zone. He doesn’t mess around when he gets to two strikes, so we talked a lot about being aggressive early in the count because those are probably going to be the best pitches you’re going to see against him.”

Dalatri’s first adjustment backfired on him when he started off three of the first four batters in the bottom of the third inning with pitches out of the zone while looking to play off their aggressiveness. He ended up retiring right fielder Julius Saporito after falling behind and went to a full count before retiring No. 9 hitter Joe Ellerman for the first two outs of the inning.

Leadoff hitter and center fielder Steve Derby actually took strike one on the first pitch with two out, but laid off an 0-1 breaking ball before belting a two-out, line-drive double over the head of left fielder Griffin Arnott and to the left-field fence. Dalatri then fell behind 3-and-1 to No. 2 hitter Chris Talbott – who singled on a fastball in his first at-bat – by throwing three breaking balls in the first four pitches of the at-bat. Talbott

then took a 3-1 fastball from Dalatri and grounded it into the left-field for an RBI single to tie the game at 1.

“I knew they were going to look to swing early in the count, so I looked to throw more offspeed stuff early in the count to get ahead and keep them off balance,” Dalatri said. “I wasn’t completely successful with that and after a while, it made me realize that I had to throw quality strikes to get ahead so that if they swung, they were swinging at a well-located pitch. Once I was ahead, I could expand more and I started to have a little more success.”

like today. We thought we were going to have a big year with the bats when we were crushing the ball in the preseason, but I guess things change during the regular season.”

CBA did not pick up its first hit until the seventh inning, when senior center fielder Ryan Ramiz smacked a clean single into left field. Two batters later, Morgan hammered a 1-1 pitch from Carrier over the right field fence for his second home run of the season to give Dalatri two insurance runs.

“I’ve been struggling a little bit lately, just trying to do too much,” For the second time in the game, CBA Morgan said. “That was a situation got Dalatri a run thanks to an error on where I had a runner on third base Freehold Township right-handed starter CBA sophomore Luca Dalatri with less than two out and my job Joe Decelie, this time in the fifth inning was to get him in. I just relaxed my to take a 2-1 lead. This time, that onehands, let them go a little bit and the ball ended up over the fence.” run cushion was enough for the sophomore hurler, who after the Talbott single allowed just one baserunner to reach, which came on an error to The Colts scored their first run when sophomore catcher Brandon lead off the seventh. He retired 10 straight batters prior to the error, and Martorano was hit by a pitch, took second on an errant pick-off attempt after failing to throw first-pitch strikes to the three batters in the third, he moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a double-steal, with senior fell behind 1-0 to just one hitter for the rest of the game. third baseman Pete Papcun taking second on the play. The Colts scored on a first-and-third play again in the fourth, with pinch-runner James After Freehold Township first baseman Nick Cardace reached on a Miller scoring on an errant throw to second by Decelie. hard-hit ball to second base that resulted in an error to start the seventh, he induced a weak tapper back to the mound and finished the game with “Three runs normally isn’t a lot in a high school game, but with Luca two strikeouts. on the mound, it feels like a lot more than that,” Smith said. “You just have to grind out the game, keep it even or within a run and try to scratch Dalatri needed only 84 pitches to complete the game and he threw 21 that one run across. We were there for a while, but it got away from us at of those pitches in the third inning. He threw 65 of his pitches for strikes, the end.” a 77 percent strike percentage.

“It’s pretty easy to play behind Luca because he throws a ton of strikes,” said junior right fielder Will Morgan, who hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning. “Not only does he throws strikes but hitters don’t really put the ball in play that much, either. It’s just really, really easy to play behind him, and it’s pretty fun to watch too.”

While Decelie struggled fielding his position on the mound, he was effective delivering the ball to the plate against the CBA lineup. The senior right-hander did not allow a hit over 4 2/3 innings of work and both runs he allowed were unearned. The errors that cost him those two unearned runs, however, were his own, and the CBA lineup also waited him out for five walks – one intentional – and ran his pitch count up to 101.

Decelie struck out six in his 4 2/3 innings and combined with Jose Diaz (one strikeout in one batter) and Kenny Carrier (four strikeouts), Freehold Township’s trio combined to strike out 11 CBA batters.

“We’re a little bit of a streaky team with the bats right now,” Morgan said. “We’ve had some games where we’ve had a bunch of extra-base hits, and we’ve had some games where we’ve only had two or three hits

The Colts win now puts two games of separation between the top two teams in Class A North – CBA and co-leader Colts Neck – and thirdplace Freehold Township.

“I think their second pitcher (Mike Garvey) has really come around and that makes this division a lot less open than it was a couple of weeks ago,” Smith said of CBA. “I think you still have to give Colts Neck a shot because they will play them one more time, but as for the rest of the field, it’s going to be really tough to catch them from this far back.”

by:

Matt Manley www.shoresportsnetwork.com

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