Shore Sports Network Journal The Battle for Shore Lax Supremacy by Shore Sports Network Journal

May 5, 2015 Volume-VII Issue-9

The first thing fans, players, coaches and parents want to know after the big game is always, ” ” Is this going to be on Shore Sports Network has established itself as a leader in scholastic sports coverage in Monmouth and Ocean counties, providing more video highlight clips, in-depth reporting, feature stories and regular updates than ANY OTHER OUTLET in the area.

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ACADEMIC ALL-SHORE & COACH OF THE YEAR RECIPIENTS HONORED BY SHORE FOOTBALL COACHES FOUNDATION

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

academic recipients, lilke Yale-bound All-Shore first-teamer Kyle Mullen of Manalapan and Monmouth Regional first-team All-Shore wide receiver Isaiah Searight, a Fordham recruit, who would have played in the game but will be at their respective colleges by early July and are unable to participate.

group of 86 Shore Conference seniors who are standouts in the classroom as well as the field were honored by the Shore Football Coaches Foundation on April 26 as Academic All-Shore recipients at the annual banquet at Gibbs Hall.

The Academic All-Shore team, which consisted of two seniors from each of the Shore’s 43 teams, was selected by their respective head coaches for having a grade-point average of 3.0 or better, making an impact on the field, and for their service in their local community.

The following players were honored as Academic All-Shore recipients:

Mater Dei Prep QB Christian Palmer received the academic honor & will play in the U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic.

Montclair State offensive coordinator Rich O’Connor, who has coached numerous Shore stars during his 32 seasons as an assistant with the Red Hawks, served as the guest speaker, letting the seniors know what to expect once they reach the college level. Serving as the emcee of the event, which was sponsored by Barnabas Health, was Shore Sports Network’s own Kevin Williams.

The Coaches of the Year for each of the Shore Conference’s six divisions were also honored: Middletown North’s Steve Bush (Class A North); St. John Vianney’s Mark Ciccotelli (Class A Central); Jackson Memorial’s Walt Krystopik (Class A South); Red Bank Catholic’s Jim Portela (Class B North); Shore Regional’s Mark Costantino (Class B Central); and Central’s Willie Jacobs (Class B South). It was also announced that Costantino and former Jackson Memorial and Wall coach Chris Barnes will both be inducted into the Shore Football Coaches Foundation Hall of Fame at halftime of the game.

SJV’s Mark Ciccotelli received the Class A Central Coach of the Year award

Group IV title, and the final No. 1 ranking in the Shore, will coach Ocean County.

Deserving special mention is a group of 21 players who not only received the academic honor, but also have been selected to play in the game: Barnegat’s Kyle Morris, Brick’s James Juliano, Central’s Anthony Arneth, Jackson Memorial’s Tyler Rauch and Brody Graham, Keyport’s Chase Bright, Lacey’s Conor Davies, Manalapan’s Imamu Mayfield, Manchester’s Robert Planter, Matawan’s Devon Spann, Marlboro’s Mo Omar, Mater Dei Prep’s Christian Palmer, Ocean’s Frank Henry, Toms River South’s Quentin DeCarlo, Point Beach’s Jake Fioretti, Point Boro’s Jack Fitzsimmons, Raritan’s Colby Jones, Shore’s James Bedell, Southern’s Pat Ferraro and Clay Robinson, and Toms River North’s Joe Fantozzi. There also were some other

Asbury Park: Sal Swain, Karon Rigby Barnegat: Kyle Morris, Adam Ricci Brick Mem.: Karl-Mark Kumm, Nick DeGroat Brick: Simon Bingelis, James Juliano Central: Alex Fernandez, Anthony Arneth Colts Neck: Christian Sanchez, Connor Ray Donovan Catholic: Dale Barlet, Austin Koziol Freehold Boro: Mitch Johnson, Will Fraumeni Freehold Twp.: Matt Pine, Mike Reszkowski Holmdel: Adam Ibrahim, Joseph Ibrahim Howell: Anthony Sarullo, Jeremy Subjinski Jackson Lib.: Matt Pinto, Kyle Scripko Jackson Mem.: Tyler Rauch, Brody Graham Keansburg: John Corrigan, Isaac Bakala Keyport: Dan Williams, Chase Bright Lacey: James Peaney, Conor Davies Lakewood: Keshaun Conover, Anthony Terry Long Branch: Jordan Rodriguez, Steve Kologi Manalapan: Kyle Mullen, Imamu Mayfield Manasquan: Matt Paturzo, Luke O’Shaughnessy Manchester: Robert Planter Jr., Kwaku Owusu Marlboro: Mo Omar, Andrew Fishbaum

Matawan: Devon Spann, Nick Malta Mater Dei Prep: Liam Olausen, Christian Palmer Midd. North: Vincent Pianoforte, Parker Anderson Midd. South: Nolan Pereless, Dom Tobacco Monmouth Reg.: Isaiah Searight, Liam Kennedy Neptune: Keysan Johnson, Mi’Jaut Berry Ocean: Frank Henry, Pat Ellison Pinelands: Justin Sisombath, Jake Steurze Pt. Beach: Jake Fioretti, Zach Schaller Pt. Boro: Jack Fitzsimmons, John Youmans Raritan: Colby Jones, Kevin Koehler RBC.: Nick Cella, John Portela Red Bank: Matt Karr, Zachary Carrano RFH.: Tim Morales, Jackson Reid SJV.: P.J. Braccia, Nick Mastria Shore: Chris Johnsen, James Bedell Southern: Pat Ferraro, Clay Robinson TR East: Joseph Davidyock, Bryan Bullock TR North: Joe Fantozzi, Tyler MacLaine TR South: Quentin DeCarlo, Francis Hearne Wall: Liam Ferguson, Jake Van Brunt

The coaches unveiled the rosters for Monmouth and Ocean County in this summer’s U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic. The game is on July 16 at 7 p.m. at Long Branch High School. Mark Costantino, who led Shore to an 11-1 season, the Class B Central title, and the Central Jersey Group I title, will coach the Monmouth County squad. Walt Krystopik, who led Jackson Memorial to an 11-1 season of its own, the Central Jersey

U.S. Army Gridiron Classic coaches Walt Krystopik & Mark Costantino

Ray Ligouri Leads TR South to OCT Semifinals

B y Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer

With

one out in the top of the sixth inning on Sunday against Donovan Catholic in the Ocean County Tournament quarterfinals, Toms River South coach Ken Frank took several steps from his usual post outside the dugout toward the pitcher’s mound – an indication he would be making at least one pitching change for the 16th time in his team’s 16 games this year.

On the mound stood senior Ray Liguori, who had just issued his first walk of the game. He had already pitched deeper into this game than he ever had in any other game as a varsity starter, as well as any other Toms River South starter had this season.

Liguori caught the sight of his coach walking toward the mound, slammed the ball into his mitt in frustration and turned toward the outfield as the Indians infield convened on the mound while waiting for Frank to complete the walk, take the ball from his starter and pat him on the back for a job well done.

Surrounded by his teammates, it took Liguori a few beats to realize that while he had begun to come to terms with leaving the game, Frank had returned to his familiar spot to the left of the Indians dugout. The winningest coach in New Jersey history gave his pitcher a clap of encouragement and allowed him to go where no Toms River South starter has gone in 2015.

Liguori rewarded his coach by finishing off the first complete game by a Toms River South pitcher this season, which was enough to quiet the bats of Donovan Catholic in a 4-2 win that pushed the third-seeded Indians into the OCT semifinals on Saturday against No. 2 Jackson Memorial.

“He’s got guts,” Frank said of Liguori, who is also the starting third baseman when he is not pitching. “We made a pitcher out of him and he’s the first guy to go seven for us this year. We needed some guys to step up and give us a little more than usual with five games in five days.”

A reliever at the beginning of the season after throwing 12 innings of relief as a junior, Liguori has built his endurance up as a starter over the last two weeks. Ten days after making his first career start, the senior right-hander was able to finish what he started. Liguori threw 115 pitches to complete the game and allowed one earned run on eight hits and just the one walk while striking out a career-high 11. “It’s a different experience going from pitching one or two innings to trying to pitch a whole game,” Liguori said. “I felt

Toms River South senior Ray Liguori

good though. If I feel like I did today, I feel like I could do this every day.”

Although he lacked experience as a starter prior to his first start against Toms River East on April 23, Liguori was a standout reliever at the tail end of last season and the beginning of this year, all but mastering his role coming out of the Indians bullpen. Between the two seasons, Liguori threw 22 1/3 scoreless innings before he got the ball to start the game against the Raiders 10 days ago. Although his streak ended in that game, he earned the win in his first start and began to lay the foundation for a start like the one he had on Sunday.

Liguori encountered some trouble in the top of the seventh inning with the Indians holding a 4-1 lead against the Griffins. After giving up the third Donovan Catholic hit of the inning – an RBI single through the middle by Matt Drake with two out on an elevated breaking ball – Toms River South pitching coach Mitch Powitz paid Liguori a visit looking to coax one more out from his right arm. Liguori induced a game-ending ground out to first baseman Connor Feeney.

“I thought he looked like he might have been getting a little tired, and when I went out to the mound (in the sixth), I thought he was coming out,” said senior Ryan Shiffer, who caught the last four innings of the game and also went 2-for-3 with an RBI at the plate. “I just told him to dig deep, finish strong and hit his spots. I knew he had it in him to finish strong. Sometimes, you just have to will it out of this kid.” Donovan Catholic scored the first run of the game by breaking through for an unearned tally against Liguori in the top of the first

inning. After Liguori retired the first two batters of the game, Griffins catcher Steve Lazicki reached on an error and shortstop Matt Drake followed with a single. Designated hitter Kyle Malloy – who pitched a complete game in a 5-3 win over Central Regional earlier in the day to get the Griffins to the quarterfinals – then delivered a two-out, two-strike single through the middle to plate courtesy runner Ryan O’Sullivan.

Toms River South took the lead for good in the bottom of the third on a two-out, two-run single on a first-pitch swing by second baseman Anthony Carfora to score pinch-runner Trevor Wagner and center fielder Michael Conover. Starting catcher Tyler Wisnewski and Conover both walked with one out, and each moved up a base on a ground out to second base by shortstop Austin Gonella for the second out.

Toms River South added a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth, the first on an RBI double to deep left by Shiffer, who later scored on a sacrifice fly by third baseman Ben Montenegro. Donovan put the leadoff hitter on against Liguori in the third, fourth and fifth innings, but came up empty in all three. Senior third baseman Russ Petranto and second baseman Charlie Dimino both singled to start the third, but Liguori got a ground ball by Lazicki to get the lead runner at third and struck out Drake and Malloy to end the threat. Liguori also struck out the side in the fourth after right fielder Mike Marron reached on an error to lead off the frame.

The Griffins stayed in the game behind a solid five innings from freshman right-hander Mike Dimino, who faced one batter in the sixth before giving way to right-hander Andrew Jarvis.

“He has a poise and a demeanor about him that is a lot more like a senior than a freshman,” Donovan Catholic coach Paul Murray said of Dimino. “He’s still growing and still learning, but he has a good enough handle on pitching that you can put him out there in a game like today and know he’ll give you a chance.”

Dimino’s defense also backed him up with four double plays, two of which came on outfield assists from center fielder Nick Povoa. Toms River South continued to play without first baseman Spencer Kapp, a middle-of the order hitter who is out with mononucleosis. His absence is offset by the return of Wagner to left field, which has allowed Shiffer to go back to catching full time. “I’ve just gone where the team has needed me,” Shiffer said. “It’s nice to get back to catching more now, but I look at it like I’m ready to play wherever coach needs me that day.”

Toms River South will face Jackson Memorial for a third time this season when the two teams meet on Saturday. The Jaguars have won nine out of 10 games, which included an 8-5 extrainning win over Toms River South. The Indians won the first meeting between the teams on opening day.

“We’ve been starting sophomores at third base and first, and they’re all doing the job,” Frank said. “We finally got Wagner back and now Spencer Kapp is out with the mono. But we’re not into all of that. You play with who you got and to be 12-4 and in an Ocean County semifinal is pretty good. We’re glad to be where we are.”

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Mater Dei Prep to Remain Open After Approval by Diocese

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

Ater a furious fund-raising

drive that raised more than $1 million in two months, Mater Dei Prep announced that it has cleared the final hurdle in keeping the school open.

The Save the Seraphs fund-raising group that has been behind the drive to save the school announced that the Diocese of Trenton has approved Mater Dei Prep’s plan to open in September as a private Catholic school separate from St. Mary’s parish. In February, Fr. Jeff Kegley, the pastor of St. Mary’s parish, announced that the school would close in June after 50 years of existence due to financial difficulties.

However, an extension was granted, giving the Mater Dei community two months to raise $1 million, which was achieved. The plan approved on Thursday allows Mater Dei to re-open as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that will have a board of trustees to oversee the school’s finances. Mater Dei Prep will now be financially independent from St. Mary’s parish, while St. Mary School, the elementary school adjacent to Mater Dei, will still be run by the parish.

“I am excited that the mission of secondary Catholic education will continue on the Campus of Saint Mary’s at Mater Dei Prep,” Fr. Kegley said in a statement. “This is great news for our parish community and all who have worked and prayed so hard to secure the future of Mater Dei Prep for generations to come. I want to thank Bishop David O’Connell for his approval of the new model for Mater

A ruling by the Diocese of Trenton means Mater Dei Prep will keep its doors open in 2016 and beyond after threatening to close because of financial difficulties.

Dei Prep, Jim Shaw who chaired the ‘Save the Seraphs’ campaign, Randy MacDonald for chairing the steering committee, the Saint Mary’s parishioners for their support and, most of all, our students who never gave up believing in Mater Dei Prep.”

The Seraph’s Fund will now become an endowment fund for the school. “We have moved from tragedy to triumph because people believed

in our students, our school, our family,” Jim Shaw of Seraph’s Fund said in a statement. “The work of The Seraph’s Fund has not ended, it has just begun. We are ready for the mission ahead.”

Athletic director Dennis Tobin said the school has “50 potential freshmen” looking to enter the school next year. Beginning on May 29, the school will have its 50-year celebration with the knowledge that its 51st year and beyond are secured.

Wall Making the Most of a Second Chance in MCT

B y Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer

Even

after the bus filled with Wall baseball players erupted in celebration when the group learned it had officially defeated Marlboro by forfeit in the Monmouth County Tournament round of 16 on April 25, senior Ryan Orender still could not shake what he called “the worst feeling” he’s ever felt.

OOrender had served up what would have been the game-winning two-run home run to Marlboro’s Steve Santigate in the bottom of the seventh inning and walked back to the bus thinking his team was now eliminated from the tournament, only to find out that the Mustangs’ pitcher who threw the final two innings also threw more than five innings just two days earlier – which would render him ineligible to pitch on Saturday.

This Saturday against Freehold Township in the MCT quarterfinals, armed with an unexpected second chance and a complete repertoire of pitches, Orender dominated the first six innings and shut the door on a seventhinning rally by the No. 12 seed Patriots to pitch No. 13 Wall into the semifinals with a 4-1 victory.

Freehold Township had come back once against Orender to tie the score at one, but in the sixth inning, Wall junior right fielder Nick Maciejewski gave his pitcher the cushion he would need to finish things off. Maciejewski hammered a twoout, three-run double to deep right-center field that cleared the bases and broke a 1-1 tie.

Sophomore shortstop Nolan Cloney “I hit the ball pretty solid in “He’s got the most home my first runs in the Shore Conference, so obviously he’s a great hitter and couple at-bats, so I just tried to stay with a really good all-around player,” Orender said. “The one good my approach and get something I could thing is he is human, which means you can get him out. I just hit,” Maciejewski said. “With two outs, I didn’t give in to him and executed my pitches. He still got the was looking for a mistake over the plate. one base hit off me, but that’s going to happen against a good (Freehold Township sophomore starter hitter. You just have to try to limit the damage.” Ralph Gambino) had just struck out the Wall senior second baseman Brendan Barcas went 2-for-3 with batter before me, so I knew he was looking a run scored and reached base three times via a pair of singles and to challenge me and try to get out of it.” a walk. Crimson Knights slugging senior catcher Dan Wondrack In his previous at-bat leading off the – who is one homer behind Silvestrone with five – singled in each fifth, Maciejewski hit a line drive right at of his final two plate appearances and scored on the Maciejewski Freehold Township center fielder Brandon double to highlight his 2-for-4 game. Roth, but on his final swing of the game,

he cleared the range of the Patriots center fielder.

“When I took the turn at first, I looked up and I thought the center fielder was settled under the ball,” Maciejewski said. “I have been making some hard outs lately, so it feels like a lot of those hits haven’t been dropping, but I was glad that one got over his head.”

The Crimson Knights will look to continue their second life in the Wall senior Ryan Orender Wall jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top tournament when they take on No. 16 of the third inning on an opposite-field, Middletown South in the semifinal solo home run by sophomore shortstop and No. 9 hitter Nolan round at a date and time this week that is yet to be determined. Cloney. “As a competitor, there is always that fire in your belly to go The long fly ball over the left-field fence by the left-handedout and perform your best on the mound when your team needs swinging sophomore was the first of his career and came off you,” Orender said. “It’s even stronger when you know you let Gambino, who struck out nine Wall batters in six-plus innings and your team down the last time out. You don’t usually get a second seven in the first four innings. chance, so I wanted to make the most of the opportunity.”

Orender allowed just a run on four hits and two walks while striking out 10, including a punchout of pinch-hitter Jake Russo that ended the game and kept Shore Conference home-run leader Joe Silvestrone from coming to the plate as the potential winning

Freehold Township responded in the bottom of the fourth when shortstop Brian Oliver lifted the game-tying sacrifice fly to right field for the second out of the inning. Silvestrone singled to right field, stole second and scored on the Oliver sac fly, which highlighted the senior catcher’s 1-for-2 day at the plate at the plate against Orender.

run.

Cloney also finished the game 2-for-3, adding an infield hit in the seventh inning.

After a strange celebration in school bus parked in the parking lot at Marlboro High School, the Crimson Knights enjoyed a more conventional celebration on Saturday.

“We were all on the bus feeling pretty bad about the loss, but we saw coach (Todd) Schmitt and (assistant coach Jim) Rochford out on the field talking to the Marlboro coach (Jim Ferraro) so we thought, ‘Hey, maybe something is going on here,’” Maciejewski said. “We thought maybe they batted out of order or something, and when they came back on the bus and told us the news, the bus just erupted. “It was a weird feeling, but it was a great feeling. One minute we were done and the next we were alive again. Now, we’re trying to make the most of it.”

He threw me a fastball and I just saw it for as long as I could and got a pretty good piece of it going the other way. It seemed like just a regular fly ball to left off the bat, but it looked like it just kept carrying and carrying.”

Matt Manley

by:

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By Bob Badders – Senior Staff Writer

eventeen teams, five days of games, one ultimate champion. The 2015 Shore Conference Boys Lacrosse Tournament gets underway today with the play-in game between Middletown North and Brick, and continues with the full slate of first round games on Tuesday. The SCT continues with the quarterfinals on Thursday before Saturday’s semifinal games at noon and 2:30 p.m. at Toms River East. The championship game is at 4 p.m. on May 12 at Monmouth University.

The biggest storyline for this season’s tournament is whether top-ranked Southern can win the title in what would be its third straight finals appearance to become the first Ocean County team to win the SCT. At the same time, Rumson-Fair Haven is gunning to extend its record SCT winning streak to five. The Bulldogs have defeated Southern in each of the last two SCT finals, including last season’s 17-10 victory for its fourth straight title.

The underlying theme is an extension of what has been the biggest revelation during the regular season. It’s mostly been a wide-open season with a lot of ‘team A beat B but lost to team C’ and so on scenarios. This is probably the deepest field ever in the tournament, which is an example of how lacrosse is growing in the conference. If there was ever a season to expect plenty of upsets, this has to be it.

The only game today is the play-in/preliminaryround game between 17th-seeded Middletown North and 16th-seeded Brick. Middletown North qualified

for the tournament in just its second season as a varsity program and first season of eligibility. This will be the second meeting of the season between the Lions and Dragons. Brick won the first game, 7-2, back on April 2. The winner of that game gets the unenviable task of traveling south to Manahawkin to take on top-seeded Southern on Tuesday. Brick’s most recent game was against Southern, a 17-1 loss.

There are a couple of juicy first-round matchups scheduled for Tuesday with eighth-seeded Ocean hosting ninth-seeded Toms River North, and 7th-seeded Red Bank Catholic taking on

10thseeded Barnegat.

Ocean has enjoyed a breakout season in building a 9-1 record that included opening the season 5-0. The Spartans’ only loss is to second-seeded Rumson, and they own wins over Barnegat and St. John Vianney. Ocean has

four players with at least 20 goals, led by junior midfielder

Erik Rant with 39. Junior attackman Joey Appio leads the team in points with 21 goals and 41 assists. Seniors Zack Karasic and Christian Goslin each have 20 goals on the season.

Ocean also has one of the best defenders in the Shore in senior long-stick midfielder Steven Graziano, who leads the team with 95 ground balls. Ocean is also solid in the face-off circle with junior Alex Bravo winning 74 percent of draws and in goal with sophomore David Walk stopping 61 percent of shots on goal.

Toms River North, meanwhile, brings an 8-2 record into Tuesday’s matchup. The Mariners lost to Shore 7-6 back on April 1 before rattling off seven straight wins. Among those were victories over St. John Vianney, Lacey and Brick. Their winning streak

Ocean’s Steven Graziano

came to an end at the hands of Southern this past Friday with an 11-4 loss in the Class A South title game. Toms River North is a solid group up and down the lineup with attackmen Ryan Clancy and Andrew Lombardi, midfielders Tyler Foss, Mike Hoy, Tom Butz and Joy Vitiello, defenseman Alex Scherer and goalie Austin Bennett leading the way.

It’s a tough road for whichever team emerges victorious, however, because they will almost certainly have to face top-seeded Southern in the quarterfinals.

Rumson is looking to win its fifth straight Shore Conference Tournament title

Red Bank Catholic will enter Tuesday with a 9-3 record and having lost only to teams ranked in the Shore Sports Network Top 10 – Manasquan, Freehold Township and Rumson. The Caseys are a dangerous team under first-year head coach Dave Erdman with senior attackman Tim Barile, junior midfielder Brett Habich and senior

defenseman Matt Pieringer leading the way. The Caseys also have solid goaltending in Matt Benjamin and secondary scoring from Julian Esposito, James Mele and Alec Mintz.

Barnegat will be in the same position it was last season as the No. 10 seed, and last year the Bengals went on the road and upset seventh-seeded Wall. They are led by midfielders Ricky Gerena and J.J. McKenna, who lead the team in points and goals, respectively. Gerena has 15 goals and 12 assists while McKenna has a team-best 23 goals. Other first-round games include 12th-seeded Jackson Liberty heading to fifthseeded Howell. The teams met earlier

this season with Howell winning 11-4 on March 31. The Lions have picked up two huge wins recently in beating rival Jackson Memorial and Barnegat, while the Rebels were cruising along before falling to rival Freehold Township last week. Howell also owns a huge win over CBA and victories over Colts Neck and Middletown North.

Thirteenth-seeded St. John Vianney travels to face fourth-seeded Manasquan. St. John Vianney is coached by Mike Dowd, who was the longtime coach for the Warriors through 2009. Manasquan is and up-and-coming group that starts nine sophomores. To me the Warriors are the xfactor in the tournament because of where they are seeded and the fact that they look like they can play with anyone in the tournament. St. John Vianney has been in pretty much every game this season despite a 7-7 record, however, so Manasquan will be tested.

Rumson hosts 15th-seeded Colts Neck in a rematch of one of last season’s SCT semifinals, and the Bulldogs are again the heavy favorite. Thirdseeded CBA takes on

See

Battle page 12

Southern’s Dylan Jinks Freehold Twp.’s Billy Sasso & CBA’s John O’Keefe Face off

Battle

Continued from page 11

14th-seeded Wall and 11th-seeded Lacey heads to face redhot Freehold Township, the No. 6 seed.

Freehold Township is also a team to watch because of how well it has played lately and because of where it is seeded. Since an 11-4 loss to CBA on April 11, the Patriots have won seven of eight games with their only defeat coming to Southern. They are coming together at the right time, and looked fantastic in a 9-2 win over Howell last week that forced a three-way tie for the Class A North division title. If the Patriots get past Lacey they will likely get their rematch against CBA with a spot in the semifinals on the line.

From the early rounds to the championship game, the 2015 Shore Conference Tournament has a chance to be great. The final four could feature any number of teams, and no matter which team wins it, history will be made in some form. Will Southern, which beat Rumson for the first time ever earlier this season, get over the mountain in the SCT? Can Rumson, which has had its ups and downs in playing a brutal schedule, win an unprecedented fifth straight title? Or will another team rise up and take the title, which other than CBA or Manasquan, would the first in program history.

TR North’s Tyler Foss

Whatever the answers to those questions turn out to be, it’s going to be fun and interesting to watch it all develop.

Red Bank Catholic’s Tim Barile

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All-Shore Gridiron Classic Rosters Released

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

The rosters for the 38th annual U.S. Army All-

Shore Gridiron Classic, the oldest all-star football game in New Jersey, were released on April 26 by the Shore Conference coaches at the annual Academic All-Shore breakfast at Gibbs Hall.

This year’s showdown between the Monmouth County senior all-stars and their counterparts from Ocean County will be at 7 p.m. on July 16 on the turf at Bresett Stadium at Long Branch High School. Monmouth County leads the all-time series 20-16-1, but it was Ocean County that came out on top in last year’s game with a 17-14 win at Brick last summer.

Shore Regional’s Mark Costantino, who led the Blue Devils to an 11-1 season that included winning the Class B Central and Central Jersey Group I titles, will be the Monmouth County head coach. Jackson Memorial’s Walt Krystopik, who led the Jaguars’ to the final No. 1 ranking in the Shore and the Central Jersey Group IV title, will lead Ocean County. Costantino also will be inducted into the Shore Football Coaches Foundation Hall of Fame at halftime along with former Jackson Memorial and Wall coach Chris Barnes.

There are 12 Shore Sports Network first-team All-Shore selections playing in the game, including Offensive Player of the Year Dahmiere Willis, who will play on his home field at Long Branch one last time after setting the single-season Shore Conference rushing record with 2,589 yards for the Green Wave this past fall.

MONMOUTH COUNTY ROSTER

Head coach: Mark Costantino, Shore Regional

Assistant coaches: Mike Whitacre (Shore); Jon Remedios (Shore); Pete Vincelli (Shore); Bob Biasi (Shore); Jack Levy (Shore); Don Klein (Ocean); Nick Giglio (Red Bank); John Kaye (Matawan); Steve Roberts (Middletown South); Chris Damian (Keansburg).

Imamu Mayfield, RB, Manalapan

James Bedell, LB, Shore Regional

Shannen McCue, TE/LB, Monmouth Regiona

Hunter Baillie, LB, Long Branch Tucker Briggs, LB, Rumson-FH Chase Bright, RB/WR, Keyport

Dan Calabro, WR/DB, St. John Vianney Dave Colbert, DB, Long Branch

Frank Condito, RB/LB, Holmdel

Mike Cordova, RB/DB, Red Bank Catholic Cooper Cuje, OL, Rumson-FH Oshane Curate, DL, Neptune

Josh Dixon, RB, Freehold Boro

Ben Eisenstadt, DL, Rumson-FH Rich Eknoian, LB, Wall

Justin Ferrara, WR/DB, Matawan

Jimmy Ferrogine, LB, Red Bank

Kyle Gibson, OL, St. John Vianney

Jimmy Green, QB, Monmouth Regional Frank Henry, DB, Ocean

Andrew Holland-Samuels, OL/DL, Neptune

Neil Horenburg, OL, Red Bank Catholic

Colby Jones, DB, Raritan Jarvis Leaks, RB, Howell

Joe Mendez, LB, Manalapan

Jake Monteiro, P/K, Shore Regional Royal Moore, QB/DB, Neptune

John Morris, RB/LB, Manasquan Mo Omar, RB, Marlboro

Christian Palmer, QB, Mater Dei Prep

Jordan Pitts, WR/DB, Middletown North

Jim Purcell, OL, Freehold Twp.

Abdul Quddus, RB, Colts Neck

Nick Roy, OL, Red Bank Catholic

Dan Servidio, DL, Middletown South

Ben Sieczkowski, RB/DL, Manalapan

Devon Spann, RB/LB, Matawan

Tommy Spernal, RB, Red Bank Catholic

Charlie Volker, RB, Rumson-FH

Jake Weber, OL/DL, Matawan

Tysaun White, WR/DB, Mater Dei Prep

Dahmiere Willis, RB/DB, Long Branch

James Wilson, OL, Middletown South

Tyrell Wilson, TE/LB, Keansburg

OCEAN COUNTY ROSTER

Head coach: Walt Krystopik, Jackson Memorial

Assistant coaches: Mike Smith (Jackson Mem.); Vincent Mistretta (Jackson Mem.); Chris Rash (Jackson Mem.); Tom Bradley (Jackson Mem.); Tony Compitello (Jackson Mem.); Corey Lavin (Jackson Mem.); Jeff Brown (Jackson Mem.); Keith Anderson (Jackson Mem.); Luke Wainczak (Jackson Mem.); Willie Jacobs (Central); Rob Dahl (formerly Brick); Brian McNamara (Brick); Bill Rankin (Toms River South); Matt Martin (Toms River South). Anthony Arneth, WR/DB, Central Tymere Berry, QB/DB, Toms River South Sean Cahalane, WR/DB, Lacey Matt Castronuova, WR/DB, Jackson Memorial Liam Christensen, OL/LB, Central Cole Collins, RB/LB, Jackson Memorial Jordan Craig, TE/LB, Toms River North Aaron Curet, WR/DB, Jackson Memorial Conor Davies, QB, Lacey Quentin DeCarlo, LB, Toms River South Dave DeFeo, OL/DL, Pinelands Joe DeMaio, QB/DB, Jackson Memorial Joe Fantozzi, OL, Toms River North Pat Ferraro, OL/DL, Southern Zach Fingerlin, OL/DL, Central Jake Fioretti, QB/DB, Point Beach Jack Fitzsimmons, QB/LB, Point Boro Mike Frauenheim, RB/DB, Point Beach Ricky Gerena, DB, Barnegat Brody Graham, TE/DE, Jackson Memorial Khaleel Greene, RB/DB, Toms River South Brad Greenway, OL/DL, Jackson Memorial Joe Hans, WR/DB, Brick Memorial Jordan Hardy, WR/DB, Central Ja’Quez Johnson, WR/DB, Brick

James Juliano, LB, Brick Chris Kimbiz, OL/DL, Brick Glenn Kipila, OL/DL, Jackson Memorial Tyler McGuiness, LB, Barnegat Kyle Morris, TE/LB, Barnegat Connor Owen, RB/LB, Brick Memorial Robert Planter, LB/DE, Manchester Joe Puggi, OL/DL, Pinelands Tyler Rauch, OL, Jackson Memorial Brett Ribellino, WR, Jackson Liberty Dom Regina, RB/LB, Jackson Liberty Clay Robinson, OL/DL, Southern Jaylin Roman, RB/DB, Pinelands Joe Rozell, LB, Donovan Catholic Kyle Ryan, OL, Point Boro Carmen Sclafani, QB, Brick Eric Segui, DB, Lakewood Rudy Solomon, OL/DL, Central Dave Staton, OL/DL, Pinelands Zach Tetro, LB, Jackson Memorial Joe Wegrzyniak, RB/LB, Point Beach Jeff Wood, RB/LB, Toms River East Xavier Young, OL/DL, Barnegat

Join The

Shore Sports Network Team Today! Interested in joining our team and think you have what it takes to be covering sports in the Shore Conference for Shore Sports Network? We are looking for local writers interested in covering sports like Lacrosse, Baseball, Football, Basketball, Soccer, Swimming, Track, Ice Hockey and more as part of our newspaper and our website (www.shoresportsnetwork.com). Grab your chance to appear regularly in The Shore Sports Network byweekly publication and posted on www.shoresportsnetwork.com while helping us recognize more athletes and bring more stories to Shore Conference sports fans. This is your chance to become a regular contributor to a growing business on the cutting edge of covering sports in Monmouth and Ocean County.

Just contact Managing Editor Scott Stump @ stump@allshoremedia.com /

Former Shore Stars Headed to the NFL

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

Monmouth University star

wide receiver Neal Sterling, a Manasquan graduate, achieved a rare feat on Saturday by becoming just the second player in Hawks’ history to be selected in the NFL Draft.

Former Middletown South star Rick Lovato, a longsnapper at Old Dominion, and former Red Bank Catholic standout Jack Tabb, a tight end at North Carolina, also will have a chance to realize their NFL dreams. Lovato

signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent on Saturday, while Tabb signed with the Saints.

Sterling, who holds multiple school records at Monmouth, was taken with the third pick of the seventh round by the Jacksonville Jaguars, the 220th overall selection. He joins former Monmouth star tight end John Nalbone, who was drafted in the fifth round by the Miami Dolphins in 2009, as the only Hawks to be drafted in the 22-year history of Monmouth’s program.

Sterling earned first-team All-Big South honors in Monmouth’s first year in the conference this past fall. He led the conference in yards per catch (16.9) and was second with 905 receiving yards while also finishing second in receptions per game and touchdown catches. He is Monmouth’s all-time leader in receptions and is in

Monmouth University WR Neal Sterling

(Photo via Monmouth University football/Twitter)

Neal Sterling was a first-team All-Shore talent at wide receiver in his Manasquan days. (Photo by Bill Normile)

the top three in numerous school receiving categories. The Hawks’ star also was the only former Shore Conference talent taken in this year’s NFL Draft.

Lovato is the second former Middletown South standout to sign with an NFL team in two years, as former tight end Scott Simonson signed with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted

free agent out of Assumption College last year. If Lovato makes the Bears’ roster, that could make three former Eagles in the NFL along with running back Knowshon Moreno, who played for the Dolphins last year but is currently a free agent.

Lovato was a four-year starter at Old Dominion, earning FCS All-America accolades as a sophomore and being named Conference USA honorable mention this past season. He looks to follow in the footsteps of former Southern Regional and Rutgers star Clark Harris, who is entering his seventh season as the Cincinnati Bengals’ long-snapper.

Rick Lovato was also a standout defensive lineman during his time at Middletown South. (Photo by Cliff Lavelle)

Tabb caught 21 passes for 206 yards as a senior for the Tar Heels this past season, starting all 12 games. He appeared in 44 games in his career, seeing action immediately as a freshman and also played some linebacker as a junior. He said he will be heading to New Orleans after taking his final exam at North Carolina on Monday.

Former Red Bank Catholic star Jack Tabb, seen in his high school days here, is headed to the New Orleans Saints after wrapping up his career as a tight end for North Carolina. (Photo by Bill Normile)

Len Zdanowicz Approved as Brick’s New Football Coach

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

Len Zdanowicz, a

Brick graduate and a former player and assistant coach under the legendary Warren Wolf, was approved by the Brick Board of Education as the Green Dragons’ new head coach.

“I’m humbled and honored to have been given this opportunity to be the Head Football Coach at Brick Township HS,” Zdanowicz wrote on Facebook. “I would like to thank everybody for the kind words and support.”

Zdanowicz, who was Lakewood’s offensive coordinator last year, takes over for Rob Dahl, who stepped down on April 2 after four

seasons in which he led the Green Dragons to the 2013 Central Jersey Group IV title and the 2014 Class A South title. He becomes just the fourth coach in Brick’s 58-year program history, the first 51 of which were under Wolf. Zdanowicz, who is currently the head coach of the boys lacrosse team, returns to his roots after having been an assistant under Wolf for 12 years and for two years at the beginning of Dahl’s tenure.

Zdanowicz’s hiring fills the final vacancy in the Shore Conference. The Green Dragons will graduate an outstanding senior class led by two-time All-Shore first-team quarterback Carmen Sclafani, defensive back Ja’Quez Johnson, linebacker James Juliano and lineman Chris Kimbiz, but do return several talented players, including SSN second-team All-Shore wide receiver Ja’Sir Taylor and defensive lineman Dan Finelli.