May 6, 2013 Volume-V
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3 Boy Lacrosse 6-7 SCT Tournament Preview
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RBC's Quenton Nelson Commits to Notre Dame
Marty Kenney 8 CBA’s Wins 700th
Baseball Enjoys 10 RBC Life on the Edge 11 Stumpy’s Corner
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The first thing fans, players, coaches and parents want to know after the big game is always,
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eek 4/14-4/20
Player of the Week Anthony Ferlise, Jr., First baseman/Designated hitter
Toms River North has rattled off four straight wins following a 3-3 start, and a big reason has been the play of Ferlise. In helping the Mariners go 3-0 last week, Ferlise was a combined 8-for-11 with two doubles and six RBI. In an 8-7 win over previously undefeated Wall on Friday, he went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI.
Co-Pitchers of the Week John McCarren, Sr., RHP, CBA; Eddie Corrigan, Sr., RHP, Central
McCarren (pictured at left) and Corrigan put their names in their respective school record books on the same day by each throwing no-hitters on April 15. McCarren, a Wake Forest recruit, threw a six-inning no-hitter in a 12-0 win over Marlboro in Class A North, striking out 12 and walking the first batter of the game before retiring the next 18 in a row. He only needed 77 pitches to put the finishing touches on the no-hitter. Through the end of last week, McCarren was 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA this season. Corrigan threw the second no-hitter of the season for a Central pitcher, following
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eek 4/21-4/27 Player of the Week Matt Guarino, Jr., 1B, Jackson Memorial The Jaguars' junior first baseman has had a brilliant season that has already helped them clinch the Class A South title. Last week, he had a two-run single in a 3-2 win over Brick Memorial, then followed that with the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the seventh as the Jaguars rallied for four runs with two outs to beat Toms River North, 8-7. He also picked up the win in relief on the mound against the Mariners. He then
Pitcher of the Week Mike Bolton, Sr., LHP, Freehold
Bolton helped get the Colonials back to the .500 mark with a pair of strong performances last week. In a 5-3 win over first-place Wall in Class B North, Bolton threw a complete-game fourhitter, striking out six and walking three to hand the Crimson Knights their first divisional loss. He also had
Honorable Mention Matt Guarino, Jr., 1B, Jackson Memorial
Guarino helped keep the Jaguars unbeaten against Shore Conference competition and in firm command of the Class A South race by going 7-for-13 with five RBI, a double, a homer, two walks and two runs scored last week over a three-game stretch that included wins over Southern and Toms River South. Andrew DiPiazza's no-hitter against Point Boro in the season opener with his own in a 7-0 win over Pinelands in Class B South. Corrigan struck out eight and walked none, with the only baserunner coming via a fielding error in the fourth inning. Corrigan also went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored at the plate in the win. Through the end of last week, Corrigan was 1-1 with a 1.54 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings this season.
Honorable Mention Brian Cottrell, Sr., RHP, Brick Memorial
One of the Shore Conference's top pitchers was brilliant in his two starts last week to help the Mustangs pick up a pair of victories. He allowed one run on five hits and struck out seven in five innings in an 11-1 rout of Toms River East on April 15 and followed that with a complete-game, three-hit shutout in an 8-0 win on Saturday night over rival Brick in which he struck out 12 and walked one to improve to 3-0.
helped Jackson Memorial complete a 3-0 week with an RBI double for the game's lone run in a 1-0 victory over Lacey. Through 48 at-bats this season, Guarino was hitting .417 with 20 hits, 15 RBI, 6 runs scored, 5 doubles, a home run and a triple. His hot streak has carried into this week, as he went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI in a 4-3 win over Toms River East on Tuesday that clinched the division title.
Honorable Mention James Meyreles, Sr., OF, Msgr. Donovan
Meyreles helped the Griffins finish 4-1 last week and stay right in the hunt for the overall Class B South title. He hit a solo home run in a 6-5 win over Lakewood, went 2-for-3 with an RBI in a 5-4 loss to Jackson Liberty, followed that by finishing 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles, two runs scored and three RBI in a 9-4 win over Barnegat, helped the Griffins beat Central 2-1 and then had a tworun single in addition to three scoreless innings on the mound in a 13-1 win over Neptune in five innings at FirstEnergy Park to cap the week. a single and a run scored in the win. On Saturday, he helped Freehold advance to the Monmouth County Tournament Round of 16 with a 9-2 win over Manasquan in which he threw another complete-game four-hitter, striking out five, and also hitting a two-run double.
Honorable Mention Ron Marinaccio, Sr., RHP, Toms River North
The Delaware recruit turned in one of the more impressive single-game performances this season when he struck out a career-high 14 and walked only one in a complete-game, five-hit shutout in a 5-0 win over rival Toms River East.
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rought to you by Baseball U, every week during this 2013 Shore Conference baseball season, All Shore Media will select a player and a pitcher of the week for their performance in the previous week.
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RBC's Quenton Nelson Commits to Notre Dame
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By Scott Stump - Managing Editor
ed Bank Catholic junior two-way lineman Quenton Nelson, one of the nation's top offensive line recruits, is going from a Casey to a member of the Fighting Irish as he has verbally committed to Notre Dame.
An All Shore Media first-team All-Shore selection as a junior for the top-ranked team in the Shore, the 6-foot-5, 300-pound Nelson is a four-star recruit who has been invited to participate in the prestigious U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio in January 2014. On Saturday, he was named the Most Valuable Player among the linemen at the Rivals Under Armour Challenge in Newark, and on Sunday he was named the MVP among the offensive linemen at the Nike Football Training Camp held at the New York Jets facility in Florham Park. Notre Dame was considered No. 1 on his list, so the commitment to the Fighting Irish did not come as a surprise.
The All-Class A Central pick had opposing coaches raving for his performance on a unit that averaged 38 points and 341 yards per game to help the Caseys finish as the Shore Conference's top-ranked team for a second straight year. Nelson boasted nearly 30 FBS offers from the likes of Alabama, Oregon and more.
He also was a force on the defensive line for RBC, finishing with 37 tackles and 6 sacks. Several local coaches have called him one of the best offensive line prospects in the history of the Shore Conference.
Nelson, who began his career at Holmdel and transferred to RBC in his sophomore year, is the latest
Shore Conference product to head to South Bend. Former Raritan star Bennett Jackson is currently a starting cornerback for the Fighting Irish and will be a senior in the fall.
Nelson's commitment leaves a pair of star wide receivers as the top uncommitted players from the Shore Conference Class of 2014. Manalapan's Saeed Blacknall, who was offered by defending national champion Alabama on Wednesday, lists the Crimson Tide's SEC rival LSU as his front-runner. Southern's Mike Gesicki picked up an offer from Syracuse on Tuesday to add to ones from Rutgers, Boston College, Temple, Old Dominion and Tulane, as well as multiple FCS offers.
Photos by: C l i f f L a v e l l e www.clearedge.zenfolio.com
"No one thought we were going to win the division but us,'' said senior ace Luke Malone. "This isn't a surprise. We knew we were going to do it.'' "It's rewarding because those kids came in here replacing nine guys,'' said Wall head coach Todd Schmitt, who has led the Crimson Knights to 10 division titles in his 16 seasons. "Malone was the first one to say, 'We're going to shock everybody.'''
The only senior regularly in the lineup, Malone (4-2) led the way on Friday with a complete-game win in which he scattered eight hits, struck out three and walked one after getting a 5-0 lead to operate with after four innings.
"Everything changes when you pitch with a lead,'' Malone said. "I'm not afraid to throw my curveball in the dirt and be more aggressive, especially against the bottom of their order." The Crimson Knights (13-2, 10-1) showed the depth of their lineup, as No. 9 hitter Matt Tancredi went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, and seven of nine players reached base at least once. Centerfielder Tim Willey also went 2-for-3 with a run scored, sophomore Nick Martinez added an RBI single, and junior shortstop Chris Barcas had an RBI sacrifice fly. Senior first baseman Dan Incle went 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored and two RBI for Matawan (11-4, 8-3), which has also turned some heads this season after being under the radar in the preseason.
Barcas helped set a positive tone for the home team and keep the game scoreless when he took a throw from catcher Dan Wondrack and gunned it right back to nail a runner at the plate to
Malone led off with a single, Tancredi followed with a bunt single, and then Malone scored when Matawan failed to Senior pitcher Luke Malone (#4) celebrates with cover first base on a bunt teammate Brendan Barcas (#8) by Martinez, resulting in an errant throw from "(Malone) has got that pitcher Justin Harnett. bulldog mentality,'' Tancredi then scored on another error to make it 2-0. Schmitt said. "He buys into what the program is all about, and that's the first step. When you have your leaders buying in, then Wall stretched the lead to 5-0 with a three-run fourth inning everyone else follows." after loading the bases with no outs. Second baseman Brendan Biegert drew a leadoff walk, Willey dropped down a bunt single, Malone then caught a break in the sixth when Matawan had and third baseman Ryan Orender walked on a full count. After a runners on first and second with one out before centerfielder flyout by Malone, Tancredi punched an RBI single to right field Mike Denino hit a rocket right at Biegert at second base, who for a 3-0 advantage. flipped it to Barcas to double off the runner at second and end the inning. In the seventh, the Huskies brought the tying run to the "I was just looking to sit back on something, drive it to right plate with two outs after an infield hit by Incle, but Malone was field and get the run in,'' Tancredi said. "I got that curveball, and I able to get Harnett to fly out deep to center field to wrap up one just sat on it." of the more satisfying division titles in Schmitt's tenure. Martinez followed with another flare RBI single to right field to bring home Willey with what proved to be the winning run. Barcas then tacked on an RBI sacrifice fly to right field.
Matawan kept battling, breaking through against Malone with a two-out rally in the top of the fifth inning. Shortstop Scott Thompson hit a two-out single, catcher Matt Rackett ripped a double to left field and then Incle hit a two-run double that landed just fair in right field to cut the lead to 5-2. Incle then scored on an error on a grounder to make it 5-3 before Malone induced a deep flyout to center field to end the inning.
"We knew coming in that people were going to doubt us, so that made us work even harder,'' Tancredi said. "We wanted to keep that tradition going, and we've definitely done that."
The Crimson Knights will now look to prove themselves in the tournaments, which is where the great Wall squads have ultimately been measured. A team that looked like it was a year away has already arrived, and now the question is how far it can go. "Wall breeds baseball players,'' Malone said. "That's just the way it is."
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"The last time I faced them, I had a perfect game through 5 2/3 innings and then gave up two runs,'' Malone said. "It's a common theme for me to pitch well and then implode a little with two outs, so I don't know if it's because I get two outs and I'm just thinking, 'Let's go hit,' and I lose concentration, but it's something I've got to figure out. I didn't let it get to me, though. I just pitched with the lead."
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Wall has taken that to an extreme this season, replacing seven position players in the starting lineup and its top two pitchers, but that hasn't stopped the winning one bit. The newcomers took their place in a proud lineage on Friday when Wall knocked off Matawan 5-3 at 18th Avenue Field to claim the Class B North title for its fourth straight division championship. What seemed unlikely in the preseason given the massive graduation losses became the inevitable by early May, and Wall has now won a championship of some kind in 11 of the last 12 seasons.
end the top of the third inning. Matawan attempted a double steal with runners at first and third, and Barcas kept the Huskies from gaining any early momentum before Wall got on the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third.
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he best programs are the ones that are seemingly impervious to graduation.
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By Scott Stump - Managing Editor
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Wall Baseball Carrying on the Tradition
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ith th e fir s t r ou n d of th e S h or e Con f er en ce To u r n amen t s et to b eg in on M ay 7, h er e is a loo k at wh a t to ex pect an d wh y th is year 's to u r n amen t will b e mu ch differ en t th a n yea r s pas t.
The Shore Conference Tournament, while the crown jewel of local lacrosse, has mostly lacked any sort of drama in its history, especially in the earlier rounds. This year's tournament promises to be different. The 15-team field this season has plenty of depth which means, aside from the highest seeds, first-round games will not be the walk in the park they usually are. To say Monmouth County has dominated this tournament would be putting it mildly. It has been either Christian Brothers Academy or Rumson-Fair Haven taking the title nearly every season and an Ocean County team has only made it to the championship game twice Jackson Memorial the last two seasons. But the times are changing. While Rumson is the twotime defending champion, the top two seeds are Ocean County powers Southern and Jackson Memorial. The question now is whether anybody can prevent an all-Ocean County final, and that is certainly a stark contrast from past seasons.
Southern grabbed the top seed and the only first-round bye thanks to an undefeated regular season that saw the Rams claim the second Class A South title in program history. The Rams' attack line of senior Tyler Lipositz (16g, 36a),
sophomore Dylan Jinks (35g, 20a) and junior Brendan Mullen (25g, 8a) has been outstanding, as has the defense led by seniors Nick Jinks and Frank Thissen in front of sophomore goalie Brendan Lefanto (104 saves,
.738 save percentage). The midfield was a bit of a question mark heading into the season but players like senior Al Manzo (27g, 8a) and sophomore Sean McManus (19g, 23a) have stepped up to give Southern a very balanced look. The one concerning fact about Southern is it really hasn't played a big game since beating Jackson
By Bob Badders - Se
Memorial 9-8 in triple overtime on April 13.
The Rams have won every game by at
hesitate to join the offensive rush and take shots.
Third-seeded Rumson is the team that cannot be forgotten here, however. The Bulldogs play a
least seven goals since then and
haven't been tested while many of the
other top seeds have had a flew slugfests among their wins. Getting the No. 1 seed alleviates some of those problems because they can avoid Jackson or Rumson until the final. Jackson Memorial earned
the second seed based on its win over Rumson on April 8 and its only loss coming to Southern. The Jaguars are a fun team to watch because you never know what to expect. They can score with any team in the Shore with the dynamic Specht brothers, seniors Nick and Mike, sophomore Troy Wolf and senior Evan Farrar up top. They can beat a team in transition or slow it down and wait for the defense to make a mistake. The x-factor for the Jags is that their defense is the most versatile in the Shore. Pat Duggan, Ryan Young, Vinny Celidonio and company are not only active and aggressive with their sticks in the defensive end, they won't
challenging schedule and will certainly have
redemption on their minds if they meet up with Jackson Memorial in the semifinals. Rumson is superbly-coached, has balanced scoring and has played in many big games over the years. Vermontbound senior Michael Clarke and midfielder Mike Villane lead the offensive attack and goalie Dylan Rotchford has been stout in his first year in goal behind what is always a physical and effective defense. If there's a team that could spoil an all-Ocean County final and throw a monkey wrench into
Rumson Goalie D
enior Staff Writer
Rumson's plans for a three-peat
it's Holmdel. Since becoming a varsity program Holmdel has qualified for the SCT every season as well as finishing
Dylan Rotchford
Mark Scherzer,
Justin Russo and Joe Tages have been consistent all season in leading the offense and Tim Davis has continued to play like one of the best defensemen in the Shore. The Hornets will have to get past CBA again to reach the semifinals, and if they can do that they could make a run all the way to the final.
Speaking of CBA, the Colts are not the dominating presence the Shore has become accustomed to but are still a dangerous team with an experienced roster and coaching staff. They have also seen plenty of quality opponents during their undefeated run to the program's sixth straight Class A North title. They handed Freehold Township its only loss back in April and have victories over Howell, Colts Neck and Wall. They'll likely get another crack at Holmdel (Sophomore midfielder
Thomas Palisi)
The other legitimate contender for the title is Freehold Township. Since a 10-6 loss to CBA on April 10, the Patriots have ripped off nine consecutive wins and enter the SCT with a ton of
Action gets underway May 7 and continues with the quarterfinals on May 9. Both rounds take place at the site of the higher seed. The semifinals are back-to-back at Neptune's Memorial Athletic Complex on May 11 and the championship game will be under the lights at Monmouth University on May 14.
Will Ocean County have its first champion crowned? Will Monmouth County continue its reign? Can Rumson make it three in a row? Those answers are on the way.
Photos by: C l i f f L a v e l l e www.clearedge.zenfolio.com Holmdel Photo by: Doug Bostwick www.sportshotswlb.com Southern Photo Courtesy of: Press of Atlantic City www.pressofatlanticcity.com
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Where this year's tournament differs is in seeds seven through 12. With Howell at No. 7 followed by Wall, Colts Neck, Manasquan, Shore and Brick, there is plenty of depth that will result in competitive first-round games. Howell vs. Manasquan, Wall vs. Colts Neck and Shore vs. Freehold Township should all be solid contests. Brick (9-4) has put together a very good season with its only losses coming to ranked teams. The No. 12 Dragons have a tough first-round matchup with CBA, however. No. 13 Red Bank and No. 15 Lacey squeaked into the tournament with .500 records on the day of the cutoff. For Lacey it is the first SCT appearance in program history, earned by topping Brick Memorial on the day of the cutoff. No. 14 Barnegat qualified for the tournament for the second time but gets Rumson in the first round for the second straight year.
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Holmdel's only conference loss is to Rumson and it owns wins over tournament teams CBA, Manasquan and Shore.
confidence. Dan Bloodgood and Steven O'Brien have led the charge offensively while sophomore FOGO Billy Sasso has provided a major boost with his excellent work on draws. As the No. 6 seed they have a tough road, however, with Rumson looming as a potential quarterfinal opponent.
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among the Shore's top 10 each year, so there's a consistency that can't be overlooked. The Hornets faced some tough North Jersey opponents this season, and seeing the stick speed and skill of those players from established programs is a big boost.
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700 & Counting: CBA's Marty Kenney wins 700th
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By Matt Manley - Staff Writer
pon reaching a milestone on April 25 that only four coaches in the history of New Jersey High School baseball have ever reached, 40-year Christian Brothers Academy coach Marty Kenney was quick to acknowledged the players and coaches who have been a part of the run.
It was fitting, then, that on top of guiding his team to a well-pitched, well-defended, 1-0 win to keep the Colts on top of the Shore Conference Class A North division standings, he and his team had to do it against a program modeled after Kenney’s and run by one of his most successful young coaching pupils.
Kenney became the fourth coach in New Jersey history to win his 700th career game when his Colts held on for a 1-0 victory over Middletown South, coached by nine-year CBA assistant and five-year head coach Ryan Spillane. Kenney is now one of only two living coaches in the 700-win club, both of whom are Shore Conference coaches. Toms River South coach Ken Frank is the state’s all-time leader in coaching victories with 781.
“It makes you think of all the players who have played for you over the many years and all of the coaches that you have coached with,” Kenney said of the achievement. “Not just on the varsity level either – the jayvee and freshman coaches as well. It’s a combination of luck and surrounding yourself with a lot of good people.”
CBA opened its doors in 1959 and Kenney has been a prominent part of its academic and athletic life since enrolling in 1962. He was a three-year letter-winner on the basketball team, which won the program’s first two NJSIAA state championships with Kenney on the roster, and a two-year letter-winner in baseball. He took over the head-coaching duties for the baseball
team in 1974 and has since run one of the most successful programs in the Shore Conference, not just because of the 700 wins and the 1977 and 2009 Non-Public A championships, but because of the players and coaches that have passed through the program.
“There are probably six or seven guys coaching various high schools around the state,” Kenney said. “I guess there’s no better tribute than that, that you’ve influenced them, maybe they’ve gone into the same profession that you are in, baseball is very important to them and a lot of them have gone on to be very successful coaches. You hope that you’ve had a little bit of impact on them.”
CBA head baseball coach Marty Kenney
“I’ve tried to model my program after a lot of things that he does because he’s a great mentor,” said Spillane, who played at Wall High School and coached under Kenney from 2000 to 2008. “There’s nobody better as far as being a mentor. His passion for the game is still the same as I remember it when I played against them in high school.”
Kenney’s landmark victory upstaged another dominant performance by senior right-hander and Wake Forest recruit John McCarren, who improved to 3-0 with the win. Making his first start since throwing a no-hitter against Marlboro, McCarren pitched his second straight shutout while allowing three hits, one walk and striking out 11. He needed only 88 pitches to finish the game, and of those 88 pitches, 64 were strikes.
“Today meant a lot to me, especially against Middletown South and coach’s 700th potential win, you just get pumped for it,” McCarren said. “I wanted the ball, he gave me the ball, and I was really excited
about throwing.”
While Kenney has increased his coaching staff in recent years – he estimates he coached the team by himself for the first 25 years – he still does as much during practice as he ever has and until that changes, he plans on remaining in the Colts dugout. The coach who got his start modeling his style after predecessors like former Central Regional coach Al Kunzman was just hoping to get to 300 wins when he first started and now finds himself coasting past 700.
“I just take it a year at a time, and I’ve spoken to Kenny (Frank) about this,” Kenney said. “Fortunately, I still have my health, knock on wood. I still hit fungoes, I still throw batting practice, so the kids have helped keep me young even though I may look old. If I couldn’t do those things, I’d probably get out. “And you also have to have the passion. If the passion goes, then I’ll know it’s time to go. If I get up one day and I don’t want to go to practice, then I’ll know.”
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RBC Baseball Enjoys Life on the Edge
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By Scott Stump - Managing Editor
ate in n in gs , tr ailin g or tied on th e s cor eboar d, an d th e pr es s u r e r atch etin g u p. That's just how top-ranked Red Bank Catholic likes it.
When the Caseys were locked in a scoreless tie with unbeaten St. Rose on the road Saturday going into the seventh inning, it was as if they had the Purple Roses right where they wanted them. On cue, they delivered another late surge in a season full of them, thanks to a two-out, two-run double by second baseman Brendan Madigan. Senior ace Mike Rescigno then slammed the door with a 1-2-3 seventh inning to polish off a complete-game two-hitter for a 2-0 victory over St. Rose, ranked No. 7 in the All Shore Media Top 10. "We love to come back late in the game,'' Madigan said. "We're sleeping half the game, we wake up finally, and that's when we score." "We don't like to start out the game well, but then we turn it up a notch at the end and get a 'W,''' Rescigno said. "We don't like to make it look pretty.''
The Caseys (15-1), who have won 12 straight, were coming off a comeback win over Manasquan, their second come-frombehind victory of the season against the Warriors. They needed a
three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to beat Monmouth Regional earlier in the win streak and also had a late-inning win over Holmdel. While other highly-regarded teams may get tight while trailing an underdog late in the game, RBC plays better. "You've got to find a way to win, and that's what we've been doing,'' said RBC head coach Buddy Hausmann. "We've been in a lot of these situations, and we've learned different ways to win.''
Madigan then delivered the biggest hit of the game when he smoked a 1-0 fastball to the base of the wall in left field for a 2-0 lead.
"We're confident in those spots,'' Madigan said. "(Delacruz) pitched well today, but he was definitely running out of steam in those last few innings, and we finally got on him. He threw me a lot of curveballs, so I was just looking for a fastball, and I got it."
After the double by Iacobellis, St. Rose head coach Mike Rescigno and St. Rose starter Condon had gone to the mound Joey Delacruz (2-1) were locked for a visit and decided to stick in a scoreless duel before RBC with Delacruz before Madigan's RBC senior ace Mike Rescigno finally broke through with a game-changing double. Andrew two-out rally in the top of the Aikins came on in relief and got seventh inning. No. 9 hitter Nick Daniele worked a two-out walk the final out of the inning after Madigan's double. Delacruz took after being down 0-2 in the count to keep the inning alive, and the loss after allowing seven hits, striking out four, walking three senior leadoff hitter Joe Iacobellis followed by ripping a double and hitting a batter. down the left field line to put two runners in scoring position. "No second-guessing whatsoever,'' Condon said. "All year long, when he's gotten the ball, he does not want it taken out of his hand, and that was his game to win or lose today. That's who we wanted on the mound. He's a tough, resilient pitcher."
"We wore (Delacruz) down,'' Hausmann said. "We saw a lot of pitches early, we fouled balls off and we worked counts, and that's what we've done to a lot of these pitchers to wear them down and take advantage of them late.''
Rescigno, who allowed two hits and a total of four balls to leave the infield, took it up a notch in the seventh inning to end the game with no suspense. Using his curveball and a fastball that touches 90 miles per hour, he got a strikeout looking, a weak grounder to second, and a game-ending strikeout to cap an impressive effort. The University of Maryland recruit struck out nine and walked three on 108 pitches to improve to 4-0. "After that hit (by Madigan), I knew the game was over and I was going 1-2-3 against these kids,'' Rescigno said. "I felt strong. I've been working on my arm strength, so I was feeling good at the end.''
"Now that (Rescigno) is at this point of the season, he's starting to get stronger and stronger when it matters,'' Hausmann said.
Both teams had opportunities to get on the scoreboard earlier in the game but could not cash in as Rescigno and Delacruz battled their way out of any trouble. RBC had a runner on first with one out in the second and third innings, but both were thrown out trying to take second base after an errant pickoff throw and a ball in the dirt, respectively. Meanwhile, Rescigno had a no-hitter going into the fourth inning before St. Rose's first hit, a single by Conor Gammond, put runners at the corners with one out. Rescigno responded by whiffing the next two hitters to snuff out the threat. In the fifth, the Purple Roses again had runners at the corners after an infield single by leadoff hitter Brendan Lynch, but Rescigno came up with another strikeout to end the inning. "I like those situations, where you just throw it as hard as you can and hopefully they don't hit it,'' Rescigno said. "I just had to keep matching (Delacruz) pitch for pitch. He pitched a hell of a game." "It took them 6 2/3 innings to get to us, but at the end of the day, Rescigno was the man today,'' Condon said. "We had our opportunities, and we just couldn't push that run across."
RBC had a runner on second with one out in the fifth when catcher Mike Alescio was hit by a pitch and then courtesy runner Chris Bender went to second on an errant pickoff throw by Delacruz. However, Delacruz bore down and got a flyout to shallow centerfield and a strikeout looking to keep the game scoreless. RBC had an opportunity in the sixth when shortstop Al Molina and first baseman Ron Robinson hit a pair of two-out singles, but Delacruz rolled a grounder to short to end the inning. In the bottom of the sixth inning, St. Rose had a runner on second with no outs after an error on a grounder and a fielder's choice, but Rescigno induced a pair of flyballs to frustrate the Purple Roses yet again. That set the stage for Madigan's ultimate heroics that sealed yet another late-inning victory for the No. 1 team in the All Shore Media Top 10. St. Rose (13-1) was the last undefeated team left in the Shore Conference heading into the game and eager to validate its record after being knocked for its strength of schedule in playing in the small-school Class B Central. While the Purple Roses showed they can go toe-to-toe with the best, Condon was not satisfied with any type of moral victory. "Losing is losing,'' he said. "We lost today. We've been that way all year in being honest with one another, and I don't feel good losing a baseball game. That's not the message I want to send to them of, 'Oh, great job.' No way. We come out to win baseball games."
football players were honored and the countdown to this summer's U.S. Army AllShore Gridiron Classic began on Sunday at the annual Shore Football Coaches Foundation banquet at the Sheraton in Eatontown. Players nominated by their coaches who had a grade-point average of 3.0 or better and showed character off the field in addition to being contributors on it were honored for their academic achievements. The respective 2012 coaches of the year from the Shore Conference's six divisions were also recognized for their achievements, and this year's inductees into the SFCF Hall of Fame were announced.
Players from 41 Shore Conference teams were honored as Academic AllShore recipients. Three players who were first-team AllShore selections by All Shore Media in the fall also earned academic honors Manalapan wide receiver Anthony Firkser, who is headed to Harvard to play football and basketball, Lakewood quarterback/safety Tyrice Beverette, who will continue his career at Stony Brook, and Toms River North kicker Chris Gulla, who will kick at Penn State.
Capt. Steven J. Austin of the U.S. Army
Shore Conference coaches with 200 wins and one of only six in history, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame along with former Matawan great Joe Martucci, who led the Monmouth University head coach Kevin Callahan In addition, the Huskies to five NJSIAA coaching staffs sectional titles and registered and rosters for this year's U.S. Army All197 wins in 27 seasons. Martucci is now an Shore Gridiron Classic between the top assistant at Kean University. seniors from Monmouth and Ocean counties The banquet, emceed by The Shore Sports were also announced. The game, which Network's Kevin Williams, also featured a began in 1978 and is the state's oldest allpair of speakers, Monmouth University star football game, will be on July 18 at head coach Kevin Callahan and Capt. Toms River North. The head coaches are Steven J. Austin of the U.S. Army. They
Shore football head coach Mark Costantino
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Donohue Sr., one of only three active
"We are excited to support this great game and believe football teaches kids many of the same positive qualities shown by the U.S. Army,'' Capt. Austin said. "I still keep in touch with my coach, and he has had a big impact on my life. These players are learning character-building traits that will continue to benefit them as they move on to college and beyond."
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The Coach of the Year recipients for each division were LaCava (A North); Red Bank Catholic's Jim Portela (A Central); Southern's Chuck Donohue Sr. (A South); Long Branch's Dan George and Neptune's Mark Ciccotelli (B North); Shore's Mark Costantino and Point Beach's John Wagner (B Central); and Lakewood's L.J. Clark and Monsignor Donovan's Dan Duddy (B South).
both spoke about the importance of preparation, discipline and goals as well as transferring the dedication shown to football to academics and other areas off the field.
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Point Beach's John Wagner (Ocean) and Colts Neck's Greg LaCava (Monmouth).
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