All Shore Media High School Sports 7-29-14 Issue -14 Volume VI

July 29 2014 Volume-VI Issue-14

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Show your support for the Shore Conference football programs with an ad in our special 2014 Football Preview issue coming out 9/4/14.

This special issue includes in-depth team previews, feature stories, top 10 rankings and directions to all the fields, making it the perfect keepsake. This issue has been a huge success in the past years with support from coaches, players, parents and local businesses throughout the Shore Conference. The preview will also be distributed to all 46 high schools as well as local businesses throughout Monmouth and Ocean counties

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All-Shore Gridiron Classic: Brick Pair, Defense Lift Ocean Past Monmouth B

By Matt Manley – Staff Writer

Monsignor Donovan’s Vinny Grasso snatched up and raced 26 yards to the end zone to break a scoreless tie with only 55 seconds left in the first half.

rick football coach Rob Dahl is used to watching his teams pull out wins at Keller Memorial Field at Brick High School. On July 17, while coaching the Ocean County all-stars in the U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic, he watched his team do the same thanks to a couple of familiar faces.

Ademilola led all receivers with four catches for 49 yards to go with the blocked field goal. Kelly handled nearly all of the quarterbacking duties for Ocean County and finished 7-for-17 for 59 yards with one interception. Southern defensive lineman Mason Fezekas earned Defensive Most Valuable Player honors for Ocean with four tackles – two for a loss – and a blocked punt. Fezekas was also the Sam Mills Award winner for Ocean County, while Preston earned the honor for Monmouth.

Gargiulo rushed for a game-high 51 yards on 14 carries to earn Monmouth’s Offensive Most Valuable Player of the game. Matawan defensive end Nick Tomkins, a Dartmouth recruit, was the team’s defensive MVP with two sacks, a pass defensed and seven tackles, including consecutive stops at the goal-line on third and fourth down in the second quarter. Tomkins stopped Grasso on a 4th-and-goal, quarterback dive from the 1 yard-line to cap one of two goal-line stands by Monmouth.

Brick senior kicker Anthony Starego hammered the game-winning 20yard field goal with 5:21 left in the game after an interception by teammate Drew Scott and Southern cornerback Logan Sheehan sealed the win with a late interception at the Ocean 5-yard line to wrap up a 17-14 win for Ocean over Monmouth County. The win ends a two-game skid for Ocean against Monmouth and is the second in the last six years for Ocean, which trimmed Monmouth’s lead in the all-time series to 20-16-1.

“I think just being on the field and around the locker room provides an air of tradition,” Dahl said. “It has a big effect on our guys during the season, and I think the guys on this team had that sense preparing for today. Even Kenny Bradley from Jackson was saying before the game, ‘This field has a tradition of winning, and we’re not going to fail to live up to that tonight.’”

by:

Bob Badders

www.shoresportsnetwork.com Jackson Mem. RB Khani Glover

Ocean County forced three turnovers and returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown to headline the effort. Scott set up his Brick classmate for the winning field goal by intercepting a screen pass from Howell quarterback Connor McGlynn and returning it 26 yards to the 5 yard-line.

“Ocean County is a defensive county,” Scott said. “That’s what we do, that’s what we’re all about, and I love it.”

Monmouth kept Ocean out of the end zone thanks to a tipped ball by Manalapan’s Chris Noesges and a hit by Keansburg defensive back Kason Preston that broke up a potential touchdown connection on third down. Starego – who missed a 29-yard attempt in the first quarter – made his teammate’s defensive play count by connecting from 20 yards out to put Ocean ahead for good.

Starego was 2-for-2 on extra points and earned offensive Most Valuable Player honors for an Ocean County squad that managed only 138 total yards and seven first downs, instead setting up its scoring behind an opportunistic defense. Starego, who has autism, was a two-year varsity kicker for the Dragons and has been a source of inspiration, according to one of his closest teammates.

“It was an awesome experience to see him do what he did tonight and do what he did all year,” Scott said. “As close as I am to him, I wouldn’t want to see it end any other way for him.”

Following Starego’s go-ahead kick, Monmouth County moved the ball down to the Ocean 25 yard-line behind a 20-yard scramble by St. John Vianney quarterback Billy DeMato. On the following play, however, Sheehan undercut a corner route and picked off DeMato’s pass at the 5 yard-line, returning it to the 17 with 1:11 left.

“We messed up some coverages earlier when I was in the game, so they took me out for a little bit,” Sheehan said. “So getting back in, I knew I was just looking for a chance to make a play. Fortunately, the ball was a little underthrown, so I got a chance to undercut the route and make a play.”

Monmouth had already answered Ocean twice in the game, although the visiting county never led. McGlynn found Red Bank Catholic tight end Frank Olmo for a nine-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7 on the team’s first drive of the third quarter and Colts Neck running back Anthony Gargiulo stormed in for a five-yard score to tie the game at 14 late in the third.

Ocean fumbled the ball on consecutive possessions to open the second half and Monmouth cashed in with Olmo’s touchdown on the first of them. Matawan kicker Mike Creamer drilled a 42-yard field goal following the second, but a dead-ball encroachment penalty on Ocean killed the play and forced Creamer to try again, albeit from five yards closer. This time, Jackson Memorial’s Marcus Ademilola blocked the kick up the middle and Manchester’s Shaquille Benjamin picked up the loose ball and took it 71 yards for the touchdown, turning a potential 10-7 deficit into a 14-10 lead for Ocean.

“It was a big momentum swing,” Ademilola said. “My coaches wouldn’t put me in (on special teams), and I told them I could block the field goal, so I just went out there and did it.”

The opening touchdown of the game was even more bizarre than Benjamin’s blocked kick return. Long Branch safety Myson Pennington intercepted a pass from Lacey quarterback Tom Kelly near the goal-line, and Kelly then ran him down from behind, forcing a fumble that

Photos by:

Doug Bostwick

www.sportshotswlb.com

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Recognition of Relentlessness: Southern’s Mason Fazekas & Keansburg’s Kason Preston

By Bod Badders – Staff Writer

The chatter could be heard throughout the

Ocean County sideline every time No. 54 in white made another impact play in this year's U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic.

“Is that the Southern kid again?”

“What a beast!”

“He just doesn’t stop.”

Fazekas also took home the annual Sam Mills Award for Ocean County, an award given by each team’s coaches to the player who best exemplifies the determination and perseverance of the late Sam Mills, a Long Branch legend who was an All-Pro linebacker with the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers.

“It’s real overwhelming and very humbling,” Fazekas said. “It’s still setting in.”

For the many who played alongside Southern senior linebacker Mason Fazekas for the first time it was an eye-opening experience, but for those who know him best it was just another I-told-you-so moment.

Fazekas ended his Shore Conference career with the same fervor he used to terrorize opposing offenses during the 2013 season. An undersized linebacker/defensive lineman at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, Fazekas more than makes up for his lack of Division I size with all-pro heart and determination. He was second on the Rams in tackles with 68 (41 solo) while posting a team-best nine sacks on a Southern unit that led Class A South in points allowed at 14.2 per game. His nine sacks are the secondhighest single-season total in Rams history.

Fazekas finished with four tackles for a loss and a blocked punt to be selected as defensive MVP for Ocean County in its 17-14 victory over Monmouth County in the 37th annual U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic on Thursday night at Brick Township’s Keller Memorial Field.

“Everybody always told me I couldn’t do it, and that’s what I used (as motivation),” Fazekas said.

“I just kept telling all of them they got a little taste in practice, but they didn’t really know what they were working with,” said fellow Southern linebacker Bailey Bellissimo. “I told them they were going to find out Thursday night, and I think everybody did.”

When Fazekas arrived in Manahawkin as a transfer from Georgia for his freshman year, however, he wasn’t the beloved teammate he is today. He was the outcast, and the rest of the team took it out on him in practice. But that never deterred him. He continued to work and prove himself until he got on the field as a junior. As a senior starter he was Southern’s most impactful and consistent defensive player.

“The only word for him is heart,” Bellissimo said. “It couldn’t happen to anyone who deserves it more.”

In addition to his four hits for a loss and the blocked punt, Fazekas also made a perfect form tackle in a 1on-1 situation against Asbury Park’s Daquane Bland-Bennett on a punt return, and pressured Howell quarterback Connor McGlynn on Drew Scott’s interception that set up Anthony Starego’s gamewinning field goal.

During the short week of practice that leads up the the Gridiron Classic it’s always difficult for coaches to get a feel for players they’ve never coached before. But from the moment he took the field, Fazekas let everyone know what he was bringing to the table.

“We knew about him as a Brick staff and we were excited to coach him,” said Brick

K e a ns bur g’s K a s on P r e s t on a nd S out he r n’s M a s on Fa z e k a s a c c e pt t he ir S a m M ills Awa r ds be f or e t he s t a r t of t he f our t h qua r t e r dur ing t he 3 7 t h a nnua l U .S . A r m y A ll- S hor e Gr idir on C la s s ic .

head coach Rob Dahl, who led the Ocean County squad. “He didn’t let us down. From the first day of practice to the fourth day he was flying around and making plays. I knew (Monmouth County) would come out with that gigantic line, but he was quicker than them and in the backfield the whole game. He’s s small kid, but he plays with more heart than most guys I’ve seen in my life.”

When the coaching staff had to decide who to nominate for the Sam Mills Award, it was an easy choice.

“When Sam Mills played high school football he was more of an undersized guy that played with a lot of heart, and (Mason) was that guy that stood out in practice,” Dahl said. “You can’t judge him by his size, but you can definitely judge him by his heart. He plays with a ton of heart and soul.”

“It comes down to wanting it more than anyone else on the field,” Bellissimo said. “He comes to the weight room and works harder than anyone I’ve ever seen. He just deserves everything he gets.”

Fazekas will continue his career back in Georgia at Chattahoochee Technical College with the plan to transfer to FCS program Kennesaw State after two years. With Southern head coach Chuck Donohue Sr. watching from the sidelines and teammates Bellissimo and Logan Sheehan playing alongside him, Fazekas’s career came full circle in his final high school game.

“I just wanted to leave with a statement and make Southern and my family proud,” Fazekas said

Photos by:

Doug Bostwick

www.sportshotswlb.com

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Storybook Ending for Brick’s Anthony Starego

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

When it all began, it was simply a young boy

with his father on an empty football field, trying valiantly for weeks just to get one ball through the uprights.

Before the game-winning field goals, before appearances on the TODAY Show and ESPN’s College GameDay, before this year’s magical finish in the U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic, it was Ray Starego trying to find an activity for his autistic son, Anthony, that the two could do together.

Anthony would be Rutgers kicker Jeremy Ito, and Ray would be his trusty holder as Anthony tried to stun Louisville again and again with a gamewinning field goal, just like Ito in 2006, hearing the roar of the crowd at High Point Solutions Stadium in his head while the crickets chirped at the local park.

“Looking at it from Day One where he couldn’t reach the goal line from the 10-yard line, and now kicking the game-winning field goal in the Gridiron Classic, it’s truly remarkable,” Ray said. “You can’t make this stuff up.

“When we adopted him at three years old, if you take me from that moment in time through now? It’s an act of God. This could not have been orchestrated by chance.

The 19-year-old has had a knack for the dramatic flourish during his remarkable and historic two-year varsity career with the Green Dragons, and he ended it in fitting fashion on Thursday. He thumped a 20-yard field goal with 5:21 left in the game that snapped a tie and sent Ocean County to a 1714 win over Monmouth County, firing one last salvo at Brick’s Keller Memorial Field, where he has kicked thousands of balls over the years. Another game, another straightout-of-a-Disney-movie moment.

“I had fun and kicked it right through the uprights,” Anthony said. “Was I nervous? Nope.”

After becoming the first special needs player to participate in the 36-year history of New Jersey’s oldest high school football all-star game, he made one more piece of history when he earned offensive Most Valuable Player honors for Ocean County after booting a pair of extra points in addition to his winning field goal.

“I just can’t get over the things he continues to amaze me with,” his mother, Reylene Starego, said. “This is just incredible, and here of all places. Isn’t that great?”

“It’s a great ending to a storybook couple of years,” said Brick coach Rob Dahl, who served as Ocean County’s head coach in the win. “It was such a tight game, and when we got in the red zone on third down, I’m thinking, ‘This could be it.’ The ball was right where we wanted it on the left hash, and that’s his spot. He hit it, and I knew we just had to play good defense from there.”

As a kicker, Anthony has turned autism from a disability into a weapon.

He missed a 29-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter, but it was like it never happened when he trotted out in a pressure-packed spot in front of 3,000-plus fans in the fourth quarter.

Anthony was all smiles with his offensive MVP plaque after becoming the first special needs player to earn that distinction in the 36-year history of the U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic. (Photo by Sport Shots WLB)

“Even after he missed the first field goal, we had confidence in him,” Dahl said. “The greatest thing about him is that with his disability, he

house and patted the seat next to him on the sofa as if to say, “Come and sit next to me.”

was able to not think about that (missed field goal) and go and hit two extra points and the gamewinning field goal.”

“Short memory is what you want from any kicker, and he’s got that just by the nature of his condition,” his father said.

Coming a Long Way

Early in his life, Anthony was destined to be

forgotten, human flotsam drifting through the system as an unwanted child.

When the Staregos adopted him as a 3-year-old, he had already lived in 11 different foster homes. He was largely non-verbal and was highly sensitive to anyone touching him, both symptoms of his autism. When Ray and Reylene first laid eyes on him, something intangible resonated

in them.

“It was just a gut feeling,” Ray said.

As part of the process of potentially adopting him, they spent some time with him in increments in order to get to know him. They took him to McDonald’s for a few hours the first time, and when they went to return him to his foster mother, they had to pry his fingers off the doors of their van because he didn’t want to leave.

He still barely spoke a word, but the next time they went to see him, he was sitting with his foster mother while she read a book to him. He saw Ray and Reylene enter the

“That’s when I knew, this is going to be it,” Ray said. “We knew right then he would be ours.”

When he was five years old, Ray said Anthony started to eerily resemble Ray’s father as a young boy, another small sign that something special was at work. When Anthony was in seventh grade, Ray decided that kicking a football might appeal to Anthony’s condition because it involved repetitive motion and a strict routine.

Ray ordered a kicking tee and a block on eBay and took Anthony to a local park near Point Pleasant Borough High School.

“I can’t tell you how many times we went out, and he couldn’t make a kick,” Ray said. “Not one. It could’ve been a couple of weeks until he finally made one kick. I

look back and almost feel like I was too hard on him because I couldn’t understand how someone with his condition that focuses on routine and repetition could not get one ball through the upright.”

In an effort to help him improve, Ray signed Anthony up for a kicking camp with Lee McDonald of Special Teams Solutions.

All of the other kids were routinely making kicks from the 20-yard line, which had Ray facing a dilemma.

“Do I move him up to the 10-yard line and single him out?

Or do I leave him at the 20 knowing he has no shot to make one?” Ray said. “What do you do? He wanted so much to be like the rest of the kids. He was already different, and I didn’t want him to be different again in front of all the kids.”

Anthony lined up at the 20 for the whole camp. He wasn’t able to get one through the uprights, but he got closer and closer with each day. McDonald gave him the Most Improved award for his relentless determination.

Once he reached Brick Township High School, there were plenty more hurdles to overcome.

During a jayvee scrimmage before his sophomore year, a defender trying to block a kick crashed into him, leaving him black and blue and out for a month.

“After that he said, ‘Dad, I’m scared,”’ Ray said.

“He was always fearful of getting hurt. It’s really hard to become a good kicker when you’re scared. It took him an awfully long time for him to get it back.”

By 2012, he had won the starting job on the varsity team. Everything changed when he swung his big left leg and booted the game-winning 23-yard field goal in the

VOLUME-VI simply shaking their head and smiling in wonder after Ocean County’s victory.

final seconds of a 24-21 upset of Toms River North.

The Mariners’ head coach that night was Chip LaBarca Jr., who is now the Brick offensive coordinator and coached the offense for Ocean County on Thursday night.

“Being as close to Anthony as I am and playing with him for so many years, it was just awesome to see,” said Brick linebacker Drew Scott, whose interception return set up Anthony’s game-winning field goal.

“The whole thing is amazing,” LaBarca said. “To come here and get to know him, he’s a great kid. It was incredible to see everything that happened after he made that kick.”

While he has become a symbol of hope for special needs athletes everywhere and parents struggling with diagnoses of autism for their children, it is his transformation as a person that is more astonishing than any field goal he has ever kicked. The non-verbal, highly-sensitive boy is now a gregarious young man, smiling and shaking hands with reporters, high-fiving teammates, and constantly reminding Brick kicking coach and noted Fighting Irish fan Kurt Wieboldt that “Notre Dame sucks and Rutgers is better.”

His feat made national headlines, showing the boundaries for special needs athletes might not be as constricted as once thought. The family soon found themselves talking to Savannah Guthrie and Matt Lauer while Anthony smiled in his kelly green shirt and white tie, and then it was a heartwarming piece on College GameDay that spread his story across the country.

“This whole story boiled down to a kick,” Ray said. “One single kick.”

This past fall, the bright lights of the national media were traded for the stuffy confines of courtrooms as the Starego family battled to get Anthony an extra year of eligibility.

Perhaps the most remarkable part of the legal saga is that some hesitation by the NJSIAA over reinstating Anthony was that his return might constitute an athletic advantage for Brick. All of the Green Dragons’ future opponents were contacted and agreed to his return, but the notion that a player with autism could be an unfair weapon for a team was unprecedented.

After the courtroom interlude, Anthony went right back to making history and inspiring others. He became the first special needs player in New Jersey history to play in a state championship game when he hit a pair of extra points in Brick’s 26-15 win over Colts Neck in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV final that gave the Green Dragons their first state title since 1994.

He then became the first player with autism to ever achieve a postseason accolade when the coaches in Brick’s division, Class A South, voted him as the All-Division kicker. That honor made him eligible to participate in the U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic.

“Really it was the coaches in the division overwhelmingly voting for him,” Dahl said. “I was humbled by that in the meeting.”

That set the stage for one final moment on Thursday night that had everyone

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head coach at Jersey Coast Academy, a junior college program based in Toms River that is affiliated with Ocean County College. There is a possibility Anthony could kick for them this fall while still attending special education classes at Brick.

Until then, the goose-bump moments will continue, as the family is flying to Los Angeles on Friday to be feted at an event Saturday run by the HollyRod Foundation, named for actress Holly Robinson Peete. Anthony is receiving an

“He talks trash with the best of them,” his father joked. “He’s really blossomed into a kid that makes a difference in people’s lives, and he does it just by being who he is.”

A Magical Year

The NJSIAA had ruled him ineligible because he played four consecutive years of football and turned 19 years old before the cutoff date of Sept. 1. The Staregos went through a legal labyrinth of appeals before the NJSIAA ultimately granted him an unprecedented fifth year of eligibility on the day of Brick’s third game of the season, a 47-21 win over Toms River South.

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“He’s a funny kid,” said his Ocean County teammate, Jackson Memorial’s Marcus Ademilola. “In the locker room, he was cracking jokes. I have a lot of respect for him.”

The reason the Staregos fought so hard in court isn’t because they desperately needed to see him make another game-winning field goal. It’s because of what football has opened up inside him.

“I feel like when he made that kick to beat Toms River North, it was almost like he came out of his shell,” Dahl said. “All of a sudden, the social interaction was better than it ever was. This is about more than kicking balls through goal posts, this is about a kid developing from his success and the team camaraderie. The overwhelming support he got, the more we got to see the real side of Anthony.”

The Staregos have now been speaking at school assemblies about the benefit that sports and camaraderie can have on children with autism.

“Basically we say to them, look what happened when his school, his teammates and his classmates helped and supported and nurtured him,” Ray said. “Without that, it doesn’t happen.

“Just befriending them means the world to them. These kids know they’re different from the other students, but they just want to feel normal. When you pick on somebody, you feel good about yourself for five minutes. When you help someone like that, you feel good for a lifetime.”

The journey may not be over, either, as the Staregos said they have been contacted by former Point Boro head coach Calvin Thompson, who is now the

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A nt hony wa s a ll s m ile s wit h his of f e ns iv e M V P pla que pr e s e nt e d by A t la nt ic P hy s ic a l The r a py C e nt e r a f t e r be c om ing t he f ir s t s pe c ia l ne e ds pla y e r t o e a r n t ha t dis t inc t ion in t he 3 6 - y e a r his t or y of t he U .S . A r m y A ll- S hor e Gr idir on C la s s ic .

award for being an inspiration to those with autism.

It’s just another day in the life for the teenager who started out alone in a field with his father, just trying to get the ball 10 yards in the air. As he piled into the family car with his MVP plaque tucked under his arm in the darkness of the Brick parking lot on Thursday night, he turned to his father and said, “Told you dad, I knew it was coming down to a winning field goal.”

He knew what everyone else could sense was coming in the final minutes of the game. After overcoming 11 foster homes, a disability that left him silent and afraid, and an arduous court battle, his job is simply to inspire. Why should Thursday night be any different?

“You knew it was gonna happen,” Drew Scott said before grinning. “It’s the Starego way.”

Photos by:

Doug Bostwick

www.sportshotswlb.com

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By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

ith the preseason football camps set to get underway in early August, the 2014 Shore Conference football season is nearly upon us.

With three returning state champions in Brick (Central Jersey Group IV); Rumson-Fair Haven (CJ Group II) and Point Beach (CJ Group I) plus a host of hungry teams and others looking to finish the job after reaching state finals last season, this fall once again promises to be an actionpacked saga every week.

As we head into the land of optimism for every team known as the preseason, here are some burning questions.

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Can anyone knock Red Bank Catholic off its perch atop the Shore Conference?

The Caseys have finished ranked No. 1 in the Shore Conference for the past three seasons and have won 33 straight games against Shore Conference competition. They are in this interesting position of dominating the local competition but still searching for their first state title since 1976. They have reached the NJSIAA Non-Public Group III semifinals in each of the past two seasons only to fall to perennial juggernaut St. Joseph-Montvale, which looms as RBC’s final hurdle to the state elite. They have the local teams grumbling that they shouldn’t have to play the Caseys at this point and the North Jersey non-public fans crowing that they’re not good enough to beat the big boys up there in the playoffs.

Regardless, they are a regular topic of discussion, and this season should be no different even though they graduated a

RBC's Eddie Hahn

stellar class led by Notre Dame freshman lineman Quenton Nelson and two-time, 1,000-yard rusher Larry Redaelli as well as a host of stars on defense. This year’s team will be highlighted by senior tailback/safety Mike Cordova, who looks to pick up where Redaelli left off, junior quarterback Eddie Hahn, an FBS prospect who is poised for a breakout year as he takes over full time after splitting snaps as a sophomore, and another powerful line led by Fordham recruit Ryan Kroeger and junior FBS prospect Liam Smith. On the defensive side, Miami recruit Jamie Gordinier leads another rugged group. The schedule is solid after the Caseys were realigned into the competitive Class B North and got nondivisional games against Manalapan, which has made three straight NJSIAA finals, and defending Class A South champion Jackson Memorial. They also have a nonconference game against St. Joseph’sMetuchen, which looks to be a serious test as well. They are No. 1 in the Shore until someone takes it from them, and right now they appear to have the firepower to retain that status in 2014.

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How will realignment affect the divisional races?

Every two years, the Shore Conference realigns its divisions based on school enrollment, so this year some new faces will be part of different divisional races.

The biggest change is the move of Red Bank Catholic and Colts Neck into Class B North, while Freehold Boro moves out of that division and into Class A North and Matawan moves to Class A Central.

As noted above, RBC is the 800-pound gorilla of the Shore, so that instantly makes this division rougher.

Meanwhile, Colts Neck is coming off a school-record 10 wins and its first appearance in a state final as it fell to Brick in the Central Jersey Group IV championship game. Adding those two to a group that already includes Ocean, Long Branch, Neptune, Wall and Red Bank makes this division one of the deepest in the Shore this side of Class A South. Some quality teams will find themselves at the bottom of the standings and out of playoff contention simply because somebody has to be there. This division is also interesting because it features new coaches at Colts Neck (Peter Shaw); Neptune (Rodney Taylor); and Wall (Dan Curcione) so there is the unknown factor of how they will perform under their new staffs.

Matawan returning to Class A Central renews the great rivalry it formed in recent years with Rumson-Fair Haven, as the two each beat one another to win a Central Jersey Group II title in 2010 and 2011. With RBC out of the way, that opens the door for Rumson to make a run at the overall crown after finishing second last season. Meanwhile, the Huskies were the only winning team in the Shore Conference not to make the playoffs last season at 7-3, so they will be hungry to storm back into the championship picture with a solid group of returners.

Class B South and Class B Central remain the same, and the outlook on those divisional races remains the same as well.

Defending champion Barnegat will be heavily favored to repeat in Class B South, with Lakewood and others breathing down its neck. Class B Central looks to once again come down to Shore Regional and Point Beach after the Blue Devils won it last season before Point Beach avenged that loss and took the Central Jersey Group I crown. Class A South also remains the same, with Jackson Memorial returning as the defending champion and a loaded Brick team looking like the preseason favorite to win a deep division.

Class A North loses Colts Neck and adds a Freehold team searching for its first winning season since 2010. Manalapan has won this division four straight times, and usually it has been Middletown South and Colts Neck as the biggest challengers. With a strong junior class and a stellar sophomore class ready to make an impact, Middletown South will look to challenge the Braves’ supremacy once again, while an up-and-coming Middletown North team will look to be a contender.

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Who are some of the top returning players to watch For?

The Shore Sports Network first-team All-Shore selections returning from last year include SSN Offensive Player of the Year Charlie Volker, a senior tailback at Rumson-Fair Haven, along with Brick senior quarterback Carmen Sclafani and running back/linebacker Ray Fattaruso, Point Beach senior fullback/linebacker Joe Wegrzyniak, Miami-bound RBC linebacker Jamie Gordinier, Matawan junior linebacker Aliem Shaw, and Manalapan senior punter/kicker Mike Caggiano.

Others to watch for include Penn State-bound Barnegat senior linebacker Manny Bowen, who is poised for a huge season

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along with teammate Sam Madden, an offensive lineman committed to Wisconsin, and senior quarterback Cinjun Erskine, who is committed to Bucknell. Lakewood senior quarterback/linebacker Chapelle Cook, another FBS prospect, will try to lead the Piners to their first state final since 1986 along with senior linebacker/defensive end Datrell Reed. Toms River South senior quarterback Tymere Berry returns as one of the Shore Conference’s most dynamic and exciting talents.

Virginia recruit Tanner Cowley, a senior tight end/linebacker, should be a force for a Manasquan team that is always in the hunt in the division and state playoff races. Holmdel fullback/linebacker Frank Condito should also be one of the Shore’s best after an injury-riddled junior season, and Long Branch senior running back/defensive back Dahmiere Willis is poised for a big year in his third varsity season.

Ocean Township junior Tyler Thompson is one of the best running backs in New Jersey in the Class of 2016 and is seeking his third straight 1,000-yard rushing season. Joining Caggiano in a stellar senior class of kickers is Shore Regional’s Jake Monteiro and Neptune’s Hunter Daly, and Middletown South junior Matt Mosquera and Lacey’s Pat Davis are two others to watch after stellar sophomore seasons. Thompson’s former Ocean teammate, senior quarterback/defensive back Royal Moore, is another to watch after transferring to Neptune, where he looks to be a crucial player for the Scarlet Fliers. Red Bank Catholic’s Mike Cordova is ready to take over the star-making spot as Red Bank Catholic’s tailback after having a great season at safety as a junior and making an impact offensively.

Jackson Liberty senior Matt Castronuova is another player to keep an eye on as a wideout and one of the top safeties in the Shore. The linebacker tandem of Brick’s James Juliano and Shore’s James Bedell as well as Barnegat defensive back Ricky Gerena will all be counted on by their teams to have big years defensively.

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Who are some breakout players to watch?

forward might not even be on this

Heading into last season, Rumson tailback Charlie Volker was an unknown, and he exploded for a 2,000-yard rushing season to win Offensive Player of the Year honors. That means that the player who ends up having the biggest jump

Toms River South's Tymere Berry

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Jordan Craig has multiple FBS offers and junior running back Asante Moorer also has attracted interest. The Mariners are coming off a 1-9 season, so an improved year could put those two in the spotlight.

list because we’ve never seen him play any extensive time on varsity yet. Wide receiver is a position begging for breakout players considering all nine of the Shore Sports Network first-, second-, and third-team All-Shore selections last year at that spot were seniors. While having a season like Volker’s is rare, here are some potential candidates to explode on to the scene this fall.

St. John Vianney dual threat quarterback Anthony Brown, a junior, is tailor-made for the flexbone offense run by new coach Mark Ciccotelli. He has made stars out of past quarterbacks, producing four first-team AllShore signal-callers and three offensive players of the year, so the talented Brown has the chance to take off this season after seeing limited snaps as a sophomore. In the same division, Fordham-bound Monmouth Regional senior Isaiah Searight, a versatile talent who plays all over the field, also should raise his profile with a strong year.

Lakewood junior linebacker Amir Tyler had a strong sophomore season and should be an integral part of a talented defense this fall.

Asbury Park senior running back/linebacker Tyquis Davis also should get increased attention if the Blue Bishops can find a way to break up the Shore-Point Beach dominance in Class B Central.

Shore junior fullback/linebacker Doug Goldsmith also should have a big year in inheriting the star-making role in the Blue Devils’ offense. After splitting carries the past few seasons, Toms River South senior running back Khaleel Greene should form an explosive tandem with quarterback Monmouth's Isaiah Searight Tymere Berry.

While the Middletown North tandem of sophomore quarterback Donald Glenn and junior tailback Chad Freshnock made an impact last season, this could be the year they really become a force with a full varsity season under their belt in coach Steve Bush’s offensive system.

Long Branch senior

linebacker/defensive end Hunter Baillie has quietly put together two strong seasons and could be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate if the Green Wave improve on last season. Toms River North senior linebacker

Brick's Ray Fattaruso

Senior tailback Imamu Mayfield looks to move into the starmaking spot in Manalapan’s offense after seeing some carries in relief of Tyler Leonetti last season, and watch for Freehold junior quarterback Jake Curry to be more of a playmaker. Curry saw time as a sophomore and has standout senior tailback Josh Dixon in the backfield to keep defenses honest. Neptune senior tailback Jaree Parrish was putting up huge numbers by the end of last season after cementing himself as the starter and will be running behind a veteran offensive line this fall.

Red Bank junior wide receiver Sadiq Palmer, also a basketball standout, showed flashes of brilliance as a sophomore and should be one of the top wideouts in Class B North and beyond this fall. Mater Dei Prep’s versatile senior, Tysaun White, is a playmaker on both sides of the ball who should only boost his production this season.

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Who are some breakout players to watch?

A loaded Brick team returns to defend its Central Jersey Group IV title and certainly has a good

QUESTIONS Continued on page 10

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QUESTIONs

Continued from page 9 shot to win another one. The Colts Neck team it faced in the final lost a stellar senior class as well as its coaching staff, while a talented Burlington Township team that Brick beat in last season’s semifinals has suffered a huge loss in star quarterback Khalil Trotman, who has reportedly transferred to Timber Creek. Contenders like Middletown South, Neptune and Middletown North return, but a strong program at Nottingham is now in Central Jersey Group III. One new team in the bracket is Brick’s Class A South rival, Jackson Memorial, which moves over from South Jersey Group V.

Rumson-Fair Haven also looks like a good bet to return to the Central Jersey Group II final after winning it last season.

Standout tailback Charlie Volker and a strong defense return, plus the talented Weequahic team that the Bulldogs beat in the final last year got moved to North II Group I, so that removes one obstacle. Lakewood looks like a prime contender, and the Piners play Rumson during the regular season, which could be a state playoff preview.

The Shore’s other defending state champion, Point Beach, also appears to be set for another title run in Central Jersey Group I. The Garnet Gulls return 1,500-yard rusher Joe Wegrzyniak, senior quarterback Jake Fioretti, do-it-all senior Mike Frauenheim and others, and it once again could be them and Shore battling it out for the title, with usual suspects like Ocean's Tyler Thompson

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Manalapan has made three straight NJSIAA finals but has not been able to get over the hump in Central Jersey Group V. Hunterdon Central graduated Penn State recruit Jason Cabinda after beating Manalapan in last year’s final, which certainly helps, but Sayreville and other Middlesex County squads will again be tough in addition to Hunterdon Central. Plus, Manalapan has to replace an outstanding senior class headlined by Penn State recruit Saeed Blacknall at wideout and SSN Defensive Player of the Year Chris Noesges.

The world is upside down in Central Jersey Group III, which was long ruled by the Shore Conference but could be entering an era of dominance by Mercer County, long a doormat for Shore teams. Hopewell Valley stormed to its first state title in program history by beating Lawrence last year, and neither of those teams is going away. Long Branch, Matawan and Ocean are the main hopes to try to stem the oncoming Mercer County tide.

In South Jersey, the most realistic hope for the Shore may be Barnegat, which was realigned into South Jersey Group II from Group III. The Bengals made their first state final last year, losing to Delsea, and return a host of standouts.

Their main obstacles in the new bracket look to be defending champion Haddonfield, returning finalist Woodstown, and Brick's Ja'Quez Johnson perennial power West Deptford as well as a solid Glassboro program moving up from Group I. Toms River South has the ability to make a run in South Jersey Group IV, but with defending champion Shawnee and another loaded Timber Creek team back, the Indians will be underdogs.

Also, never count out Manasquan, which reached the South Jersey Group III semifinals last year but once again will have to deal with a rugged Delsea team that beat them on its way to the title.

File Photo by:

Bill Normile

www.billnormile.zenfolio.com

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Fri 9/12

Jackson Memorial at

Jackson Liberty

(7pm)

Sat 9/13

Lacey

Toms River North

(7pm)

Fri 9/19 Fri 9/26 or

Toms River East Lacey Toms River North

at at at at

Toms River South Brick Memorial Toms River South

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Fri 10/17 or

Lacey Barnegat

at at

Brick Point Boro

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Fri 10/24

Jackson Mem.

at

Toms River South

(7pm)

Fri 10/31 or

Toms River South Lakewood

at at

Brick Memorial Barnegat

(7pm) (7pm)

Fri 11/7 or

Toms River South Brick Memorial

at at

Brick Southern

(7pm) (7pm)

Thr 11/27

Wall

at

Manasquan

(7pm) (7pm) (7pm)

Fri 10/3 or

Brick at Red Bank Catholic at

Jackson Mem. Wall

(7pm) (7pm)

Fri 10/10 or

Manasquan Wall

Barnegat Brick

(7pm) (7pm)

at at

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All games to be broadcast on News Talk Radio

NJSIAA Playoffs

(11am) TBD

and streamed live at www.shoresportsnetwork.com

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Matawan Wins 7-on-7 and More I

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

n what has been a positive omen for past winners, Matawan took home the Shore Conference 7-on-7 title before this year's U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic with an 18-12 win over Brick at Keller Memorial Field.

Since the inception of the 7-on-7 tournament in 2010, every team that has won has made the playoffs in the fall, including Lacey going undefeated in 2010 and Barnegat reaching the South Jersey Group III final in 2013. The Huskies did it behind senior quarterback Jimmy Pierce, with freshman quarterback George “LC” Pearson, the nephew of former Dallas Cowboys great Drew Pearson, also seeing some snaps.

With former Matawan great and NFL defensive back Jay Bellamy now coaching the quarterbacks, the Huskies hope to reverse their fortunes offensively this fall.

“The competition has really helped Jimmy step up, because Jimmy had a great 7-on-7 tournament,” head coach John Kaye said.

Makiya Caesar caught the game-winning touchdown pass to help defeat the Dragons, who are the defending Central Jersey Group IV champions and feature returning first-team All-Shore quarterback Carmen Sclafani.

The victory is a positive sign for the Huskies, who were the only winning team in the Shore Conference that didn’t qualify for the playoffs in a 7-3 season last fall. While a standout defense that only allowed 8.9 points per game was their backbone, the offense struggled, averaging 18.2 points per game, but failing to score more than 13 points against playoff teams.

Matawan won its first Shore Conference 7-on-7 title by beating Brick before this year's U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic.

by:

Bob Badders www.shoresportsnetwork.com

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Toms River Wins State Little League Title

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By Matt Manley – Staff Writer

Jonathan Giordano set out Monday night to carry his Toms River team to a state championship-clinching win over Ocean City-Upper Township with his flame-throwing right arm and a dose of his thunderous bat. Ocean City held its own against his right arm and didn’t bother to challenge his bat, but in the end, it could not prevent Giordano’s glove from securing yet another Toms

Giordano made a game-ending, game-saving diving catch with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth inning to set off a celebration as Toms River held on to beat Ocean City-Upper Township, 7-6, to win its second Joe Graziano Little League State Championship in the last five years.

Toms River will now travel to Bristol, Connecticut, for the United States East Regional championships, which begin with pool play on Friday. This year’s squad will look to duplicate the run of the 2010 team, which won the East to advance to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

“This was great,” Giordano said. “I’ve played in games like this before, but never in an atmosphere like this. I made the catch and all of a sudden, the whole team was piling on top of me and people are rushing on the field. It was pretty incredible.”

Kayla Roncin earned the save by throwing one pitch – a 2-0 fastball with the bases loaded to Ocean City cleanup hitter and first baseman Eric Greenling.

Roncin also broke a 2-2 tie with her first homer of the tournament, a two-run blast to left field in the third inning.

Ocean City scored five runs against Giordano – four earned – in five innings and ran his pitch count past the 85-pitch limit during a ground out to start the sixth and final frame. Alex Civitello recorded the second out of the inning, but ran into trouble with a walk, a single to the fence by leadoff hitter and shortstop Gannon Brady and an RBI single by third baseman Brock Mercado.

Toms River manager Pete Avallone elected to walk catcher Joe Gallagher to load the bases after watching Gallagher hit his third home run against Toms River pitching of the tournament with a first-inning solo shot.

“I’ve managed in a bunch of these tournaments over the last couple of years and that’s the first time I’ve ever called for an intentional walk,” Avallone said.

“We were not going to let (Gallagher) beat us in that spot. He’d shown us enough. That was a pretty easy call.”

When Civitello fell behind Greenling 2-0, he called on Roncin to challenge the Ocean City cleanup hitter already down in the count.

“I thought I might pitch if John couldn’t finish,” Roncin said. “I was still nervous.”

“We brought her into the game in a very difficult situation, but that’s why I wanted her out there,” Avallone said. “She is such a competitor, and I felt good about our chances to get out of it with her out there.”

Greenling hit a shallow fly ball to center field, and as Giordano and second baseman Vinny Rose converged, Giordano made a diving grab while also avoiding a collision with Rose.

“I just saw the ball,” Giordano said. “I was probably pretty close to colliding (with Rose), but all I was focused on was the ball. As soon as I saw it in the air, I knew I had it.”

Colin Baker knocked in what proved to be a crucial insurance run in the bottom of the fifth inning with a single to the gap in right-center that scored left fielder Jason Kapp all the way from first base, making the score 7-5. Ocean City had cut the lead to 6-5w in the of then fifth wtopw. j swithpthree o rrunst off s .Giordano, com

highlighted by a two-run homer by Mercado that made the score 6-4. Mercado also saw six pitches in the at-bat, which pushed Giordano closer to his pitch limit.

Starting pitcher Brian Furey singled home Gallagher from third with two out to cut the Toms River lead to 6-5.

“Once they got it to 6-4, we know we’ve got a fight on our hands because at that point, a bloop and a blast ties the game,” Avallone said. “It’s the same thing we look for when we’re down one or two runs and now, they are right there with (Giordano) coming out of the game soon and their big hitters coming up.”

Giordano had quieted the Ocean City bats for the previous three innings after allowing solo home runs to both Brady and Gallagher in the top of the first inning. He finished the game allowing four earned runs on seven hits with one walk and 13 strikeouts.

Toms River drew even with two runs in the bottom of the second inning.

Baker beat out a potential double-play ball with the bases loaded and one out to drive in catcher Connor Cino, and Roncin scored a second run on the play when the low return throw from second base got away from Greenling at first.

Roncin then broke the tie with a first-pitch home run that comfortably cleared the fence in left field to plate two runs. Roncin – the only girl on any of the four rosters in the championship tournament – had started Toms River’s first three games and came off the bench to deliver, arguably, the game’s biggest swing and its biggest pitch.

It felt great just to get a hit,” said Roncin, who said her father – assistant coach Ray Roncin – told her to look for a first pitch to hit. “I have been in a slump during the whole tournament, and I really wanted to help the team.”

of the game to put runners on first and second for shortstop Nick DeRose, who smacked a long single off the fence in center field to score Rose from second.

Nine different players accounted for the 10 Toms River hits, with Antoniotti checking in with two singles for the team’s lone multi-hit game. Cino, first baseman Christian Wood, Kapp, and right fielder Bill Fleury each singled to go with run-scoring hits from Roncin, Schifillitti and DeRose.

Monday’s win capped a three-game series between the two teams during the double-elimination tournament. Toms River won the first meeting, 4-2, with two sixth-inning homers – one by Giordano and one by DeRose – and Ocean City answered with a 10-6 win on Sunday afternoon that forced a decisive game Monday night. Over the three games, Ocean City outscored Toms River 18-17, but Toms River won the two close games.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Antoniotti said. “We’ve been talking about this since we’ve been playing together, and it’s awesome that we were able to win a state championship and go play for a chance at the World Series.

It’s a dream come true.”

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Antoniotti said. “We’ve been talking about this since we’ve been playing together and it’s awesome that we were able to win a state championship and go play for a chance at the World Series. It’s a dream come true.”

“We know what she is capable of, and we knew she was going to come through with a home run at some point during this tournament,” Giordano said.

Toms River tacked on two more runs in the fourth to go ahead, 6-2. Pinchhitter Joe Schifilliti delivered a clutch two-out single to center field to score Phil Antoniotti from second to put Toms River up, 5-2, before giving way to Rose, who re-entered to run after Schifillitti hit for him. Giordano drew his third walk

201-445-9355

by:

Matt Manley www.shoresportsnetwork.com 255 Franklin Ave. Midland Park, NJ 07432

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