Shore Sports Network High School Sports 8-18-14 Issue -15 Volume VI

August 18, 2014 Volume-VI Issue-15

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

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2014 FOOTBALL PREVIEW

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

VOLUME-VI

Rumson’s Charlie Volker Commits to Princeton

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

Rumson-Fair Haven senior

“It’s just a great fit for me football-wise and academically,” Volker said.

Volker had the greatest season by any Rumson-Fair Haven running back in history in his first year as the starting tailback last year. He rushed for a schoolrecord 2,108 yards and 24 touchdowns to lead the Shore Conference in rushing and finish ranked second in New Jersey. Selected as the Class A Central CoOffensive Player of the Year by the coaches, he helped the Bulldogs win their second state sectional title in four seasons, rushing for 93 yards and a touchdown in a 14-6 win in Central Jersey Group II over a Weequahic team that entered undefeated and allowing under three points per game. In the semifinals against

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Jason Dunne Commits to Hartford

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

Matawan senior Jason Dunne, one of the top returning guards in the Shore Conference, has verbally committed to the University of Hartford.

tailback Charlie Volker, who was the Shore Sports Network Offensive Player of the Year last season, said Friday that he has verbally committed to Princeton University.

Technically Volker has committed to the admissions process at Princeton and still has to be formally accepted by the university, but he has made it clear that Princeton is where he looks to continue his career. He had multiple Ivy League and Patriot League offers.

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Rahway, he ran for a single-game school record 314 yards and four touchdowns, including an 80-yard touchdown run with six seconds left in the game that gave Rumson a 28-21 win.

He will head to a Princeton program that currently includes freshman linebacker Thomas Martello, a firstteam All-Shore selection last year who starred for the Bulldogs at linebacker and safety. A bulked-up Volker looks to be one of New Jersey’s top running backs this season for the defending Central Jersey Group II champions.

Photo by:

Bill Normile

www.billnormile.zenfolio.com

Dunne was a Shore Sports Network first-team AllShore selection as a junior when he averaged teamhighs in points (15.1) and assists (3.6) while also checking in with five rebounds and 1.2 steals per game for Matawan’s first sectional champion in more than a 50 years. He is believed to be the Huskies’ first Division I recruit right out of high school since former forward Dax Pearson committed to Army in 1996.

Sandy Perry, a 2005 graduate, played at a pair of junior college programs, Lackawanna (Pa.) and Barton County (Kan.), before moving on to play at Division I Georgia Southern in 2008-09.

Dunne also had an offer from Navy and multiple Division II programs before committing to Division I Hartford, which plays in the America East Conference.

The Hawks finished 17-16 last year, including 10-6 in the conference. Dunne is the first member of the Shore Conference Class of 2015 to commit to a Division I program.

Dunne was a consistent force from the start of the season, starting with an MVP performance at the Husky Classic Holiday Tournament, which Matawan won. He scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half of an SCT semifinal win over Manasquan and poured in 15 more

in a loss to Point Beach in the semifinals. During Matawan’s Central Jersey Group II title run, Dunne scored 23 points in a win over Carteret in the quarterfinals and poured in 20 in the sectional final against Rumson. Dunne will be back with teammate Joe Piscopo to defend the Huskies’ Class B North title and Central Jersey Group II title.

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Preseason Camp Preview – Class A North

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

We will have in-depth previews of each team in the Shore Conference starting in midAugust as camps get underway.

CLASS

A NORTH

Who’s in, who’s out?

Colts Neck has been realigned to Class B North and replaced by Freehold Boro.

Random fact: Manalapan is trying to become the first Shore

Conference team to win five straight division titles since Middletown South won seven straight from 1999-2005.\

Returning All-Division players

Chad Freshnock, Jr., RB, Middletown North (SSN 3rd-team All-Shore)

Joe Sellmeyer, Jr., OL, Manalapan (2nd-team All-Shore)

(From B North) Josh Dixon, Sr., RB, Freehold John Cheung, Sr., RB/KR/PR Manalapan

Mike Caggiano, Sr., K/P, Manalapan (1st-team All-Shore)

Joe Mendez, Sr., LB, Manalapan

Troy Thompson, Sr., TE/DB, Middletown North Dan Debner, Sr., RB/DB/PR/KR, Manalapan

BURNING QUESTIONS Can anyone stop Manalapan’s reign atop the division?

The Braves have won 25 straight games against Shore Conference competition and have not lost a divisional game since 2009, racking up four straight division titles. Since they were realigned into Class A North in 2010, they have not lost a divisional game. Every time it looks like the graduation of a large and talented senior class makes it look like they might lose a step, they have come right back and won the division. They have reached three straight NJSIAA sectional finals and come up short, so the hunger is still there to get to the finish line and complete the job.

They have 100-plus players in the program, so depth is never an issue.

The Braves graduated another superlative senior class that included Penn State wideout Saeed Blacknall, SSN Defensive Player of the Year Chris Noesges, first-team All-Shore defensive lineman R.J. Krause and a host of other talent. They returned linebacker Joe Mendez and defensive back Dan Debner to lead the defense, while senior Imamu Mayfield looks to step in at tailback for graduated standout Tyler Leonetti as part of a strong backfield that includes Debner and senior John Cheung. Senior quarterbacks Dan Anerella and Charles Lombana, who split time last year with Anerella getting the majority of the snaps down the stretch, are also both back. They also have a major special teams weapon in Mike Caggiano, one of the state’s top kicker/punter combos. This team has shown it can reload in the past, so it has to be considered the favorite until someone takes the Braves out.

With Colts Neck now in Class B North, the likeliest challenger to Manalapan’s throne is a familiar one – Middletown South. The Eagles, who play at Manalapan on Oct. 17, have a talented junior class returning that gained a wealth of experience as sophomores and has a stellar sophomore class coming up. Which leads us to…

Is Middletown South ready to rejoin the Shore Conference elite

Middletown South had its first non-winning season in 29 years last fall in finishing 5-5, so if that doesn’t stoke the

fire among the returning group, nothing will. The core of the team is a junior class led by linebackers Dylan Rogers, Trent Giglio and Tom Coffey as well as running back/defensive back Cole Rogers, Dylan’s twin brother. Junior quarterback/kicker/punter Matt Mosquera is another key returner, while FCS prospect James Wilson, wideout/defensive back Nolan Pereless, lineman Dan Servidio and defensive end/tight end Pat Crowe head up the senior class. A freshman team that outscored its opponents 293-0 last year now looks to make an impact as sophomores.

The main question with the Eagles is whether they are a year away, or whether they will rise up and vanquish Manalapan this year.

These juniors and sophomores are the group that has been talked about as the one that will restore the Eagles to glory, so we’ll see if that means this year or next year.

Is Middletown North ready to make the leap?

After nearly 20 years of living in Middletown South’s shadow, the Lions started to gain some buzz on the other side of town last year when they reached the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV playoffs and gave Nottingham, which won the CJ Group III title in 2012, all it could handle in a 35-33 loss in the first round. In the first year under head coach Steve Bush, freshman quarterback Donald Glenn threw for 1,557 yards and 15 touchdowns, which both may be Shore Conference records for a freshman.

His passing yards ranked fifth in the Shore and he was tied for fourth in touchdown passes in attempting the fourth-most passes of any quarterback in the conference. If he continues to mature and boost his production, he could make a serious run at the Shore Conference’s all-time passing yards record (6,619) set by former Toms River East star Colin Gaynor.

His return along with junior tailback Chad Freshnock (1,056 yards, 11 TDs) gives the Lions an explosive tandem in their pro-style offense. With wideouts Jordan

Pitts and Troy Thompson also returning, this could be one of the more exciting teams in the Shore offensively. Now that he has a year of the system and the speed of the game under his belt, Glenn will look to improve his accuracy after throwing 16 interceptions and completing 48 percent of his passes last year. The Lions went 3-7 last year and lost 43-6 to rival Middletown South, so there still is a big gap to close. It will take a significant improvement to get to the seven- or eight-win mark, but the marquee players are there. It will mainly come down to how well the offensive line performs and a defense that has to get much better after giving up 30.6 points per game against a brutal M a na la pa n's D a n A ne r e lla

schedule last year.

What is the division’s most intriguing team?

This is a toss-up between Howell and Freehold Boro to me, and I will go with Howell. The Rebels have a new head coach in former New Egypt coach Luke Sinkhorn, who played under late Hall of Famer Vic Kubu during his legendary tenure at Manasquan. Sinkhorn ran a multiple-I offense at New Egypt, and Kubu’s teams were all known for punishing opponents with an Iformation running attack to set up play action and screens. That’s a far cry from the five-wide, nohuddle spread passing attack that has characterized Howell since its rise in the mid2000s under former coach Cory Davies. The Rebels kept that system under former coach Derek Reichenbecher, but this could be a newlook Howell squad that aims to play physical defense and go after teams with the running game. That instantly makes them a curiosity in the early-going as Sinkhorn looks to put his imprint on the program, which has not won a state playoff game since 2009.

As for Freehold, the Colonials move over from the smashmouth Class B North after a 2-8 season.

What makes them interesting is that they return junior quarterback Jake Curry after he started some games down the stretch last year and they have senior Josh Dixon, one of the Shore Conference’s most underrated running backs. Also, former Raritan star Andrew Mandeville is now the offensive coordinator after coaching the quarterbacks, so the combination of those three and others look to boost the production of a unit that has been Freehold’s Achilles’ heel. Freehold averaged 13.9 points per game last year, including 10 points per game against opponents who made the state playoffs. If that can improve, they could be the sleeper team of the division.

Will Marlboro or Freehold Township make a move in the standings?

Both of these teams have found themselves in the back of the pack consistently, with Marlboro still seeking its first winning season since 1999 and Freehold Township trying for its first winning season since 2004. This is Marlboro’s second season under head coach Jason Dagato after a difficult step back in a 2-8 season last year following a 4-6 campaign in 2012 in which they were in the running for a state playoff berth. They graduated top players Dustin Jensen and Chris Coyle, so it will be an uphill battle again this fall.

Freehold Township had a lot of young players in its lineup last season like quarterback Jack O’Brien and all-around talent Nate Corvil, so the hope is that taking some lumps in a one-win season will pay off this year.

Photos by

Cliff Lavelle

www.clearedge.zenfolio.com

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Preseason Camp Preview – Class A Central

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

We will have in-depth previews of each team in the Shore Conference starting in mid-August as camps get underway.

CLASS

A Central

Who’s in, who’s out?

Division champion Red Bank Catholic has been realigned to Class B North and replaced by Matawan, which was previously in Class B North.

Random fact:

Rumson-Fair Haven senior running back Charlie Volker will try to become just the second running back in Shore Conference history to post back-to-back 2,000-yard rushing seasons. Former Keyport star Ken Cattouse, the Shore Conference’s all-time leading rusher with 6,720 yards, did it in 2002-03.

Returning All-Division players

Charlie Volker, Sr., RB, Rumson-FH (SSN 1st team All-Shore)

Frank Condito, Sr., LB/RB, Holmdel

(From B North) Aliem Shaw, Jr., LB, Matawan (1st team All-Shore)

(From B North) Khalil Haskins, Jr., DB, Matawan (transferred to St. John Vianney)

BURNING QUESTIONS Who is the front-runner now that defending champion Red Bank Catholic has switched divisions?

Rumson-Fair Haven looks like the team to beat after a school-record 11-win season where the only blemish on the Bulldogs’ record was a loss to RBC. They return the Shore Sports Network Offensive Player of the Year, senior tailback Charlie Volker, who went nuclear for a schoolrecord 2,108 yards rushing and 24 touchdowns to lead the Shore Conference in rushing in his first year as the starter last season. A workhorse running back, he has improved his speed in the offseason and most likely will land at an Ivy League or Patriot League program.

Rumson did graduate SSN first-team All-Shore picks Donald Bedell (Rutgers) at defensive end, Peter Righi (Monmouth) on the offensive line and Tom Martello (Princeton) at safety/linebacker as well as several other talented seniors, but this is a deep program that has shown the capacity to reload and has a strong sophomore class coming up to varsity. RBC is no longer on the schedule because the Bulldogs dropped their longtime Thanksgiving rivalry with the Caseys to start a new rivalry with Shore Regional. That means the first 12-0 season in school history is achievable if Rumson repeats as Central Jersey Group II champions, but it won’t be easy against a quality schedule. Their formula is simple under head coach Bryan Batchler – pound teams with Volker and play great defense. They will look to repeat that in 2014.

What does Matawan’s return to the division mean?

It means some great rivalries get restarted after a short hiatus and another contender jumps right into the mix. The Huskies and Rumson have played some classics in recent years, which included splitting a pair of Central Jersey Group II championships. Also, the MatawanManasquan rivalry has also been an exciting one over the years featuring some tremendous teams slugging it out. Both will be renewed this fall.

The Huskies will be especially hungry heading into this season after finishing 7-3 last year but not earning a state playoff berth, while several sub-.500 teams in other brackets made it. They lost All-Shore kicker/punter Mike Creamer and some defensive stars like Dartmouth freshman Nick Tomkins to graduation and junior defensive back Khalil Haskins to transfer (St. John Vianney), but they still return a solid nucleus of talent. Junior linebacker Aliem Shaw exploded on to the scene

last year to earn SSN first-team All-Shore honors after leading the Shore Conference in sacks (17) and tackles for a loss (30). With the return of senior quarterback Jimmy Pierce and other weapons, the Huskies hope to improve an offense that averaged 18.9 points per game. They had one of the Shore’s most swarming and physical defenses last year in allowing only 8.9 points per game, so if they can pick it up offensively, they should be right there in the mix in the division and state playoff races.

Manasquan was on the doorstep to a state final before falling to eventual champion Delsea in the South Jersey Group III semifinals last year and should be right in the thick of this division race as usual. Last year marked the first time Manasquan had a senior class go through all four years of high school without the program reaching a state final since 1985, which shows how insanely high the bar is set at one of the Shore Conference’s traditional powers.

Ciccotelli and if the defense improves, the Lancers could be a factor.

Monmouth has some top individual talent coming back like dual threat quarterback Jimmy Green, versatile wideout/defensive back Isaiah Searight (committed to Fordham), running back Eli Velez and cornerback Darryl Gamble, so it’s more about depth for the Falcons after a 3-7 season under Rich Mosca. A defense that gave up 26 points per game will have to improve to make a push for the upper echelon of the division, but the individual skill talent is there to get better. The more depth the Falcons can build so that their top players aren’t playing heavy minutes on both sides of the ball, the better chance they have to surprise.

As for Raritan, the Rockets are looking to get back to the state playoffs for the first time since 2009. They have the ingredients to do it with a schedule that is not as brutal as it has been the last two years and the return of senior quarterback Riley Sullivan, who threw for 1,385 yards and 9 touchdowns in nine games last year. Also returning is senior wideout Dylan Dewysockie, who will be a matchup problem for

The Warriors have to replace starting quarterback Tucker Caccavale, top wideout Joe Fittin, top linemen Matt Forst and Monte Sinisi and 1,000-yard rusher Joe Murphy, but do return James “Bubba” McAlary, who was a solid complement in the backfield to Murphy after quitting soccer and coming out for the team last year.

Senior tight end/linebacker Tanner Cowley, a Virginia recruit, is another offensive weapon who also will be called on to lead the defense after the graduation of leading tackler Blaine Birch. There are going to be a lot of new faces in the starting lineup, but this is a program that has shown it can weather graduation losses. The bad news down the road is that the loaded Delsea team that won South Jersey Group III last year isn’t going anywhere, so the Warriors will have to bring it up several notches to return to glory on the state playoff scene.

Who is the sleeper team of the division?

The two that have received the most buzz are St. John Vianney and Monmouth, but I would also put Raritan in this category. I would define being a sleeper in this division as finishing in the top three and making the state playoffs (although St. John Vianney will always make the state playoffs because there are only nine teams in the Non-Public Group III classification).

The Lancers have brought aboard head coach Mark Ciccotelli, who took Freehold and Neptune to state titles in the last four years, so clearly there are expectations that they will show immediate improvement after a 4-6 season. They have not won a division title since 1982, but they return junior quarterback Anthony Brown as a key building block, and they also got back senior lineman Clay Kemp, who transferred to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, but then returned in August. They also have added five talented transfers who will see significant time at tailback, slotback and wide receiver. The question is depth and the performance of the line on both sides. Ciccotelli’s flexbone is primarily run-based, which is a far cry from the wideopen passing attack the Lancers used the last few seasons, but he has adjusted it to fit quarterback’s talents like with Neptune and rifle-armed Ajee Patterson in 2012. If Brown becomes as prolific in this offense as past dual threat quarterbacks under

opponents, linebacker Sean Ennis, who showed playmaking ability as a sophomore, and senior defensive back Colby Jones. Also, junior Jahciere Jones, who battled injuries last season, looks to be another weapon at wideout. The Rockets open with Manasquan, which routed them 42-3 last year, so we’ll see right away if they can close the gap with the division front-runners.

Who is the division’s most underrated player?

Holmdel senior running back/linebacker Frank Condito had a disappointing, injury-plagued season last year, but he has the potential to be one of the Shore’s best linebackers with a healthy senior season. He is a four-year varsity player and one of the few known talents on a Holmdel team that has a new head coach in former Keyport assistant Jay Graham. The Hornets have struggled in the last two seasons, so Condito’s name hasn’t necessarily been up there with some of the top talents in the Shore, but when healthy he is a firstteam All-Shore candidate at linebacker and a potential 1,000-yard rusher.

R um s on's C ha r lie Volk e r

Photo by:

Bill Normile

www.billnormile.zenfolio.com

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Preseason Camp Preview – Class A South

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

We will have in-depth previews of each team in the Shore Conference starting in mid-August as camps get underway.

CLASS

A South

Who’s in, who’s out?

The division remained the same after the Shore Conference realignment.

Random fact: With one victory, Lacey head coach Lou Vircillo can pass the late Vic Kubu of Manasquan and Middletown North fame for second all-time in career wins in Shore Conference history. Vircillo enters his 34th season as the only coach in Lions’ history tied with Kubu with 263 wins, second all-time behind retired Brick legend Warren Wolf, whose 364 wins are second all-time in New Jersey history.

Returning All-Division players

Carmen Sclafani, Sr., QB, Brick (SSN 1st team All-Shore pick)

Tymere Berry, Sr., QB, Toms River South (2nd team All-Shore)

Khaleel Greene, Sr., RB, Toms River South

Asante Moorer, Jr., RB, Toms River North Adam Kakar, Sr., DL, Toms River North

Dashon Copes, Jr., DL, Toms River North

James Juliano, Sr., LB, Brick (3rd team All-Shore)

Jeff Wood, Sr., LB, Toms River East

Ray Fattaruso, Sr., RB/LB, Brick (1st team All-Shore)

BURNING QUESTIONS Who is the favorite in one of the Shore Conference’s toughest divisions?

Given the firepower it has coming back from a state championship team, it has to be Brick. The Green Dragons roared back to the Shore Conference elite in winning the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV title last year for their first state championship since 1994 and the seventh in their illustrious history. Senior quarterback Carmen Sclafani and senior running back/linebacker Ray Fattaruso, a pair of Shore Sports Network first-team All-Shore picks a year ago, return as one of the scariest offensive tandems in the conference after they both rushed for more than 1,000 yards last year. They also return their top wideouts, Joe Phillips, Ja’Quez Johnson and sophomore Jazir Taylor, as well as standout tight end Simon Bingelis, so this looks to be one of the Shore’s most explosive and balanced offenses.

Fattaruso is also a star defensively, where top tackler James Juliano returns at linebacker along with standouts like senior defensive lineman Jake Layton,

junior linebacker Dan Finelli, defensive back Tom Leech and Johnson at cornerback. The ingredients are there for this team to make a serious run at 12-0, but it has to avoid the inconsistency and injuries that plagued it at times last year. Also, last season they were still floating under the radar in the preseason. This year they will enter as a top-five team in the Shore with a bulls’ eye on their back, so we’ll see how they handle being the hunted from Day One in a very competitive division. This was the Shore Conference’s most entertaining division by far last year, with crazy scores every week, so running the gauntlet unscathed is no easy task.

Jackson Memorial is the defending champion, but will have a tall order in replacing some outstanding talent like SSN first-teamers Ken Bradley and Khani Glover, along with linebacker Vinny Celidonio, wideout Marcus Ademilola and others from a great senior class. Senior quarterback Joe DeMaio returns, but the void left by Glover, a 1,400-yard rusher, will have to be filled in the backfield. A solid group of linemen return led by senior Brad Greenway along with standout tight end/defensive lineman Brody Graham and senior linebacker Zach Tetro, so there are some building blocks there to keep the wins coming. It mainly comes down to the offense being able to weather the loss of Glover and Bradley, who had 278 of the 385 rushing attempts by the Jaguars last season, and the defense being able to overcome the loss of one of the best linebacking groups in the Shore.

Will Toms River South claim a title to complete its resurgence?

There might not be a hungrier team in the Shore returning than Toms River South after the way the Indians’ playoff run ended. They were up 24-0 at halftime on Shawnee in the South Jersey Group IV semifinals, seemingly on their way to their first state final since 1998 before the Renegades roared back to win 28-24 and then went on to win the sectional title.

Despite graduating stars like defensive back/wideout Darrius Hart and linebacker/running backs Otis Kearney and Russell Messler, the cupboard is far from bare.

Senior Tymere Berry returns as one of the Shore Conference’s best and most exciting quarterbacks and senior Khaleel Greene is poised for a big season after sharing carries in a talented backfield last year. The offensive weapons are there, so the main question is defensively, where the Indians just couldn’t come up with stops in the fourth quarter of big games last year in allowing 21 points per game. The offense is so explosive that the defense might barely be sitting down before Berry rips off a 70-yard touchdown run and they have to go back out there, so conditioning and depth are crucial.

Their run defense will need to improve after being gashed by Brick, Shawnee and others last year. If that unit makes a jump forward, the Indians should be right in the hunt for a division title to give them a championship to show for helping pull the team from the abyss of the program’s first winless season since 1963 in 2010.

Can Lacey bounce back after collapsing at the end of last season?

Last year, Lacey essentially had the same season Brick Memorial had in 2012. They started 5-0 and looked like one of the Shore’s top five teams and then the bottom fell out and they were blown out in listless performances down the stretch. The Lions lost five straight to end the year and allowed 40 points per game in those losses, including giving up a school-record 62 in a wild 62-44 loss to B r ic k 's C a r m e n S c la f a ni

division champion Jackson Memorial. It was a far cry from the typically hard-nosed, stingy defensive teams that have characterized Lacey under Hall of Fame coach Lou Vircillo.

They graduated the school’s all-time leading passer, Tom Kelly, and 1,000-yard receiver Christian Tutela, so the offense lost its two biggest stars. However, senior Conor Davies has multiple starts under his belt during his career because of injuries to Kelly so he will slide right into the starting spot full time. The main question is defensively, where Tutela and graduated lineman Matt McGovern were two of the leading tacklers. They do return junior linebacker Jacob Post, who had 60 tackles as a sophomore, but fellow returning linebacker Lucas Sirotniak tore his ACL during lacrosse season so he might not be available in the early going.

Junior Tarique Smith, the younger brother of UMass star lineman Tyrell Smith, is heading into his third year on varsity and looks to make a bigger impact this season. On paper, this team is not quite up there with the favorites, but Lacey always seems to be in contention.

What teams may surprise?

Brick Memorial was one second away from pulling the biggest firstround upset of the playoffs last year when it nearly shocked Manalapan as the eighth seed in a 14-13 heartbreaker in Central Jersey Group V. The Mustangs are used to being in the mix for championships, so the past two years have been frustrating, especially given the rise of rival Brick in a town the Mustangs ruled for nearly a decade. They bring back senior Joe Hans, an all-around athlete who played some quarterback last year in the triple option offense, and playmaking wideout Karl Kumm. Senior fullback Connor Owen also returns, so the offense has a good amount of experience after suffering some inconsistency last year with position changes. They have to replace star linebacker Jake Lombardo and firstteam All-Shore safety Mike Basile on defense, but do return junior defensive lineman Mike Nobile and Hans at cornerback to lead that unit.

They play Brick in the season opener, so their chance to send a message is immediate.

Like Brick Memorial, Southern is a steady program that is always wellcoached and physical, but the question remains if the Rams have the talent to make a serious run in a division loaded with it. They graduated one of the best offensive weapons in the state and one of the best players in their history in Penn State freshman tight end Mike Gesicki, as well as defensive stalwarts like linebackers Mason Fazekas and Bailey Bellissimo and defensive back Logan Sheehan, who was also the quarterback.

Defensive linemen Clay Robinson and Pat Ferraro will be counted on to lead the defense, but this will be one of the more inexperienced teams in the division, and one that has to replace its top three leading rushers, its leading passer and its leading receiver from a .500 team.

As far as the team with the most potential to take a leap forward in the win column, that has to be Toms River North. The perennial power stumbled to a 1-9 season last year, but a lot of young talent took its lumps, so the hope is that experience starts to pay off this year. The defense has to improve after giving up 30 points per game last year. The building blocks are there with the return of senior linebacker Jordan Craig, who boasts multiple FBS offers, senior defensive tackle Adam Kakar, a four-year starter who should be one of the Shore’s best, and junior defensive end Dashon Copes, an All-Division pick as a sophomore. Mike Husni learned on the job at quarterback last year as a freshman and looks to be improved with a year under his belt, and sophomore Darrion Carrington is a weapon at wideout along with Craig at tight end. Junior Asante Moorer is also poised for a big year at tailback after gaining the interest of several FBS programs in the offseason and could emerge as one of the Shore’s best.

Toms River East has the biggest uphill battle of anyone after graduating a senior class that had been on varsity for three years and comprised the majority of the starting lineup, particularly on offense. The biggest void is star running back Matt Gudzak, who is now at Villanova. The main returner is senior running back/linebacker Jeff Wood, who is the returning leader in rushing yards and tackles and will be joined at linebacker by junior returner Avery Del Valle, who made 50 tackles as a sophomore.

Junior tight end/defensive end Brandon Burdge also looks to take on a bigger role after seeing time as a sophomore, and senior Ryan Wasilick anchors the secondary.

Photo by:

Bill Normile

www.billnormile.zenfolio.com

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Preseason Camp Preview – Class B North

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

We will have in-depth previews of each team in the Shore Conference starting in mid-August as camps get underway.

CLASS

B North

Who’s in, who’s out?

Red Bank Catholic is now in the division after being realigned from Class A Central, and Matawan has replaced the Caseys in Class A Central. Colts Neck enters the division from Class A North, and Freehold has moved to Class A North to replace the Cougars.

Random fact: With two more 1,000-yard seasons, Ocean junior Tyler Thompson can become the second running back in Shore Conference history to have four 1,000-yard seasons, joining Middletown South legend and current Miami Dolphins running back Knowshon Moreno.

Returning All-Division players

Royal Moore, Sr., QB/DB, Ocean (transferred to Neptune) (SSN 2nd-team All-Shore pick)

Tyler Thompson, Jr., RB, Ocean (2nd team All-Shore)

Jaree Parrish, Sr., RB/LB, Neptune

Sadiq Palmer, Jr., WR, Red Bank

Hunter Baillie, Sr., LB/DE, Long Branch (3rd team All-Shore)

Dahmiere Willis, Sr., RB/DB, Long Branch

Hunter Daly, Sr., K/P, Neptune (2nd team All-Shore)

(From A Central) Ryan Kroeger, Sr., OL, Red Bank Catholic

(From A Central) Eddie Hahn, Jr., QB/DB, Red Bank Catholic

(From A Central) Jamie Gordinier, Sr., LB, Red Bank Catholic (1st team All-Shore)

(From A Central) Mike DeMonte, Sr., DB, Red Bank Catholic

(From A Central) Mike Cordova, Sr., RB/DB, Red Bank Catholic (2nd team All-Shore)

BURNING QUESTIONS Can anyone stop Red Bank Catholic from a march to its fifth straight division title?

Just like Manalapan, the Caseys are bidding to become the first Shore Conference team to win five straight division titles since Middletown South won seven in a row from 1999-2005. Now in Class B North, they become the immediate favorite, entering the season having won 33 straight games against Shore Conference competition. They will begin the season ranked No. 1 in the Shore once again after having claimed that ranking for three years running. The Caseys graduated another superlative class led by Notre Dame offensive lineman Quenton Nelson and SSN first-team All-Shore picks Tim O’Hara, Larry Redaelli and Shawn McCord, but are still stocked with talent. Another first-team All-Shore pick, Miami-bound senior linebacker Jamie Gordinier, returns along with senior running back/safety Mike Cordova, a second-team pick, and junior quarterback/defensive back Eddie Hahn, who already boasts a North Carolina State offer. The latest scholarship players from the Caseys’ offensive line assembly line are senior Ryan Kroeger, who is committed to Fordham, and junior Liam Smith, who has multiple FBS offers. Senior defensive back Mike DeMonte is another top returner on a defense that has been the Shore’s most ferocious in recent years.

With RBC and Colts Neck moving into an already tough division, this could be the Shore’s deepest and toughest group of teams. As you can see from that list of returning talent above, it’s also packed with top players.

The main intrigue is whether RBC will unleash Hahn, a dual threat with a strong arm who split snaps with graduated senior Pat Toomey last year. The Caseys only attempted 7.4 passes per game last year because they were able to continue their dominance in the ground game, where they racked up 3,074 yards rushing as a team on a ridiculous average of 8.9 yards per carry. The quest continues to find a way to beat the reigning No. 1 team in the state, St. Joseph-Montvale, which has handed them their only loss of the season for two years running in the NJSIAA Non-Public Group III semifinals. RBC has scored a total of 19 points in those two

losses, so boosting the offense to face an elite defense like St. Joe’s is the next step in the Caseys’ evolution. First they have to handle business in a tough division.

Is there a better group of running backs than the one in this division?

It’s a good debate between this division and Class A South, which has Brick’s Ray Fattaruso, Toms River South’s Khaleel Greene and Toms River North’s Asante Moorer returning. I still lean toward Class B North because the group of Ocean’s Tyler Thompson, Neptune’s Jaree Parrish, Red Bank Catholic’s Mike Cordova, and Long Branch’s Dahmiere Willis is impressive. Every one of them has the ability to rush for 1,200-plus yards this fall. Plus, Colts Neck senior Abdul Quddus showed explosiveness in running for 532 yards and four touchdowns on a whopping average of 11 yards per carry in spelling graduated All-Shore star Anthony Gargiulo last year.

Thompson is the most accomplished of the group, with two 1,000-yard seasons under his belt along with multiple FBS offers as one of New Jersey’s top backs in the Class of 2016. Ocean is the defending division champion but has to replace an outstanding senior class that included first-team All-Shore linebacker Dan Loizos and a host of other talent. With senior quarterback Royal Moore having transferred to Neptune, that most likely paves the way for sophomore Kenny Pickett, who saw some snaps as a freshman, which included throwing a touchdown pass to Moore. If Pickett can establish a solid passing game and the offensive line can weather graduation losses, that will help keep teams from stacking the box against Thompson. The offensive production is going to have to be as good or better than last year because it’s going to be hard to ask a defense that lost so much talent to graduation to duplicate last year’s dominant performance. The Spartans do return building blocks like senior linebacker Frank Henry and some experienced defensive linemen, but the loss of Moore also hurts the secondary as he was one of the Shore’s top defensive backs last year.

Among the other top running backs, Parrish ran for 703 yards on 7 yards per carry despite not becoming the primary back until about mid-season for Neptune, so he could double that with a big senior year. Willis is a three-year starter mainly known as being a standout defensive back, but he has shown flashes of rushing brilliance, like his 276-yard eruption in a win over Freehold last year.

Cordova is next in line in RBC’s star-making tailback spot after spelling standout Larry Redaelli last year and should put up big numbers.

team will be a relative unknown heading into the season.

Neptune has the look of a contender in this division under new coach Rodney Taylor, who was an assistant under former coach Mark Ciccotelli during a great three-year run that featured a state title, two state final appearances and three trips to the playoffs. With Parrish returning and Moore now in the fold at quarterback, plus a veteran offensive line and wideouts Oshane Curate and Marcque Ellington returning along with standout senior kicker/punter Hunter Daly, the offense should be solid. The defense also returns plenty of experienced starters like Curate, linebacker Mi’Jaut Berry and senior safety Savior King. The Scarlet Fliers had a ton of newcomers last year after big graduation losses, so the feeling is that the experience gained last year translates to a deeper state playoff run this year.

Colts Neck has switched divisions after graduating the best senior class in program history and getting a new head coach in Peter Shaw, so it’s a season of change for the Cougars. Gone are stars like Gargiulo (Navy), lineman Ryan Wetzel (Monmouth), and first-team All-Shore linebacker/defensive end Nick Volpe, so there are plenty of shoes to fill from a school-record 10-win team that reached its first state final in history last year. The good news is that Sanchez returns as a dual threat at quarterback, Quddus returns with experience in the backfield, although top wideout Dan Calabro has transferred to St. John Vianney. Defensively is where graduation really took its toll, as the Cougars’ top three tacklers and several other standouts graduated, so they will look to regroup behind junior defensive lineman/linebacker Nick Gargiulo, Anthony’s younger brother, who had 98 tackles as a sophomore. Colts Neck’s job will be to prove the doubters wrong who believe they lost too much to graduation to make another run like last year.

Who is the division’s sleeper team?

I’m inclined to lean toward Neptune, but Long Branch is certainly a candidate as well. Generating offense against playoff-caliber teams has been the Green Wave’s Achilles’ heel in recent seasons because they have been one-dimensional. Teams are able to load up the box against their run game without fear of getting beat over the top in the passing game, so that area will have to improve. Willis is poised for a big year at running back, so if quarterback Jordan Rodriguez can raise his production after seeing time at the end of last year, that would be crucial. It also helps that senior Vinny Mota, one of the Shore’s more underrated kickers, also returns as a red zone weapon.

Long Branch has traditionally done well with a veteran offensive line and returns three starters this year, which is another positive sign.

Defensively, this is always one of the Shore’s toughest, most physical teams, and that should be no different with Willis returning to anchor the secondary and senior linebacker/defensive end Hunter Baillie coming back as one of the Shore’s best. They did lose standouts like linebacker Deon Williams and safety Myson Pennington to graduation, but they have shown the ability to plug in new talent and keep producing. If they can boost an offense that only averaged 10 points per game against playoff opponents last year, they should be right in the hunt. The main problem for them is a schedule from hell, which includes nondivisional games against Carteret, which beat them in the first round of the playoffs last year, as well as defending Central Jersey Group II champion RumsonFair Haven and a tough Matawan team in addition to a challenging divisional slate.

Conversely, if you’re looking for a lot of passing, this is probably not the division for you. Colts Neck senior quarterback Christian Sanchez has the most returning passing yards of any signalcaller in the division with 961, and he played in Class A North last year. The leading returner who played in this division last year is Moore, who threw for 533 yards (ranked 33rd in the Shore) and seven touchdowns for Ocean.

How will the three teams with new coaches look?

Red Bank is a team with something to prove after a one-win season, and the Bucs are searching for their first winning season

Wall, Colts Neck and Neptune are all under new leadership entering this fall, so the preseason is especially crucial for those teams.

Dan Curcione has ascended to the head spot at Wall after serving as the Crimson Knights’ defensive coordinator last year, and he inherits a team that graduated its starting quarterback, top wideout, and leading rusher from last year, although that unit averaged only 13.6 points per game. They also graduated their top defensive player, defensive end Geoff Horwitz, so there will be a lot of new faces behind senior outside linebacker Joe Onulak, who had 61 tackles and 18 tackles for a loss as a junior. With so many new players in the lineup, this

since reaching the Central Jersey Group III final back in 2004. They have to get better offensively to have a shot, as they averaged only 11.5 points per game last year. Their defense kept them right in games against playoff qualifiers like Wall, Barnegat and Long Branch as well as a quality Matawan team, but they didn’t crack double digits in any of those losses. With junior Jack Navitsky at quarterback and the division’s best wideout, junior Sadiq Palmer, the ingredients are certainly there for improvement. If they get better up front and can establish a consistent running game, they can surprise some people.

R B C 's R y a n K r oe ge r

Photo by:

Bill Normile

www.billnormile.zenfolio.com

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8/18/14

Preseason Camp Preview – Class B Central

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

We will have in-depth previews of each team in the Shore Conference starting in mid-August as camps get underway.

CLASS

B Central

Who’s in, who’s out?

Everything is the same in the Shore Conference’s small-school divisio

Random fact: With the retirement of Hall of Famer Mike Ciccotelli at

Keyport, Shore Regional’s Mark Costantino becomes the longest-tenured coach in Monmouth County. He is entering his 23rd season with a career record of 142-84-1.

Returning All-Division players

Joe Wegrzyniak, Sr., RB/LB, Point Beach (SSN 1st team All-Shore pick)

Tysaun White, Sr., WR/DB, Mater Dei Prep (3rd team All-Shore)

Jaedon Stephens, Jr., WR, Asbury Park

James Bedell, Sr., OL/LB, Shore Regional

Mike Frauenheim, Sr., RB/DB, Point Beach

Jake Monteiro, Sr., K, Shore Regional (2nd team All-Shore)

Tyquis Davis, Sr., RB/LB, Asbury Park

Doug Goldsmith, Jr., LB, Shore Regional

Mike Moore, Sr., DB, Shore Regional

Jake Fioretti, Sr., QB, Point Beach

BURNING QUESTIONS

Can anyone break up another Shore Regional-Point Beach showdown for the division title?

Not likely. Once again, these two look like two of the best teams not only in this division but also in Central Jersey Group I, where Point Beach is the defending champion after beating Shore in last year’s final for its first state title in program history. A week before that game, Shore beat Point Beach to claim the division crown, so this has developed into a nice rivalry since Point Beach’s rise from the ashes under coach John Wagner in 2011.

I would give Point Beach the edge coming into this season given what the Garnet Gulls have returning. Senior fullback Joe Wegryniak, a SSN first-team All-Shore pick who set a school record with 1,581 yards rushing and had 17 touchdowns, is back along with three-year starter Jake Fioretti at quarterback and another talented back in senior Mike Frauenheim. That means all of the main cogs in Point Beach’s punishing Wing-T offense return outside of graduated wideout Noah Yates are back, although they have to replace standout lineman Sean Struncius and others up front. Wegrzyniak also led the team with 92 tackles, 17 of them for a loss, so he returns at linebacker to anchor the defense. Frauneheim and Fioretti give them a strong secondary that has to replace Yates, who led the Shore with nine interceptions last year. Junior Tanner Smith also returns after making 64 tackles, including 11 for a loss, as a sophomore.

Shore Regional has to replace leading rusher Brian Miller and starting quarterback Matt Muh as well as top linemen Matt Proto and Chris Okupski, but has enough talent returning to still be right there for a title. Senior Jake Monteiro, one of the state’s top kickers, is back for his third varsity season. Junior Doug Goldsmith moves into the star-making role at Shore of fullback/linebacker and should be the catalyst of the offense as well as a defensive stalwart with senior linebacker James Bedell. Senior defensive lineman Mitchell Canditto also returns after leading the team with 4.5 sacks, and senior Mike Moore returns to anchor the secondary after picking off three passes last year. Junior running back/defensive back Jack Britton also looks to play a bigger role after making an impact as a

sophomore. If the newcomers can get up to speed quickly, it should once again be the Blue Devils and Garnet Gulls slugging it out for division and state titles. The difference is that it won’t be on Thanksgiving any more, as Shore will now play rival Rumson-Fair Haven in its Thanksgiving game, while Point Beach does not have a Thanksgiving game now. The teams will square off at Shore Regional on Halloween.

Will Mater Dei Prep build on its breakthrough season?

The Seraphs had their first winning season and won their first state playoff game since 1999 in finishing 6-5 last year after a decade of being mired near the bottom of the standings. They took advantage of the crossover schedule with the Greater Middlesex Conference, as five of their six wins came against teams outside the Shore.

The next step in their resurgence will be to contend in Class B Central, where they went 1-4 last season with a lone victory over a one-win Keansburg team. With senior quarterback Christian Palmer back for his third varsity season and weapons like senior Tysaun White and sophomore Eddie Lewis returning, the offense once again has a chance to be high-scoring if they can replace four-year linemen Ron Perez and Matt Eckert.

The area that has to improve to challenge the likes of Shore and Point Beach is defense, where the Seraphs gave up 28.6 points per game last season, including 30 against B Central competition. They have some good individual skill talent, but to stand up to the rugged WingT running attacks at Shore and Point Beach, they need depth and size up front, so those are two areas of emphasis. The fact that they are in the discussion already shows how far they have come, and now they are out to prove that last year was no fluke.

How will Keyport and Asbury Park look under new head coaches?

New Keyport coach John Paczkowski, a former assistant for the Red Raiders, has the biggest shoes to fill of any coach in the Shore as he takes over for Hall of Famer Mike

Ciccotelli, who led Keyport to six state titles in his 36-year tenure.

Paczkowski inherits a team that graduated the school’s all-time leading passer, Alex Thomson, so it will most likely lean heavily on a run game that

returns junior Ky’sun Pryor, who ran for 596 yards and 5 touchdowns as a sophomore, and senior Chase Bright, who ran for 370 yards and three scores. Junior Desmond Underwood also is an experienced returner who gives their backfield depth, so it comes down to whether they can throw the ball enough to keep tough defenses like Shore and Point Beach from stacking the box. One departure that hurts is the transfer of junior wideout Jeff Sheard to St. John Vianney, as he led the team with 17 catches and five touchdown grabs last year. Pryor also returns on defense after making 55 tackles at linebacker along with Bright, who had 47 tackles and 3.5 sacks last year. A pair of juniors, Matt Acuna and Devon Keegan, lead the defensive line, and Underwood is back in the secondary along with Sheard. Can they score enough against Shore and Point Beach, which held them to 13 total points last year? That will decide if they make a serious bid for the division title.

Asbury Park has run into the roadblock of Shore Regional multiple times over the past two seasons, so the question is whether the Blue Bishops can reclaim their place at the top under new coach Bill Hill, who was Freehold’s offensive coordinator last year and previously the head coach at Toms River South. Asbury Park graduated a three-year starter at quarterback in Robert Barksdale, but has the offensive weapons to be a threat.

Senior Tyquis Davis, a three-year varsity starter, returns at running back, and junior Jaedon Stephens, one of the Shore’s most underrated wideouts, is back after making 24 catches for 396 yards and three touchdowns last year. The biggest loss is do-it-all wideout/returner Daquane Bland-Bennett, who had 1,005 all-purpose yards as a senior last year. The main question is who will be throwing Stephens the ball and whether Asbury Park can achieve enough offensive balance to keep teams from ganging up against the run game.

Davis is mainly known as a star linebacker, and he returns to anchor the defense after registering 58 tackles and finishing second in the Shore Conference with 15 sacks last year. The Blue Bishops graduated Class B Central Defensive Player of the Year William Wells, who leaves a void at linebacker after finishing with 120 tackles last year. A primary question on both sides is the line play, which is crucial if teams want to beat Shore or Point Beach. Seniors Josue Williams and Imani Stephenson will be key in that regard, and Asbury Park will have to prove those wrong who believe they are a tier below the division front-runners.

Can Keansburg make a leap forward?

The Titans struggled to a 1-9 season in their first year under coach Chris Damian thanks to a defense that was blistered to the tune of 40 points per game, but they did show some promise offensively that could translate into more success this fall. They lost versatile talent Kason Preston to graduation, but return 6-foot-4 junior quarterback Arkeyel Brown and senior running back Joe Rodriguez, who ran for 342 yards and six touchdowns on six yards per carry last year and also caught six passes for 101 yards and a score. Rodriguez also made 40 tackles last year on defense, where the Titans return their leading tackler, senior linebacker Dylan Alt (58 tackles). Senior defensive end Tyree Sutton, who is one of the best wrestlers in the state, is back after registering five sacks and 10 tackles for a loss last year. The Titans also return an experienced group of linemen on both sides of the ball that includes seniors John Corrigan and Tristan Miksza, junior Dan Bauman and sophomore Richie Squeo, which bodes well for improvement. Brown is an intriguing prospect who moved to quarterback in the middle of last season, so his improvement as an offensive weapon will be important, but it still comes down to getting better defensively in the second year in Damian’s system.

P t . B e a c h's J a k e Fior e t t i

Photo by:

Bill Normile

www.billnormile.zenfolio.com

VOLUME-VI

Fri

9/5

Red bank Catholic at

Wall

(7pm)

Fri 9/12

Jackson Memorial at

Jackson Liberty

(7pm)

Sat 9/13

Lacey

at

Toms River North

/

ISSUE-15

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Fri 10/17 or

Lacey Barnegat

at at

Brick Point Boro

(7pm) (7pm)

Fri 10/24

Jackson Mem.

at

Toms River South

(7pm)

Toms River South Lakewood

at at

Brick Memorial Barnegat

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

(7pm)

Fri 9/19

Toms River East

at

Toms River South

(7pm)

Fri 10/31 or

Fri 9/26 or

Lacey Toms River North

at at

Brick Memorial Toms River South

(7pm) (7pm)

Fri 11/7 or

Toms River South Brick Memorial

at at

Brick Southern

Fri 10/3 or

Brick at Red Bank Catholic at

Jackson Mem. Wall

(7pm) (7pm)

Thr 11/27

Wall

at

Manasquan

Fri 10/10 or

Manasquan Wall

Barnegat Brick

(7pm) (7pm)

at at

8/18/14

All games to be broadcast on News Talk Radio

NJSIAA Playoffs

(11am) TBD

and streamed live at www.shoresportsnetwork.com

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Preseason Camp Preview – Class B South

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

We will have in-depth previews of each team in the Shore Conference starting in mid-August as camps get underway.

CLASS

B South

Who’s in, who’s out?

There were no changes to Class B South in the latest Shore Conference realignment. The only change is that Monsignor Donovan is now called Donovan Catholic.

Random fact: Barnegat has produced five FBS recruits in the past four seasons – senior offensive lineman Sam Madden (Wisconsin); senior linebacker Manny Bowen (Penn State); Boston College tight end Jarrett Darmstatter; quarterback Nick San Giacomo (committed to Tulane, transferred to Central Connecticut State), and tight end Ryan Morris (committed to Purdue, transferred to Villanova).

Returning All-Division players

Cinjun Erskine, Sr., QB, Barnegat (SSN 3rd team All-Shore pick)

Sam Madden, Sr., OL, Barnegat (3rd team All-Shore)

Datrell Reed, Sr., LB/DL, Lakewood

Joe Puggi, Sr., DL, Pinelands

Manny Bowen, Sr., WR/RB/LB, Barnegat (2nd team All-Shore)

Matt Castronuova, Sr., DB, Jackson Liberty (2nd team All-Shore)

Amir Tyler, Jr., LB, Lakewood (2nd team All-Shore)

Ricky Gerena, Sr., DB, Barnegat (3rd team All-Shore)

Xavier Young, Sr., OL/DL/P, Barnegat

McGuiness (38 tackles) and Kevin Hoffman (38 tackles) as well as senior defensive lineman Xavier Young. McGuiness is also a punishing running back who rushed for 633 yards and 3 touchdowns last year, and he is complemented by speedy junior Paul Wickwire, who ran for 462 yards on an impressive 9 yards per carry as a sophomore. All the pieces are in place for a run at back-to-back division titles for the first time in program history as well as the team’s first state title, although that will be a dogfight as Barnegat was realigned into South Jersey Group II from Group III. The tough Group II bracket includes defending champion Haddonfield, runner-up Woodstown, perennial power West Deptford and small-school power Glassboro.

Can Central build on a solid first year under coach Willie Jacobs?

The Golden Eagles snuck up on some people last year and were right in the hunt for a piece of the division title until a disappointing finish left them at 5-5. They graduated prolific quarterback Marquis Drumright, who finished sixth in the Shore with 1,448 yards and 11 touchdowns, as well as top running back Javon Hardy, who ran for 939 yards and 13 touchdowns, and their best wideout, Isaiah Akers (34 catches, 514 yards, 6 TDs) so that is a ton of production to replace.

Senior Jordan Hardy gives them a weapon at wideout and seniors Nick Leone and Mike Yager combined for 382 yards rushing and five touchdowns out of the backfield last year, so those three will have to lead a unit with a lot of new faces this fall. Junior Mike Miserendino returns at linebacker for a defense that lost top pass rusher Jesse Brown but did have a lot of young players gain experience last year. If they can find a way to replace all that offensive firepower, another darkhorse run could be in the cards.

What team will be the surprise squad in the division?

BURNING QUESTIONS Who will be the biggest challenger to Barnegat’s supremacy in the division?

t looks like it will be the team that handed them their one divisional loss last year – Lakewood. The Piners return a host of talent led by senior quarterback/linebacker Chapelle Cook, who has multiple FBS offers, as well as senior linebacker/defensive end Datrell Reed, an FCS prospect, junior linebacker Amir Tyler and senior Anthony Terry, another offensive weapon.

Behind a veteran offensive line, Cook has moved to quarterback from tailback and will run the show in the new spread Wing-T system under new coordinator Len Zdanowicz. The Piners won their first state playoff game since 1986 last year and look to build off that to continue their remarkable rise after a decade in the wilderness. It all comes down to consistency, as the Piners have risen to the occasion to beat the likes of Barnegat, but lost to other teams they should have beaten. They also will receive a stern nondivisional test in defending Central Jersey Group II champion RumsonFair Haven, which beat the Weequahic team that knocked Lakewood out of the playoffs in the semifinals and could be a team they see again in the postseason.

They will try to topple a Barnegat team that won a school-record 10 games and reached its first state final in program history in addition to winning the division title last year. The Bengals boast one of the Shore’s top quarterbacks in Bucknell recruit Cinjun Erskine, one of the state’s best linemen in Wisconsin recruit Sam Madden, and one of New Jersey’s best linebackers in Penn State recruit Manny Bowen. While those are the big names, there are plenty of other key players returning, including senior defensive back Ricky Gerena, who picked off five passes last year, senior linebackers Tyler

finishing 4-6.

The good news for Point Boro is that after a rough season, the Panthers do have a healthy amount of experience coming back. Senior quarterback Jack Fitzsimmons returns after combining for 1,370 yards and 13 touchdowns between running and passing last year, and top wideouts Jax Wigert and Hayden Frey are also back. The two top rushers

B a r ne ga t 's M a nny B owe n

Manchester and Donovan Catholic were hit pretty hard by graduation, so likely candidates look to be Point Boro, which had the bottom fall out last year in a 1-9 season, and Jackson Liberty, which battled a rash of injuries in

behind Fitzsimmons, Dan Nobbs and Gene Francheschini, also return, so the main loss on offense to graduation is top lineman Matt Gliddon. That group will have to improve on the 13 points per game it scored last year in order to get the Panthers back into their customary spot in the playoffs, and a defense led by Fitzsimmons at linebacker and Nobbs in the secondary will have to improve on the 28 points per game it surrendered last season. With that much experience back, particularly on offense, a program accustomed to being in the postseason has a shot to return. They also enter the year with some momentum after shocking playoff semifinalist Lakewood in their final regular-season game last year for their lone win.

Jackson Liberty returns star wide receiver/defensive back Matt Castronuova to build around after he made a team-high 67 tackles last season, ran for 210 yards, caught 11 passes and also played some quarterback. They will have to replace starting quarterback John Veneziano, who threw for over 1,000 yards as a senior last year, and leading rusher Bruce Almodovar also graduated. Other than Castronuova, the top returning rusher is junior Ryan Van Wickle, who had only 38 attempts as a sophomore.

Leading receiver Brett Ribellino returns after making 23 catches for 251 yards and a pair of scores, senior Matt Pinto is also back after leading the team with 301 yards receiving and senior Tom Stoudt is back after 17 catches as a junior, so the receiving corps is experienced. Van Wickle is also a key returner on defense after making 44 tackles last year, but the Lions will have to replace a good chunk of their front seven lost to graduation on a unit that allowed 21 points per game last year. The Lions’ success will hinge on the improvement of an offense that struggled to find its rhythm last year because of injuries to average 14 points per game.

Donovan Catholic graduated starting quarterback Vinny Grasso (Monmouth University), top rusher Joey Fields (Central Connecticut State) and top wideout Kyle Carrington (Liberty University), so they have a lot of production to replace offensively at all the key skill position spots. Their top returner is junior David Calderon, who ran for 353 yards and four touchdowns on an eye-opening 9.8 yards per carry last year. They don’t return a single player who caught a pass last year. The defense will have to hold the fort in the early going while the offensive newcomers get up to speed, and the good news there is that senior linebacker Matt Post returns after making 101 tackles last year. Senior defensive lineman Nyeem Calhoun is also back up front after leading the team with 5 tackles for a loss last year.

All in all, the Griffins will be breaking in a lot of new starters this year, which puts them behind the more experienced teams like Barnegat and Lakewood.

Manchester has a new head coach, Bill Furlong, and also has to deal with heavy graduation losses. The quarterback/wideout tandem of Devin Tomei and KaShaun Barnes graduated along with leading rusher Amani Richardson and the team’s other top playmaker, Shaquille Benjamin. Essentially, they are starting from scratch on offense with new players under Furlong because the offensive line also graduated the majority of its starters, so there will be an adjustment period there. The same goes for the defensive side, where leaders like Joe Bick and Nick Ientile also graduated, so this team will be featuring a host of new starters.

Can Pinelands translate improvement into more wins?

The Wildcats were the story of Week Two in the Shore Conference last year when they stunned Point Boro 16-13 in overtime to end a 22-game losing streak, which unfortunately turned out to be the high point of the season as they finished 1-9 under new coach Brian Wilkinson.

However, they were more competitive than they had been the previous two seasons, particularly offensively, and hope to build off those strides this year.

The bad news is that most of the core players from that offense have graduated, including quarterback Dan MacPhee, and his brother, leading receiver Matt MacPhee, as well as leading rusher Shemar Gadson. One bright spot is that they bring back kicker Jon Kubricki, the hero of the Point Boro win, who booted five field goals last season. Defensively, they graduated standout Mike Yak at linebacker, and the MacPhees at cornerback, but they do return All-Division senior Joe Puggi on the defensive line, senior Ryan Bezak at safety, two-way lineman Dave DeFeo and Jake Stuerze and junior Jimmy Graham at linebacker. While there is some experience on defense, the newcomers on offense have to produce in order for the Wildcats to continue to rebuild.

Photos by

Cliff Lavelle

www.clearedge.zenfolio.com

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Soccer Preseason Action: Toms River Kickoff Classic

A

By Matt Manley – Staff Writer

ll eight of the teams from the Shore Conference Class A South division played at the Toms River North Kick-Off Classic, and yet the division everyone wanted to talk about in Toms River was Class B North.

The unofficial winners of the weekend gathering at neighboring Bey Lea and Oak Parks, at least among Shore Conference teams, were Wall and Ocean, according to a consensus Shore Conference coaches,

Wall loses four starters from a team that played its best soccer at the end of last year, but one of the reasons Wall had such success was its depth. That depth was on display over the weekend, with coach Garry Linstra splitting the team up over Saturday and Sunday. Good showings against Dallas, Pa., and Delran earned plenty of reverence from the other coaches, and solid outings against Spotswood and Sayreville with most of the starters capped

a good kickoff to the preseason for one of the clubs with a good case to be the preseason No. 1 team in the Shore Conference.

Ocean, meanwhile, has a lot more of a starting lineup to replace from a year ago and won’t have many seniors with which to do it. What the Spartans lack in senior presence, they make up for in scorers, which is what stood out about the Spartans over the weekend. Wadneson Alexis and Mahrlens Nasane showed that they will be a handful up at the top of the formation, which should only partially be news considering Alexis was a first-team All-Shore forward last season.

Wa ll junior Ge r a r do M e dina

Long Branch – another B North team that had a successful weekend at the Harrison Tournament – will also look to get back in the division race after a disappointing 2013, as will a Red Bank team that returns the secondleading scorer in the Shore Conference in Justin Gilson, as well as plenty of starting talent around him. Throw in Colts Neck – which moves into the division under the latest Shore Conference realignment after going a combined 18-4-6 over the last two years against a grueling Class A North schedule – and the Class B North season should be one of the most hotly-contested races in the Shore Conference.

Dogs’ New Digs

While the likes of Wall, Ocean, Long Branch and Red Bank are left to duke it out in one of the toughest B North divisions in a long time, Matawan will get a bit of a reprieve by moving to Class A Central. It’s possible that assertion is a gross underestimation of how good A Central is, particularly considering the seasons that Rumson-Fair Haven, Holmdel and Raritan had in 2013, but among those three teams and St. John Vianney, only Holmdel returns the majority of its starting lineup.

Although Matawan is in a similar predicament with much of its 2013 lineup having graduated, the Huskies showed some promise over the weekend, which included a four-goal game against Donovan Catholic (formerly Monsignor Donovan) to open the weekend. Alex Cella was an 8-goal scorer as a junior, and he fits the latter half of coach Dave Deegan’s description of his Huskies side: “We’re small, but we are fast.”

Holmdel: Under the Radar?

Staying in Class A Central, Holmdel was its usual preseason self over the weekend, which means the Hornets could be flying under the radar as a top team in the Shore once again. They are working out some kinks, trying new players at open spots, but again showed they are ready to again compete for division, Shore Conference Tournament and NJSIAA sectional titles. Although Holmdel did not win any of those outright last year, it was a co-division champion with Rumson in Class A Central and one of the final four teams in both the SCT and Central Jersey Group II tournaments. Senior Gino D’Agostino

VOLUME-VI and sophomore Brendan Wall both found the net during the weekend in Toms River and the duo is primed to lead the scoring charge at Holmdel as one of the better duos in Monmouth County.

Golden Boys Headline B South Trio

Ocean County’s top returning scoring duo did not disappoint over the weekend, as Blake Czajkowski and Doug Jensen helped get Central off to a noteworthy start to the preseason by beating Bergen Catholic, 3-2, on a late goal by Jensen that was set up by Czajkowski. Last year, Czajkowski led the Shore conference in scoring with 20 goals and 12 assists while Jensen had 11 goals and 13 assists. Senior goalkeeper Bryan Jones also made a number of key saves in the match and will be a key for Central going forward as coach Rob Bechtloff expects to run out a sophomore-heavy back line.

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A South Teams Prepared for Chaos

Even though all of Class A South was on display over the weekend in Toms River, it has the most unclear landscape of any division.

Defending champion Toms River North played well in matches against Don Bosco and Shawnee while struggling against East Brunswick. Toms River South returns the most talent, but had mixed results that included losses to Raritan and Ramapo, as well as a draw against Sayreville. Toms River East was competitive despite the absence of forward Jon Meola, who was playing in the prestigious Area Code Games for the nation’s top prep baseball players.

Jackson Memorial and Brick Memorial had the most successful tournaments of the A South teams. Brick Memorial is right behind Toms River South in returning talent and the Mustangs return a lot more scoring than the Indians. Jackson Memorial has used the Kickoff Classic as a springboard over the last several C e nt r a l s e nior B la k e C z a jk ows k i seasons and a 4-0 mark without some of its top ackson Liberty and Donovan Catholic returning talent – still playing for other teams were also in Toms River to represent the around the country and overseas according to Class B South division. Donovan is in the process of replacing an accomplished group of seniors from 2013, particularly in goal, where four-year starter and All- coach Steve Bado – should bode well for the Jaguars.

Shore first-teamer Paul Kelly leaves a void. Jackson Liberty showed lots of Brick endured another last-place finish in Class A South last year, but that promise over the weekend with its host of returning starters, led by senior could change this year with a mostly-senior roster. Goalkeeper is still a question midfielder Adam Haidi. mark with three-year starter Hunter Palmer electing to play football this year, but the rest of the field will have lots of experience. Southern is also looking to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2013, although the Toms River showcase

B r ic k M e m or ia l s e nior K e v in S im e k

wasn’t much of a preview of the Rams’ season since they were missing several potential starters, according to coach Evan Brosniak.

Lacey in Limbo

Coming off a competitive season in Class A South, Lacey is looking to put the finishing touches on its coaching search while still preparing for the season.

Robert Biele – who served as an assistant under previous head coach Joe D’Archangelo – is the acting head coach and said he is preparing to be the coach for the entirety of the season, while athletic director Karen Hughes said a “very frustrating” process of finding and naming a coach is still ongoing.

D’Archangelo stepped down in May while taking assistant coaching jobs as a coach with the Players Development Academy and Georgian Court University.

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