4-18-11 Volume III Issue-8

April 18, 2011 Volume-III - Issue-7 T R S o u t h ' s Kad en D om in a t e s Pa g e 3 Shore Reg. Boys Lax Starts Strong Pa g e 6 Emotional Win for Morrissey Pa g e 7 Middletown Arms Race Pa g e 8 Resilient Rebels Pa g e 9 RFH Boys Lax on a Mission Pa g e 10 Holmdel Baseball Creating a Buzz Pa g e 12 Stumpy's Corner Pa g e 15

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April 18, 2011 I Volume-III I Issue-8

company that provides exciting and innovative coverage to high school athletics in the Shore Conference in order to highlight the achievements of local athletes in one of the premier conferences in New Jersey. Whether it’s the star of the team or the last player off the bench, everyone has a story and it is our mission to recognize as many athletes as possible and add to the memories for all of the families, coaches, friends and fans who support Shore Conference sports. Whether in print or on the Web, All Shore Media is your main source for all things exciting in the Shore Conference.

All Shore Media Web Site Features Log on to www.allshoremedia.com regularly to get video highlights of all the important games that Shore Conference fans will be talking about. Catch up on the action you might have missed and watch video clips of everything from the action early in the event to the big finish as well as video interviews with various athletes. If you can’t make it to the game, we’ll bring the game to you, and if you were at the game and want to relive the excitement, www.allshoremedia.com is all you need to get inside the action.

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Volume-III

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Issue-8

4/18/11

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CONTROL FREAK: Tr SouTh’S Connor Kaden

By Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer Toms River South senior pitcher Connor Kaden said before the season that his main goal on the mound was to throw more strikes and allow his defense to work behind him in order to better manage his pitch count.

On April 13 against Toms River North, Kaden didn't need many pitches, and more times than not, he didn't need his defense either.

The senior right-hander struck out a career-high 13 batters without a walk and needed only 83 pitches to nail down a two-hit shutout Toms River North as the Indians scratched across enough offense to pick up a 3-0 win over their crosstown rival in a Class A South game between two of the Shore Conference’s top 10 teams.

center to score Petrosino, who walked and stole second base.

The Indians managed only five hits against Mariner right-hander Ben Musicant, whose stellar outing was overshadowed by Kaden's dominance.

Musicant allowed three runs on only five hits in six innings. Two of the runs came in the first inning and Scheller burned him for two RBI singles.

Musicant struck out nine and walked two, one of which was an intentional pass to Chris McKenna in the sixth inning.

The two runs in the first inning were plenty for Kaden . The only baserunners he allowed came on a one-out single through the middle by sophomore Karl Blum in the second inning, a twoout double by Eric Pecoraro in the third and an error that allowed Blum to reach in the fourth.

"I was really happy today with my control," Kaden said. "I realized on the mound on the last batter that I hadn't walked Pitcher Connor Kaden a kid all game. That was sitting in the back in my Kaden struck out the mind. I just pounded the side in alternating innings, mowing down three zone, pounded the zone, pounded the zone and batters each in the second, fourth and sixth innings. threw strikes, and it actually gave me more juice in In the sixth, he struck out the top of the Mariners the end to finish the game." order in just 10 pitches, ending the inning by fanning first baseman Mike Daniels on back-to-back Senior designated hitter Dan Scheller went 2-forchangeups following a first-pitch fastball, which sat 3 with two RBI, one in each the first and third in the high 80 miles-per-hour range and touched 90 innings on RBI singles to right-center field. when he reached back on a number of occasions.

Scheller banged a long single off the base of the school to plate Steve Petrosino with the first run of "I knew I had it with me the whole game and I the game and chase Mitch Dressing to third base in could go to it late when I wanted to reach back," the bottom of the first inning.

Kaden said. "When I look over at coach (Ken) Frank and he's giving the pound on the chest, that The Indians added a second run in the first really inspires you to dig deep." inning when Dave Egeland lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to score Dressing. Scheller made it 3-0 in While Kaden's mix of fastball, slider and changethe third inning with another sharp single to right-

up generated 13 strikeouts in the 21 outs recorded, the right-hander attacked the zone and induced six ground-ball outs to just two in the air. He also only threw 20 pitches out of the zone and went to a three-ball count just twice. He struck out red-hot Mariner third baseman Brett Fontenelli on a 3-2 count in the second and got Blum to ground out to second on a full count for the second out of the seventh inning.

"My fastball was low and away and low and in," Kaden said. "I spotted that real well. I threw a hard slider and a soft slider, and then I got a lot of swings and misses on the change-up."

Fontenelli led the Mariners in RBI coming into the game and had two doubles and a home run in three games, but Kaden whiffed North's clean-up hitter all three times he came to the plate. Kaden also tamed another hot hitter, second baseman Scott Buxbaum, by striking him out twice, and he also whiffed No. 2 hitter Nick Brebner three times as well.

The win helped South wash out the bad taste in their collective mouth from a 10-4 loss to Jackson Memorial a week earlier. The Indians had control issues on the mound in that game and while Musicant kept the Toms River South bats relatively quiet again, Kaden put a stop to the struggles on the mound.

Photos & Video Highlights by:

Matt Manley

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Volume-III

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Issue-8

4/18/11

Shoulder Injury in the Overhead Athlete S t e p h e n A . B a d e P T, D P T E l i t e S p o r t s P h y s i c a l T h e r a p y The overhead throwing motion is an extremely skillful and intricate movement that places extraordinary demands on the shoulder joint. When throwing, the shoulder undergoes tremendous forces at angular velocities that reach 6,000 to 7,000 degrees per second. It is these high forces, which are repetitively applied, that lead to shoulder injuries.

The thrower’s shoulder must be loose enough to throw but stable enough to prevent symptoms. This is a phrase referred to as the “throwers paradox.” This balance is frequently compromised and leads to injury of surrounding tissue. Shoulder pathology can present as pain, decreased performance, decreased strength, decreased mobility, or range of motion.

Most throwers exhibit an increase in external rotation (ER) and decrease in internal rotation (IR) of the throwing shoulder. This loss of IR is referred to as “GIRD” or glenohumeral internal rotation deficiency. The total rotational arc of movement of the shoulder is approximately 180 degrees.

Research states that in overhead athletes ER is around 9 degrees greater in the throwing shoulder and IR is 9 degrees less. Pitchers exhibit an average of 137 degrees of ER and 40 degrees of IR. Starting pitchers are less susceptible to this change because of decreased pitching frequency, number of pitches, and

proper rest/stretching. Relief pitchers however, appear in more games, throw on consecutive days, warm-up in the bullpen often, and are brought in with less preparation.

Throwers laxity involves the hypermobility of the joint capsule in the front of the shoulder. This acquired laxity from repetitive throwing allows for excessive ER range of motion. This combination allows a pitcher to generate greater acceleration and velocity when throwing.

Investigations have revealed bony adaptations to the throwers shoulder as well.

The humeral head of the throwing shoulder has been shown to have a 17-degree increase in retroversion.

This increase would also result in greater ER and decreased IR. Research has shown that this bony adaptation had the greatest change in adolescent baseball players around ages 12 to 13, when the growth plates are wide open.

Another parameter that may cause injury in the overhead athlete is strength imbalance. To provide proper dynamic stability to the shoulder, the rotator cuff should have a 3:2 ratio in the strength of internal rotators to external rotators respectively. Research of baseball players has shown that this ratio is closer to 2:1.

Proper posture and position of the shoulder blade is also essential for the overhead athlete. The shoulder blade needs to be in the correct position so it can function as a cohesive unit with the upper arm. A baseball player needs good strength of the muscles that retract and depress the shoulder blade in order to prevent a loss of IR. Oftentimes fatigue of these muscles can set in late in the season and injuries may occur.

Overhead athletes may have one or more of these adaptive changes for symptoms to occur. A healthy shoulder complex will have correct range of motion, strength, flexibility, and mobility to prevent more serious injuries such as tendonitis/bursitis, rotator cuff tears, internal impingement, SLAP lesions, and Bennett’s lesions.

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Volume-III

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Issue-8

4/18/11

Building a Tradition: Shore regional Boys Lacrosse

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor A ls o , s o ph omo r e A n dr ew J oh ns on has mad e the tr ans itio n f r om an attack man o n J V las t s eas on to go alie, p er h aps th e to ug h es t p os itio n o n the f ield. A f ter d ab blin g in it as a f r es h man, h e attended a g oalie camp d u r ing th e off s eas o n and told M alf a he w as r eady f or th e challeng e.

I n a s eas on w her e jus t ab ou t ev er y thin g it d oes w ill b e f or th e f ir s t time, the S ho r e Region al bo y s lacr os s e team w as ted no time in makin g s cho o l h is to r y.

“H e’s a hu ge r eas on w e’ r e w her e w e’ r e at r ig ht now, ’’ M alf a s aid .

I n a s p or t w h er e many f ir s t- y ear v ar s ity pr o g r ams of ten tak e half a s eas o n b ef or e th ey can s cr atch o ut a w in, th e Blue D evils w en t ou t an d w o n th e f ir s t var s ity game in s choo l his to r y b y beatin g N ep tu ne 8 - 4 in the s eas on open er.

Cons id er in g th at S hor e has an es tablis hed an d h ighly - s ucces s f u l g ir ls lacr o s s e p r o g r am, may b e f u tur e s u cces s on th at lev el f o r th e b o y s is n o t f ar behin d .

A team made u p pr imar ily o f s op h omor es and ju nior s s h ow ed it is r eady to w in no w af ter f inis h in g 9 - 5 w h ile competin g at th e J V lev el las t y ear.

Wh ile S h or e h as h ad s ome ins tan t s u cces s , M alf a has to r emin d hims elf th at this is s till a team that is extr emely in ex per ienced.

“Th e major ity o f th e k ids ar e s o p ho mo r es and ju nior s an d als o s ome f r es h men , an d I ’ m as king them to compete ag ains t mos t teams th at have es tablis hed var s ity p r o g r ams w ith s en io r s an d ju nior s , ’’ M alf a s aid. “S ometimes I h av e to r eel my s elf in b ecaus e I f o rg et th at th ey ar e s o yo u ng and inexper ienced. ’’

lacr o s s e s tick un til las t s eas on , and o n ly a h and f u l of th em h ad ever atten ded s o mu ch as a clin ic. Yet th r oug h th e f ir s t s ix games of th e s eas o n, th e Blue D ev ils w er e 3 - 3 and had battled s o me es tab lis h ed pr og r ams like in a 7 3 los s to M on s ig no r D o no v an .

A big r eas o n is a tr io o f p layer s w h o h av e s o lid if ied th em at all th r ee lev els .

J u nio r d ef end er G ar y D ietr ich , a f oo tball p lay er f r o m th e s ch oo l’s s ection al champ ion s qu ad, lead s a d ef en s e th at has b een s olid , w hile s o p ho mor e mid f ielder J es s e P h alan ak o r n is th e team’s leadin g s co r er an d a team cap tain .

“Wh en w e f ir s t w alk ed out ( again s t N ep tu n e) , I told th em th at no matter w hat h ap p ens , th is g ame w ill n ev er be ab le to taken aw ay f r om y ou guy s ,’’ head co ach G r eg g M alf a s aid. “You w ill alw ay s b e attach ed to th is o ne game r ight her e. ’’ M os t o f S h o r e’s p layer s had nev er ev en s een a Goalie Andrew Johnson

M alf a w as an as s is tan t o n the g ir ls lacr o s s e team bef o r e b eco ming th e boys coach. H e play ed lacr os s e at N o r th H un ter don H ig h S ch ool and then at K ean U n iv er s ity, an d th en took his f ir s t coachin g job w ith the boys pr og r am at P r inceton H ig h S ch ool bef o r e co min g to S h o r e.

With the Blue Devils having such a top-notch girls Midfielder Jesse Phalanakorn program, it begged the question as to why there was no boys team. The parents of several interested players pushed for a team, but because of budget restrictions, it has started as a pay-to-play program, according to Malfa.

“I give a lot of credit to the parents and the kids because they have bought into everything I’ve said and really supported the program,’’ Malfa said.

Unlike many first-year programs, the Blue Devils are not content with simply just playing on the varsity level for fun. They are a competitive group that is out to win despite their inexperience.

They are further along than some other programs in their infancy, as their wins are over Neptune and Barnegat.

“They understand the challenges, and they have that competitive mentality,’’ Malfa said. “When we have come across some of the tougher teams we played, they are willing to meet the ch allen ge.’’

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Purple Perseverance: St. rose’s nick Morrissey

By Matt Manley – Staff Writer

Frulio’s cell phone soon flashed with an immediate reply from Morrissey: “I’m way ahead of you.’’

“After I gave up four runs in that first inning, I was shellshocked, but I settled down and started locating more. I had to control the adrenaline and not be afraid to throw the slider and changeup and keep the same arm motion.’’

“The cops came to the door that night, and that was the worst feeling I could ever have in my whole life,’’ Morrissey said. “Talking to his roommate was even worse. He's with me every day, and his strength is within me, so I'll get through it.’’

Morrissey, who is a Howell resident, was initially supposed to pitch the nondivisional game against his hometown school on April 9, only four days after his brother, Chris, who also played baseball at St. Rose, was found dead in his University of Maryland dorm room from causes that are currently unknown. However, the game was postponed to a week later because of rain, but there was no way Morrissey was not going to take the ball against the Rebels.

Before the game, he traced his brother’s initials on the back of the mound and remembered a person who was always blunt in his assessment of his younger brother’s performances because he wanted him to succeed so badly.

“Baseball has been his sanctuary, in a way,’’ Frulio said.

“Before the originally scheduled game only a few days after his brother’s passing, he came to me and said, ‘I’m pitching.’’’ Frulio said. “I was almost grateful for the rainout because at that point it was very fresh.’’

“I would call him or he would call me after every game,’’ Morrissey said. “I was smiling because I knew he was there, and on some crappy pitches I threw, I knew he would’ve been over there, laughing a little. He wouldn’t be afraid to say, 'Your curveball sucked today,' and it just made me work harder. He wanted nothing but the best for me.’’

Knowing senior pitcher/infielder Nick Morrissey would be emotional heading into his first start since the death of his 20-year-old brother on April 5, St. Rose baseball coach Jerry Frulio suggested that Morrissey do something to acknowledge his older sibling when taking the mound against Howell less than two weeks later.

Morrissey eventually got his chance, and with friends supporting him on his team and the opposing team, he gutted out six innings on 115 pitches to help the Purple Roses hang in there until they pulled out an 8-6 win with two runs in the top of the seventh inning to cap an emotional day. He surrendered four runs in the first inning, including a three-run homer to Jordan Reizer, but fought his way through the adversity while the Purple Roses’ offense got the team back into the game.

“Right away, my fastball was flat,’’ Morrissey said.

Morrissey had gotten a few at-bats in a win over Keyport a day earlier but hadn’t really played any baseball since that awful day when he learned of the fate of his brother, a bright student who scored a perfect 800 on the math section of the SAT while at St. Rose. Chris would have been 21 years old on June 15.

With players on both sides congratulating him after the game, the teams put aside their competitiveness to rally around a family that has become ingrained in the St. Rose and Howell communities. Morrissey, who is currently weighing offers from Rhode Island and Sacred Heart, improved to 2-0 with the win as the Purple Roses remained unbeaten through their first five games.

“It was definitely a battle, but I knew I had 30 brothers out on that field, not just Chris Morrissey, and they knew how to cheer me up and make me feel better,’’ Morrissey said. “It was a day that I will never forget.’’

Photo by:

Bill Normile

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4/18/11

MiddletOwn ArMs rAce

O

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor chopper up the middle separated him from having thrown 14 straight no-hit innings to start the season.

n e of t h em w a s an an k le in j u ry a w ay f ro m p o t en t ial an on ym it y.

Th e o t h er w a s on e p it ch aw ay f rom p o t en t ia l g reat n es s .

Tog eth er, M id d letow n S o uth s en io r r ig h thander Will S ieg f r ied an d M id dleto w n N o r th s enior lef ty J ak e M cI lr aith have b een th e talk o f th e S ho r e Co nf er ence ear ly on in th e b as eb all s eas o n af ter s ever al o uts tan d in g p er f o r man ces .

S iegf r ied , w h o w as an A ll S h o r e M ed ia th ir d team A ll- Con f er ence s election as a ju n io r, w as a know n co mmo dity and D iv is io n I p r o s p ect co min g into th e s eas on , w hile M cI lr aith w as a J V pitcher as a ju nio r w h o h as ex p lo ded o n to th e s cene as a s enio r.

Getting A Break Heading into the season, McIlraith was most likely going to be used as a middle-innings reliever, according to Lions head coach Jon Scala, but all of that changed with one game of pickup basketball.

The day before Middletown North’s season opener, projected starter Chris Stark, a sophomore, badly rolled his ankle playing basketball with friends, putting him on the shelf for the first week.

That meant when Stark’s turn in the rotation came up in a nondivisional game against Ocean on April 8, it was McIlraith’s chance to get the ball and show what he could do.

“Going into the game, I knew I had to do well just to stay in the rotation,’’ McIlraith said.

All he did was go out and cement a spot in Lions’ history by throwing a no-hitter in a 1-0 win over the Spartans, striking out three and walking three in his first varsity start to open eyes across the Shore.

“Around the fifth inning I started realizing I had a chance to throw a no-hitter,’’ he said. “Nobody was talking to me (out of superstition).

After a pop fly to center on the final out, everybody came and tackled me. It was a great feeling.’’

McIlraith was given the game ball with an inscription detailing his feat and the signatures of all his teammates. More importantly, he was also given another start, this time against perennial power Christian Brothers Academy, on April 15. He responded by taking a nohitter into the sixth inning before finishing with a one-hit shutout in a 4-0 victory, striking out nine and walking one to continue his remarkable debut Senior Jake McIlraith as a starter.

Only a

“I didn't want people to think I got lucky against Ocean, so I had to come out and prove I could do it again,’’ he said. “The fastball was working for me, and no one was catching up to it, so I stuck with it.’’

“I think he threw better against CBA than he did against Ocean,’’ Scala said. “He has a live fastball right now, and he’s keeping his curveball down in the zone, almost like a hard slider.’’

McIlraith’s dominance begs the question of why he was a JV pitcher last season while the varsity team finished 4-18, but there was no indication of what was to come considering he was solid, but not overpowering, on JV and in the preseason this spring.

Employing his changeup effectively, Siegfried held down one of the Shore’s fiercest lineups in a 7-2 victory. He pitched a complete-game six-hitter, striking out six, walking one and allowing one earned run on 103 pitches. After giving up two runs in the first inning, he tossed six straight scoreless frames to end the game against a previously undefeated team that was ranked No. 1 in the state at the time.

“They weren't ready for it,'' Siegfried said. "They were all yelling in the dugout, 'Slider!

“I always thought I should've been starting for a couple years now,’’ he said. “I feel like the same pitcher, and I finally have a chance to prove it.’’

“He’s been a real surprise,’’ Scala said. “I’m sure he’s looking at it, saying, 'See coach, told you I could do it.’ I think that’s just his competitiveness, and it’s great that he’s proving some people wrong.’’

He also is no longer a secret because after two performances like that, he will not be underestimated by anyone.

Slider!' They were off balance the whole time.''

“I want to keep it up,’’ he said. “I don't think it matters if they know about me or no t. ’’

One Pitch Away

Senior Will Siegfried

As a junior, Siegfried finished 5-4 with a 1.78 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 55 innings relying exclusively on a fastball and slider, but he felt like he was going to need more to become one of the elite pitchers in the Shore as a senior.

“The coaches were telling me I needed a third pitch and so were the colleges, so I had to add something,’’ he said.

Siegfried spent the offseason refining a changeup in order to have something to get a hitter out on his front foot in contrast to his fastball and hard slider. He used it sparingly in picking up a save in a seasonopening win over Howell and did not rely on it heavily in a 2-1 win over CBA, but he broke it out in a huge spot in a showdown with Manalapan on April 13.

"By mixing in that changeup, we got a lot of pop-ups and a lot of weak outs, and it helped his overall

performance,'' Middletown South coach Ryan Spillane said.

The victory was a measure of revenge for Siegfried, who gave up seven runs in the seventh inning, including a walk-off grand slam, in a 9-5 loss to Manalapan in the Monmouth County Tournament semifinals last season.

“When (Spillane) asked me if I wanted a reliever to go in for the final inning, I said, 'You're out of your mind,'' Siegfried said before smiling.

S iegf r ied then imp r o v ed to 3- 0 w ith a 1 0- 2 w in over F r eeho ld Tow n s h ip on A p r il 17 to con tin ue a s tar t th at has p ut h im s q uar ely in th e conv er s atio n as o n e of the S h or e Con f er en ce’s top pitch er s . Colleges h av e n oticed, as S ieg f r ied s aid h e has gotten h eavy in ter es t f r o m Temple, w hich has alr eady s ign ed M an as qu an s h o r ts top N ick Lus tr ino f r o m th is y ear ’s s en io r clas s . H e ad ded that other s ch oo ls ar e plann in g o n co min g to w atch h im pitch him in M ay as the co lleg e b as eball s eas o n w ind s d ow n.

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By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

few weeks before the boys lacrosse season began this spring, Howell sophomore attackman Alec Dambach decided to take the time to write a letter that will never be delivered.

He sat down with a pen and paper, a rare activity in the age of email and text-messaging, and spilled his heart out to a man who has been an inspiration to him and his two siblings. He scribbled down everything he wanted to tell him before he was gone and everything he wants to say to him now.

“I was just sitting at home, thinking about him,’’ Dambach said. “I wanted to make a pregame ritual where I put my headphones on, keep to myself and just read the letter once before we leave Ryan Dambach the school to go out to the field or the bus. It makes me think about him right before and gives me strength.’’

It also helps Dambach, who is the Rebels’ leading scorer and the younger brother of standout senior midfielder Ryan Dambach, make sense of the shock from the events in late September. Their father, 47-year-old Mark Dambach, was found slumped over the wheel of his car in a Wawa parking lot while en route to picking up Alec from a friend’s house and was rushed to the hospital.

Approximately two weeks later, on Sept. 28, 2010, he died at 47 years old of causes that are still not completely known.

“They called it multi-organ failure,’’ Alec said. “They didn’t really classify it specifically because they really don’t know what originally caused it. It was a bunch of things at once that happened, and his body could not take it any more.’’

Dambach’s death came during the week of Howell’s football game against Middletown South. Before that game, the grieving Howell community honored former football and lacrosse player John Bukowiec, who died at 18 years old in a car accident in late July. Ryan Dambach, who also was a linebacker on the football team, decided to play in what turned out to be a 38-14 loss to the Eagles.

“To be honest with you, I didn’t sleep for

two weeks while he was in the hospital,’’ Ryan said. “The only thing I was focusing on was the game. My life was kind of falling apart at the time so it was good to get back into the swing of things with football.’’

At the same time, the brothers also endured another scare when Alec’s twin sister, sophomore Jenna Dambach, had to go to Memorial SloanKettering Cancer Center in New York City to have a benign tumor removed from her leg only a week after her father’s death.

The Dambach brothers also have “RIP Dad’’ in tape on their helmets.

“Mr. Dambach was a great guy and a great dad,’’ said ninth-year Howell head coach Derek Reichenbecher, who is also a football assistant. “Every time you talked to him it was all positive. He just wanted his kids to have a great experience. I just wanted to make sure we paid homage to him.’’

“It really meant something to us,’’ Alec said. “It really showed us that this program is a family, and we come together when everyone needs it.’’

After that tidal wave of tragedy started to recede, the brothers had time to reflect on everything during the winter. Alec drafted the letter to a man who always had time to go throw in the back yard and work on lacrosse skills with his two sons, while Ryan did his best to adjust to becoming the oldest male in the family to help out their mother, Alice.

Both brothers referred to their mother as a saint who has done everything she can to make sure that their regular routines have not been radically altered, but obviously the transition is never going to be easy.

Rather than allowing their father’s death haunt them, the brothers have used it as inspiration for a strong start to the season for a team that started 5-0 before running into perennial power Red Bank Catholic in a 73 loss. In their first six games, Alec had a teamhigh 16 goals to go with 11 assists while Ryan had two goals and 17 assists, 14 of which have come on goals by his brother.

“It’s a lot of responsibility, and it’s a weird feeling,’’ Ryan said. “To be frank with you, it just sucks.’’

“(The death) hasn’t really affected us too much on the field,’’ Ryan said.

“It’s more an inspiration for the whole team. We get a little more push, a little more determination from it.’’

With the Dambachs leading a lacrosse squad that returned a core of returners from a young team last season, the Rebels decided to honor their fallen former player and the father of their two standouts.

They have a No. 11 sticker on their helmets to remember Bukowiec by his old jersey number, and adjacent to that is an “MD’’ decal.

“We honor Johnny and we honor (Mark Dambach), but we never feel like we have to win because of that,’’ Reichenbecher said.

“It’s just more playing hard, and playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played.’’

Alec Dambach

The black cloud hanging over Howell in the past two years refuses to dissipate, as former St. Rose baseball player Chris Morrissey, a Howell resident, recently died in his dorm room at the University of Maryland of unknown causes to leave everyone wondering when it will end.

The Dambachs are living proof that life can go on while those who are lost are remembered. In spring, the season of rebirth, they are back in their sanctuary, causing trouble for opponents on a lacrosse field. Jenna Dambach is also back participating in a dance program after having the tumor removed.

Before each game, Alec Dambach will point to the sky and say a few words, but once that whistle blows, it’s all business. After spending the pregame reading one of the few letters he has ever written, Alec exchanges a wordless glance with his brother, and then all the pregame rituals are over. They know what to do.

“Once it comes game time, we want to play for him,’’ Ryan said.

The letter will never be delivered. But the message has already been sent.

Photos by:

Scott Stump

Volume-III

10 / ASM

Issue-8

4/18/11

On a Mission

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor Leadin g in to a p iv otal tw o - game s tr etch in w h ich it aimed to dr iv e home the p oin t th at it is th e N o . 1 team in th e S ho r e Co nf er ence, Rums o nF air H av en ' s boy s lacr os s e team s ent a s ter n mes s age w ith an 11 - 1 w in ov er def end in g S h or e Conf er ence Tour nament champ io n Red Ban k Catho lic at Co unt Bas ie F ield o n A pr il 1 6 th . " We h ad th is par t of the calend ar cir cled and kn ew th at w e h ad to mak e a s tatement in th e S h or e that af ter k nock in g on th e doo r th e pas t f ew year s , no w it' s ou r y ear,' ' s aid Rums o n h ead coach J im Bar bier e. " I th in k th ey w er e ab le to demo ns tr ate th at in a b ig w ay tod ay. ' '

Junior goalie Artie Tildesley

RBC' s S CT title came at Rums o n' s ex pens e in th e champio n s h ip g ame las t s eas o n, an d even th oug h th e Cas eys lo s t plen ty o f f ir ep ow er to gr adu ation , in cludin g P lay er of the Year K evin Whitlo ck , ther e w as s till n o ex tr a mo tiv atio n needed f or th e v is ito r s on a w ind y and f r ig id mor nin g on ly tw o d ays b ef o r e they f aced o ff ag ain s t Chr is tian Br o ther s A cad emy in ano th er impor tan t g ame. " We' v e b een lo okin g f or w ar d to th is g ame s ince las t y ear,' ' s aid ju n ior attack J ack Cu r r an. " We w er e f ir ed u p to g et th is w in.' ' " We kn ew th at th ey h ad los t s o me of th eir bes t p lay er s , b u t w e def in itely did n' t w an t to un der es timate RBC th is year becau s e it' s a b ig r ivalr y g ame an d b ecaus e of the f act that th ey beat u s las t year in the S h o r e Conf er en ce f inal, ' ' s aid s en io r def end er M att G ilb er ts o n.

Th e Bu lldo gs blitzed RBC 7- 0 in th e f ir s t q uar ter an d n ev er lo ok ed b ack, s how in g th eir off ens iv e p o ten tial w ith f o u r g oals in the f in al 1:17 o f th e per io d to b low op en th e g ame.

S enior attack Beau Benn ar d o h ad tw o g oals and tw o as s is ts , Cu r r an an d s enio r attack P. J . M ah er each had tw o goals and an as s is t, s en io r attack D y lan Ben edicks on s co r ed tw ice, Co rn ell-b o un d s enio r midf ield er M ik e H u ttn er h ad a g o al an d an as s is t, an d s en io r Ian M o o re and ju nior Ry an M cCau s lan d each ch ip p ed in w ith a go al apiece.

M cCaus lan d als o h ad a team- h igh f iv e gr o un d b alls . " A cou ple times w e w er e cau gh t s tan din g ar ou n d, s o w e' v e ju s t g o t to mov e the b all and loo k f o r the b es t op tio n an d w e w ill b e f in e, ' ' s aid Cur r an , w ho mis s ed las t y ear ' s S CT f inal b ecaus e of a to r n A CL s u ff er ed in th e p r es eas o n.

J un io r g o alie A r tie Tild es ley co ntinu ed h is imp r es s iv e s tar t af ter inh er itin g a p os ition vacated by th e gr ad u ated Tr evo r J ames , on e o f the S h o r e' s top g o alies las t s eas o n. H e had eig h t s av es o n 1 4 s h ots an d n ear ly r ecor d ed a r ar e s h u to u t w h ile s till ho ldin g RBC to its low es t s co r in g to tal in s ever al s eas on s . A g oal b y M ar k P o w ell w ith 1 0 s eco n ds lef t in th e th ir d q uar ter w as all that s too d betw een Ru ms on an d a s h uto u t of a top - f iv e team in the S h o r e. " I w as s eein g th e ball w ell to d ay, and o ur d ef en s e p layed gr eat an d limited their s h ots , ' ' Senior attack Beau Bennardo Tildes ley s aid. " Tr evo r J ames w as a g r eat g o alie, b u t I th in k I h av e s tep p ed in to thin gs an d d on e all r ig ht. We h av e d evelo ped g r eat ch emis tr y on def en s e.' ' " O n e of th e b es t th in gs ab ou t A r tie is h is

Senior defender Ben Albainy

compo s ur e on th e clear s , ' ' G ilb er ts o n s aid. " This is h is f ir s t y ear being o u r ( s tar ting ) go alie, s o w e w er e a little w or r ied ab ou t him b eing p atien t af ter a s av e, an d h e' s h an dled th at r eally w ell. ' ' Thank s to s ome gr ad u atio n los s es , th e d ef ens e w as s o mew h at o f an un k n o w n co ming into the s eas on bu t has emerged as a s tr eng th b ehind th e D ar tmou th - bou n d G ilb er ts o n un d er d ef ens ive co or din ator Reid J ack s o n . G ilb er ts o n is th e leader o f a u nit that als o in clu d es s enior s S am Water s an d D an ny M entel an d the r o tating tr io o f Ben A lb ainy, Br y ce H ar lan and Ch ar lie G r av in a. " We k new th at th ey h ad a lo t of big, p hy s ical p layer s , s o w e r eally f o cu s ed o n th e g r o un d ball g ame an d ju s t d idn ' t w an t to g et o u th us tled, ' ' G ilb er ts o n s aid . " The k ey w as co mmun ication .

We k n ew ( RBC ju n ior D o u g ) Wh itlock is a big r igh ty s h ooter and lik es to s w eep r ig ht, s o w e n eeded to co mmun icate w h o w as h ot an d w h o h ad to s lid e f ir s t and g o ear ly to h im an d f o r ce h im b ack th e oth er w ay. ' ' O n e th in g Ru ms o n kn ew it w o uld hav e co min g in to this s eas on w as a p oten t o ff en s e, an d th e Bulldo g s s h o w ed it o n S atur d ay. A f ter takin g a 30 lead, they p us hed the marg in to 4 - 0 o n a g oal b y M oor e off an as s is t by H u ttner w ith 1 :1 7 to go in th e f ir s t q uar ter an d th en r attled o ff th r ee q uick g oals . Ben nar d o s co r ed an d th en Benedicks on f o llow ed o n ly 16 s eco nd s later b ef o r e Ben nar d o all b ut d eliver ed the kn ocko u t p u nch b y s co r in g w ith s ix s eco nd s lef t f or a 7- 0 lead at the en d of th e f ir s t q uar ter. " We' ve b een mak in g it o ur mantr a to p lay f as t, ' ' Bar bier e s aid . " Th ey r eally ex ecu ted that in the f ir s t q uar ter. ' '

Photos by:

Scott Stump

www.allshoremedia.com

A SM / 1 1

Volume-III

1 2 / AS M

Issue-8

4/18/11

Holmdel Baseball Creating a Buzz

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor Holmdel baseball coach Dan Mondelli readily admitted that a year ago, his team might not have been able to pull itself out of the type of hole it was facing against Class A Central rival Raritan on the road on April 14th.

the order to the cleanup spot for the first time against Raritan, and now he was facing Raritan senior righthander Mike DaCosta with the bases loaded and an improbable Holmdel victory only one hit away.

Sadler worked the count to 3-2 before he punched a single the other way that just eluded diving rightfielder Jake Vanderveer, bringing home a pair of runs and sending Holmdel on its way to a thrilling 8-5 win on the road that kept the Hornets unbeaten in the division through three games. When Sadler hit his two-run single, he attempted to take second base, but the throw from catcher C.J. Pulcine was dropped by "The reason why the shortstop, allowing we pulled this out is junior Eric Scamardella because we have to run home from third competitiveness and for a three-run lead that heart,'' Mondelli Scamardella protected said. "We just with a scoreless seventh refused to give up, inning of relief in his and we overcame first appearance of the some mistakes.'' spring after some arm Senior catcher Nick Solfaro soreness in the Staring at a onepreseason. run deficit with two outs in the top of the seventh inning after a deflating sequence in which Raritan "I was a little nervous in a pressure situation,'' said thwarted a potentially game-tying squeeze bunt, the Sadler, who has quickly become an integral part of Hornets worked two consecutive walks to score the Holmdel's success. "It was a 3-2 count, so I was just tying run with the bases loaded. That brought Sadler to looking to poke it somewhere and get some runs in.'' the plate for the biggest at-bat of his four-game high "He was having a rough day, so I give him credit for school baseball career. regrouping,'' Mondelli said. "When a guy is smoking After going 7-for-9 at the plate in his first three the ball like he has been, I felt he could handle varsity games, Sadler was moved from the bottom of (batting cleanup), and he showed what he can do.''

However, the Hornets have added two important ingredients since then - confidence, and freshman designated hitter Joe Sadler. Both of them were instrumental in ensuring that they remained alone at the top of the divisional standings after a comeback win over the Rockets that continued a strong start.

After having taken the lead in the top of the first inning, the resilient Hornets came back from three deficits in the game before finally pulling out a victory. Scamardella went 2-for-2 with a walk, a solo homer, a double and two runs scored, senior catcher Nick Solfaro added a walk and an RBI double, starting pitcher Cole Whatley had a triple and a run scored and leadoff man Jason Foo had a double, a walk, and two runs scored in the win. DaCosta finished 2-for-2 with two walks, a solo homer and two runs scored in the loss for the Rockets (3-2, 2-2), and junior designated hitter Tyler Kalarjian added two hits and an RBI.

Junior first baseman/pitcher Eric Scamardella Co ntinued o n nex t pa ge

www.allshoremedia.com "Obviously there's a long way to go in the division, but this is huge,'' Mondelli said.

A SM / 13 recording the second out of the inning.

After a play that could have completely taken the wind out of the Hornets, senior captain J.J. Cuccurrullo battled Ronan, fouling off two pitches before working a walk on a full count to load the bases.

The game was tied at three going into the sixth inning before Scamardella unloaded a prodigious blast off starter Dan That brought up Scamardella, and Gutch over the leftfield fence after Ronan started 2-0 on him, Raritan for a solo homer to give coach T.J. O'Donnell brought in Holmdel a 4-3 advantage DaCosta to pitch. Scamardella took two heading into the bottom of the Outfielder Jason Foo strikes but then worked a walk to force sixth. Gutch finished with a noin the game-tying run and bring up decision after allowing four Sadler for what proved to be the biggest at-bat of the earned runs in 5 1/3 innings in his first varsity start. game.

"It was a 3-2 count, I was expecting a fastball, and I "I was proud to be in the cleanup spot and I just got it on the inner half and ended up driving it out to wanted to show (Mondelli) I could stay there,'' Sadler left,'' Scamardella said. said. "I started off rough, I couldn't get any hits, but Raritan responded by scoring twice in the bottom of then came that last at-bat.'' the sixth to jump back in front, and that's when a Holmdel had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first young Holmdel team showed that it has grown up. inning when Foo led off with a double and then scored Sophomore second baseman J.T. Licciardello worked a one-out walk off sophomore lefty Rob Ronan to get the all the way from second on a passed ball thanks to the long distance between home plate and the backstop at decisive rally started in the seventh, and then pinch runner Dylan Baxter motored all the way to third when Rocket Park. Raritan answered in the bottom of the first when DaCosta boomed a solo homer over the left he stole second and took the extra base on an field fence off Whatley to tie the game. overthrow. Solfaro followed by putting runners at the corners by working a walk.

The Rockets grabbed a 3-1 lead in the fourth inning, but Holmdel didn't blink, as Whatley led off the fifth Mondelli then ordered up a squeeze bunt by Foo, inning with a triple and then Baxter scored on a double and Ronan made a great play to grab it and flip it to

by Solfaro to cut it to 3-2. Solfaro later scored when Pulcine in time to nail Baxter sliding into home plate Cuccurullo beat out a potential double play ball, tying and prevent the tying run from scoring while also

the game at three and setting up an exciting finish. The win was an important one for a program that was mired at the bottom of the standings before Mondelli took over in 2009 but now has division title aspirations.

"Since the first day of practice, they got us together and said, 'We know you're good, everyone else knows you're good, so you've just got to believe in yourselves,''' Scamardella said. "Ever since then, we've taken off. There's a lot of talent through A Central, but I think we're able to compete with anyone.'' " We believed w e co u ld get it do n e, an d w e did,' ' M ondelli s aid . " Las t year, w e d idn ' t k no w how to do th at.' '

Photos & Video Highlights by:

Scott Stump www.allshoremedia.com

Eric Scamardella Photo by:

Charlie Gutch

Volume-III

1 4 / ASM

Issue-8

4/18/11

Join The

All Shore Media Team Today!

Interested in joining our team and think you have what it takes to be covering sports in the Shore Conference for All Shore Media? We are looking for local writers interested in covering sports like Lacrosse, Basketball, Wrestling, Track, Soccer, and more as part of our Bi-weekly newspaper and our website (www.allshoremedia.com). Grab your chance to appear regularly in The All Shore Media Biweekly issues and on

www.allshoremedia.com while helping us recognize more athletes and bring more stories to Shore Conference sports fans.

This is your chance to become a regular contributor to a growing business on the cutting edge of covering sports in Monmouth and Ocean County.

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

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A SM / 15 While Borden, Martucci, Haines and Bruno will need to find common ground among their varying plans to come up with one that is appealing to the NJSIAA executive committee and the member schools, the main debate over this change in the Shore over the past few seasons has been the potential elimination of traditional Thanksgiving games in order to accommodate a playoff system that will most likely include two more games (the Group semifinals and final) to crown an overall champion.

W

h en it comes to N ew Jer s ey h ig h s ch oo l f o o tb all, h op ef u lly Ap r il 1 3, 2 011 , ma r ks th e day th at ever yth in g ch a n g ed f o r th e better a n d th e G ar d en S ta te jo in ed th e r es t of th e n ation .

On that day, the NJSIAA advisory committee voted to recommend that its executive committee amend Article IX of its constitution, which had previously allowed every sport except football to play to a Group champion. Since the inception of the playoff system in 1974, New Jersey’s football teams have only played to a sectional champion, leaving fans, players and coaches to endlessly debate what might have happened had the best teams in each Group met up in a later round of the playoffs.

The unanimous vote by the NJSIAA committee to recommend that the executive committee vote to allow football to also play to a Group champion like every other team sport in the state means that there is the potential to have a playoff system that crowns the first Group champions in state history by the 2013 season.

The next hurdle is having the NJSIAA executive committee vote in May to officially amend Article IX. If that plan comes to fruition, the New Jersey football community will have a group of Shore Conference administrators to thank along with veteran East Brunswick coach Marcus Borden. The trio of Brick athletic director Bill Bruno, Matawan athletic director/head football coach Joe Martucci and Middletown schools athletic director Bud Haines, along with Borden, were the ones that spearheaded the change by coming up with alternate proposals to create a Group playoff system.

That quartet needs Article IX to be amended before it can proceed in its quest to reshape the state landscape by introducing an entirely new system for the regular season and playoffs. If the executive committee votes to change Article IX, the next vote will be by the NJSIAA member schools in December, which would be the final obstacle. If the schools vote to implement the plan, by the 2013 season we will have a champion in each of the four public school Groups. (The non-public schools already play to an overall state champion in each Group size).

Massachusetts and California are the only states other than New Jersey that do not play to overall Group champions in football, so it’s not like this is some radical proposition.

Borden’s plan would keep the Thanksgiving games intact for all the teams besides the 16 sectional champions that would advance to the Group semifinals, while the proposal from the Shore contingent would eliminate the Thanksgiving rivalries.

Having covered Shore football for over a decade, I can say that there are only a handful of Thanksgiving rivalries that seem to still have any luster. There will always be a big crowd for the likes of Manasquan-Wall, Middletown South-Middletown North, Red Bank CatholicRumson-Fair Haven, Toms River North-Toms River East and maybe a few others. However, why can’t those big crowds just be transplanted to a regular-season game where the stakes are higher?

You’re telling me there’s not going to be as much interest in a Manasquan-Wall game before the state playoff cutoff where the winner goes to the postseason and the loser goes home?

That would be a mob scene. Either that, or it could be the season opener, like Brick has done by moving the Brick MemorialBrick game Freehold's Sterry Codrington to start the season in order to build anticipation throughout the summer.

I just think it’s time. If there’s a way Thanksgiving games can be salvaged, fine, but if they have to be transplanted to another part of the season, I don’t think that is the end of the world by any stretch. Traditions and rivalries can still be preserved. You just won’t be eating turkey while talking about them.

Plus, I would think these extra games would be money makers for an NJSIAA that is claiming financial

woes after the one-man crusade of Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester) lowered ticket prices at state playoff events. These are the kind of games where I think the ticket law of forcing them to be the same price as regular-season games should be suspended and allow them to be profitable games that help support other sports as well.

I also think this is an idea that has staying power.

It’s not like basketball, where the creation of the Tournament of Champions has somewhat lost its luster as the parochial powers, particularly on the boys side, have made it a relatively anticlimactic event. Group champions in football would be a highly-anticipated event every year because it’s strictly schools playing against similar-sized schools. No moaning about an unfair landscape involving non-public schools, as everyone is in a bracket with schools that enjoy the same advantages and disadvantages.

Who wouldn’t have wanted to see if Lacey and Craig Cicardo could beat Freehold and Sterry Codrington in a Group III semifinal and then move on to face the North Jersey winner this past fall? How fun would it have been to see a pair of Cinderellas, Rumson and Haddonfield, square off for the right to play for an overall Group II title? If it can all still be wrapped up by that first weekend in December, I don’t see why it would be a bad thing.

The debate has always raged about which conference plays the best football in the Lacey's Craig Cicardo state, and this would help give some real answers to that question.

Is the Shore really dominant in Group II and Group III, or is that just because the field is not that strong? We would find out once they had to compete with the best the state has to offer in their Group. For 16 teams to be able to say they are state champions is crazy to me, so it will be nice to see which ones rise to the truly elite level.

I’m just happy that steps have been taken to push New Jersey into the 21st Century, and I’m thankful that a group of Shore Conference administrators are an integral part of that strategy. It’s time for all the hypothetical talk to cease, and for things to start being settled on the field.

Lacey Photo by:

Cliff Lavelle

www.clearedge.zenfolio.com Freehold Photo by:

Bill Normile

www.billnormile.zenfolio.com

1 6 / AS M

www . a l ls hore m ed ia. c o m

Volume-III

Issue-8

4/18/11