Weekend of 10/2 + 10/3

Scanning the high school football scene with Ed Sarluca: Week 4

Top Ten:

1-Middletown South(4-0) A sloppy but quality “W”(21-10) against Freehold Boro at the swamp. Freehold turned it over 6 times to “give” Mid South the ball game. Despite 4 turnovers themselves, the Eagles continue their undefeated season. Next up is Central who rushed for over 500 yards vs. Lakewood on Sunday.

2-Howell(4-0) Huge 7-3 win over Toms River North gives the Rebels a leg up in American Division. They still have to face a tough Brick Memorial team in 3 weeks, but Jimmy Ryan and company look and play like champions.

3-Toms River East(4-0) The Raiders have just about clinched the Constitution Division with their easy 37-7 lopsided victory over Brick. 2 easy ones, with Marlboro and Colts Neck and then their last major challenge in division play when they face Mid North at home. This week, Dan Wasilick returned the opening KO 83 yards and they never looked back.

4-Ocean(3-0) A not real good Colonia team faces the “Big Red” this week, coming off their bye week and then we will see how good this team is, with games against Long Branch, Matawan and RBC. If they run that table, they will be the favorite in CJ Group 3.

5-Manasquan(3-0) The “Big Blue” continues to roll with a 28-6 win over previously undefeated Pinelands. They should continue to take care of business until they get Raritan and Long Branch in week 7&8.

6-Long Branch(4-0) The “Green Wave” just keeps rolling along with a stingy defense and enough offense to keep the wins coming. South Plainfield up next and the meat grinder starts with Ocean, Matawan and Manasquan on the schedule.

7-Neptune(3-1) A very impressive shutout(39-0) of previously un-scored upon Wall has made me a believer and they enter the top ten this week. Charlie Davis had a night to remember with 4 TDs and 227 total yards as the Fliers built a 39-0 lead at the half and then pulled the dogs. Neptune will rest this week on their bye , then face winless Lakewood and then the big one with Mid South on Oct 24.

8-Toms River North(2-1) This is a team which I can’t get a read on. A big powerful offensive line, skill at all the key positions and they can’t score! 2 games in a row without an offensive TD, that won’t get it done in the American Division. Now they must hope someone beats Howell or their championship dreams are over. Next up provides no rest for the Mariners as they travel to Brick Memorial on Friday night.

9-Brick Memorial(3-1) With only a loss to undefeated Sayreville, the Mustangs enter the meat of their schedule with TR North, Manalapan and Howell in the next 3 weeks. A come from behind overtime win(21-14) this week vs. Jackson sets them up for another run at the CJ Group 4 playoffs.

10-Rumson(4-0) What an impressive victory over Asbury Park this week. The 26-18 win gets them into the top ten. Using the double pass to score the go ahead TD in the 4th quarter, the Bulldogs made a statement on Saturday. John Riley(130 rushing yds.) was very good on the ground and super soph Mike Villapiano led the “Dawgs” from the QB position.

Best of the rest:

Keyport(3-0) The Red Raiders continue to fly low and continue to win. 42-7 over Point Beach on Friday night has set up a huge one on Oct 17th vs. Rumson.

Raritan(3-1) One loss will not define their season. Nice bounce back win over winless Point Boro by a 42-7 score.

Matawan(3-1) Well what can you say, after the big win against Raritan last week, they lay the egg this week vs. RBC and find themselves on the outside looking in.

RBC(2-2) Watch out for the Casey’s, they are getting better each week.

Asbury Park(2-1) Should get back on track in next few weeks, after the loss to Rumson.
A potentially bad weather weekend turned out to be another bad forecast by the experts, as the rains and winds stayed away and we saw some interesting results.

Toms River East made a bold statement to the rest of the Constitution Division as they rolled over Brick, 37-7. The Raiders, in my opinion, will be 8-0 going into the SJ Group 4 playoffs. That’s important, because that should get them 1 or 2 home playoff games. It’s never too early to start thinking about the playoffs.

Middletown South, turned 4 fumbles and 2 interceptions by Freehold Boro into a 21-10 victory at the “swamp”. That set the Eagles up for the Oct 24th matchup with Neptune, which will decide the Federal Division. QB Scott Meeker continues to impress as he threw 2 TD passes in the victory.

Neptune’s 39-0 demolition of Wall will be remembered as the night RB Charlie Davis came of age. Davis scored 2 on the ground, 1 in the air and 1 more via an interception return, as the Fliers rolled for 339 yards of total offense, most of which came in the 1st half!

I had the pleasure to take a ride to Asbury Park on Saturday afternoon, not to see the “Boss”, but to witness Rumson’s 26-18 win over the Bishops. Using the double pass, which began with a flare from Soph QB Mike Villapiano to Ian Moore, and then to Jack Wise, for the 30 yard TD score, the “Dawgs” made a statement in the Patriot Division. They now control their destiny, if they want that crown.

With my wife understanding that this is football season, I also took in the Howell’s 7-3 victory over Toms River North on Sat. night. With everyone raving about the Howell offense, it was defense that won this one for the Rebels. As head coach Cory Davies knows, this season will be defined by his defense, not his offense. They are an under-rated bunch, which bent, but did not break. TR North’s plight is simple; they must find a way to get into the end zone. They move the ball with ease, but 1 or 2 mistakes per drive, and they are forced to settle for 3 points or turn it over on downs. Their excellent defense has been carrying them so far.

Congratulations to Nick Giglio of Red Bank for picking up his first victory at his new school. Nick was a very successful head coach at Point Beach HS and I am rooting for him to turn the Red Bank program around. With his work ethic and personality, that will be a given.

Keansburg’s come from behind win over Mon. Don.(16-13) was extra special to head Coach Brian Kmak. Kmak spent most of Saturday afternoon’s game at the hospital with his daughter who was taken to the emergency room on Friday night. When his daughter was cleared to return home, Kmak, rushed to the game and saw the last few moments of the Titan win. In his absence, assistant coaches Tom O’Keefe and George Kostas ran the team. I love happy endings!
Congratulations to Allentown’s John Amabile who picked up his 2nd win of the year with a 42-0 rout of Marist. Allentown won all of 2 games in the last 3 years. Why did I know he would surpass that total in just 3 games of his first season?

A special sad mention to family and friends of SJ V player Dan Falco, who died this past week of a non-football related illness. Also, the ever successful shore head coaches Mike and Mark Ciccotelli, as well as another brother Steve, lost their father last week, at the age of 87. Sal Ciccotelli was so proud of his 3 sons, all of which have had successful coaching careers around the state. The prayers of all players and coaches around the shore go out to the families of Dan and the Ciccotelli’s.

Some notable quotes of week 4:
“I feel especially happy for the seniors. They went through some down years, but they stuck it out and deserve this.” (Head Coach Nick Giglio on his team’s 28-6 victory over Dunellen.)

“The start of the season was a true test of our character. It was refreshing to see all of the hard work pay off today. A.J. had a big game. The offensive line gave him time to throw, that was the key.”(Head Coach Sal Spampanato of Monmouth Reg. on his team’s 53-14 win over South Plainfield.)

“Turnovers are tempo-setters. That’s what we did, we set the tempo for the rest of the game.” (Jake Flaherty, DB at RBC on the 20-7 upset win over Matawan. Flaherty had a 26 yd. interception return for a TD.)

“We all call him the “Waterbug”, and the Waterbug busted one out there”. (Nico Steriti on team-mate Dan Wasilick’s 83 yard TD on the opening kickoff of TR East’s 37-7 in over Brick.)
“Every team practices a 2-minute offense, our backs were against the wall and we found a way to move the ball.” (Head Coach Walt Currie of Brick Mem. on his team’s game tying TD in the last 2 minutes of regulation time. The “Stangs” won it in overtime 21-14.)

A big one in the American Division as TR North visits Brick Mem. on Friday night. Join us at shoresportsnetwork.com, as we broadcast this important game. 1160am, 1310am and 105.7 The Hawk will have the game on. Also join us at Boston’s on Thursday night for our 2 hour talk show, featured this week will be coaches Walt Currie and Chip LaBarca Jr, along with key players from their teams. That’s 6-8 pm on Thursday also on shoresportsnetwork.com.