Scanning the High School football scene with Ed Sarluca: Final edition.
The 2009 season concluded with 4 championship games, held at 2 sites over the weekend. The loudest roar heard around the shore came on Friday night, from Matawan, with their 28-12 pounding of Manasquan which resulted in a Central Jersey Group 2 championship. The Huskies, who had not won one since 1992, came up big on the biggest of stages. QB Jared Allison was at his best, as he led the Huskies on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. All Allison did was throw for 152 yards and 1 TD, run for 69 yards with a TD, and intercept 2 passes on “D”. Good enough to be voted our “player of the game” and take home the hardware that goes with it. Manasquan, looking for championship #12, never got into the flow of the game, despite 9 penalties by Matawan, which kept the “Warriors” in the game in the 1st half. They were devastated by injuries to key players which hurt their chance at any comeback in the 2nd half. QB C.J Davis went down with a hip pointer in the 1st half and never returned, 2 way demon, Dan Sullivan, went down with a concussion early in 2nd half and never returned and numerous other minor injuries hampered the “Big Blue” all night. With that said, take nothing away from Matawan, which by far, was the better team and deserved to win their championship. They had 350 yards of offense to control the game and win their 5th State title, and 4th under current head coach, Joe Martucci. With the seconds winding down at TCNJ, where the game was played, Matucci’s eyes began to tear, as one assistant coach after another hugged the head man to congratulate him on completion of a mission which began in early summer. Joe has been at it a long time and this victory comes after many years of frustration for him and his teams over the years and no one deserves this trophy more than him. Congratulations to the Huskie’s for getting the job done in 2009 and completing what was a dream season, and to all shore conference opponents; Juniors Jared Allison, RB MacArthur Underwood, RB Keith Beaty, DB Joe Urciuoli, OL John Faccas, among others, all return in 2010.
The biggest surprise of the weekend came on Saturday morning, also at TCNJ, when little known Monroe(11-1) won their first State Championship, as they pounded previously #1 Middletown South 30-10. Outstanding RB Blake Bascom ran for 201 yards and scored 3 times to lead the Falcons to the easy victory. Bascom, who surpassed 100 yards late in the 2nd quarter, ran at will against the best defense the shore had to offer. Remember this was a defense that had only given up 431 yards total on the ground and had yielded only 45 points all year. So dominate, on both sides of the ball, were the Falcons, that the Eagles(11-1) were held to -30 yards in the 2nd half and totaled only 110 yards on the day. 80 of those yards came on 1 drive on their second possession of the morning, but that was it, as QB Scott Meeker was consistently harassed. The Eagles fumbled 6 times losing 2 of them, including 1 on their own ½ yard line, creating a Falcon TD which ended the scoring and also snapped a ball over the punters head which caused a safety. All phases of their game came apart in the 2nd half and as Head Coach Steve Antonucci said following the game-“I think they played with a chip on their shoulder, to be honest with you. Everybody kept saying how good we were and forgot to mention how good they are. Any time you come in here playing defense like we did through-out the year, to give up 30 points in one game, it says a lot about (Monroe). It is unfortunate that it had to end this way”. This team had a great year and should not be judged by this one game. Year in and year out they are among the best in the state and 1 loss will not hurt a program of their stature.
If I said give me the teams in the shore, that have won 3 State Championships in a row—you would list Brick(1981-83), Manasquan(1998-2001) and Middletown South(2003-06). Well add another to that list! Asbury Park became the 4th team in shore conference history to 3-peat, as they won the CJ Group 1 title for the 3rd year in a row. They demolished Highland Park 44-6 at Kean University on Sat. Morning. QB Jamar Small had a career day on defense for the “Blue Bishops”, as he intercepted 3 passes, returning 1 for a 90 yard TD, to close out the rout. He also threw for a TD on offense. Despite a combined 19 penalties being called for 138 yards, it was Asbury’s day from the beginning. Playing against one of the top RBs in the state, Nate Smith, they used a suffocating defense which held him to 108 yards and forced the Owls to put Smith at QB to try and win the game. That move didn’t have the success they had hoped for, as Smith was intercepted 2 times and the chant of “dynasty” began in the Bishop stands. Outstanding RB George Stephens began the second half by returning the kick 98 yards and a TD and the rout was. Stephens has been the leader of the Bishops on the field during this recent run of championships, and he must receive a lot of credit for what they have done. The other main component has been head coach Don Sofilkanich, who came here in 2007 and put together three, 11-1 seasons. Not bad for a coach who commutes back and forth from his teaching job at New Brunswick High School. While the word dynasty should not be used to often, I think it’s justified here. With the Pop-Warner coaches in Asbury Park continuing to turn out championship teams, this is another program that is in good shape for the future. Congrats to Coach Sofilkanich and his accomplishments at Asbury Park.
In the final game of the 2009 season, the “Stangs” of Brick Memorial could not survive the driving snowstorm that hit TCNJ at 3PM and fell to the Bears of East Brunswick 9-0. The Memorial finesse flexbone offense could not get going and the weather only made it that much harder to move the ball. Take nothing away from East Brunswick, who won their second State Championship, as they controlled the Mustangs from the second quarter on. The Stangs had 3 chances inside the Red zone of EB, but came away empty on all 3 possessions, and then the snow, wind, and frozen field turf took over and limited both offenses for the remainder of the game. The second half became a matter of survival as the driving storm only got worse and an East Brunswick TD “iced” the game as they fought off Memorial’s threats to win it and send their fans home in a happy mood. Memorial finishes their season at 7-5 and with their QB, Mike DiGuilmi back for his senior year, the Stangs will be in capable hands next year. The Memorial program, under Fred Sprengel and now Walt Currie, has made it to 4 finals in the last 7 years and show no signs of letting up.
The final Shore Sports Network Top Ten:
1-Matawan(11-1) A dream season ends with a CJ 2 championship, as they handled Manasquan 28-12. With Jared Allison, MacArthur Underwood back for the Huskies, it should not be 17 years between championships again.
2-Toms River East(10-1) Why not the Raiders in this spot? Only loss was to SJ 4 finalist Egg Harbor, who lost to Cherokee 14-0 in finals. Still waiting for the “big” trophy, but a solid season was topped off with a victory over tough TR North.
3-Asbury Park(11-1) 3 consecutive CJ 1 championships and the word “dynasty” has surfaced for the Blue and Black Bishops. Demolished Highland Park 44-6 on Sat. at Kean Univ.
4-Middletown South(11-1) Couldn’t finish the job, as they were humbled by Monroe. The “D” had no answer for RB Blake Bascom as he rushed for 200 yards and 3 TDs.
5-Howell(9-2) Just think if Howell would have made the finals at TCNJ on Sat. and faced the snowstorm with their spread offense. That would have been interesting! Anyway, a great season for Jimmy Ryan and the guys, culminated with an American Division Championship.
6-Toms River North(7-3) Lost to Howell, TR East and Williamstown, that’s a 29-4 cumulative record. QB Demitry Davis is back to give A-South teams fits next year.
7-Brick Memorial(7-5) Not a good indication of what might have been in finals, but both teams were playing in same conditions. Mike DiGuili returns next year to lead flexbone attack.
8-Lacey(8-3) Began season 0-2, and then won 7 straight before losing to Timber Creek in semi-finals of SJ 3. Return all of their skill backs and will be a pre-season top 5 team.
9-Wall(8-2) Beat Manasquan on Turkey Day to finish one spot ahead of them in final poll. Many players back in 2010 and the Knights will be a major player.
10-Manasquan(9-3) Finished with 2 consecutive losses to Wall and Matawan. Injuries hit them hard in finals and they never recovered.
Just missed:
Raritan(8-3) Opponents will be happy to say good-bye to Bennett Jackson and Jessie Raymond!
Ocean(8-3) Losses to Matawan, Monroe and RBC. Solid season for “Big Red”
Rumson(9-2) Solid program, couldn’t finish Manasquan off when they had them beat.
RBC(6-4) Had some big wins(Matawan), but some bad losses(Manchester).
Well, I hope you enjoyed my comments through-out the year. As always, my comments are my opinions, and should be taken that way. As an ex-coach, I know how hard staffs and players work and I only hope the many fans who watch them play, realize the dedication they have. Happy holidays to all. See you next year.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Weekend Of 11/28 + 11/29
Scanning the High School football scene with Ed Sarluca:
Championship Week: With 5 teams still vying for State Championships, which will be held on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, 38 teams in the shore conference have put the equipment away for the year. I will sum up the 2009 season with a wrap of some of those teams and a look at the 4 games this week that will determine our possible champs.
First let’s look at the championship games:
Friday night will find Manasquan and Matawan hooking up in the CJ Group 2 championship. This has all the makings of a classic. Matawan(10-1) comes in as the #2 team in the shore looking for their 5th title, but first since 1992. Yes it has been a long time since the “Huskies” have been in this situation, but they certainly have the players to get the job done. QB Jarrod Allison, although only a junior, has shown he is the leader of this team. His athletic ability, his poise under fire, and his determination to lead the Huskies to the top has been evident all year. He is ably supported by RB McArthur Underwood, who is a threat to go the distance any time he touches the football. This is an offense that has averaged 33 ½ point a game, and the scary part is; both of the above are both juniors, and will be back next year. Although offense excites the fans, it’s the defense that has impressed me. It is led by defensive coord. and long time assistant coach, Sam Turner. They have playmakers on that side of the ball also. LB Dave Incle, DB Johnny Short, DL Malik Gumbs, and DL Tom Cleary have produced all year and lead a defense that has given up only 10 points a game. They will have to be at their best on Friday night as they face a team in Manasquan that will be looking for a 12th championship, which leads all shore conf. teams in trophies won. The “Big Blue Warriors”(9-2) were knocked off on Turkey Day by rival Wall Twp. by a 31-28 score, but one must look past this game, as it’s always tough to play a game before a championship game. That’s the way they do it in New Jersey, which has been discussed before. My disagreement with the playoff system will have little to do with the outcome of this game, as Squan will have no ill-effects of that loss, when they take the field on Friday at TCNJ at 7PM. Manasquan is led by QB C.J. Davis and the passing attack that they have developed over the course of 2009. He has 3 outstanding big-time receivers in 6’4” Neal Sterling, 6’3” Ryland McTighe, and 6’2” Ryan Casey. All 3 can go up and catch the ball and are dangerous from anywhere on the field. The ground game is led by Zack Ogden, James Stovall and lately, Dan Sullivan. Stovall has been nursing an injury and has not played the last 2 weeks and his return is key to the ground game. Remember, this is a group of runners, which wasn’t counted on at the beginning of the season. They had returning RB Lorenzo Venable (1500 yard and 17 TDs); set to lead the running attack, but Venable quit the team before game 1. When something like that occurs on a team, they can go one of two ways; pack in the season or move on. Well the answer was easy for the above group, as they have not skipped a beat on the ground, and have more than carried the load. Assit. Coach Rich Reed has coordinated the offense to the tune of 24 points per game, while the defense gives up 11pts./game. This is a game which is very close to call. This is the big stage and Manasquan has been here so many times, while Matawan makes infrequent trips to the finals. If Matawan, who at times makes mistakes, can limit those miscues, they will win it, because of their game breaking potential. Do not give Manasquan multiple chances to score, as they will take advantage and run from there. Who has the best defense? I think I’ll go with Matawan, in a very close ball game. We will broadcast this contest on Friday night at 7PM on the Shore Sports Network of 1160am or 1310am or ShoreSportsNetwork.com.
Saturday will have 3 games, all in Central Jersey:
CJ Group 4 has Brick Memorial(7-4) looking for back to back championships against a team in East Brunswick(7-4) that they have already beaten this year, back in week 8, by a 37-34 score. Throw that game out, because it doesn’t mean anything now. The “Mustangs” have found the magic to win in the playoffs this year, as they did last year. They have beaten an undefeated Hunterdon Central team in the first round(21-17), avenged an early season loss to Howell in the semi-finals(31-28) and are playing at a very high level at the right time of the year. Junior QB Mike DiGuilmi has replaced graduated Brian Staub, and has directed the flexbone attack without missing a beat. He is joined in the backfield by 1000yard RB Vinnie Sabba, and Glenn McGinnis. Offensive line coach Bob Merola must get some credit with the much improved line play which has opened the holes for this option attack. With a few underclassmen on that line, and DiGuilmi returning in 2010, it looks like the “Stangs” will continue to be a program that wins. The Mustangs will be looking for their 3rd championship in the last 7 years. The Bears from East Brunswick will provide a formable opponent, as the Marcus Borden led team will go to school after the week 8 loss. Look for a shootout here, with Brick Memorial winning and celebrating their 2nd consecutive championship. This game will also be broadcast from TCNJ on the shore sports network of stations,(1160am or 1310am) or ShoreSportsNetwork.com for fans outside listening area, at 3PM Saturday afternoon.
Middletown South(11-0) looks to win their 10th championship as the travel to TCNJ for an 11am game vs. a very good Monroe team. The story of this one is easy; the shore’s best defense against the offensive minded Monroe Falcons. The Falcons come in at 10-1, scoring 31 ½ points a game. Ironically, their only loss was in week 2 against the above East Brunswick team by a 23-21 score, so they are 2 points from being undefeated. This is a classic match-up of great defense vs. great offense, and you know what they say; offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships! That’s why the Eagles will win their 10th on the strength of a defense that has given up only 45 points on the year, that’s 4pts./game. LB Sean Campbell, DL Nick Bricker, and LB Matt Saulnier lead a suffocating “D” that does not allow you to breathe, let alone score. Although the defense gets the headlines, the offense has done enough to get the Eagles to the championship. Junior QB Scott Meeker has replaced graduated Ryan Mullan and led an offense that also has RB Kyle Bunge to hand the ball to. The loss of Junior playmaker Andrew Suarez to a knee injury early in the year, has allowed others to step up and carry the load. The Eagles score just under 30 pts/game, so they are capable on both sides of the ball. This is a 2 TD game and the Eagles will be celebrating as the Mustangs take the field for their game.
Asbury Park(10-1) looks to make it 3 in a row in CJ Group 1. Led by RB George Stephens, the Bishops will not have an easy time, as they play a pretty good Highland Park(8-3) team for the second time this year. This game will take place at Kean University at 11am on Saturday morning. The Bishops beat Highland Park 20-12, in week 8, as the Owls ran the ball for 274 yards, but game up short, and they must stop Division 1 RB, Nate Smith. This will not be an easy task for the Bishop defense as Smith is very dangerous anywhere on the field. One thing to look at in this contest is the 3 losses that the Owls have. One was to Asbury Park, one was to Keyport(7-3) and the 3rd was to Monmouth Reg.(4-6). All 3 losses have come against shore conf. teams. That doesn’t bode well for the Owls. Look for Asbury to turn up the “D” on Smith and although they may not contain him on every play, they will do enough to win their 3rd straight and we can start using the word ‘dynasty” when we talk about Asbury Park.
There you have a short capsule look at the 4 championship games. Good luck to all 5 teams as they carry the well wishes of all teams in the shore as they represent the best of 2009.
Odds and ends of Turkey Day weekend:
Wall, upsetting Manasquan, 31-28 before 6000 fans on a beautiful Thanksgiving morning. This is the best argument to continue Thanksgiving Day football. Wall finishes 8-2 and makes my top ten and is surely a team of the future.
Toms River East(10-1) beat Toms River North 14-7 on Friday night in front of a huge crowd at East. Nico Steriti finishes his career as the best player in the shore in 2009. A TD pass from Sr. Charlie Diskin to Junior Vinnie Arminio early in the 4th quarter, was the game winner. No State championship for East, but a great season, in which they tied a school record with 10 wins.
Lacey(8-3) playing Central for the last time on Turkey Day(29-13) completes a great year and returns Cicardo, Molzon and Dabel in 2010. Enough to make them a pre-season top ten team.
Howell(9-2) gets a sluggish 20-9 win over Free. Twp. and wins the American Division championship and completes the career of the shores best QB Jimmy Ryan and Rec. Nick Adamo. The championship was their 2nd in 3 years. This program is feared by all teams that have to play them with their wide open spread offense that averaged 28pts/game.
Point Pleasant Boro(5-5), as I predicted, recovered from a 0-4 start to finish .500 on the year. With many underclassmen back, look out for the Panthers in 2010.
Ocean(8-3) completed a very good season with a 34-14 win over Monmouth Reg. Coach Don Klein has a couple of fine RBs, one of which is Greg Moore to go into 2010 with.
Brick Memorial took care of cross-town rival Brick, 34-21 on Friday night as Vinnie Sabba ran for 205 yards and 3 TDs. This was memorable because it was the first Turkey Day when retired Warren Wolf was not on the sidelines.
Raritan(8-3) will graduate 2 of the best players in the shore in Rec./DB Bennett Jackson(Notre Dame) and RB Jessie Raymond(Monmouth University). They brought excitement to shore fans whenever they played.
Mon Don(6-4) completed their season with an unlikely 6-3 win over Manchester. Not unlikely because they won, but because there were only field goals in the game. This concludes the outstanding senior year of QB Kevin Carter who ran the Griffin flexbone offense to perfection.
Bottom line of 2009:
20 teams finished with winning records.
8 teams finished with .500 records.
15 teams under .500 for the year.
2 winless teams in 2009.
Here’s my Top Ten before the playoff finals:
1-Middletown South(11-0) Have answered all comers and look to complete undefeated season with 10th championship title.
2-Matawan(10-1) The year of the Huskie can be completed with a CJ Group 2 title if they defeat Manasquan on Friday night.
3-Toms River East(10-1) Accomplished all goals but the big one, but none the less, they had an incredible season.
4-Manasquan(9-2) Caught looking ahead on Turkey Day? Maybe so, but they lost to a good football team in Wall. Look to win trophy # 12 on Friday night vs. Matawan.
5-Howell(9-2) The Jimmy Ryan career is over and boy was it a good one! Lost to Sayreville and Brick Memorial.
6-Toms River North(8-2) 2 losses have been to 10-1 East and 10-1 Williamstown. Enough said, it was solid season, but disappointing for this perennial playoff contender.
7-Brick Memorial(7-4) Looking for back to back titles in CJ Group 4. The Mustangs seem to play well when it counts. They have won 4 in a row and averaged 31pts./game. The offense is rolling and the defense has played better of late. They will be a tough out in finals.
8-Asbury Park(10-1) Only loss was to Rumson by 26-18 score. Look for 3rd straight in CJ 1.
9-Lacey(8-3) Solid year and all the key players are back. Top Ten preseason team in 2010.
10-Wall(8-2) The best team in shore that did not make the playoffs. I promised Chris Barnes, in my post game interview, that they would find a spot in my top 10. Well here they are; with Soph. QB Steve Cluley calmly going 9-9 for 152 yards, they beat playoff finalist Manasquan 31-28 before 6000 fans on Thanksgiving morning. With many other underclassmen dotting the roster, watch out for the Knights in 2010.
Just outside looking in: Raritan(8-3) RBC(6-4) Ocean(8-3)Neptune(7-4) Long Branch(7-3) Rumson(9-2) Keyport(7-3)
Join us Thursday night at Boston’s in Toms River at 6pm as we will preview the 4 State games and talk high school football. For 2 hours. Also catch us on the radio or on line as we broadcast two championship games on Friday night(7pm) and Saturday afternoon(3pm). 1160am or 1310am on the radio or on line at shoresportsnetwork.com. will handle the games
Championship Week: With 5 teams still vying for State Championships, which will be held on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, 38 teams in the shore conference have put the equipment away for the year. I will sum up the 2009 season with a wrap of some of those teams and a look at the 4 games this week that will determine our possible champs.
First let’s look at the championship games:
Friday night will find Manasquan and Matawan hooking up in the CJ Group 2 championship. This has all the makings of a classic. Matawan(10-1) comes in as the #2 team in the shore looking for their 5th title, but first since 1992. Yes it has been a long time since the “Huskies” have been in this situation, but they certainly have the players to get the job done. QB Jarrod Allison, although only a junior, has shown he is the leader of this team. His athletic ability, his poise under fire, and his determination to lead the Huskies to the top has been evident all year. He is ably supported by RB McArthur Underwood, who is a threat to go the distance any time he touches the football. This is an offense that has averaged 33 ½ point a game, and the scary part is; both of the above are both juniors, and will be back next year. Although offense excites the fans, it’s the defense that has impressed me. It is led by defensive coord. and long time assistant coach, Sam Turner. They have playmakers on that side of the ball also. LB Dave Incle, DB Johnny Short, DL Malik Gumbs, and DL Tom Cleary have produced all year and lead a defense that has given up only 10 points a game. They will have to be at their best on Friday night as they face a team in Manasquan that will be looking for a 12th championship, which leads all shore conf. teams in trophies won. The “Big Blue Warriors”(9-2) were knocked off on Turkey Day by rival Wall Twp. by a 31-28 score, but one must look past this game, as it’s always tough to play a game before a championship game. That’s the way they do it in New Jersey, which has been discussed before. My disagreement with the playoff system will have little to do with the outcome of this game, as Squan will have no ill-effects of that loss, when they take the field on Friday at TCNJ at 7PM. Manasquan is led by QB C.J. Davis and the passing attack that they have developed over the course of 2009. He has 3 outstanding big-time receivers in 6’4” Neal Sterling, 6’3” Ryland McTighe, and 6’2” Ryan Casey. All 3 can go up and catch the ball and are dangerous from anywhere on the field. The ground game is led by Zack Ogden, James Stovall and lately, Dan Sullivan. Stovall has been nursing an injury and has not played the last 2 weeks and his return is key to the ground game. Remember, this is a group of runners, which wasn’t counted on at the beginning of the season. They had returning RB Lorenzo Venable (1500 yard and 17 TDs); set to lead the running attack, but Venable quit the team before game 1. When something like that occurs on a team, they can go one of two ways; pack in the season or move on. Well the answer was easy for the above group, as they have not skipped a beat on the ground, and have more than carried the load. Assit. Coach Rich Reed has coordinated the offense to the tune of 24 points per game, while the defense gives up 11pts./game. This is a game which is very close to call. This is the big stage and Manasquan has been here so many times, while Matawan makes infrequent trips to the finals. If Matawan, who at times makes mistakes, can limit those miscues, they will win it, because of their game breaking potential. Do not give Manasquan multiple chances to score, as they will take advantage and run from there. Who has the best defense? I think I’ll go with Matawan, in a very close ball game. We will broadcast this contest on Friday night at 7PM on the Shore Sports Network of 1160am or 1310am or ShoreSportsNetwork.com.
Saturday will have 3 games, all in Central Jersey:
CJ Group 4 has Brick Memorial(7-4) looking for back to back championships against a team in East Brunswick(7-4) that they have already beaten this year, back in week 8, by a 37-34 score. Throw that game out, because it doesn’t mean anything now. The “Mustangs” have found the magic to win in the playoffs this year, as they did last year. They have beaten an undefeated Hunterdon Central team in the first round(21-17), avenged an early season loss to Howell in the semi-finals(31-28) and are playing at a very high level at the right time of the year. Junior QB Mike DiGuilmi has replaced graduated Brian Staub, and has directed the flexbone attack without missing a beat. He is joined in the backfield by 1000yard RB Vinnie Sabba, and Glenn McGinnis. Offensive line coach Bob Merola must get some credit with the much improved line play which has opened the holes for this option attack. With a few underclassmen on that line, and DiGuilmi returning in 2010, it looks like the “Stangs” will continue to be a program that wins. The Mustangs will be looking for their 3rd championship in the last 7 years. The Bears from East Brunswick will provide a formable opponent, as the Marcus Borden led team will go to school after the week 8 loss. Look for a shootout here, with Brick Memorial winning and celebrating their 2nd consecutive championship. This game will also be broadcast from TCNJ on the shore sports network of stations,(1160am or 1310am) or ShoreSportsNetwork.com for fans outside listening area, at 3PM Saturday afternoon.
Middletown South(11-0) looks to win their 10th championship as the travel to TCNJ for an 11am game vs. a very good Monroe team. The story of this one is easy; the shore’s best defense against the offensive minded Monroe Falcons. The Falcons come in at 10-1, scoring 31 ½ points a game. Ironically, their only loss was in week 2 against the above East Brunswick team by a 23-21 score, so they are 2 points from being undefeated. This is a classic match-up of great defense vs. great offense, and you know what they say; offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships! That’s why the Eagles will win their 10th on the strength of a defense that has given up only 45 points on the year, that’s 4pts./game. LB Sean Campbell, DL Nick Bricker, and LB Matt Saulnier lead a suffocating “D” that does not allow you to breathe, let alone score. Although the defense gets the headlines, the offense has done enough to get the Eagles to the championship. Junior QB Scott Meeker has replaced graduated Ryan Mullan and led an offense that also has RB Kyle Bunge to hand the ball to. The loss of Junior playmaker Andrew Suarez to a knee injury early in the year, has allowed others to step up and carry the load. The Eagles score just under 30 pts/game, so they are capable on both sides of the ball. This is a 2 TD game and the Eagles will be celebrating as the Mustangs take the field for their game.
Asbury Park(10-1) looks to make it 3 in a row in CJ Group 1. Led by RB George Stephens, the Bishops will not have an easy time, as they play a pretty good Highland Park(8-3) team for the second time this year. This game will take place at Kean University at 11am on Saturday morning. The Bishops beat Highland Park 20-12, in week 8, as the Owls ran the ball for 274 yards, but game up short, and they must stop Division 1 RB, Nate Smith. This will not be an easy task for the Bishop defense as Smith is very dangerous anywhere on the field. One thing to look at in this contest is the 3 losses that the Owls have. One was to Asbury Park, one was to Keyport(7-3) and the 3rd was to Monmouth Reg.(4-6). All 3 losses have come against shore conf. teams. That doesn’t bode well for the Owls. Look for Asbury to turn up the “D” on Smith and although they may not contain him on every play, they will do enough to win their 3rd straight and we can start using the word ‘dynasty” when we talk about Asbury Park.
There you have a short capsule look at the 4 championship games. Good luck to all 5 teams as they carry the well wishes of all teams in the shore as they represent the best of 2009.
Odds and ends of Turkey Day weekend:
Wall, upsetting Manasquan, 31-28 before 6000 fans on a beautiful Thanksgiving morning. This is the best argument to continue Thanksgiving Day football. Wall finishes 8-2 and makes my top ten and is surely a team of the future.
Toms River East(10-1) beat Toms River North 14-7 on Friday night in front of a huge crowd at East. Nico Steriti finishes his career as the best player in the shore in 2009. A TD pass from Sr. Charlie Diskin to Junior Vinnie Arminio early in the 4th quarter, was the game winner. No State championship for East, but a great season, in which they tied a school record with 10 wins.
Lacey(8-3) playing Central for the last time on Turkey Day(29-13) completes a great year and returns Cicardo, Molzon and Dabel in 2010. Enough to make them a pre-season top ten team.
Howell(9-2) gets a sluggish 20-9 win over Free. Twp. and wins the American Division championship and completes the career of the shores best QB Jimmy Ryan and Rec. Nick Adamo. The championship was their 2nd in 3 years. This program is feared by all teams that have to play them with their wide open spread offense that averaged 28pts/game.
Point Pleasant Boro(5-5), as I predicted, recovered from a 0-4 start to finish .500 on the year. With many underclassmen back, look out for the Panthers in 2010.
Ocean(8-3) completed a very good season with a 34-14 win over Monmouth Reg. Coach Don Klein has a couple of fine RBs, one of which is Greg Moore to go into 2010 with.
Brick Memorial took care of cross-town rival Brick, 34-21 on Friday night as Vinnie Sabba ran for 205 yards and 3 TDs. This was memorable because it was the first Turkey Day when retired Warren Wolf was not on the sidelines.
Raritan(8-3) will graduate 2 of the best players in the shore in Rec./DB Bennett Jackson(Notre Dame) and RB Jessie Raymond(Monmouth University). They brought excitement to shore fans whenever they played.
Mon Don(6-4) completed their season with an unlikely 6-3 win over Manchester. Not unlikely because they won, but because there were only field goals in the game. This concludes the outstanding senior year of QB Kevin Carter who ran the Griffin flexbone offense to perfection.
Bottom line of 2009:
20 teams finished with winning records.
8 teams finished with .500 records.
15 teams under .500 for the year.
2 winless teams in 2009.
Here’s my Top Ten before the playoff finals:
1-Middletown South(11-0) Have answered all comers and look to complete undefeated season with 10th championship title.
2-Matawan(10-1) The year of the Huskie can be completed with a CJ Group 2 title if they defeat Manasquan on Friday night.
3-Toms River East(10-1) Accomplished all goals but the big one, but none the less, they had an incredible season.
4-Manasquan(9-2) Caught looking ahead on Turkey Day? Maybe so, but they lost to a good football team in Wall. Look to win trophy # 12 on Friday night vs. Matawan.
5-Howell(9-2) The Jimmy Ryan career is over and boy was it a good one! Lost to Sayreville and Brick Memorial.
6-Toms River North(8-2) 2 losses have been to 10-1 East and 10-1 Williamstown. Enough said, it was solid season, but disappointing for this perennial playoff contender.
7-Brick Memorial(7-4) Looking for back to back titles in CJ Group 4. The Mustangs seem to play well when it counts. They have won 4 in a row and averaged 31pts./game. The offense is rolling and the defense has played better of late. They will be a tough out in finals.
8-Asbury Park(10-1) Only loss was to Rumson by 26-18 score. Look for 3rd straight in CJ 1.
9-Lacey(8-3) Solid year and all the key players are back. Top Ten preseason team in 2010.
10-Wall(8-2) The best team in shore that did not make the playoffs. I promised Chris Barnes, in my post game interview, that they would find a spot in my top 10. Well here they are; with Soph. QB Steve Cluley calmly going 9-9 for 152 yards, they beat playoff finalist Manasquan 31-28 before 6000 fans on Thanksgiving morning. With many other underclassmen dotting the roster, watch out for the Knights in 2010.
Just outside looking in: Raritan(8-3) RBC(6-4) Ocean(8-3)Neptune(7-4) Long Branch(7-3) Rumson(9-2) Keyport(7-3)
Join us Thursday night at Boston’s in Toms River at 6pm as we will preview the 4 State games and talk high school football. For 2 hours. Also catch us on the radio or on line as we broadcast two championship games on Friday night(7pm) and Saturday afternoon(3pm). 1160am or 1310am on the radio or on line at shoresportsnetwork.com. will handle the games
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