Weekend of 10/22 & 10/23

Scanning the High School Football scene with Ed Sarluca:

The Shore Conference has 7 divisions and you play for a championship in each. This year the powers that be went back to the traditional A, B, C, divisions that had been changed a few years back after 9/11.

We have played 7 weeks of football and we now have begun to crown champions. This week, Brick Memorial(A-South) and Lacey(B-South), won out-right championships. Matawan(A-Central) and Manalapan(A-North) have clinched at least a tie, and just need to win their remaining game to win their divisions out-right. Manalapan need to beat a 2-4 Marlboro, and Matawan needs to defeat 3-3 St John Vianney. Both of those games will take place after 2 rounds of the State championship have been played. That's a story for another day, so don't get me started on that archaic scenario. Lets take a closer look at the 2 teams that have claimed their championships.



Lacey(7-0) and currently #2 in Shore) easily defeated winless Central 42-6. Playing without one of their key play-makers in Jarrod Malzon, who is nursing an ankle injury, the Lions used a blocked punt by Dave Vieira, which he himself returned for a 46 yd. TD, to take a 14-6 lead and they never looked back. Ironically, Molzon just last week, blocked a TR East field goal and returned it for a TD, in hard fought victory over the Raiders. QB Craig Cicardo leads the Lions offense along with RB Jake Dabal and Malzon, when he's healthy, and they were at the top of their game Friday night as Lacey took the title home. Cicardo threw for 3 TDs and Dabal ran for 2 scores to put the game away. Lacey leads this intense rivalry 22-7. Lacey now begins a 2 game regular season stretch which will test the Lions and their #2 ranking. They get Neptune and Middletown South before they start their South Jersey Group 3 title run. Only the first 8 games count toward playoff calculations, so the Mid South game will have no bearing on Lacey's playoff numbers.



The other big game was Brick Memorial's(6-1) exciting win over TR North(5-2) by a 14-10 final score. The Mustangs used a 5 yard TD run by QB Mike DiGuilmi with 4:19 left in regulation time, to take the 14-10 lead, and then hung on as the Mariners would not die. Demetri Davis, who was great all night, led North down the field and they had a chance to win it, but the Stang defense held on a 4th down pass attempt, to clinch the victory. The Memorial defense, co-ordinated by Pete Brennan, has been great all year; and Friday night, against a very good North offense, they played another great game. Led by nose guard Will Wowkanyn, who is a very real defensive player of the year candidate, DTs Russ Clayton and Rich Kuhn, a LB crew of Jarred Eccles, Vincenco Diodato, Matt Hoffman, and Logan Smith, secondary players like Shane Panuska, Ray Contrucci and Tom Tressito, and Mike Acquaviva, this is a defense which is one of the best at the shore. They are in the middle of a 4 game stretch that includes upcoming games against Manalapan and Howell. Last week they lost to Middletown South, 13-3. The Stangs are looking to get to their 3rd Central Jersey Group 4 Championship game final in a row. They have 2 CJ Group 4 championships, the last one in 2008.



Congrats to Coach Steve Sciarappa and his Mater Dei Prep team, who won their first game of the year, a 7-6 victory over Point Beach. It was their first win over a shore conference team in almost 4 years! An apparent tipped block of a Beach field goal attempt with 10 seconds left, preserved the win for the Seraphs.



Pinelands and Manchester were involved in a 2 overtime shootout on Friday night. Pinelands prevailed 41-40, as Manchester's Joe Johnson, was stopped on a 2-point attempt, on the 1 yard line in OT #2. This game featured two of the premier backs in the shore this year: Matt McLain of Pinelands and Joe Johnson of the Hawks. McLain, in the victory, ran for 236 yards and 2 TDs, while Johnson ran for 357 yards and 3 TDs. The two backs combined for 66 carries on the night. Pinelands WR Jacob Hartman caught 2 TD passes from QB Mike Keller, to help on offense. McLain now has a school single season record of 1533 yards, with at least 4 games still to play. Johnson, a junior, has 1091 yards on the year, as the Hawks and Pinelands both look to make a run in the playoffs.



Manalapan used RB Josh Firkser early and often in their 54-27 pasting of Howell. Firkser ran for 317 yards and 7 TDs(both school records), as the Braves clinched, at least a tie, for the A-North title. The Braves only have to defeat Marlboro on Turkey week to win it outright. The Braves rolled up 430 yards on offense, while holding Howell to (-36) yards rushing and limiting star QB Ryan Davies to 3 TD passes. Davies, now has 29 TD passes on the year as he looks to shatter all the passing records in the shore conference, for a single season. The Braves get a shot at the top team in A-South, as they travel to Brick Memorial on Friday night.



Wall(4-2), made it 4 in a row as they shut down Mon Don 33-6. Wall was efficient on the ground, with 276 yards, and controlled this one from start to finish. The Knights are on a collision course, with Manasquan, on Turkey Day,for the C-Central title.



Speaking of Manasquan, RB Tariq Turner, returned from an ankle injury, and ran for 290 yards and scored TDs on runs of 72, 65, and 83 yds. That gives Turner 1035 yards on the year to go with his 12 TDs. Manasquan(5-1) plays at Holmdel and home against winless Lakewood, before the playoff cutoff date. Looks like another run at a title for the Big Blue Warriors.



Rumson(5-2) is playing very well now, and won 21-20 vs. Raritan this past weekend. The Bulldogs had to rally with 2 second half TDs to win this one, and make it 3 wins in a row. QB Mike Villapiano, who had 3 turnovers in the first half, played much better in half number 2 and led them to the victory. RB Conner Riley had the game winner(26 yds.), at the 3:41 mark of the 4th quarter, and kicker Ben Albainy's extra point gave them the win. Bye week for the Bulldogs, and then a big non-conference match-up with Asbury Park, on playoff cutoff week.



Bad loss for Keyport(5-2) against Carteret--31-28. The Red Raiders were in good shape in CJ Group 1, now with the loss, they must sweat it out. They have a bye week and then face a 3-4 Highland Park team that Shore Reg. beat, 42-25, this past week. 6-2 will give them a shot in the playoffs.



With Mater Dei winning, the winless teams has shrunk to 4. Lakewood, Keansburg, Central and TR South have yet to taste victory in 2010. Central plays at Lakewood this week, so that number gets reduced by 1 this week.



Top Ten-week 8:



1-Matawan(7-0)- Clinched A-Central title with their 49-14 win over Holmdel.



2-Lacey(7-0)-Won B-South title with their 42-6 beating of Central.



3-Manalapan(5-1)-Clinched a tie in A-North, with their 54-27 victory over Howell. Play at Brick Memorial Friday night.



4-Middletown South(5-1)-Was idle this week, return with non-conference game against Brick, and then in 2 weeks, play Lacey, in a huge non-conference game.



5-Brick Memorial(6-1)-Won A-South title with a hard fought 14-10 victory over rival TR North. Homecoming night Friday night as they host Manalapan.



6- Freehold Boro(4-2)-A deserving bye week for Freehold as they come back with Colts Neck this week.



7-RBC(5-1)-A little more convincing win vs. Monmouth(48-6). Was this was the real Casey team?



8-Manasquan(5-1)- I am a believer of the Warriors and Tariq Turner. At Holmdel this week.



9-Neptune(4-2)-Nice win vs. Ocean by a 33-21 score. Charlie Davis continues to lead the Fliers.



10-TR North(5-2)- I know Howell beat North on opening night, but the Mariners get my #10 spot over the Rebels, because I think they are playing much better at this point of the season.



Just missed Top Ten:



Shore( 5-1) Continue, what could be, an outstanding season.

Howell(4-3) Still a dangerous team.

Wall(4-2) Have won 4 in a row, and are rolling.

Rumson(5-2) Have won 3 in a row.

Barnegat(4-2) Have righted the cage after facing Matawan and Lacey in back to back weeks.

Pinelands(4-2) Huge win vs. Manchester in double OT. RB Matt McLain is one of top stories of year.