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September 21 Issue-13
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September 21, 2009 I Issue-1 3
Manley's SoccerSidelineP a g e 4
Running Smoothly:B r i c k M e m o r i a l ' s
M i k e D i G u i l m i
P a g e 7
Another Dimension:Ocean's Brandon
Robinson
P a g e 8
Stuck in a Rutter:Lacey's Soccer Star
Returns
P a g e 9
Girls Tennis:Holmdel's Wojciak
Trains Overseas
P a g e 1 0
Joe McAuliffe:Use It Or Loss It
P a g e 1 2
Stumpy’s CornerP a g e 1 5
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September 21, 2009 I Issue-13
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I’ve never really decided what I think about
playing a brutal division schedule. There is the
school of thought that says competition breeds
excellence, which I think is the camp most people
subscribe to. When you
talk to any A North
coach, he usually thinks
his team is well-
prepared for anything
they see in the state or
Shore Conference
Tournament. Manalapan
and CBA have proved
that in the last few years
with each making runs
to their respective
Group finals two years
ago.
Then there’s the
other side of the
coin, which I’m
starting to worry
is taking effect
with some of the
teams in the
Shore
Conference. Last
year, A North
and the Shore
Conference
Tournament was
a borderline
bloodbath, and
you basically had the Group IV schools run out of gas
in the playoffs: Freehold Township lost to Howell,
Howell lost to Steinert, Manalapan lost to Marlboro,
Marlboro lost to Brick
Memorial. Howell, Freehold
Township, and Marlboro all
made deep SCT runs, exerted
themselves for 14 A North
games and just didn’t have much
left in the state tournament. You
might rather be Brick Memorial,
a talented team who plays a
little bit lighter division
schedule but still got a dose of
premium talent like Toms River
East and Freehold Township
during the season. Sometimes a
taste of competition is better
than a steady diet.
Which brings me to my first
two subjects: Toms River North and Raritan. Let’s
start with Raritan, because the Rockets recently held
off St. John Vianney in a 1-0 win. As good as I
thought they were heading into last year, the response
from opposing coaches and objective onlookers last
year paled in comparison to the reviews they are
getting this year. Simply put, people are impressed.
The Christian Brothers
Academy crowd might not be
blown away, but that team is
a different animal
altogether. I had one
A Central coach tell
me that Raritan is
going to run away
with the division,
which is very tough
this year, and
everyone else would
beat the daylights
out of one other.
The question is,
how much does A
Central challenge
Raritan and do they
get to see a big school in the SCT? Personally, I
think A Central might take a little more out of them
than it would in most years. A lot of people are
crowning them already, but let’s not forget that
Raritan started last year on a tear as well before
enduring an injury to goalkeeper Dave Gonzalez and
hitting the wall a bit. I’m sure head
coach Ron Poll is telling his team
the same thing, and in a division
with five other quality teams, the
Rockets don’t get a night off to
recuperate. I’m interested to see if
that takes anything out of them. If
not, and they’re able to use a deep
rotation and
breeze through a
tough division,
well then maybe
they are that
good.
Toms River
North looks like a
team that can do a
ton of damage in
the state
tournament for a
lot of reasons.
First of all, and
with all due
respect to the
other teams in A
North, they are going to be able to win
games without playing their best
against certain teams because they are
so talented.
Secondly, they have a
good sampling of tough
games mixed in. They
play Toms River South
twice, as well as solid
Group III schools
Lacey and Brick,
along with squads
like Toms River
East and Jackson,
who are always
tough. As long as
they can make a
run through the
SCT to the point
where they get to
test themselves
against a team like
Marlboro or even Raritan, they’ll have a great frame
of reference for what it takes to beat a hig- caliber
opponent. If they get to see CBA, it likely means they
made it to the SCT final, because it would be hard to
envision a scenario in which either did not win its
respective division.
F O R A D V E R T I S I N G I N F O R M A T I O NC o n t a c t : S t e v e n M e y e r 7 3 2 - 2 3 3 - 4 4 6 0 s m e y e r @ a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m
M a t t M a n l e y c o v e r e d b o y s s o c c e r f o r t h r e e y e a r s a t t h e A s b u r y P a r k P r e s s a n d n o w j o i n s A l lS h o r e M e d i a t o f u r t h e r e x p a n d s o c c e r c o v e r a g e i n t h e S h o r e C o n f e r e n c e . H i s c o v e r a g e i n t h e p a p e r
a n d o n t h e a p p . c o m w e b s i t e e a r n e d h i m t h e M e d i a M e m b e r o f t h e Ye a r f r o m t h e N e w J e r s e yS o c c e r C o a c h e s A s s o c i a t i o n i n 2 0 0 7 . T h e n e w b o y s s o c c e r p a g e a t A l l S h o r e M e d i a . c o m w i l l
f e a t u r e a r t i c l e s , p h o t o s a n d h i g h l i g h t s , w i t h s u c h e x t r a s a s b o n u s v i d e o h i g h l i g h t s ,n o t e b o o k s , e x p a n d e d To p 2 0 l i s t s a n d p o d c a s t s . G o t o A l l S h o r e M e d i a . c o m t o s e e t h e
n e w s o c c e r p a g e , w a t c h v i d e o , a n d j o i n t h e d i s c u s s i o n o n M a t t ' s b l o g .I t ' s a m u s t s e e f o r a n y h i g h s c h o o l s o c c e r p l a y e r, c o a c h a n d f a n .
A l l S h o r e M e d i a S p o r t s R e v i e w w w w . a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m I s s u e - 1 3 1 0 / 2 1 / 0 9 P a g e 5
A l l S h o r e M e d i a S p o r t s R e v i e w w w w . a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m I s s u e - 1 3 1 0 / 2 1 / 0 9 P a g e 6
A l l S h o r e M e d i a S p o r t s R e v i e w w w w . a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m I s s u e - 1 3 1 0 / 2 1 / 0 9 P a g e 7
Brian Staub may have become a household name
by the time his brilliant career ended at Brick
Memorial with a state title last year, but only a season
earlier he was an anonymous junior trying to pick up
the nuances of the Mustangs’ triple option offense
under head coach Walt Currie.
That’s how quickly stardom can happen in Currie’s
system, and the next one in line is current junior Mike
DiGuilmi. Just like Staub in 2007, DiGuilmi entered
this season as a complete unknown. The difference is
that DiGuilmi is facing the challenge of replacing a
quarterback who was named the Most Valuable Player
in the Shore Conference last year by All Shore Media
after leading the Mustangs to the NJSIAA Central
Jersey Group IV t i t le .
“I didn’t real ly feel pressure atal l because coach Currie said,‘We’re not asking you to be Staub,we’re asking you to be yourself ,’’Diguilmi said.
Regardless,
DiGuilmi has
done his best Staub
impression in the
early going, as he had
over 100 yards rushing
and 100 yards passing in
his varsity debut, a 29-26 loss to Sayreville, and then
followed that with 100 yards and two touchdowns on
the ground on just nine carries in a 38-21 win over
Southern. So much for worrying about what the
Mustangs would get out of the quarterback position
this year.
“Coach just told me to be the point guard of the
offense, make my reads and get the ball to the right
people at the right time, and we’ll be fine,’’ DiGuilmi
said. “I worked out with Staub all of last year, and he
was a good mentor for me.’’
DiGuilmi still keeps in touch with Staub, who has
seen playing time as a freshman at Springfield
College. DiGuilmi has also worked closely with new
Brick Memorial assistant Rob Orrok, who was a star in
Currie’s system when Currie was the offensive
coordinator at Point Boro before coming to Brick
Memorial in 2007.
“(Orrok) has helped me out a lot,’’ DiGuilmi said.
“He teaches me one-on-one, and I think it's made me a
lot better. He goes over my reads step by step, and
shows me how to make the tough reads and get used to
every kind of defense.’’
While Staub carried much of the load last season,
two things make the Mustangs even more difficult to
attack defensively this year. The first is that the
backfield is deep and experienced with the trio of
seniors Vinnie Sabba, Jared Aksdal and Glenn
McGinnis. The second reason is that DiGuilmi is a
solid passer for a running quarterback, so teams
have to respect his ability to step back and
throw the ball.
“Having those guys back there makes
things a lot easier, and our line is great,’’
DiGuilmi said. “(Passing) is an area that I
have worked on a lot, and we have good
receivers, so we want to get them the ball.
We don’t pass much, but we want to keep
the defense on its toes.’’
Despite the season-opening loss to
Sayreville, which is the team that Brick
Memorial beat to win its state sectional title
last year, the American Division title and a
second straight state title are still in play for
the Mustangs. Despite the loss of Staub and
Monmouth University lineman Anthony
D’Elia, the Mustangs don’t plan any taking any type of
step back in search of their third state title in school
history.
“ I t ’s n o t s o m u c h p r e s s u r ef r o m t h e o u t s i d e , i t ’s m o r ef r o m o u r s e l v e s , ’’ D i G u i l m is a i d . “ We h a v e a s h o t t o w i na n o t h e r s t a t e c h a m p i o n s h i p ,a n d w e w a n t t o g e t i t d o n e . ’’
Now they have a quarterback who has excelled in his
first varsity action, quickly acclimating himself to the
difference between practicing the triple option and
executing it against a live defense. He is already picking
up the different stunts of opposing defenses, who lately
have been sending the middle linebacker to try and grab
the pitch when DiGuilmi looks to pop it outside to
McGinnis or one of the other backs.
“I think my biggest challenge was reading the defense as
fast as possible and knowing where your keys are,’’ he said.
“In time, the steps have gotten easy,
and our line is doing a good job of
picking up a lot of the stunts from
the defense.’’
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ast season, Ocean had enough of the necessary
ingredients to be one step from playing a
state championship game.
This year the Spartans may have found the missing
piece that can allow them to take that final step in the
race to unseat Freehold as the NJSIAA Central Jersey
Group III champion. With a rugged defense and a
physical running game, the one element missing from
their offense last year was an explosive player who
would make defenses pay for missing a tackle or
taking a bad angle by hitting them for an 80-yard
touchdown.
Enter much-improved seniorBrandon Robinson.
A three-year starter in the secondary on defense,
Robinson has emerged in the early going of the 2009
season as an all-purpose offensive threat with the
speed to take it the distance on any play. He came up
in the Pop Warner system as a running back and a
quarterback, switched to wide receiver during high
school, and is now playing wideout and some
running back in order to take advantage of his
play-making ability. He has gone from a bit
player offensively to the one player on the
Spartans who worries opponents the most.
“ I t h i n k I e n j o yp l a y i n g r e c e i v e r m o r e ,d e p e n d i n g o n h o w t h eg a m e i s g o i n g , ’’R o b i n s o n s a i d . “ I td o e s n ’ t m a t t e r t o m ew h e r e I h a v e t o p l a y t oh e l p t h e t e a m w i n . ’’
The Spartans are off to a 2-0 start
with solid victories over fellow Central
Jersey Group III contenders Neptune and
Brick, and Robinson flashed his ability to
alter the course of the game with one play
in a 17-7 win over the Green Dragons. He
ripped off touchdown runs of 80 and 58 yards
and also had an interception to fuel the victory,
energizing the Spartans with every touch of the ball.
“I had a feeling coach (Don Klein) was going to
call my number a lot,’’ Robinson said. “I made a
couple big plays and it changed the game.’’
Getting Robinson the ball more was a point of
emphasis for the Spartans
heading into this year, and
Robinson’s work on his speed
and his participation in
Klein’s rigorous offseason
strength and conditioning
program have turned him into
that missing element of
Ocean’s offense that forces
defenses to respect the
Spartans’ ability to make
plays deep down the field.
Wherever Robinson lines
up, he has to be accounted
for. He could take a handoff
and hurt teams or snatch a
pass from senior quarterback
Christian Bailoni and race
down the field. He also has
only scratched the surface of
what he can do.
“Learning receiver was
tough to get all the routes
down because
you have to be right on point,’’ he
said. “I still need to improve on
running routes, but I’m confident
with my hands.’’
It also helps that he
is comfortable
with Bailoni
entrenched as
the full-time
starter,
as last
year
Bailoni
often rotated
with the now-
graduated Rhett
Cowley at
quarterback.
“Chris and I have been
working together for the last
three years and he’s
comfortable with me,’’ Robinson
said. “I think he’s one of the best
quarterbacks in the Shore.’’
Robinson has received
interest from Monmouth
University and Stony
Brook, two programs that
feature several former
Ocean stars, although what
position he will play at the
collegiate level is still up in
the air. He also is adjusting
to being circled on
opposing scouting reports
when it comes to slowing
down the Spartans’ offense,
which only averaged 15
points per game in the first
two games.
“I'm just going to keep
doing what I'm doing and
watch as much film as
possible to find the
weaknesses in opposing
defenses,’’ he said. “We
need to improve on the
mistakes that we're making right now like penalties
and missed assignments. I don’t think our offense is
completely clicking yet, so we have some work left to
do.’’
With sophomore Greg Moore and bruising runner
R.J. D’Apolito also back there, the offense has
potential to have great balance with Robinson as a
home run threat. Add that to a physical defense led by
George Sofield up front, D’Apolito at linebacker and
Robinson in the secondary, and the foundation is there
to make a run at Ocean’s first state sectional title since
2005 and a Liberty Division title.
“I don’t think anyone is going to score more than
13 points on our defense, so if our offense can get to
20 points a game, we’re going to be very hard to
beat,’’ Robinson said.
Ocean displayed the versatility of its
offense in the first two weeks, leaning on
Neptune in a 14-6 win in the rain and then
hitting Brick with the big play in Week
Two.
“In a game like Neptune, we weren’t really
going to break a lot against them because they’re fast
and it was a rainy day, so we just pounded the ball,’’
Robinson said. “Against Brick, they weren’t as fast, so
we were able to break the big play a couple times.’’
As for the collegiate level, Robinson said he would
like to play cornerback, but the prospect of being a
game-breaking receiver is tantalizing. That’s a thought
that should be keep opposing defensive coordinators
up at night.
“ I f e e l t h a t o n c e I g e tt h e h a n g o f p l a y i n gr e c e i v e r, t h a t w i t h m y h a n d sI ’ l l b e o n e o f t h e b e s tr e c e i v e r s a r o u n d , ’’ h e s a i d .
A n o t h e r D i m e n s i o nBy Scott Stump – Managing Editor
P h o t o s b y :B i l l N o r m i l ewww.billnormile.zenfolio.com/oceanbric
D a v e T h o r n ewww./allshoremedia.mycapture.com
LL
A l l S h o r e M e d i a S p o r t s R e v i e w w w w . a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m I s s u e - 1 3 1 0 / 2 1 / 0 9 P a g e 9
ast Thursday night, in his team’s 3-0 winover Brick Memorial, Lacey senior
midfielder Craig Rutter fell to the groundmidway through the second half of a game that waswell in hand.
The trainer immediately rolled out the golf cartto middle of the field where Rutter laid in obviousdiscomfort. As he grabbed his leg, the entire Laceybench exchanged audible expressions of concernwith one another, some to the effect of, “Oh no,”and “Not Craig,” and even, “You’ve got to bekidding me. Again?”
Lacey coach Joe Humenik stood on the sidelinewith his hands folded while his team on the fieldtended to Rutter. He did not want to have to jog outto his fallen player, fearing it might mean theworst.
Then, a little more than a minute after Rutterwent down, one of his teammates screamed aprognosis from the huddle that settled the Laceydown and got the Lions back to thinking abouthaving their best season in program history, ratherthan pondering what could have been.
“He’s okay. It’s just a cramp,” the voice saidfrom inside the huddle.
With that, the Lacey bench went from on edge toback on cloud nine. The quick quips of concernturned into those of relief. “Thank God. We wouldhave been screwed,” was the most notable quotefrom the bench.
Lacey is all too familiar with life withoutRutter, the team’s center midfielder, leader and bestplayer. He was a varsity starter as a freshman in2006, the same year Humenik took over theprogram as head coach. In Rutter, Humenik saw apotential building block for not just his senior yearin 2009, but for the next three years. Lacey, aGroup III school, was trying to establish itself as aperennial winning program in a Class A Southdivision packed with Group IV schools, and playerslike Rutter would be central to that goal.
As a sophomore in 2007, Rutter ’s season was
cut short before it even got going. He tore theanterior crutiate ligament (ACL) in his left kneeearly in the schedule and could not play socceruntil the next high school season.
“ H e p l a y e d f o r m e a s af r e s h m a n a n d w e t h o u g h t h e w a sg o i n g t o b e s t a r t i n g a l l f o u ry e a r s , ” said Humenik, whose first year as head
coach coincided with Rutter ’s freshman year.
“ U n f o r t u n a t e l y , t h e i n j u r y w i p e do u t h i s s o p h o m o r e s e a s o n a n d h ep l a y e d i n p a i n f o r a l o t o f l a s ty e a r. H e ’s w o r k e d h a r d t o g e tb a c k a n d w e ’ r e l o o k i n g f o r h i mt o b e o n e o f o u r l e a d e r s . ”
Rutter returned in 2008 to a Lacey team that hadaspirations of surprising a talented Class A Southfield that would end up featuring a ShoreConference Tournament and NJSIAA South JerseyGroup IV semifinalist in Toms RiverEast, a Central Jersey Group IVsemifinalist in Brick Memorial,a senior-loaded Brick team, androsters from Toms River Northand Toms River South that wereloaded with talented juniors.Humenik thought his groupwas on its way to joiningthat class of teams, but onegame into the season,Rutter again went down,this time with tornligaments and tendons in hisright ankle. Rutter played in pain forthree games, then sat out four whenthe pain became too much.
Fortunately for Rutter – and Lacey –he eventually made it back and had astrong individual season, posting ninegoals and four assists in 13 games. Moreimportantly, he helped Lacey run off astring of four wins in five games to getto a record of 8-8 at the NJSIAATournament cutoff date.Rutter ’s seminalmoment, as wellas Lacey’s, cameduring a 4-3,overtime win over Brickon Oct. 16. Rutter took a pass fromteammate Steve Torre and knocked theball into the net with just 1:48 left inthe second overtime period. HadRutter not finished, Lacey wouldlikely have had to settle for a tie orworse.
Teamed with a senior, All-Division midfielder in SteveTorre, Lacey was a tough drawfor any team down the stretchand as the No. 13 seed in the statetournament, the Lions drew No. 4Hammonton in the first round. Laceyoutshot Hammonton in the game, butfell 1-0. Still, the Lions, packed withreturning talent in 2009, were encouragedby their showing and Rutter was excited atthe prospect of a healthy senior season,
even if he had to say goodbye to Torre, hislongtime friend and teammate.
“Steve and I have been playing togetherforever,” Rutter said. “I always played up an age-group in club ball, so we were always teammates.We had a great chemistry in the midfield while weplayed in high school. He’s a great player and I’mgonna miss him this year.”
Lacey had the kind of senior nucleus returningin 2009 that practically guaranteed a great season,one that could end deep in the South Jersey GroupIII playoffs and perhaps even the Shore ConferenceTournament. But once again, Rutter and the Lionswere reminded that there were no guarantees whenthe senior captain had to go under the knife againthis past March, this time for a torn meniscus in thesame left knee.
“The meniscus surgery wasn’t a big deal,”Rutter said. “I was out for a little while but it’s notsomething that bothers you that long.
“With the ACL, it takes about a year to get backto full strength, especially playing the position Iplay in the center mid. It’s a demanding position.You have to be able to change direction a lot andreact with your legs, so it takes longer to fullyrecover from the injury to play center mid than itdoes to play other positions and other sports.”
Now that Rutter has been through threemajor injuries to both of his legs, he has
developed a sense of humor about hissituation that reflects a sense ofperspective he has gained from theexperience.
“I’ve had threesurgeries on my legsbefore my 18th birthday,”Rutter joked. “I’ l lprobably have arthri t isin both knees by thet ime I’m 25.”
For now though, Rutter is healthyand enjoying a great start to his seniorseason, and as a result, so are the Lions.Lacey is off to a 3-0-1 start, its bestfour-game start since joining the ShoreConference Class A South in 2006.With a healthy, experienced nucleus,
Lacey is prepared to challenge for thedivision title.
“It’s huge having Craig back,” juniordefender Max Dolphin said. “He’s a great
player and a great teammate. If he’s healthy, he’sone of the best players in Shore Conference. Wehave a great team a r o u n d h i m , b u t h e ’s o u rg o - t o g u y. ”
LL
S t u c k i n a R u t t e r :L a c e y ’ s S t a r R e t u r n s B y M a t t M a n l e y – S t a f f W r i t e r
P h o t o s b y
M a t t M a n l e y
F O R A D V E R T I S I N G I N F O R M A T I O NC o n t a c t : S t e v e n M e y e r 7 3 2 - 2 3 3 - 4 4 6 0 s m e y e r @ a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m
A l l S h o r e M e d i a S p o r t s R e v i e w w w w . a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m I s s u e - 1 3 1 0 / 2 1 / 0 9 P a g e 1 0
Off-season t ra ining for tennis is usual ly done
on a tennis court , but for Holmdel s tar Karol ina
Wojciak, most of her t ra ining
was done on grass or a
running t rack and not even in
the United States . Karol ina
traveled to Poland over the
summer, where she spent s ix
weeks t ra ining on her tennis
game via through f i tness .
Karol ina, one of the top
tennis players in the Shore
Conference as a f reshman, led
Holmdel to the Shore and
Monmouth County
Tournament t i t les but had a
dismal season las t year as a
sophomore. After achieving
firs t - team All-Shore as a
freshman, Karol ina had a
break even season as a
sophomore and Holmdel lost
the Shore Conference t i t le as
a team for the f i rs t t ime in
years . That was when
Karol ina vowed to renew her tennis spir i t and her
game.
Karol ina real ized that for her to regain the
form she had as a f reshman she would have to
improve her mental toughness on the court .
Mental toughness on the court involves a s t rong
bel ief in yourself , that with maximum effor t
posi t ive things wil l happen for you and most
important ly, having fun doing what you are
doing.
To achieve the above, Karol ina
real ized she needed a break from hi t t ing
bal ls and most important ly f igured out that for
her to have fun and put the maximum effor t in
while on the court , she would need to improve
her f i tness t ra ining.
While in Poland,
Karol ina hardly hi t a
tennis bal l but spent
numerous hours
improving her f i tness .
She concentrated her
t ra ining on improving
court coverage in the
area of foot speed while
moving to the bal l . She
also worked on being
able to set up, t ransfer
her weight and balance
once she has hi t the
bal l .
The off- the-court
t ra ining has Karol ina
exhibi t ing a much-
improved posi t ive
at t i tude that includes
strong, confident body
language on the court ,
bel ieving in herself and, most important ly,
having fun playing tennis again. All of the above
led to Karol ina developing her confidence in a
s t ronger serve and being able to move and set up
to hi t her s t rength, which is a forehand from
almost anywhere on the court .
Ear ly in the season Karol ina’s s t ra tegy
appears to be paying off as both Holmdel and her
individual record s i t a t 4-1. Karol ina has
defeated one of the Shore’s top players in
Manasquan’s Farah Smoke and the team’s only
loss came from the rackets of the Shore’s top-
ranked team, Red Bank Cathol ic , as Karol ina lost
to another one of the Shore’s top players , Dena
Tanenbaum.
Karol ina has f igured out what most a thletes
never do - that the harder you work, the mental ly
tougher you become, and the more success you
have.
H o w T o H i t T h e M o d e r nS e m i - O p e n O r O p e nS t a n c e F o r e h a n d
In hitting the semi-open, or open stance, forehand
there are notable differences and below I list the key
to developing both while including their strengths.
Open Stance Forehand■ To s t a r t y o u n e e d a w i d e b a s e w i t h y o u r
f e e t , t h u s a l l o w i n g t h e g r o u n d r e a c t i o n
a n d p u s h i n g o f y o u r f e e t t o c r e a t e
r o t a t i o n a l t o r q u e s t h a t c o n t r i b u t e t o
y o u r a n g u l a r m o m e n t u m .
■ To e f f e c t i v e l y g e n e r a t e p o w e r y o u
p r i m a r i l y u s e a n g u l a r m o m e n t u m ( b o d y
m u s t r o t a t e a r o u n d i t s v e r t i c a l a x i s ) .
■ T h e o p e n s t a n c e a l l o w s y o u t o h a n d l e
a n d e f f e c t i v e l y h i t h a r d - p a c e d s h o t s .
■ U s e t h i s t y p e o f f o o t w o r k w h e n
r e t u r n i n g s e r v e o r f o r c e d w i d e a t t h e
b a s e l i n e .
■ O p e n s t a n c e a l s o a l l o w s f o r a f a s t e r
r e c o v e r y a f t e r y o u h a v e h i t y o u r s h o t .
Semi-Open Stance Forehand■ Yo u r b a s e h e r e w i l l b e n a r r o w e r a n d
y o u r w e i g h t s h i f t s l i g h t l y f o r w a r d
d u r i n g t h e s h o t .
■ Yo u w i l l n o t o n l y u s e a n g u l a r
m o m e n t u m h e r e , y o u w i l l a l s o n e e d t o
u s e l i n e a r ( f o r w a r d a n d u p w a r d m o t i o n )
m o m e n t u m w h e n h i t t i n g t h e b a l l a n d
s h i f t i n g y o u r w e i g h t .
■ T h e s e m i - o p e n s t a n c e a l l o w s m o r e
v e r s a t i l i t y i n y o u r s h o t - m a k i n g a n d a l s o
a l l o w s y o u t o h a n d l e a n d e f f e c t i v e l y h i t
h a r d - p a c e d s h o t s .
■ Yo u c a n u s e t h e s e m i - o p e n s t a n c e w h e n
h i t t i n g n e u t r a l , o f f e n s i v e l y o r o n
d e f e n s e .
■ S e m i - o p e n a l s o a l l o w s f o r a f a s t e r
r e c o v e r y a f t e r y o u h a v e h i t y o u r s h o t .
Off-Season Tennis Training:W i t h H o l m d e l S t a r K a r o l i n a W o j c i a k B y C l a y t o n Ta y l o r, D i r e c t o r o f Te n n i s a t T h e A t l a n t i c C l u b
F O R A D V E R T I S I N G I N F O R M A T I O NC o n t a c t : S t e v e n M e y e r 7 3 2 - 2 3 3 - 4 4 6 0 s m e y e r @ a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m
ELITESP O R T S PH Y S I C A L TH E R A P Y
Provides one-on-one aggress ive but sa ferehabi l i tat ion, enabl ing today 's ath letes to return tocompet i t ion quicker and hea l th ier then ever before.
El i te Sports Phys ica l Therapy i s convenient ly housedwithin the EDGE Sports Academey and Health Club.This partnershipmakes her practice truly unique and allows her to specialize in therehabilitation of ELITE athletes.
732-544-0011 sharonwentworth@optonl ine.net
7 4 9 H o p e R o a d , S u i t e B • E a t o n t o w n , N J 0 7 7 2 4Sharon Wentworth,D.P.T., M.S.P.T., A.T.C.
ACLInjury
PreventionTraining
ACLInjury
PreventionTraining
A l l S h o r e M e d i a S p o r t s R e v i e w w w w . a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m I s s u e - 1 3 1 0 / 2 1 / 0 9 P a g e 1 1
Eve ry
fa l l , s t uden t s
t h ro u g hou t t he Sho re
a r ea r e tu rn t o s choo l and
l eave t h e su n , s an d , an d b e a c h beh ind un t i l t h e
fo l l owi n g su mmer. Wh en t h e y r e tu rn t o s choo l
t hey w i l l sh a rp en t h e i r a c a d e mic sk i l l s i n
p repa ra t i o n fo r t h e fu t u r e t h a t l i e s ahead .
O n c e a g a i n t h i s f a l l , “ C o l l e g e N i g h t a t
t h e J e r s e y S h o r e ” w i l l t a k e p l a c e t o h e l p
m a n y S h o r e - a r e a s t u d e n t s w i t h t h e i r f u t u r e
p l a n s . C o l l e g e N i g h t a t t h e J e r s e y S h o r e ,
w h i c h w i l l t a k e p l a c e a t t h e P o l a n d S p r i n g s
A r e n a a t t h e R i t a c c o C e n t e r i n To m s R i v e r o n
S e p t . 2 4 f r o m 6 - 9 p . m . , b r i n g s i n r o u g h l y
11 5 c o l l e g e s f r o m t h e E a s t C o a s t r e g i o n a n d
p r o v i d e s t h e o p p o r t u n i t y f o r m a n y s t u d e n t s
t o h e l p m a k e s m a r t c h o i c e s w i t h t h e c o l l e g e
a d m i s s i o n s p r o c e s s .
Th i s ev en i n g b eg an a t Oc ean Coun ty
Co l l ege o v e r 2 0 y ea r s ago w i th t he Ocean
Coun ty P ro fe s s i o n a l Gu i d a n c e Assoc i a t i on
(OCPGA ) . To d ay t h e OC P GA runs “Co l l ege
Nigh t ” a t t h e R i t a cco Cen t e r w i th a commi t t ed
t eam o f co u n se l o r s f r o m th e Sho re a r ea and
schoo l counse lo r s D onna K uch f r om Br i ck
Townsh ip H igh Schoo l and Wa t son P. H e i l a l a
f rom Lacey Tow nsh ip H igh Schoo l .
K u c h h a s b e e n a p a r t o f t h i s e v e n i n g
s i n c e 1 9 9 5 a n d h a s s e e n t h i s e v e n t e v o l v e a n d
a d a p t w i t h t h e g r o w t h o f t h e c o u n t y.
H o w e v e r , w h e n a s k e d a b o u t t h e g o a l o f t h e
e v e n i n g , D o n n a K u c h s a i d , “ T h e m i s s i o n
b e h i n d t h i s e v e n t
h a s n ’ t c h a n g e d
a n d i t p r o v i d e s a
f o r u m f o r
s t u d e n t s t o g a t h e r
i n f o r m a t i o n i n
o r d e r t o m a k e
b e t t e r c h o i c e s
t h r o u g h o u t t h e
c o l l e g e
a d m i s s i o n s
p r o c e s s . I n t h i s
e c o n o m i c
e n v i r o n m e n t ,
t h e r e i s e v e n m o r e s t r e s s p l a c e d o n f a m i l i e s
t o m a k e t h e r i g h t c h o i c e s . ”
In add i t i on t o t he co l l ege f a i r, t h e O CPG A
is a l so p rov id ing s emina r s i n t he Toms R ive r
High Schoo l N or th aud i t o r i um f r om 6 - 7 :15
p .m . on Sep t . 24 abou t co l l ege admis s ions
t r ends , f i nanc i a l s emina r s , and s t anda r d i zed
t e s t i n fo rm a t ion f r om the P r ince ton Rev i ew.
T he f i r s t 500 peop l e i n a t t endanc e w i l l a l so
r ece ive a f r e e env i r onmen ta l - f r i e nd ly shopp ing
bag . K uch s a id , “T he O CPG A i s he r e t o he lp
f ami l i e s s i f t t h r ough t h i s i n f o r m a t i on . ’’
H e i l a l a , w ho w i l l t a l k abou t c o l l ege
admis s ions t r ends , sugges t s “ f am i l i e s shou ld
c r ea t e a budge t f i r s t t hen f i nd t he be s t
educa t i on t ha t f i t s w i th in t ha t b udge t . ” He
a l so t e l l s s t uden t s t o
“no t f a l l i n l ove w i th
one s c hoo l . The re
a r e m a ny s choo l s ou t
t he r e . J u s t t a l k t o
you r s c hoo l
couns e l o r. ”
K uc h added t ha t
“ the r e i s a l o t o f
w or k i nvo lved i n t h i s
even t . Howeve r,
t he r e a r e many
ded i c a t e d , ha rd -
w or k i ng peop l e who
go above and beyond w ha t i s a s ke d o f t hem in
the s choo l s e t t i ng i n o r de r t o be t t e r he lp t he
s tuden t s i n t he Sho r e commun i t y. ”
So encou r age you r s t uden t t o s hake t he
sand f r om the i r shoes and come ou t t o “Co l l ege
N igh t a t t he J e r s ey Sho r e” i n t he R i t a cco
Cen te r on Sep t . 24 .
C o l l e g e N i g h t A t T h e J e r s e y S h o r eB y W a t s o n H e i l a l a – A l l S h o r e M e d i a C o n t r i b u t o r
A l l S h o r e M e d i a S p o r t s R e v i e w w w w . a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m I s s u e - 1 3 1 0 / 2 1 / 0 9 P a g e 1 2
Th i s i s t he t ime o f yea r
ev e ry fo o tba l l p l aye r works
fo r. Tw o -a -days a r e ove r and
the dog d ay s o f t h e J e r s e y S h o re summer
wea the r a r e h o p e fu l l y b e h in d u s . Now i t t ime
to buck l e u p t h e ch i n s t r a p s a nd p l ay some
ba l l .
Th i s i s a t i me w h en y o u s p end l o t s o f ene rgy
and men t a l f o cu s o n fo o tb a l l , whe the r i t ’s
p r ac t i c e , w a t ch i n g f i l m , o r g ame p r epa ra t i on .
Unfo r tu n a t e l y, mo s t h i g h s c h oo l f oo tba l l
coaches l o se s i g h t o f t h e imp or t ance o f i n -
s ea son we i g h t t r a i n i n g . T h e t e enage r s p l ay ing
in t he Sh o re C o n fe r en ce h a v e on ly a coup l e o f
yea r s o f ex p e r i en ce w i t h a g g re s s ive s t r eng th
t r a in ing an d b ecau se o f t h a t , t h ey don ’ t have a
ma tu re mu sc l e mas s . I f u n t r a ined , t hey w i l l
l o se s i z e , s t r en g t h , p o wer a n d speed qu i ck ly.
Fo r t u n a t e l y, t h e p l ay e r d o es no t need t o
t r a in ve ry ha r d du r ing f oo tba l l . T he “ Jus t D o
I t ’’ c r edo o f cons i s t en t l i f t i ng w or ks ve r y w e l l
f o r t he h igh s choo l a t h l e t e . Tw o days a w eek
fo r abou t 40 minu t e s i s a l l you need t o
ma in t a in you ga in s , w he r ea s i t t ake s abou t
fou r t o f i ve days a w eek a t 90 minu t e s pe r
s e s s ion t o make p r og r e s s du r ing t he o f f s ea son .
Dur ing t he l a s t 20 yea r s o f t r a i n ing h igh
schoo l p l aye r s , I c an s a f e ly r e commend t ha t
t he i n t ens i t y o f t r a i n ing i s abou t 60 t o 80
pe rcen t o f max imum. L ow er r epe t i t i on
workou t s a r e mor e spec i f i c t o t he demands o f a
foo tba l l p l aye r. T h r ee - t o - f i ve s e t s o f f i ve
r epe t i t i ons a r e a good gu ide l i ne t o f o l l ow f o r
powerc l eans , squa t s , bench p r e s s , dead l i f t s ,
pu l l - ups (w i th w e igh t i f pos s ib l e ) , r ow s and
sh rugs .
To r so wor k l i ke s i t - ups shou ld be done i n
the h ighe r r epe t i t i on r ange o f 15 - 25 . E x t r a
a s s i s t ance exe rc i s e s f o r shou lde r s , a r ms and
ca lve s shou ld be done w i th one o r tw o s e t s o f
8 -10 r eps . Va r y each w or kou t so you don ’ t ge t
s t a l e , and on ly 15 t o 20 s e t s max imum pe r
workou t . D on’ t l e t m ino r i n ju r i e s s i de l i ne you .
Keep exe rc i s i ng non - in ju r ed body pa r t s , a s
t hey won’ t de - t r a i n a s f a s t and ac tua l l y speed
recove ry o f t he i n ju r y.
H ope f u l l y you r coach w i l l m a ke t he we igh t
r oom an ex t ens ion o f t he p r ac t i c e f i e l d . I f no t ,
you w i l l be on you r ow n and can a l ways r each
me f o r he lp a t T he E dge . G ood l uc k and good
hea l t h t o you . Coach Mac .
P o w e r W i t h o u t S t e r o i d s :U s e i t o r L o s e i t . . .By Joe McAuliffe M.A., C.S.C.S – Head Strength & Conditioning Coach-Edge Sports Academy, Drug Free World Record Holder Squat & Bench Press
J o i n T h eA l l S h o r e M e d i a
T e a m T o d a y !
A l l S h o r e M e d i a S p o r t s R e v i e w w w w . a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m I s s u e - 1 3 1 0 / 2 1 / 0 9 P a g e 1 3
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 field hockey, volleyball,
gymnastics, cross country and more as part of
our newspaper and our website
(www.allshoremedia.com). Grab your chance
to appear regularly in The All Shore Media
Sports Review 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 EditorScott Stump @ [email protected]
Red Bank Catholic graduate Ryan Kalish
may be playing in Fenway Park before long
if he keeps this up.
The Boston Red Sox recently the
outfielder as their Minor League Player of
the Year for all levels after his robust season
between Class A Salem and Class AA
Portland. The 21-year-old from Shrewsbury
hit a combined .329 with 18 homers, 77 RBI,
21 stolen bases and 84 runs scored after a
slow start following his promotion from
Salem to the Portland (Me.) Sea Dogs.
In 103 games with Portland, he hit .271
with 13 homers and 56 RBIs, and his 18
homers were second among Red Sox minor
leaguers. His 21 stolen bases ranked fifth
among all Boston minor-leaguers and his 77
RBIs were fourth. Next up is a stint in the
Arizona Instructional League with some of
the other top prospects in minor league
baseball.
Kalish entered the year ranked as the
13th-best prospect in the Red Sox system by
Baseball America. He signed right out of
high school in 2006 and was drafted in the
ninth round by the Red Sox, signing for a
$600,000 bonus and turning down a
scholarship to the University of Virginia in
the process.
Along with Toms River South graduates
Jeff and Todd Frazier, who were both in
Class AAA for the Tigers and Reds this year,
respectively, and Pittsburgh Pirates Class
AAA pitcher Jeff Sues, his former RBC
teammate, next year Kalish has a chance to
join Washington Nationals pitcher Jason
Bergmann (Manalapan) and Kansas City
Royals outfielder David DeJesus
(Manalapan) as former Shore Conference
players in the big leagues.
w w w . d c h k a y h o n d a . c o m
F O R A D V E R T I S I N G I N F O R M A T I O NC o n t a c t : S t e v e n M e y e r 7 3 2 - 2 3 3 - 4 4 6 0 s m e y e r @ a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m
K a l i s h N a m e d R e d S o x M i n o r L e a g u eP l a y e r o f t h e Y e a rB y S c o t t S t u m p – M a n a g i n g E d i t o r
2 0 0 9 R e d S o x M i n o r L e a g u e P l a y e r o f t h eY e a r R y a n K a l i s h ( P h o t o b y D V M S p o r t s )
A l l S h o r e M e d i a S p o r t s R e v i e w w w w . a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m I s s u e - 1 3 1 0 / 2 1 / 0 9 P a g e 1 4
C a t c h i n g U p W i t h t h e A c t i o nC h e c k S t u m p y ’ s B l o g r e g u l a r l y o n w w w . a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m r e g u l a r l y f o r o p i n i o n s , r e c a p s
a n d i n s i d e r i n f o r m a t i o n .
I t w a s a l i t t l e b i t o f a w i l d T h u r s d a y i n
We e k Tw o a s N e p t u n e t o o k d o w n t w o - t i m e
d e f e n d i n g F e d e r a l D i v i s i o n a n d d e f e n d i n g C J
I I I c h a m p i o n F r e e h o l d i n o v e r t i m e a n d
H o l m d e l n e a r l y u p e n d e d B a r n e g a t i n t h e
N a t i o n a l D i v i s i o n , p l u s M i d d l e t o w n N o r t h
h a d a s e n s a t i o n a l c o m e b a c k t o b e a t
To m s R i v e r S o u t h b y a p o i n t .
I ’ l l s t a r t w i t h N e p t u n e - F r e e h o l d ,
w h i c h I c o v e r e d . I t w a s a f e s t i v e n i g h t
a t N e p t u n e a s i t w a s P o p Wa r n e r n i g h t ,
s o t h e f u t u r e S c a r l e t F l i e r s w e r e a l l i n
a t t e n d a n c e , a n d N e p t u n e w a s a l s o
a w a r d e d t h e p r e s t i g i o u s S h o p R i t e C u p
a t h a l f t i m e b e c a u s e o f t h e s u c c e s s o f i t s
a t h l e t i c p r o g r a m s a c r o s s t h e b o a r d i n
2 0 0 8 - 0 9 .
B o t h t e a m s l e f t t h e i r h e a r t s o n t h e
f i e l d a n d t h e d e f e n s e s m a d e p l e n t y o f
b i g p l a y s w h i l e b o t h o f f e n s e s w e r e a
t o t a l m e s s a t t i m e s . C l e a r l y, s o p h o m o r e
I k e C a l d e r o n w a s t h e b i g s t o r y f o r
N e p t u n e w i t h h i s f a n t a s t i c f i n i s h , b u t
t h e r e w e r e a f e w m o r e p l a y e r s w h o
d e s e r v e m e n t i o n .
I t h i n k s e v e r a l d e f e n s i v e p l a y e r s d e s e r v e
a q u i c k p l u g , i n c l u d i n g a p l a y e r w h o I t h i n k
s h o u l d d e f i n i t e l y b e i n e a r l y c o n v e r s a t i o n f o r
t h e F e d e r a l D i v i s i o n D e f e n s i v e P l a y e r o f t h e
Ye a r – s e n i o r d e f e n s i v e e n d Ry a n S o l l e y. H e
h a d a s a c k , t w o o t h e r h i t s f o r a l o s s a n d a
f u m b l e r e c o v e r y i n t h e 2 6 - 2 0 d e f e a t a n d h a s
b e e n o u t s t a n d i n g i n F r e e h o l d ’s f i r s t t w o
g a m e s . H e i s a l w a y s a r o u n d t h e b a l l . A l s o ,
l i n e b a c k e r R i c h a r d S c h w a r t z a l s o h a d a
s t r o n g g a m e i n d e f e a t f o r t h e C o l o n i a l s w i t h
a s a c k a n d t w o h i t s f o r a l o s s , a n d f e l l o w
l i n e b a c k e r J a z z m a r C l a x a l s o w a s g o o d a n d
h a d a b i g f u m b l e r e c o v e r y a t t h e e n d o f
r e g u l a t i o n . D e f e n s i v e l i n e m a n B r a n d o n We i s s
a l s o h a d a s t r o n g g a m e .
F o r N e p t u n e , a p l a y e r w h o w e n t a l i t t l e
u n d e r a p p r e c i a t e d w a s s o p h o m o r e l i n e b a c k e r
D a v i d G u t z m o r e , w h o h a d t w o h i t s f o r a l o s s .
H e w a s p a r t o f a n a g g r e s s i v e N e p t u n e
d e f e n s e l e d b y o n e o f t h e y o u n g a n d u p - a n d -
c o m i n g c o o r d i n a t o r s i n t h e S h o r e , d e f e n s i v e
c o o r d i n a t o r J e r e m y B a l i n a . Wi t h J a m a a l
H u b b a r d , D a v i d N e w b e y, G u t z m o r e a n d J a s o n
Wo o d s a b l e t o g e t i n t o o p p o s i n g
b a c k f i e l d s a n d Wa r r e n M e l l o a b l e t o
b l a n k e t t h e o t h e r t e a m ’s t o p r e c e i v e r ,
t h e y a r e a t o u g h u n i t .
N e p t u n e g u t t e d o u t a h u g e w i n f o r
i t s p r o g r a m a f t e r f i g h t i n g t o g e t r e s p e c t
b y b e a t i n g a f e l l o w G r o u p I I I p o w e r. I
k n o w a n o t h e r g r o u p t h a t w a s s m i l i n g
w h e n i t s a w t h a t r e s u l t l a s t n i g h t , a n d
t h a t w a s O c e a n . T h a t w i n o v e r N e p t u n e
i n t h e o p e n e r l o o k s e v e n b e t t e r n o w a n d
t h e p o w e r p o i n t s t h a t c o m e w i t h i t
s h o u l d b e n i c e a s w e l l . N e p t u n e c o a c h
J o h n F i o r e e v e n j o k i n g l y p a n t o m i m e d
t a k i n g t h e m o n k e y o f f h i s b a c k t o a
w e l l - w i s h e r a f t e r t h e g a m e , a n d h e h a d
e v e r y r i g h t t o f e e l t h a t w a y. I ’ m s u r e
t h e r e w i l l s t i l l b e p e o p l e s a y i n g t h a t
F r e e h o l d c o u l d n ’ t h a v e p l a y e d w o r s e
a n d p u t t h e g a m e o n a p l a t t e r f o r t h e m t o
t a k e i t , b u t N e p t u n e w a s n o t a t t h e t o p o f i t s
g a m e e i t h e r a n d s t i l l c a m e o u t w i t h t h e
v i c t o r y. H o p e f u l l y w e c a n d o i t a l l a g a i n i n
l a t e N o v e m b e r.
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A l l S h o r e M e d i a S p o r t s R e v i e w w w w . a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m I s s u e - 1 3 1 0 / 2 1 / 0 9 P a g e 1 5
Watching
Howell outscore
its first two
opponents 63-21 and defeat defending state champion
Piscataway, it begged an obvious question.
“ W h y d o n ’ t m o r e t e a m s i nt h e S h o r e C o n f e r e n c e r u nt h e s p r e a d ? ”
I’m talking mainly about the spread offense that is
run at Howell, not the more run-oriented zone read
option out of the shotgun that more teams are starting
to employ. I’m talking about the no-huddle, four- and
five-wide, pass-heavy spread like they run at Howell.
The reason I’m wondering is because that offense
has transformed Howell’s entire program from one
that mainly struggled to just get to .500 and
occasionally had a good year to a team that is capable
of winning division and state titles
regularly. Since Howell’s rise, no other
team has really tried to copy that
type of offense and stuck with it.
You would think someone would
take a look at that and say,
“Well, if it worked for
them…”
I would figure that some
program out there that has
been struggling would give it
a shot. Opponents seem to
have a hard time defending it
around here because nobody
runs it and defenses don’t
see it regularly, even at elite
programs.
For instance, I would love
to see Howell take on an
attacking defense like Middletown
South, which has one of the most
respected defensive coordinators in the
state in Al Bigos. It would be a
race to see if South’s blitzers
could get to Howell
quarterback Jimmy Ryan
before he could get the ball to a
receiver who had one-on-one
coverage with a corner out on an island. Most teams
don’t have that many defensive backs and linebackers
who can cover good athletes one-on-one for an
entire game.
Before we go completely crazy
after two games (although it’s easy
to do so considering Ryan has
512 yards passing in two
weeks), don’t forget that Ryan
had a big game against Brick
last year in the season opener, but
once the film began to circulate and
opposing coordinators had something to
work with, Howell ended up averaging
17 points per game for the season. You
certainly can’t pin that completely on
the offense or on one player, but it
shows that it gets harder to execute the
more teams have seen it. The bad news
is that by all accounts, Ryan has
definitely improved with a year of
experience and hard work in the
offseason and so have the rest of the
skill players, so it’s a better team than
last year.
Talking recently to a veteran reporter who has been
covering South Jersey football for a
long time, the spread is the most
popular offense down there. Almost
everyone other than maybe the
smaller schools runs some type of
variation on it, so it’s definitely an
offense that has taken hold in other parts
of the state.
I asked a few opposing coaches why
more teams in the Shore Conference
aren’t doing it, as many are employing
offenses like the run-based flexbone,
which has been run for eons but has proved
successful to many teams in this area, like
Middletown South and Freehold.
One reason is that Howell is a Group IV school
whose participation numbers are booming. It’s a
little easier to find a quarterback and four or five
capable wideouts among 100 players than among 40 or
even 25-30 at some of the really small Group I
programs. The offense revolves around the
quarterback, and Howell has had three good
ones in a row in Sean O’Reilly, Tim
Lamirande and now Ryan. Some of the
smaller schools might simply not have a
quarterback of that caliber to really make
the offense work. If the quarterback is
mediocre, the offense is mediocre.
I think another reason Howell has been
successful is because head coach Cory Davies
has really remained committed to the
offense and committed to refining it. He
has borrowed from what Mike Leach
has done down at Texas Tech and
their explosive offense as
well as other top college
programs and continues to study it. He didn’t just
install it for that one stretch, win a state title and then
scrap it when he had all new personnel last year. It
wasn’t just a gimmick to him. He stayed with it, the
new players continued to absorb the system, and now
the Rebels are a threat once again after winning the
Central Jersey Group IV title in 2007.
Davies knows it inside and out, which is another
reason why it works. I think a reason teams may not
be adopting it is because coaches may not want to take
the time to really learn the offense inside and out if
they are going to change what they are doing. You
can’t just go to one clinic or buy an Urban Meyer
video and think that it’s going to work to perfection. I
wouldn’t call it laziness, but I think there’s some fear
and hesitation from coaches about installing it because
of the time commitment it takes to really learn it
completely.
Another reason, of course, is weather. If you look at
all these high-octane offenses among the nationally-
ranked powers littered with Division I-A prospects in
Texas, California, Florida and elsewhere, they all run
the spread. The weather can get a little more iffy up
here, so some coaches might be hesitant to have an
offense based around the passing game if there’s a
downpour or snowstorm. However, I’ve seen Howell
run it in difficult conditions and still move the chains
because a lot of the throws are short or intermediate
routes.
Still, I am surprised that more teams that are
struggling have not tried this offense. If you’re going
3-7 anyway, you might as well try it. After all, that
offense is fun, and could lead to more kids coming out
for the team. You can’t tell me that younger kids don’t
see Jimmy Ryan slinging it to all those Howell
receivers running all over the field and running back
Will Hayes causing trouble all over the place and not
think they it looks awfully fun, like backyard football
in a real game. Plus, it’s been proven that it can be
successful. Just ask the West Windsor South team that
the Rebels beat 46-13 in the CJ IV final in 2007.
Senior WR Rob Handy
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S e n i o r q u a r t e r b a c k J i m m y R y a n
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