Shore Sports Network High School Sports 10-7-13 Issue -17

October 7, 2013 Volume-V Issue-17

3 The RecruitingTrial

4 Holmdel Soccer HandsRumson its 1st Loss

6 Eric Carter Commitsto Delaware

7 McAlary LeadsManasquan Past SJV

8 AHEAD OFTHE PACK

9 BACK-UPS SHINEIN WEEK FOUR

15Stumpy’sCorner

The f irs t thing fans, players , coaches and parentswant to know after the big game is always,

”Is this going to be on ”

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n Established leading portal for local high school coverage.

”Is this going to be on ”

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JUNIOR CLASS: LOADEDWITH MAJOR TALENT

The New Jersey Class of 2015 has thechance to be one of the most promisingand deepest when it comes to FootballBowl Subdivision and FootballChampionship Subdivision talent.A major reason is due in part to the abundance of ShoreConference talent within the state-wide class. Here is aclose-up look at the top junior prospects. Coach Rob Davis has his Barnegat squad off to 4-0 startfor the first time in program history, and a major reason isdue to the domination provided by the Bengals’ juniorclass highlighted by Cinjun Erskine, Manny Bowen, andSam Madden. Erskine (6-2/210) is one of the nation’s top quarterbacksfor the Class of 2015. Through the first 4 games (onlyplayed in 3 games) Erskine is 21-33 for 393 yards (301yards versus Jackson Liberty) and 5 scores, with 210 yardsrushing and another score, and has close to a 50-yardpunting average. He has early offers from Miami (Fla) asan athlete and UMass as a quarterback. Bowen (6-2/195) has shined on both sides of the ball forthe Bengals. He has soft hands and moves as a receiverand as a linebacker he is flat-out special. He has 8 catchesfor 219 yards and 2 touchdowns so far along with 31tackles, 13 pressures, and has caused and recovered afumble. “Manny is the most explosive athlete I have evercoached, and colleges love his closing speed on defense,”Davis said. Protecting Erskine at his tackle position is the 6-foot-7,340-pound Madden, who has a huge upside and hasalready reeled in 12 major offers. Like Davis, Lakewood coach L.J. Clark has his share ofFBS talent from the Class of 2015. Datrell Reed (6-4/220)is a long, rangy, and explosive player off the edge from hisdefensive end position. He hasn’t secured any offers yet,but after recording 10 sacks and an interception return fora score in the first four games of the 2013 season, theywill be coming soon. Chapelle Cook (6-2/215) is a gifted and chiseled athletewho has already been offered by Temple. He is impressivewith the ball in his hands and is tough as a linebacker aswell for the Piners. Toms River North’s Adam Kakar (6-3/310) is one of the state’s top interior defensive linemendue to his size, skills, intensity and agility and has alreadygarnered an invite to the 2014 Army All-American GameCombine. Kakar may end up at offensive guard at thecollegiate level. Red Bank Catholic’s Jamie Gordinier (6-4/235) hasgreat size, intelligence, good agility, hitting/tacklingability and speed and has already been offered verbally byPittsburgh. Ocean Township’s Royal Moore (6-2/180) canline up at quarterback, receiver or at defensive back andproduce game-changing plays. He is a tough andimpressive athlete. Toms River South’s Tymere Berry (5-9/160) is a tremendous athlete as a quarterback but willline up at receiver or defensive back at the next level. Manalapan’s Mike Caggiano (5-10/170) is one of thestate’s top kickers/punters in the Class of 2015. He has theability to shine at the collegiate level as either a punter or

place-kicker. Averages 55 yardsa punt, 63 yards on kick-offs,and his longest field goal wasfrom 63 yards in practice. Hehas range beyond 50 yards ingame settings. Prefers kickingover punting. Long Branch’s Hunter Baillie(6-2/200) is very sound tacklerand leader for the Green Wavewho has impressive speed andagility and can play any of thelinebacker spots due to hisathletic ability and toughness. Isa bit of a tweener due to hisdimensions – but there is a placefor Baillie on any level.Monmouth Regional’s Isaiah Searight (6-4/190) is adiamond in the rough for coach Rich Mosca. He is areceiver/defensive back with great size and skills and aplayer who has the ability to get a lot of looks from majorprograms following a promising junior campaign. “He is a special player and great student who hastremendous game-playing ability,’’ Mosca said. “He has achance to be a good one.” Holmdel’s Frank Condito (5-11/215) is a tough andmobile linebacker who has made plays all over the fieldfor the Hornets on both sides of the ball, but has battled anankle injury in the early going. With the ball in his hands,Condito is the Shore’s top fullback, and as as a defender,Condito is relentless.OTHER JUNIOR RECRUITS on the radar: JacksonMemorial OL/DL Brody Graham (6-3/255); Long BranchDB Dahmiere Willis (5-9/165); Brick RB/LB RayFattaruso (5-10/215); Brick QB/Athlete Carmen Sclafani(5-8/190); Jackson Liberty Athlete Matt Castronuova (5-10/170); Brick Memorial Athlete/QB Joe Hans (6-1/175);Toms River North WR/DB Valdez Santiago (6-2/180).

GESICKI LOOKING TO MAKEDECISION SOONSouthern Regional’s 6-foot-6, 235-pound receiver/tightend Mike Gesicki is known for making highlight reelcatches for coach Chuck Donohue Sr. and is one of thenation’s top Class of 2014 recruits. Gesicki, who has faced double and triple teams fromopposing defenses, has still managed to shine as a receiverfor the Rams, who are off to a 2-2 start. “The season is going well,’’ Gesicki said. “On defense Imoved from playing defensive back to playing defensiveend. I like the transition. It makes you much tougher as aplayer.”Gesicki, who has been playing football since the eighthgrade, loves nothing better than playing on the offensiveside of the ball. “I actually played quarterback until my sophomore yearand then made a transition to receiver,’’ he said. “I likecatching the ball and making plays as a receiver. I feel Ican make more of an impact catching the ball.” College coaches from across the country feel the sameway, which is why Gesicki holds 22 scholarship offers, thefirst coming by way of coach Kyle Flood and Rutgers. “I’m still talking to schools like Rutgers, Miami, Duke,Florida State, and Wisconsin,” said Gesicki. “But my final

two schools are Penn State and Ohio State.”Gesicki took an official visit to Ohio State two weeksago and enjoyed the experience. “My Ohio State visit wasgreat,’’ he said. “I got a chance to sit there and watch film.I got along with all the players. On the weekend of Oct. 11-12, Gesicki will visit PennState to watch the Nittany Lions take on Michigan.Another former Southern star, linebacker Glenn Carson, isa current standout for Penn State. “I speak to Glenn a lot, but I will base my decision onhow I feel and my experiences,’’ Gesicki said. “I willdecide in about two weeks where I’m going. Penn Statewanted me as a tight end, but when they saw me playingagainst Toms River South they said I was agile andathletic enough to play receiver or tight end for them.” Gesicki also has offers for his basketball and volleyballskills in addition to his prowess on the gridiron.

KEARNEY: READY TO VISITMICHIGAN STATEToms River South (2-2) suffered a 32-24 loss to Laceyon Oct. 4, leaving the Indians with a handful of concernsand questions to be answered.But there is no questioning to the fact that the Indiansroster possesses some of the area’s top players, including5-foot-11, 190-pound safety Otis Kearney. The Indianshave a bye week during Oct. 11-12, and Kearney will beheading out to Michigan State on an official visit. “I’ll take the visit and a few others and then weigh myoptions,’’ Kearney said. “So far I’m very impressed withMichigan State and the coaching staff.Former Middletown North standout Shilique Calhoun, asophomore defensive end, is one of the top players for theSpartans.“I look forward to going out there to Michigan andmeeting Shilique,’’ Kearney said. “I’ve seen him play ontelevision, and I’ve heard a lot about him from thecoaches.” Kearney currently has additional offers fromMonmouth, UMass, and a Buffalo program that is havinga promising season after posting a 42-14 victory overEastern Michigan and defeating Connecticut and StonyBrook earlier in the season.

Photos byCliff Lavelle

www.c learedge.zenfo l i o .com

Shore Sports Network's Chris Melvin with (from left) Barnegat'sCinjun Erskine, Manny Bowen and Sam Madden

The Recru it ing Tr ia lB y C h r i s M e l v i n – S h o r e S p o r t s N e t w o r k c o n t r i b u t o r

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Athletes at any level will nottypically admit to overlooking anopponent, which is why Holmdeljunior Eric D’Aleo’s statementabout his team’s anticipation for arematch with Rumson-Fair Havencarries some weight.“Ever since we lost to them, we haven’t beenthinking about any other team,” D’Aleo said,referencing a Sept. 16 loss to the Bulldogs. “We hadother games against other good teams, but all wecould think about was getting another shot atRumson.”

Holmdel dug out of a one-goal deficit and foughtback for a 2-1 win Saturday over the previously-unbeaten Bulldogs – the No. 2 team in the ShoreSports Network Top 10 – to extend their unbeatenstreak to six games and move into sole possession offirst place in Shore Conference Class A Central.

D’Aleo converted the game-winning penalty kick inthe 60th minute after junior Gino D’Agostino tied thegame by finishing a through ball from Jack Flanaganin the 53rd.

“Every team at the beginning of the year is tryingto figure out who they are and what they can do,”Holmdel coach John Nacarlo said. “Maybe Rumsonwas a little ahead of the game at the beginning of theyear because they have so many seniors, but I justknow that with us, we’ve been searching for who weare and how we’re going to play, and I think we

found out a lot aboutourselves today.”

Beating Holmdel3-2 in the firstmeeting was asignificant win forthe senior-ladenBulldogsconsidering that theHornets are three-time defending ACentral championsand had not lost ahome game since the2009 season.Saturday, theHornets went toBorden Stadium onthe campus ofRumson-Fair Havenlooking to regaincontrol of a division they have owned since the 2010season.

Rumson-Fair Haven broke a scoreless tie in the50th minute on a goal by sophomore Jamie Martin offa corner kick by senior Chris Drummond. Drummondsent the ball from the left corner to the far side of thebox, where senior Kieran Doherty sent it back to theleft post. Martin’s first shot was rejected by Holmdelgoalkeeper Tyler Machiano, but the sophomorefinished his second chance for the 1-0 Bulldogs lead.

“We’ve had a bad habit lately of coming out flat tostart the second half, and we did it again today,”Nacarlo said. “Rumson comes at you with a lot of

energy, and we weren’teven close to matchingit and it cost us a goal.”

A little more thanthree minutes afterRumson took the lead,Holmdel drew even.Flanagan threaded apass to D’Agostino,who slotted a shot justinside the far left post.

Holmdel againcreated a chance in the60th when senior JasonKyriacou dribbledthrough two defendersand was taken downinside the 18-yard box.The takedown drew afoul call, which gavethe Hornets a penalty

kick for a chance to take the lead. D’Aleo buried hisshot to the lower right corner.

Martin’s goal left Rumson with a 1-0 lead and an11-4 shot advantage, but Holmdel switched from a 5-4-1 formation to a 4-4-2 and mounted an attack. Fromthe time of the switch, Holmdel outshot Rumson 7-4.

“I had stressed to our backs that I wanted them tolook to push up and attack, but we have some newguys back there and maybe they just aren’tcomfortable doing that,” Nacarlo said. “By pushingguys up, it puts them in that mindset to attack, andthe four guys in the back can still focus on

Holmdel Boys SoccerHands Rumson Its 1st LossBy Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer

Holmdel senior Jack Flanagan

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A S A M P L I N G O F C U R R E N T A N D F O R M E R M A C A L L - S T A R S

n Thomas Acerra—Monmouth Regional n Jared Allison—Matawann Kaysonne Anderson—Manasquann Robert Barksdale—Asbury Park n Joey Beggans—Red Bank Regionaln David Bergeron—Middletown Northn Mike Bland—Long Branchn Jared Bradham—Long Branchn Jawann Brown—Matawann Chris Bunge—Middletown Southn Brian Calder—Colts Neckn Shilque Calhoun—Middletown Northn Cleveland Cannon—Long Branchn Dwayne Chapman—Matawann Swede Chevalier—The Lawrenceville Schooln Allen Choback—Red Bank Catholicn Joe Cilurzo—Shore Regionan Dwight Clark—Long Branchn Jason Corley—Long Branchn Tom Corley—Matawann Rahmir Cottman—Red Bank Regionaln Richie Curran—Red Bank Catholicn Charles Davis—Neptune n Amir Dew—Toms River Northn Drew Diakos— St. John Vianneyn Sean Dolan— Red Bank Catholicn Brian Dominianni—Point Beachn Alex Faherty—Brooklyn Polytech (NY)n Glen Ford—Red Bank Catholicn Chris Fortunato—Wall Townshipn Jeremy Fountain—Matawann Tyrone Garland—Matawan n Wesley Garland—Matawan n Clifton Geathers—Carver’s Bay (SC)

n Kwame Geathers—Carver’s Bay (SC)n Nick Gialanella—Red Bank Catholic n Tom Gorski—Holmdel n Tajh Hammary—Asbury Park n Malcolm Harris—Neptune n Chris Herring—Matawan n Carl Howard—Matawan n Jihaad Howard—Brick Memorial n Anthony Hubbert—Freehold Boro n Darryl Jackson—Red Bank Reg. n Bobby Jameson—Matawan n Greg Kafaf—Don Bosco Prepn Tom Kalieta—Matawan n Larry Kelly—

Manasquan n Caleb King—

Christian Academy (GA)n Terrence King—

Long Branch n Tyler King—Buford H (GA)n Donald Klein—Shore Reg. n Donnie Klein—Manasquan n Kyle Leach—Point Pleasant Beach n Frank Lefkowitz—Colts Neck n Joe Lepore—Colts Neck n Glennis Lester—Matawan n Ron Lewis—Asbury Park n Matt Maddox—Manasquan n Christian Martino—Point Pleasant Beach n Joseph Martucci—Matawan n John Masini—Morristown Beard Schooln Tyron McCalister—Asbury Park n Eric McCoo—Red Bank Regional n Terrance McKeller—Long Branch n John McLaughlin—Middletown South

n Joe Mickens—Manchester n Knowshon Moreno—Middletown South n Kevin Moriarity—Shore Regionaln TJ Moriarity—Red Bank Catholicn Darius Morris—Long Branchn Matt Moulton—Colts Neckn John Pellegrino—St. John Vianneyn Jim Pittenger—Walln John Pittenger—Wall n Stephon Pluviose—Matawan

n Mike Postell—Matawan n Simon Press—Asbury Park

n Ryan Quinlan—Wall n Dave Reeves—RBC n Charlie Rogers—Matawan n Jerret Sanderson—Long Branchn Tyler Schmelz—RBCn Bill Shea—Keyport HSn Branden Smith—

Booker T. Washington (GA)n Chris Stavola—RBC

n Stephen Swift—Red Bank Regionaln Jamuir Taylor—Neptune

n Maurice Turpin—Long Branchn McArthur Underwood - Matawan n Tony Vergari— Point Pleasant Beach n Joey Villapiano—Ocean Township n Scott Wellerson—Point Pleasant Beach

n Kade Weston—Red Bank Regionaln Cassius Williams—Matawan

Knowshon Moreno RBMiddletown South,

University of Georgia,Denver Broncos1st Rd Draft Pick

V i s i t o u r w e b s i t e , w w w. m a c t e s t i n g . c o m 7 3 2 - 7 4 1 - 6 1 1 2

defending.”

Rumson outshot Holmdel 15-11 with nine shots ongoal to Holmdel’s five. Marchiano kept the Hornetsin the game by making eight saves, including threeacrobatic saves in the final four minutes of the firsthalf to keep the Bulldogs off the board.

“I’ve told Tyler from Day One that he’s going tohave his ups and downs because he’s a sophomoreand he’s in his first year,” Nacarlo said. “Theimportant thing is when you have your bad days youhave to learn from them and get better. He’s had

some rough moments, but he’s never let it get tohim, and he stepped up big time today.”

Holmdel has been to two straight ShoreConference Tournament finals and three straightNJSIAA Group finals on top of the three straightdivision titles, but lost three All-Shore first-teamplayers to graduation and three other starters on topof that.

“We don’t have the seniors like Rumson does, butwe still have guys who have played in big gamesbefore,” Flanagan said. “They have talent, but they

are just starting to play in these big games while wehave guys who have played in them every year. Theygot us the first time around, but today I think weshowed we still know how to win when the pressureis on.”

by:

M a t t M a n l e ywww.shoresportsnetwork .com

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

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Six-foot-8 Jackson Memorial senior Eric Carter announced onSept. 27 that he has verbally committed to Delaware, becoming

the third Division I recruit for the Jaguars in the last four years.Carter chose the Blue Hens over Drexel, Northeastern and Towson. He was a second-team All-Shore selection as a junior after being the leading scorer on a Jaguars team that finished 22-6. Heprojects as a stretch-four, point forward-type of player.

“I just felt it was the best fit for me academically, playing-wise and for my family and friends,”Carter said.

He joins former Jaguars’ standouts Jimmy McDonnell (Temple) and Brandon McDonnell(Dartmouth) as Division I recruits for a program that has become a perennial top 10 team in theShore under coach Joe Fagan. Fagan also credited Brandon McDonnell with mentoring Carter andhelping him become a leader.

“A ‘project’ would probably be a nice word when he first entered the program,” Fagan said. “Hehas lost 40-45 pounds, and went from not having a great work ethic to having a great work ethic. Hehas really come a long way, and this is a testament to that. Brandon used to do the butt-kicking inpractice, and now Eric does it.”

“It just brings a smile to my face,” Carter. “(Fagan) told me after my freshman year I have achance to be something special and go to college and play the game I love. I’m just happy it’s allpaying off and put a smile on my mom’s face that I finally did it.”

Jackson Memorial’s Eric CarterCommits to DelawareB 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

Photo by: Cliff Lavellewww.c learedge.zenfo l i o .com

One year after surrendering a 29-pointlead in a stunning loss to St. John

Vianney, Manasquan had the perfectantidote to any potential Lancers comebackon Saturday – a player who had no memoryof last season’s game.Junior running back/defensive back James McAlary was on the

soccer team at Manasquan last year, so there were no badmemories to cause any potential jitters down the stretch. St. JohnVianney is probably wishing he stuck with European football, asMcAlary ran for a pair of touchdowns and had the game-sealingpass break-up in the final seconds at Vic Kubu Warrior Field topower a 21-14 win in Class A Central that sent the Lancers (1-3,0-3) to their third straight loss.

“It’s been crazy, but it’s been great,” McAlary said about playingfootball for the first time. “I’ve had so much fun. Playing with all myfriends has been great. I came to a spring workout to see what it waslike, but I had no plans on following through with it. But all myfriends were doing it, and I’ve always wanted to do it.”

“McAlary stepped up at corner and made a couple big plays,”Manasquan coach Jay Price said. “He’s also a fresh set of legs (onoffense). For someone who’s never played, he sees the field very well.He changed the complexion of the game, he really did.”

Manasquan (3-1, 2-1) was hanging on to 14-7 lead in the third quarterwhen McAlary, who ran for 92 yards on only nine carries, cut backacross the field for a 28-yard touchdown run for what proved to be thewinning score and a 21-7 advantage with 3:30 left in the period.

The Lancers made it interesting in the end, hearkening a lesser versionof last season’s comeback from a 35-6 deficit to beat Manasquan 39-35.Down by seven, they drove 49 yards in six plays to Manasquan’s 23-yardline with 1:13 to go, but two incompletions and a 4-yard pass set upfourth-and-6 from the 19-yard line. McAlary, who was part of asecondary that was tested all afternoon in giving up 274 yards passing,dove to break up a pass on fourth down and seal the win with 28.2seconds left in the game.

“We have a ‘next play’ mentality,” McAlary said. “You make amistake, you make up for it on the next play.”

McAlary, who is nicknamed “Bubba,” also has adjusted to thepressurized atmosphere of football at a school that has won a ShoreConference-record 11 NJSIAA sectional titles.

“Going from five people watching a soccer game to a couple hundredhere is definitely different, but it’s exciting,” he said.

The game was scoreless into the second quarter before the Warriorsput together a nine-play, 55-yard drive that ended with senior tailbackJoe Murphy bulling his way in on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard linefor a 7-0 lead. It appeared that it would go into halftime that way, butMcAlary took a handoff on a basic draw play, shook a pair of defendersand zig-zagged his way to the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown and a14-0 lead with only 10.5 seconds remaining in the half.

“Our offensive line was great all day,” he said. “They weren’t gettingtired, and they kept working. I give all the credit to them on that play.”

McAlary, who also had two touchdowns in a win over Raritan lastweek, doesn’t have to worry about the offensive line shying away fromtaking credit.

“I recruited him,” senior two-way lineman Matt Forst said. “I’mtaking full credit for ‘Bubba Mac’ playing Manasquan football. I broughthim to my house, showed him my brother Rob and Art’s statechampionship rings, put a couple highlight videos on and said, ‘Hey, ifyou were going to another school, you play soccer. When you’re atManasquan, you play football.’ He’s been a hell of an addition.”

“Forst had me all summer, calling me every day, showing me filmsand his brother’s rings,” McAlary said.

St. John Vianney fought its way back into the game in the third quarterthanks to an outstanding play by junior Liam Casey. Manasquan seniorquarterback Tucker Caccavale hit senior wideout Kieran Preston comingacross the middle, and he was streaking for a 50-yard gain when Caseycame up behind him, ripped the ball right out of his hands, and returnedit to the Manasquan 20-yard line.

Seven plays later, senior quarterback Billy DeMato scored on a 2-yardkeeper on a zone read play to cut it to 14-7 with 6:21 left in the thirdquarter. DeMato finished the day with 325 total yards, 74 on the groundon 11 carries and 251 through the air on 16-for-36 passing, one year afterthrowing six touchdowns in the comeback win over the Warriors.

After McAlary answered DeMato’s touchdown with his 28-yard score,the Lancers went three-and-out. However, their defense then came upwith a fumble recovery at their own 47-yard line. Five plays later, keyedby a 26-yard strike from DeMato to P.J. Braccia, they cut the lead to 21-14 when DeMato hit senior wideout Julanee Prince for a 14-yardtouchdown with 8:06 left in the game.

“It was not‘Here we goagain,’ it wasmore, ‘We can’tlet this happenagain,”’ Forstsaid. “Whenyou get backedinto a corner,you’re eithergoing to getpunched or givethe punch, andwe had to startpunchingagain.”

Manasquan’sensuing drivestalled, and theWarriorsavoidedpotentialdisaster thanks

to a great play by senior punter Cody Carrithers. He was filling in forMurphy, who is the starting punter but left the game in the fourth quarterwith an injury. On a snap that skipped on the ground multiple times,Carrithers was able to gather it up and somehow get off a punt with twoLancers right in his face.

It forced St. John Vianney to have to start the drive at its own 28 ratherthan potentially inside the Manasquan 30 if the block was not returnedfor a touchdown. The defense stood strong one last time, ending withMcAlary’s pass break-up.

The victory vanquished the demons of last season’s loss to theLancers, and also gave Manasquan some momentum as it faces atop-five team in Middletown South in a tough nondivisional gamenext week.

“We’ve got mountains on our schedule, and this is a game we hadto win,” Price said. “We had to be 3-1. We know what we’re upagainst next week.”

(Games to be broadcast on 105.7FM & 1160/1310AM)

Fri 10/11 Msgr. Donovan at Point Boro (7pm, 105.7FM)

Fri 10/18 T.R. North at Brick Memorial (7pm, 105.7FM)or Central at Barnegat (7pm, 105.7FM)

Fri 10/25 Point Boro at Barnegat (7pm, 105.7FM)or T.R. East at T.R. South (7pm, 105.7FM)

Fri 11/1 Jackson Memorial at Southern (7pm, 105.7FM)or T.R. South at Brick Memorial (7pm, 105.7FM)

Fri 11/8 T.R. South at T.R. North (7pm, 105.7FM)

Thr 11/28 Manasquan at Wall (11am, 1160/1310AM)

NJSIAA Championship Playoffs - TBD

















Visit: www.shoresportsnetwork.com for details

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Junior RBJames McAlary

Photo byB i l l N o rm i l e

www.billnormile.zenfolio.com

‘Bubba’ Ball: McAlary LeadsManasquan Past St. John VianneyBy S c o t t S t ump – Manag i n g Ed i t o r

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Senior QB Dan Anerella

t speaks to the potential of thisyear’s Manalapan team that the

Braves can commit 11 penalties,lose their star tailback to an ankleinjury in the first quarter, and stillbeat a top-five team in the ShoreConference by two touchdowns.The defense registered a second-half shutout andjunior tailback Imamu Mayfield ran for a career-high109 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in relief ofstarter Tyler Leonetti as the No. 2 Braves won ashowdown of unbeatens with No. 4 MiddletownSouth, 29-14, for their 19th straight divisional win onFriday night. The Braves (3-0, 3-0) weathered a hailof penalties and the injury to Leonetti by going totheir bread-and-butter – pounding opponents with therun game and stopping the opposing running attack.

“We made a lot of mistakes, a lot of nonsensemistakes that we shouldn’t have made,” said seniortight end/noseguard R.J. Krause. “It still shows thatwe can just pound and pound and pound. That’s whatwe’re going to have to do. That’s what Manalapanfootball is, and we’re just going to pound it, andpound it out. In the end, that’s how we finished it.”

Manalapan ran for 218 yards, while limiting theEagles (2-1, 1-1) to 46 yards rushing on 29 attempts,including minus-one yard in the second half, tobecome the rare team to beat Middletown South fourstraight times.

“The penalties were hard on us because that wasall our fault,” said senior safety Anthony Barone,who had three pass break-ups. “We hadto face adversity, but we took thepressure.”

Another reason Manalapan wasable to overcome its miscues wasbecause of its explosiveoffensive threats who canchange the game onone play. Leonettiripped off a 57-yardtouchdown run on thefirst play fromscrimmage in thegame for a 7-0 leadbefore spraining hisankle following a 3-yard catch on Manalapan’snext series.

Middletown South tiedit at seven with a 14-play, 74-yard drivein which a personalfoul and a passinterferencepenalty on the

Braves helpedthe Eagles finish it

off with a 4-yardtouchdown pass from

senior quarterback KyleBrey to junior tight end Pat

Crowe with 6:02 left in the second quarter.

“I told them all those mistakes are unacceptable,”Manalapan coach Ed Gurrieri said. “I don’t knowhow many drives were kept alive by stupid penalties.Out of the eight penalties we had in the first half,most of them were on defense, and giving them firstdowns.”

The Braves answered with their second big play ofthe game when junior John Cheung, part of theirdeep stable of running backs, returned the ensuingkickoff 75 yards for a touchdown and a 14-7 leadwith 5:50 left in the half. The Eagles came right backto tie it up again when Brey took a deep shot downthe right sideline to senior wideout Andrew Wisialko,who eluded multiple defenders with a great run afterthe catch to polish off a 51-yard touchdown only 43seconds after Cheung’s score.

The Braves took the lead forgood with a four-play, 59-yarddrive in which they tookadvantage of a penalty by theEagles. An interception waswiped out by a passinterference call, and on thenext play, juniorquarterback Dan Anerellafound Rutgers recruitSaeed Blacknall over themiddle. He shrugged offthree defenders and sped tothe corner of the end zonefor a 31-yard touchdownand a 21-14 lead thatManalapan took intohalftime.

“That’s whathappens whenyou have thatkind of kid onthe field,”Gurrieri said.“He’s a homerun hitter. Hecan take it tothe house atany givenmoment.”The teams were scoreless inthe third quarter, with Manalapan’sdefense making a solid stand when MiddletownSouth defensive back Nolan Pereless returned aninterception to the Braves’ 11-yard line. A false startand a personal foul made it second-and-30 from the31-yard line, and senior cornerback Chris Cruzpicked off a pass by Brey to end the threat.

Manalapan seized that momentum to mount a nine-play, 74-yard drive in which its offensive line beganto exert its will to pave the way for Mayfield, whohad five carries for 74 yards on the drive.

“Come fourth quarter, we just looked at each otherand were like, ‘This is it, Manalapan football, we’vegot to pound it down their throats,”’ Krause said.“We saw in their face at the end of the game that theywere tired. They had a lot of people going both ways,so we knew right away we had to come after themand just finish the job.”

“We’re actually further ahead than I thought wecould be up front,” Gurrieri said. “If we want to takethe air out of the ball and play Manalapan football,we can. I think we got a little too cute in the first halftrying to figure out how to get the ball to Saeed, andthen we just let the game dictate how we played.”

Mayfield, who is a transfer from Freehold, gave theBraves a 27-14 lead with a 36-yard burst with 9:17left in the game.

“I knew that Tyler was a powerful running back,so I knew I had to play with composure and that’swhat I did,” said Mayfield, who also playslinebacker. “I played a lot of varsity last year atFreehold, and just had to get used to the fastpace again at running back.”

“He did a great job” Gurrieri said.“We’re loaded with running backs.They all have the mantra of ‘nextman in.”’

The Braves then pushed thelead to 29-14 on MiddletownSouth’s next possession whenKrause came roaring up themiddle and sacked Brey for a13-yard loss in the end zonefor a safety. It was one ofthree second-half sacksfor Manalapan’sdefense.

“Really it was moreabout stopping the run,and then they had tothrow the ball,”Gurrieri said. “Oncethey had to throw theball, we could go get‘em. When they werein second-and-mediums and third-and-shorts, you get that50-50 option, but wecame out in the secondhalf and shut the rundown and made themhave to throw theball.”

Thesecondaryalso adjustedafter Breythrew for 106of his 178 yardsin the first half.

B 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

S e eAhead

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analapan’s impressive win,some great performances

by back-ups stepping in forinjured starters, and a pair ofstatement wins by defendingdivision champions allhighlighted Week Four in ShoreConference football.

Several teams that appeared to be in troubleat key positions this weekend pulled outhard-fought wins thanks to brilliantperformances by back-ups in pressure spots.

Manalapan took home a 29-14 win overMiddletown South in a showdown ofunbeaten top-five teams, and certainly a keyreason was the performance of junior tailbackImamu Mayfield. A transfer from Freehold,Mayfield for a career-high 109 yards and atouchdown on 16 carries in relief of seniortailback Tyler Leonetti, who was a 1,300-yardrusher last year. After ripping offa 57-yard touchdown run onthe first play fromscrimmage in the game,Leonetti left one series laterwith a high ankle sprainsuffered on a dump-off pass to the flatand did notreturn.

Mayfieldshoulderedthe loadand

had a37-yard touchdown

run in the fourth quarter

that helped put the game away. A runner witha good blend of power and speed,Mayfield is part of a deep group ofrunning backs at Manalapan thatalso includes junior JohnCheung, who had a 75-yardkickoff return for a touchdownin the win. Several of theirrunning backs would start for atleast half of the other teams inthe Shore.

Speaking of a playerwho would startfor most otherteams in theShore, Laceyjunior ConorDavies wasoutstanding inrelief of seniorstartingquarterback TomKelly on Fridaynight for acrucial Class ASouth win over TomsRiver South. Kellysuffered a concussionon a helmet-to-helmethit in the first halfand did not return.Davies went 15-for-20 for 207 yardsand 2 touchdowns,powering a 32-24win that kept theLions unbeaten.

Davies normally playswide receiver when Kelly isin there, but hestarted multiplegames last seasonwhen Kelly was outwith a brokencollarbone. Davies isthe son of Laceyoffensive coordinatorCory Davies and theyounger brother of formerrecord-setting Howellquarterback Ryan Davies, so he is far fromthe average back-up. He obviously knows theoffense inside and out, and he was ready at amoment’s notice to make it happen on Friday.

In Monmouth Regional’s 21-13 win overHolmdel on Saturday that improved theFalcons to 2-1, junior Isaiah Searight steppedin at quarterback for James Green, who left

the game with bruised ribs after running for afirst-quarter touchdown. Searight ledtwo more scoring drives forMonmouth, including one thatended with his own 1-yardtouchdown run. He also had thegame-sealing interception on

defense in the end zone astime expired withHolmdel atMonmouth’s 7-yardline.

Searight is a goodall-around athletewho wascompetingwith Greenfor thestarting

quarterback spot inthe preseason, and hefits well into the zoneread scheme becauseof his runningability.

In FreeholdTownship’s 12-0win overMarlboro for itsfirst victory,freshmanAnthony Lottiwas throwninto the

varsity firewhen a starterin the secondarygot hurt, and hecame up with hisfirst interception ata key juncture inthe game to helpthe Patriots registerthe shutout.

Finally, Manasquanjunior James McAlaryhas proven to be agreat addition to theWarriors’ backfield.His speed andelusiveness on the

By Scott Stump – Managing Editor

Manalapan RB Imamu Mayfield

Monmouth Reg.jr QB Isaiah Searight

S e eBack-UpS

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“In the first half they were beating us on the screen play, so wehelped out with the safety attacking that first and helping thecorner over the top,” Barone said. “We also helped out with theoutside linebackers in coverage more. Last year we got beat acouple times by No. 45 (Tayler Hendrickson), the tight end, andwe know he’s a great athlete so we tried to make adjustmentsaround him. If we could stop him, we could hopefully stop therest of the team.”

The Braves have not lost a game in Class A North since beingrealigned into the division in 2010, and the main obstacle to afourth straight crown appears to be unbeaten Colts Neck. Afterbeating a quality team despite all the mistakes and a key injury,they know there is still potential to improve as they chase theprogram’s elusive first NJSIAA title after losing in the finals thepast two seasons.

“If it wasn’t for the penalties, this would’ve been a wholedifferent game,” Barone said. “We know that if we fix all of that,the sky is the limit.”

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Photos by: Cliff Lavellewww.c learedge.zenfo l i o .com

Junior LB Joe Mendez

Senior RB Tyler Leonetti

outside have been a good complement to thepower running of senior tailback JoeMurphy. McAlary ran for a pair oftouchdowns and helped out the run game ina 21-14 win over St. John Vianney withMurphy getting banged up in the secondhalf. Murphy left the game in the fourthquarter and was on crutches afterward, soMcAlary’s presence could really be neededin the coming weeks.

For someone who has only playedbackyard football his entire life until thisyear, McAlary also has good vision, as heshowed on this cutback run for a touchdownhere.

McAlary, who also plays in the secondary,

played soccer his entire life before decidingto switch and play football this season aftersome heavy lobbying by his teammates overthe summer. He literally went to the firstday of soccer practice, left and was at thesecond session of Manasquan’s double-session football practice the same day.

“He texts me saying, ‘Coachis it OK if I come out topractice with you guys today?’’defensive coordinator P.J.Gibbs said. “It all happenedthe same day with him coming

from soccer right to us.”The 5-foot-7, 170-pound McAlary also hasthe unlikely nickname of “Bubba.”

“That’s a (Spring Lake) Heights thing,’’Manasquan head coach Jay Price said. “Godknows where he got it.”

“My older brother and my friends havejust called me that forever,’’ McAlary said.“There are a lot of nicknames in theHeights.

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Lacey's Conor Davies

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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

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Join TheShore Sports Net work Team Today!Interested in joining our team and

think you have what it takes to becovering sports in the ShoreConference for Shore SportsNetwork? We are looking for localwriters interested in covering sportslike Lacrosse, Baseball, Football,Basketball, Soccer, Swimming,Track, Ice Hockey and more as part

of our newspaper and our website(www.shoresportsnetwork.com).Grab your chance to appearregularly in The Shore SportsNetwork bi-weekly publication andon www.shoresportsnetwork.comwhile helping us recognize moreathletes and bring more stories toShore Conference sports fans. This

is your chance to become a regularcontributor to a growing businesson the cutting edge of coveringsports in Monmouth and OceanCounty.Just contact: Managing EditorScott Stump @[email protected]

Munching on a hot pretzelunder the cover of

darkness outside the locker roomafter the cameras surrounding himwere put away and lights turnedoff following a win on Sept. 27over Toms River South, Brick’sAnthony Starego managed a wansmile.”I’m happy,” he said. “ButI’m tired.”The euphoria from early in the day had faded into thefatigue late into the night from the toll of a successful butgrueling six-month legal battle in state and federal courts forAnthony and his family that ended with an unprecedenteddecision by the NJSIAA on Friday.

Only hours before kickoff in Brick’s eventual 47-21 winover the Indians, the Staregos were informed that Anthony,19, a kicker who has multi-symptom autism, would begranted an unprecedented fifth year of eligibility by theNJSIAA to finish this season with the Green Dragons.

“We were thrilled,” Anthony’s father, Ray Starego said.“Anthony was excited and crying and emotional when I toldhim. It’s been so long a road. It’s been really draining. We’rejust absolutely exhausted.”

It reversed an initial ruling by the NJSIAA appealscommittee in March denying him a waiver for a fifth yearafter he made national headlines in 2012 following a game-winning field goal in the final seconds of an upset win overToms River North. He may be the first athlete to evercombine words “autism” and “competitive advantage” in thesame sentence, thanks to his heroics last year in wins overToms River North and Toms River East. In its ruling onFriday, the NJSIAA waived its age limit and semesterrestriction to allow Anthony to play the rest of this seasonafter having never seen a case like his in its existence.

While mulling over whether to reverse its stance onStarego’s eligibility, the NJSIAA contacted all of Brick’sremaining opponents from this season to see if they had anyobjections to him possibly returning, and there were nocomplaints.

The team was in the locker room preparing for the gamewhen it received word that Anthony would be back in padsand his No. 40 jersey after spending the first two games onthe sidelines in his kelly green shirt and white tie cheering onhis teammates. Junior quarterback Carmen Sclafani, a TomsRiver North transfer who was on the losing end of

Anthony’s game-winning kick last year, alreadygrasps Anthony’s impact in just the short time he has

known him.

“In the locker room when we found out, itgot a little emotional,” Sclafani said. “It gaveus a little more juice for this game. Anthonyis a great figure to have in this program. Hejust raises everyone’s spirits. It wasawesome to find out Anthony could come

back and be part of this team.”

“That was absolutely amazing,” said junior runningback/linebacker Ray Fattaruso. “Hearing that in the locker

room just made us want to win even more.”

Anthony attempted oneextra point with the GreenDragons up by 26 pointsin the fourth quarter, butit was wide right. Whilehe has been able topractice with the team,his reps have been limitedbecause of his eligibilitysituation, so he is tryingto shake the rust off as hecompetes with incumbentSteve Ferlisi for thestarting placekicker job.

“I’m hoping he doeseventually win thestarting job,” his fathersaid. “Whether he does ordoesn’t, it’s still atremendous story, andnow the awareness starts.The key in all this is toshow what kids can dothat no one expected themto do.”

The family receivedindications on Thursdaythat a possible decisionby the NJSIAA wascoming Friday, leading toa long night as theyhoped to hear thatAnthony would beeligible in time for theToms River South game.

“We weren’t sleepinglast night, that’s for sure,”Anthony’s mother,Reylene Starego, said. “It’s just been a very long day. All day,we were like, ‘(The ruling) has to get to this person, now ithas to get to that person, and now it needs a revision, and onand on.”

What made it clear that Anthony was back where hebelonged on Friday night wasn’t the moment where he trottedout to attempt the extra point. It was seeing him chestbumping and fist-bumping teammates, high-fiving and

celebrating the win, only a few years after he used tobecome hysterical when anyone touched him because of hissymptoms. It was watching the pure joy he gets from beingan official part of the team.

“I’m happy for Anthony,” Brick head coach Rob Dahl said.“It was great to see him smiling today.”

His bond with his teammates runs deep and has become acrucial part in his improvement off the field. He and hisfamily are diehard Rutgers fans, and it was Jeremy Ito’sgame-winning kick in an upset of Louisville in 2006 thatinspired him to become a kicker. However, he turned downhis usual great seats at High Point Solutions Stadium for theScarlet Knights’ game against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 14to instead stand on the sideline and cheer the Green Dragonson to their 21-14 win over rival Brick Memorial in the seasonopener.

“Rutgers is like a family to him,” Fattaruso said. “But hechose to come to our game because he wanted to be with ourfamily even more.”

Football has given Anthonythe quality of life that fewthought he could one dayattain when Ray and Reyleneadopted him as a 3-year-oldorphan in 1997 after he hadbounced around to 11 differentfoster homes. He had anasthmatic condition andkidney reflux disease. He alsohad a tactile issue that madehim hyper-sensitive to beingtouched or held, and he waslargely non-verbal. That’s afar cry from the teenager whoinstinctively reached out toshake this reporter’s hand onFriday night and was right inthe middle of a joyous huddlefollowing the win.

The repetitive nature ofkicking makes his autism anasset because of his tendencyto constantly repeat things, butthe camaraderie he hasexperienced and the way it hastransformed him as a person isreally the reason why theNJSIAA made the rightdecision to allow him back.

It wasn’t about Anthonymaking a game-winning fieldgoal or even hitting his extrapoint last night. It was abouthim putting on that No. 40jersey and showing thatathletics can propel a boy withautism to accomplish way

more than anyone ever thought, on and off the field.

The time for court battles and legal wrangling has come toan end. Now it’s just about football again, and soaking up thelast few precious moments like any other senior.

“He didn’t care if he missed that extra point or not,” Dahlsaid. “At the end of the game, he was smiling, and that’s whatit’s all about.”

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Shore Sports Network High School Sports 10-7-13 Issue -17