Shore Sports Network High School Sports 9-23-13 Issue -16

September 23, 2013 Vo lume-V Issue- 16

3ASM & SSN Join Forces

4 CBA’s Keane Reaches500-Win Mark

6 A Grateful Return:Raritan’s Tyler Jones

7 Mater Dei Football 2-01st Time Since 1992

8 Jackson Mem. SoccerKeeps Wins Coming

9 Ocean’s AlexisOff to a Hot Start

10Berry, TRS DefensePower Win over Southern

15 Stumpy’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 ”

Shore Sports Network has established itself as a leader in scholastic sports coverage in Monmouthand Ocean counties, providing more video highlight clips, in-depth reporting, feature stories

and regular updates than ANY OTHER OUTLET in the area.

Shore Sports NetworkWeb Site Features

n Get Video Highlights of all the important games that Shore Conference fans will be talking about.

n Catch up on the action you might have missed

n Watch video clips of everything from the action early inthe event to the big finish as well as video interviews withvarious athletes.

n www.shoresportsnetwork.com is the most visited sports site in the Shore Conference during the scholastic year

n Follow us on Twitter (over 12,000 followers) and Facebook, we keep fans posted on the latest scores and news

n Established leading portal for local high school coverage.

”Is this going to be on ”

VOLUME-V /

ISSUE-16 /

9/2

3/13

2

S t e v eM e y e rDirector High School Divisions m e y e r @ a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m7 3 2 - 2 3 3 - 4 4 6 0

S c o t t S t u m pS e n i o r M a n a g i n g E d i t o rs t u m p @ a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m

S e n i o r C o n t e n t P r o v i d e r sM a t t M a n l e y / / M m a n l e y 2 1 @ g m a i l . c o m

B o b B a d d e r s / / b a d d e r s @a l l s h o r em ed i a . c om

S h o r e S p o r t s N e tw o r ki s p u b l i s h e d b y :

A l l S h o r e M ed i a L L C26 Oxford Drive Wayside NJ, 07712

Copyright 2013 All Shore Media LLCAl l r ights reserved Reproduct ion in who le or in partw i thout the permiss ion of Shore Sports Network & A l lShore Med ia LLC i s p roh ib i ted















F O R A D V E R T I S I N G I N F O RMA 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

Al l Shore Media andShore Sports NetworkHave Jo ined ForcesB 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

VOLUME-V /

ISSUE-16 /

9/2

3/13

3

Townsquare Media Group has entered into anexclusive partnership with All Shore Media,LLC, a New Jersey Shore based multimediacompany dedicated to covering high schoolathletics in New Jersey’s Shore Conference inMonmouth and Ocean counties. All Shore Mediais dedicated to highlighting the achievements oflocal athletes while providing news andinformation to families, fans and coaches. Thispartnership combines All Shore withTownsquare’s Shore Sports Network(www.shoresportsnetwork.com), which currentlybroadcasts high school and college sports as wellas minor league baseball.

All Shore Media was launched in 2008 as astandalone website and began producing a freebi-weekly newspaper when Director/CEO SteveMeyer joined the company a year later. Meyer,who handles all sales for the company andproduces the newspaper, will continue in thoseroles while assisting in various new projects forthe new venture. The website has been a regular

destination for a large and passionate base ofShore Conference fans, parents, players andcoaches in the core sports of football, soccer,basketball, wrestling, baseball and lacrosse.Effective immediately All Shore Media’s digitalproperties will be re-branded and re-directed towww.shoresportsnetwork.com with the All ShoreMedia team continuing to drive content creation.Furthermore, Townsquare and All Shore willcombine forces on events such as the WOBMChristmas Classic and the US Army All-ShoreGridiron Classic.

“To partner with a company that shares ourvision, and who has created the Shore SportsNetwork is about as good as it gets,” said AllShore Media Director and Managing Editor ScottStump. “I am excited about the future as we’renow all on the same team.”

Greg Janoff, Regional Vice President forTownsquare Media New Jersey commented,“This partnership defines who we are at

Townsquare Media. We want to serve our localcommunities with great programming and eventsthat matter. I’m the father of a former studentathlete who played high school football andbaseball and I know first hand that nothing bringspeople and towns together like high schoolsports. The project with All Shore Media is anexciting one because we share a passion forShore Conference sports. Athletes and fans willbenefit greatly as will businesses looking toreach this important local market. ”

Townsquare’s Shore Sports Network broadcastshigh school football and basketball and is theradio home for Monmouth University footballand basketball, Lakewood BlueClaws minorleague basketball and the NFL’s New York Jets.The Shore Sports Network is led by KevinWilliams, a 34-year broadcasting veteran, alongwith Matt Harmon, Ed Sarluca and EddyOcchipinti.

VOLUME-V /

ISSUE-16 /

9/2

3/13

4

There were no group hugs, team photos,colorful banners or ice-cold Gatorade

baths following the foremost milestonecoaching win in the history of ShoreConference soccer on Sept. 18 atChristian Brothers Academy. With his team’s 2-1, come-from-behind win over Shore

Conference Class A North division rival Howell, 36-yearhead coach Dan Keane secured his 500th career win as theman in charge of the Shore’s most dominant program onthe pitch and despite that, the beloved coach and teachergot none of that special treatment.

That’s because Keane was not even present for his ownlandmark victory.

Like many a longstanding high school program, CBAsoccer is, on its surface, one built on the talent, work ethicand athletic intellect of its players and coaches, but isultimately held together by something beyond those elements.Multiple generations have contributed to the Colts’ successsince Keane’s first season in 1978 and the result has been anoften-underlying, but sometimes-prevalent sense of family.

Keane has helped to create that sense of responsibility toone another within the program during his 36 years and thatsame love for his family on the field that motivated him toreturn for another season as head coach is what ultimatelykept him away from one of the more notable victories of hiscareer. On Sept. 18, Keane’s wife was recovering fromsurgery on her carotid artery. While his team prepared totake the field for what turned out to be win No. 500, Keanewas riding home with his wife from New YorkPresbyterian Hospital.

“We all wanted to win this one for coach,” said juniorRussell Romano, who scored the game-winning goalin the 71st minute against Howell. “We knew he hadan important family issue to deal with, and we just

wanted to give him some good news. We’re looking forward to seeinghim in school and congratulating him.”

It was fitting that Romano score the game-winning goal and thatfreshman Matt Thorsheim initiated the tying goal midway through thesecond half – an own goal off the head of a Howell defender – with awell-serviced corner kick. Russell is the third Romano brother to playfor Keane, with oldest brother Kevin starting for two years in 2008 and2009 and middle brother Mike starting as an outside midfielder on the21-0 NJSIAA Non-Public A championship team in 2011. Thorsheim’solder brother, Chris, was the All Shore Media Player of the Year whilestarring for that 2011 team as well.

“I’ve had a chance to grow up around the program, and it’s been a bigpart of my life,” Romano said. “Coach Keane has built this program onintegrity, hard work and tradition, and that’s what makes it specialplaying here. He’s just an all-around great guy, not just out here, but inschool every day. He’s a huge part of CBA.”

While the two older Romano brothers and Chris Thorsheim took theprogram to heights that their younger brothers can only hope to reach atthis point, Russell Romano and Matt Thorsheim have already gonewhere their brothers have not. This year, CBA is fielding its youngestroster during Keane’s tenure, one year after running out a team withzero returning starters and just one goal from the state championshipsquad that scored 83 times during the previous season. Romano hasstarted since his sophomore year and Thorsheim is just the fourth CBAfreshman to ever start for the varsity team. Chris won his first startingjob as a sophomore in 2009.

The influx of youth over the last two years was what led Keane toconsider retirement and for many around the Shore to openly speculatethat the longtime CBA coach would indeed step down. On the contrary,the new faces and potential to build yet another champion from scratchis what ultimately drew Keane back for another year.

“I just love being around the game and coaching the kids, and deepdown, I wasn’t ready to stop doing it just yet,” Keane said. “At the endof the 2011 season, I really thought that was going to be it for me, but Ididn’t want to decide right then and there because I knew I might feeldifferently in a few months. It’s not as easy as it used to be, it’s moredemanding at my age and there will come a day when I can’t do it

CBA Soccer Coach Dan KeaneReaches the 500-Win MarkBy Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer

Join TheShore Sports Network 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]

anymore. But teaching is my passion and as long asthat passion is there, I’m going to keep coming back.”

Several factors conspired to bring Keane back foranother year, but the 65-year-old coach insists thatwinning 500 games was not one of them. In a careerthat includes five state titles and seven ShoreConference Tournament championships, 500 winsultimately takes a back seat.

“Danny and I have talked about it many times overthe last two years, and we both feel the same way: 500is just another number,” said Jeff Matson, Keane’s topassistant for the last 20 seasons. “I know in Americawe attach a lot of importance to numbers, but whenyou’ve won championships and had success, what’sone more win? Believe me, Danny wasn’t coming backfor another full season just to win one more game. Hegenuinely loves coaching, and he wants to see thisgroup do well.”

“To me, 500 is special because it’s a testament to theplayers and coaches who have been a part of theprogram in that time, and the parents, administratorsand all of the fans who have supported us and cheeredus on,” Keane said. “It’s a nice accomplishment forme, but when I’m done coaching, I’ll remember 21-0in 2011, the 1998 and 2000 teams, and all of the kidsthat played for me on those teams.”

The CBA soccer program endured its first everlosing season in 2012, finishing 6-8-3 while failing toqualify for the Shore Conference Tournament andbowing out of the NJSIAA South Jersey Non-Public Afirst round. All the more painful for the Colts faithfulwas that they lost to local Non-Public rival St. JohnVianney in overtime, the first time Vianney had everdefeated CBA in soccer. More than a milestonenumber, rebuilding the program was a motivatingfactor for Keane to return.

“The way last year ended definitely had somethingto do with me coming back,” Keane said. “I wouldn’tsay it’s the number one reason or anything, and Iwouldn’t have had any regrets if that had been it. Butit would have been hard to walk away after what reallywas the worst season in the history of the program.The first losing record, we lose in the first round of thestate tournament, and we don’t even qualify for theShore Conference Tournament, which has neverhappened.

“The thing about it is, this year we’re even younger.We have some talented young kids, but with the lackof experience we have, there is no guarantee that we’llbe able to have a winning season this year either. I’mjust looking forward to the challenge of coaching theseyoung kids and maybe helping them get back that CBAwinning tradition.”

A Teacher from the BeginningFor all of his success in soccer over the last 36 years,

Keane’s athletic background is in basketball andbaseball. As a scholastic athlete, Keane played thosetwo sports while attending Queen of Peace HighSchool in North Arlington, N.J. He then earned a

degree in social studies education from Seton HallUniversity and a master’s degree in education fromMontclair State University.

Keane was hired as a teacher at CBA in 1977 andafter a year in the school, he was asked if he would beinterested in the varsity soccer job. While Keanelacked playing experience himself, his father, Dan Sr.,was an all-state player at St. Benedict’s High School inNewark.

“I knew I knew the game, I knew I could teach it,and I knew I could motivate young people to worktogether and ultimately to succeed,” Keane recalled.“The one thing that made me nervous is that I didn’thave that actual playing experience that I could sharewith the kids, and I didn’t know how that would affectme. That’s why I’ve always believed in surroundingthe program with top-notch coaches and top-notchpeople, and that’s really been the secret to the success,along with the kids.”

Keane never saw his father play during his playingdays at Panzer College, which later became part ofMontclair State University, nor did Dan Sr. watch anyof his son’s athletic pursuits. Dan Keane Sr. died atage 45, when Dan Jr. was only 10 years old.

“I didn’t have a chance to spend a whole lot of timewith him, but my memories of my father are still prettyvivid,” Keane said. “I can remember as a nine-year-old, him taking me to soccer games in Kearny, whichin those days was like the soccer hotbed of the state. Itwasn’t always high school games, either. There wereclub games, adult games, just any game that happenedto be going on. He’d try to teach me everything thatwas going on, but as a nine-year-old, you don’t take inmuch of that. But over time, some of it starts toresonate with you and just the experience I got to sharewith my father was enough to boost my interest.”

If there are elements of family embedded in the CBAsoccer culture, it is easy to see why. Keane’s pursuit ofexcellence in coaching has been as much a tip of thecap to his parents as it’s been his own pursuit.

“I originally wanted to be a sportswriter and that’swhat I did in college,” Keane said. “Ultimately, Igravitated toward teaching because both of my parentswere in education. I would have never imagined thatI’d get into coaching soccer. If he were alive, I thinkmy dad would have been surprised, too. I’d like tothink he’d be proud of me because a lot of what I do Ilearned from him in the brief time I got to spend timewith him.”

The Right-hand ManOf all the people with whom Keane has surrounded

himself, none has been more prominent – especiallyduring the second half of Keane’s tenure – thanMatson. After coaching both the boys and girls teamsat Red Bank Catholic, Matson took a teaching job atCBA.

“When I came (to CBA) they told me you can coachanywhere you want,” Matson said. “Except Red Bank

Catholic.”

Matson then moved on from the Colts’ rival 10minutes east on Newman Springs Road and took theRed Bank Regional head coaching job for two seasonsbefore finally joining Keane’s staff for the 1994season.

With a background of European soccer traced backto his days living in Belgium as a kid, Matson broughtwith him an insight into advanced training and tacticalsoccer that helped Keane take his program to anotherlevel. Matson was on board for the landmark seasonsof 1998 and 2000 and again in 2011.

“Jeff and I are close friends,” Keane said. “We’vespent 20 seasons together, which is a long time. He’sgreat working with the kids at practice, doing a lot ofthe physical stuff that I can’t do anymore.

“One thing that’s been key for us is consistency incoaching. Tommy Mulligan has been the jayvee coachfor about 20 years, Rory Fitzgerald has been with thefreshmwn for seven years now, and both are CBAguys. Jeff is part of that too, being here for 20 years.It’s the same message every year.”

For the last 20 years, Keane and Matson have beenextensions of one another, albeit very differentextensions. Keane is the laid-back, affable coachbarking out words of encouragement and motivationwhile Matson is the one who runs practices, directs thegame plan and lets officials know when he sees thingsdifferently. What makes the two men different fromone another is also what has made them such a goodteam.

“He’s calmed me down a lot,” Matson said of Keane.“I was very fiery in my day and since I teamed up withDanny, his personality has rubbed off on me, and it’smade me a better coach.

“We are very different: he’s more of the motivationaltype, I’m more tactical, but together, it works verywell. And one thing I’ve learned is that it’s alwaysbetter to have two sets of eyes. We see thingsdifferently sometimes, but it’s never gotten in the wayof our relationship. In 20 years, we have not had onefight, and that’s a testament to him and the program heruns.”

On Sept. 18, with Keane taking care of his actualfamily, Matson saw to it that the soccer family thatKeane has cared for the past 35 years played the CBAway while their coach was away. It was a glimpse ofwhat CBA will be like when Keane finally does call ita career. As many times as the Colts win while he isnot there, the roots of success will always be tracedback to the unofficial father of CBA soccer.

“I guess I’d have to be the focal point of the programbecause I’m the one who has been here for 36 years,”Keane said. “But everything I’ve accomplished isbecause of the people who have passed through theprogram. That’s the coaches, the players, the parents,the administrators and the students who havesupported us. They are the people that make theprogram so special. I’ve just been lucky enough to bealong for the ride.”

VOLUME-V /

ISSUE-16 /

9/2

3/13

5

VOLUME-V /

ISSUE-16 /

9/2

3/13

6

It all started with the type of routinecollision that occurs at thousands of

high school football practices acrossAmerica every day. Raritan linebacker Tyler Jones came on a blitz during a drill in

practice on Oct. 3, 2012, when 285-pound offensive lineman Pat Toal,his good friend since kindergarten, slid over to block his path. Toal'sknee dinged Jones's right thigh, where he had suffered a quadricepsinjury two weeks earlier that he had diligently rehabbed.

Jones figured it was just another one of the bumps and bruises thatcome with the territory when you're a middle linebacker. As a precaution,he did not practice the next day and received treatment. He then was putthrough a series of range-of-motion tests on an exercise bike by Raritanathletic trainer Amanda Stump on Oct. 5, a day before the Rockets wereset to face Monmouth Regional on the road.

After completing the exercises, he went out to the field for a walk-through without pads in preparation for the Monmouth game, and thepain in his leg suddenly became unbearable. Stump was called by thecoaches to come pick up Jones with the school's motorized cart becausehe couldn't walk. He was taken to her athletic training room, where itbecame apparent that the situation was escalating quickly.

"I didn't know it was too serious until I went into Mrs. Stump's office,and he started tensing up and grabbing the desk,'' Toal said. "He wastrying not to tear up, but you could see he was fighting it. This is a kidwho could have a broken arm and would not say anything, so I knew itwas bad.''

"He started to get very pale,'' Stump said. "All his veins in his neckwere popping out because he was in so much pain, and this is anincredibly tough kid who tries to fight through anything. I called hismother to take him to the hospital, but while we were waiting, it got sobad that I just called 911."

Jones was rushed by ambulance to Riverview Medical Center in RedBank, where a test determined that he was suffering from acutecompartment syndrome in his right quadriceps. Acute compartmentsyndrome occurs after an injury, usually a collision, when swelling orfluid inside a compartment - which contains muscle tissue, nerves andblood vessels - causes increased pressure that can potentially blockblood flow to the compartment, according to the National Institute ofHealth. If the pressure is not relieved, it could result in muscle death andnerve damage that leads to an arm or leg being amputated.

"When we got there, we thought he would be in the emergency room,but he was already in the operating room,'' Raritan head coach AnthonyPetruzzi said. "Everything happened so fast."

There was a race againsttime to get Jones into surgeryimmediately for a fasciotomy,a procedure where theconnective tissue aroundmuscles, blood vessels andnerves, known as fascia, is cutto relieve the pressure. Jonesdidn't think it was that seriousuntil he woke up from theanesthesia after the surgery andwas informed of the situation.

"The doctors told me if Iwaited a couple more hours,my leg was gone,'' Jones said.

Compartment syndromeusually occurs in smallerspaces than the quadricepssuch as the forearm or shinarea. Minnesota Vikingsquarterback Christian Pondernearly developed it in histhrowing arm after last seasonbut doctors were able to relieveit before it required emergencysurgery.

"This was the craziest thingI've ever seen because itescalated so quickly andbecause I've never heard ofanyone having it in theirquadriceps,'' said Stump, whois in her 13th year at Raritan. "Orthopedic doctors I've spoken with saidthe only time they've seen this is in a severe car accident."

"They told me it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing,'' Jones said.

Petruzzi, Toal and Jones's younger brother, Raritan defensive backColby Jones, were in the hospital with Tyler and his family until 2 a.m.on Oct. 6 following his surgery. About 12 hours later, the Rocketssuffered a tough 13-10 loss to Monmouth Regional without one of theirteam captains.

"Not having that kid on the field is such a loss to our team, to ourdefense and in our hearts,'' Toal said. "It's such a scary injury, and youdon't know how serious it is until it happens to you."

Jones missed the final six games of his junior season whilerehabilitating from the injury, watching from the sideline as the Rocketsendured a winless campaign. On the one hand, his career was not over

and he did not lose his leg, and on the otherhand, a fiery competitor and team captain wasforced to helplessly witness the Rocketsundergo their worst year in decades.

"Sitting on the sidelines and watching whatwas going on was horrible,'' Jones said."Knowing I couldn't do anything to help wasthe worst feeling."

Jones aggressively attacked his rehabilitation,returning in early January to rejoin the wrestlingteam, where he was a 195-pounder for theRockets. Now fully healthy, he is not taking amoment for granted as he embarks on his seniorfootball season. The Rockets are off to an 0-2start, but are clearly improved from the teamthat went winless last year, as they tookdefending Central Jersey Group II championCarteret to the wire in a 12-7 loss. Jones is backto his full-speed, forceful tackling style, andalso has a foot-long scar on his right thigh to lethim know how close he came to never playingagain.

"When something you love that much getstaken away in an instant, you kind of reconsidereverything that you live for,'' Jones said. "Theplays that I used to give up on, when you'resitting in the hospital you think about them, andif I could never play football again, that'ssomething I would always regret. So there's nomore plays off. It's just constantly going fullbore."

"There's definitely an urgency for him,'' Petruzzi said. "More thananybody else, he can't stand the thought of last year and what happenedafterwards. In some of those games he could've been the differencebetween a win and a loss. He's just a playmaker."

He also is a daily reminder to his teammates that it could all go awaytomorrow, so don't be left with the nagging feeling that you didn't givemaximum effort.

"He and I would talk and he would say, 'When they say you don'tknow when it could be your last snap, you literally don't know,''' saidToal, who has committed to Old Dominion. "He said that while sittingthere in that (hospital) bed, wishing he was on the field.

"We're playing like it is our last snap. This team is such a strong andhard-headed team now. We don't really care who's in our way. We'regoing to fight with all we got because you never know when it could allbe taken away."

A Grateful Return: Raritan’s Tyler JonesB 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

Steve Sciarappa’s message to histeam following its game against

Cardinal McCarrick was stern, clear andto the point, and it was also unlike anypostgame talk he’s had with Mater DeiPrep over the last four seasons.The Seraphs had just completed a 38-16 wipeout of McCarrick

on their home field, moving to 2-0 for the first time since 1992,according to Sciarappa, and registering back-to-back 30-pointgames for the first time in at least a decade. Consistency in botheffort and execution was Sciarappa’s focus. He wants the Seraphsto play up to their expectations, which are radically differentthese days at the small school in north Middletown despite going1-9 last season.

We’re really happy with the 2-0 start, but we have a long wayto go,” said Sciarappa, who is also the school’s principal. “Wehave high expectations of where we want to go, and we have a lotof work to get there.”

The Seraphs believe they are on the verge of turning the cornerand becoming a program that can consistently contend in theShore Conference’s Class B Central division and make a playoffrun in Non-Public Group I. This confidence comes from finallyhaving a combination of talent, experience and depth the programhas lacked for quite some time.

Players like four-year starting linemen Ron Perez and MattEckert, along with senior running back and linebacker Sam Milesand junior quarterback Christian Palmer, have been with theprogram since their freshman years. Before last season, seniorrunning back Derek Lopez transferred in from Rahway. Thisseason they added another Rahway transfer, senior JelanieMitchell, along with junior Tyson White, a St. Anthony transfer.Those three give Mater Dei an explosive group of skill playersand the ability to physically match up with teams on theirschedule.

On Saturday, White ran for 114 yards on just three carries,scoring on touchdown runs of 65 and 50 yards. Lopez finishedwith 92 yards and a touchdown, and Mitchell added a touchdownon the ground. Miles ran for over 700 yards last season andPalmer is another option in the run game. There’s ways for MaterDei to score that they just didn’t have in recent years.

“It feels great knowing we can score in one play now,” Eckertsaid. “In the past we needed about 20 plays to get into the endzone.”

They also have a promising freshman class, and at Mater Deithat means a chance to get on the field right away. Eddie Lewis,who comes to Middletown from Manhattan every day, is a playerthe coaches are very high on. Ishmael Glasco starts at cornerbackand John Lubintus starts at linebacker. Other freshmen arepushing for playing time, too.

“We’re a 9-to-12 roster, and the majority of the team isunderclassmen,” Sciarappa said. “We have only eight seniors, soit’s also a challenge. It’s coaching freshmen, JV and varsity at thesame time.”

A reason for the freshmen having an impact also has much todo with St. Mary School, a pre-K through eighth grade schoolthat is on Mater Dei’s campus, starting a football team lastseason.

“We felt the program took a big turn last year when we broughtin the middle school program,” Sciarappa said. “Traditionallywe’re strong in soccer and basketball, and football was our downboys sport. Now we have 15 freshmen, half of which were on theSt. Mary’s roster. To have every single kid on the roster haveplayed football last year is big.”

Mater Dei made it look easy on Saturday against the Eagles,racing out to a 32-0 halftime lead. White outran the entireCardinal McCarrick defense on the Seraphs’ first offensive playfor a 65-yard score. His next carry went for a 50-yard touchdown.Later in the first half, Vincenzo Mezzacappa fielded a shankedpunt from his cornerback spot and returned it 40 yards for atouchdown. Mitchell added a 15-yard touchdown that was set upby a 42-yard run by Lopez, who added a touchdown run of hisown in the third quarter. The first team defense held CardinalMcCarrick to 10 total yards.

To outsiders, wins over Keansburg and Cardinal McCarrickmight not look that impressive. Cardinal McCarrick is severely

undermanned with only about five or 10 reserves on the sideline.Keansburg lost 60-0 to Spotswood on Saturday. Mater Deiunderstands its schedule gets increasingly difficult in the comingweeks, but 2-0 is still 2-0.

“Both of those teams (Keansburg and Cardinal McCarrick)beat us last year, and Cardinal McCarrick has beaten us the lastthree years,” Sciarappa said. “We didn’t take anything forgranted. We were pretty hard on (the players). I was happy aboutthe win, but we want to play up to expectations.”

“Coach has always been like that,” Miles said. “He’s alwayshad expectations up high for us. We come out every game now,and we aren’t going to back down to anyone. We have thatconfidence.”

The Seraphs have already matched their win total from theprevious two seasons combined, and they’re one win away frommatching the three games won in 2010 during Sciarappa’s firstseason. The program went 4-6 in 2006, but hasn’t had a winningseason since reaching an NJSIAA sectional final in 1999. Thechallenge now for Mater Dei is to continue to turn the page.

“We’ve won games that we would always lose in the past,”Eckert said. “Now hopefully we can keep that momentum goingand beat the bigger teams.”

“The mentality has definitely changed,” Miles said. “Peopleused to walk around not caring about Mater Dei football. Nowpeople care.”

VOLUME-V /

ISSUE-16 /

9/2

3/13

7Mater De i Prep is 2 -0 for theF i rst T ime S ince 1992By Bob Badders – Senior Staff Writer

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

VOLUME-V /

ISSUE-16 /

9/2

3/13

8

ll throughout last season, currentJackson Memorial senior GarrettMuzikowski and his teammatesheard the outcry from otherprominent programs in the ShoreConference. Schools were lamenting the loss of varsity-levelplayers to academy soccer restrictions that forbidactive academy players from playing high schoolsoccer. Meanwhile, the 2012 Jaguars team waswelcoming in more established varsity talent thanit was sending out the door.

The roles have reversed this season and whileother teams around the Shore – most notably TomsRiver North, Rumson-Fair Haven and Howell –are welcoming back players who sat out a highschool season to play academy soccer, Jackson haslost two major potential returnees to the club rankswhile also graduating six other senior starters andmost of its bench.

If the reconstruction of the roster was supposedto make Jackson any more vulnerable coming off a

school-record 23-2 season,the Jaguars have notshown it. While manyteams had a

built-inexcuse to fall offlast year while losingtalent to the academyranks, Muzikowski hasrefused to let the loss of senior AnthonyMandola – who transferred from JacksonLiberty prior to the 2012 season – and juniorDylan Greenblatt rain on the Jaguars’ Class ASouth reign.

“We say it all the time and it’scliché, but it doesn’t matterwho is here and who isn’t,we’re going to play the samestyle, the same way,” saidMuzikwoski, a second-teamAll-Shore player last yearafter scoring nine goals and11 assists. “We’re going tocome at teams for 80minutes and give themJackson soccer, just like wedid when we had all ofthose guys last year. Itdoesn’t matter who ishere. Nothingchanges.”Muzikowski hasbacked up hiswords with atorrid start tohis seniorseason that hasseen his team

follow suit. Through five games,Muzikowski has scored six of Jackson’s10 goals to go with two assists and theJaguars are off to a 4-0-1 start after animpressive 5-2 win on Sept. 21 over LongBranch, the No. 8 team in the ShoreSports Network preseason top 10.Muzikowski scored four goals against theGreen Wave, including one just secondsbefore halftime to start a run of fiveunanswered goals that erased a 2-0 first-half deficit.

Two days prior to the win over LongBranch, the No. 9 Jaguars played Class A Southdivision rival and No. 2 Toms River North to ascoreless draw in Jackson. The Jaguars outshot theMariners 9-5 in the match and frustrated a talentedMariners team for most of the100 minutes.

Defense was the hallmarkof Jackson Memorial’ssuccess last season, and it hasbeen strong again during theearly part of the season. TheJaguars lost defensivestalwarts Tom DeNoville andRyan Young to graduation,but returnstarterAnthonyProvini

and

All-Shore second-team goalkeeperDevyn Josko.Combined withMuzikowski’sathleticism andcreativity nearthe net, theJaguars appear tohave picked up

where they left off lastseason.

“Obviously, we miss thescoring of guys like MattFryc and Mandola and thetoughness of a Ryan Young andTom DeNoville,” JacksonMemorial coach Steve Bado said.“So in that way, we might not bequite as dynamic, especially when it

comes to scoring goals. But westill have a top goal-scorerin Garrett and we havesome speed and somesize and some kids whoare going to work hardand play Jackson soccer.

These guys sat behind some

good players last year and now they’re gettingtheir chance.”

Even with Muzikowski’s dominant start, theJaguars have needed the contributions of many of

their new starters.AndrewJozwicki, JoeyStoltenberg andJustin Kritouhave allcontributed to thescoring, andJordan Hodges,Tyler Russo andJoe Mamola havefilled their roleson the field, withRusso solidifyingthe defense,Mamola manningthe outsidemidfield andHodges attackingout of theforward andmidfield spots.

JacksonMemorial alsokicked off theseason with somegood fortune on

its side. The Jaguars effectively got a mulligan indropping a 3-0 decision to Old Bridge at theGMC-Shore Shootout at Monroe High School onSept. 3 because Old Bridge sophomore TylerMazza – who scored two goals in the game –played despite not yet gaining his eligibility aftertransferring. The oversight forced Old Bridge toforfeit the game and gave Jackson Memorial awake-up call without the Jaguars having to take anofficial loss in the standings.

“We didn’t play very well in that game to beginwith, and I think it gave us a chance to see some ofour flaws and some of the things we needed towork on,” Bado said.

“Old Bridge was bad start, and there was someconcern that we weren’t going to be able to scoregoals, but we came out and scored four on Lindenand two on a tough Brick Memorial team,”Muzikowski said. “We didn’t score (against TomsRiver North), but we got chances and put thepressure on, and if we keep doing that, the goalswill come.”

S e eSOCCER

pag e 1 0

Goalie Devyn Josko

Senior Garrett Muzikowski

By Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer

cean Township High Schoolsophomore striker Wadneson

Alexis served as a kind of secretweapon on last year’s ShoreConference Tournamentchampionship team. The secret is outthis year, but even with opposingteams beginning to throw markingbacks his way, it does not seem tomatter.The Spartans are the No. 1 team in theShore Sports Network Preseason Top 10 andare off to a 4-0-1 start to the 2013 seasonafter a 3-1 win over Brick on Sept. 21,during which Alexis scored hisfifth goal of the youngseason.

In the early goingthis year, Alexis –whom histeammates call“Waldo” for short –has already scoredfive goals in fivegames, including hissecond career hattrick in a 3-3 drawagainst a Wall team onSept. 16 that isperennially among theShore Conference’sbest defensiveteams.

“Waldo is sodynamic,” seniorforward and co-captain Justin Silverbergsaid. “We can play him inso many different roles,whether it’s playing theball through to him, or hecan get it, turn and shoot.He can beat you in somany different ways anddefenses have toaccount for all ofthem.”

Ocean remains a dangerous team a yearafter graduating five starters and TylerNowak’s 21 goals from an 18-1-2 ShoreConference Tournament championship team. TheSpartans remain a threat not because of Alexis andfellow sophomore Neil Martin (three goals, two

assists this season) up top,but because of the core ofseniors who allow theyoung players to fit inrather than be focal points.

Silverberg, midfielderGeorge Kavarakas,

sweeper TylerRoman andgoalkeeperChrisSeagergiveOcean

experiencedtalent ateach levelof thefield.Theirpresencehas onlyhelped toexpedite thegrowth of astrong groupof

sophomores, led byAlexis and Martin.

“All of the guyswho have returnedto the team areimprovementsuponthemselves,”Ocean coachTom Reillysaid.“Justin,Georgie,

TylerRoman, Chris

Seager, Waldo, all ofthose guys are vastlyimproved from last yearwhen they were all keypieces of a championshipteam. The question is, can thenew guys fill in the roles that

are open? Obviously, replacing 21goals by Tyler Nowak is an issue,and we’re not going to do that withone guy, but we have a lot of guys

who can help do it.”

Although the draw against Shore ConferenceClass B North rival Wall is the only blemish onOcean’s record thus far, that game also served asthe perfect example of Ocean’s experienceworking hand-in-hand with the young, risingtalent.

Ocean trailed Wall 2-1 through the 70th minute,but Alexis struck for his second goal in the 71st totie the game at two after Silverberg chased down aball on near the right corner and crossed itperfectly to the front of the net, where Alexisredirected it into the net. Just 4:32 later, Alexistook a through-ball from Silverberg off a Wallturnover, drew Knights junior goalkeeper JackWishart off his line and slid a shot past him to givethe Spartans a 3-2 lead.

Martin got in on the action on the first goal ofthe game when he redirected a corner kick fromSilverberg with his head from the far post back tothe near post, where Alexis punched home his firstof three goals in that game.

“I knew they were coming,” said Alexis of thetying and go-ahead goals. “Justin was workinghard out there and I was getting opportunities allgame. I knew we were going to score.”

Alexis scored four goals as a freshman last year,with all four of them coming in the SCT and threeof them coming in an 8-2 win over Toms RiverSouth. Although he played the role of substitute

more often than not, he was a dangerousweapon off the bench and is now theplayer that Ocean’s opponents willhave to game plan against.

By Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer

S e eOCEAN

pag e 11

Senior forward Justin Silverberg

VOLUME-V /

ISSUE-16 /

9/2

3/13

9

Sophomore striker Wadneson Alexis

Since the Old Bridge experience, JacksonMemorial has dispatched of Linden 4-0 and BrickMemorial 2-0 before the Toms River North andLong Branch results. Brick Memorial (3-2) hasscored 15 goals in its three wins, which include a4-1 win over perennially strong Toms River East,but Jackson Memorial held the Mustangs scoreless.

The Jaguars also benefit from an early-seasonschedule that sees them host, in addition to TomsRiver North and Long Branch, Toms River Eastduring the first trip through the Class A Southschedule. Jackson also would have hosted TomsRiver South on its pitch on Sept. 12 for its Class ASouth opener, but the game was postponed due tolightning in the area.

“When we get teams on ourhome field, we are very tough,”Bado said. “The guys have a

certain edge about them on thisfield, and it shows in the resultshere.”Jackson Memorial appeared poised for a two-year run of dominance beginning with last year’steam, and the Jaguars are back among the Shore’selite in the early part of the season. How theJaguars have been able to do it with high-levelplayers in Mandola and Greenblatt sitting this yearout, however, makes them one of the Shore teamsthat has opened some eyes in September.

“I know people are kind of overlooking us eventhough we’re the defending champs, but that’s allright,” Muzikowski said. “We don’t worry toomuch about other people’s expectations. We stillfeel like we have something to prove, and we stillhave a lot of season left.”

VOLUME-V /

ISSUE-16 /

9/2

3/13

10 SOCCERCon t i n u e d f r om p a g e 8

P h o t o b y :B i l l N o rm i l e

www.b i l l no rmi le .zenfo l i o .com

“Waldo was a bit of an unknown commodityheading into last year, and then he scored abunch of goals for us in the preseason,”Ocean coach Tom Reilly said. “Then he kindof lost his edge once the season started andthat’s why we eased him into the lineup. If hehad continued scoring goals like he was inthe preseason, he would have been startingand playing a lot. I don’t care how young heis. As the saying goes, ‘If you’re goodenough, you’re old enough.”“I was nervous playing varsity last year, and I think the reason I had

trouble is that I didn’t get enough playing time,” Alexis said. “I justcouldn’t get comfortable because I wasn’t getting a chance to play andlearn. But I learned a lot from being around all of those seniors and thisyear’s seniors, and now I feel like I’ve been playing for a while now.”

Troubling words for the rest of the Shore Conference.

OCEANCon t i n u e d f r om p a g e 9

VOLUME-V /

ISSUE-16 /

9/2

3/13

1 1

Photos by:

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

VOLUME-V /

ISSUE-16 /

9/2

3/13

12

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

With Toms River South expecting tocontinue its resurgence this season,

Friday’s Week Two game against Southernstood as the Indians’ first major challenge. Infront of a capacity crowd at Detwiler Stadium,the Indians, one way or another, were going toshow how far they’ve come.Consider the test passed.

Junior quarterback Tymere Berry ran for a game-high 132 yards andaccounted for two touchdowns, while the Indians’ defense came throughwith several clutch stops and forced a pair of turnovers in a 27-20 victoryover the Rams in Class A South.

“This was definitely the type of win we’ve been looking for,” Berrysaid. “We beat a program tonight.”

“I told our guys that we just beat a program,” said Indians head coachRon Signorino Jr.. “This was a huge game for us.”

The Indians ran for 261 yards as a team with junior Khaleel Greeneadding 59 yards and a touchdown and senior Billy Kosh also scoring onthe ground. Berry threw for 85 yards with senior Darrius Hart leading theway with three catches for 57 yards. Senior Otis Kearney, an FBS recruit,was held to 31 yards on nine carries, but the Indians had too manyweapons to contain at once.

“That’s the beauty of what our offense is,” Signorino said. “We’regoing to spread you out horizontally and vertically. We don’t know whothe star player is going to be, so how could the other team?”

“This is exactly what we meant when we talked about how manyweapons we have on the field,” Berry said. “They came out trying to shutdown Otis, but we have too many other weapons.”

The most encouraging sign for Toms River South, other than the finaltally on the scoreboard, of course, was the way its defense played againsta solid offense with a game-breaking player. The Indians did about asgood of a job as can be done against Southern senior wide receiver MikeGesicki. One of the nation’s top tight end recruits caught five passes for93 yards, but never burned the Indians for a huge gain and was kept outof the end zone. Joe Berlinski and Kosh also intercepted passes that wereintended for Gesicki.

The Indians’ defense had two signature moments in the first half whenit stopped Southern on a pair of fourth-and-one situations en route to a20-0 halftime lead. Kearney came up with the stop on the second fourth-down try from the Indians’ 13-yard line. He filled the hole and droppedRams running back Rob Yaiser for no gain to turn the ball over ondowns, which led to a long Indians scoring drive.

“I told the defense at halftime that if we win this game it’s because ofthem,” Berry said. “Our defense gave our offense motivation throughoutthe whole game. Without them we wouldn’t have gotten theopportunities we did. The defense really won it for us.”

“We’re growing defensively, but I was really proud of how we hung inthere,” Signorino said. “We knew Southern was going to battle. Weweathered the storm and passed the test.”

Toms River South’s first defensive stand led to its first touchdown inthe first quarter. After halting the Rams on a fourth-and-one from theirown 42-yard line, the Indians scored in eight plays to take a 7-0 lead.Berry connected with Kosh for 18 yards on third-and-7 to move the ballinside the 20-yard line, and a late hit on a third-down run extended thedrive. Kosh scored from the one-yard line on second down, and TylerSosa’s extra point gave the Indians the early lead.

A 31-yard catch by Gesicki where he jumped over two defenders tohaul in Sheehan’s pass helped Southern move inside the Indians’ 10-yardline on the next possession, but Berlinski intercepted Sheehan’s pass toGesicki from the eight-yard line to end the threat.

In the second quarter after Kearney’s stop on fourth down, the Indianstook a 13-0 lead with a 12-play, 87-yard drive. Berry connected withHart on a 40-yard catch and run to move the ball in to Southern territory,and Greene finished the drive with an 18-yard touchdown run on third-and-3.

Southern moved to midfield on its next drive, which was cut shortwhen Kosh intercepted Sheehan on a third-and-10. The pick set up TomsRiver South’s third scoring drive, a six-play, 38-yard drive that camewith under two minutes left in the half. Greene converted a third-and-eight with an 18-yard run, and three plays later Berry hit Hart on a 10-yard fade for a 20-0 halftime lead.

The Rams received to start the second half and had great field positionthanks to a short kickoff and a penalty against the Indians. Starting at theToms River South 30, the Rams scored in five plays on a 17-yard run bySheehan to cut the Indians’ lead to 20-6.

Southern forced a punt on South’s next possession to set up its second

scoring drive. The Rams were faced with another fourth down, this onewith seven yards to gain after a delay of game penalty pushed them back.Sheehan was able to find Gesicki for 14 yards, however, and a firstdown.

Gesicki rolled his ankle on the play, and although he did return, it wasnot until the next defensive series. Southern continued its march withoutits star, and found the end zone when Sheehan hit a wide-open VinnieColecchia, who tight-roped the sideline after the catch for a 25-yardtouchdown. Yaiser’s extra point made it a one-score game, 20-13, with4:55 left in the third quarter.

Toms River South’s response was swift.

The Indians went 62 yards in five plays to extend their lead to 27-13and effectively put the game away. Kearney’s 21-yard run from just shyof midfield came right before Berry’s brilliant 30-yard touchdown run.

“He could be the best we’ve ever had,” said Signorino when askedabout Berry’s play-making abilities. “He’s the whole package. He’s takencommand of the offense and we rely on him a lot.”

The Rams continued to battle, however. Starting from the 45, Southernwent 55 yards in seven plays to make it 27-20. Sheehan found Colecchia

for 11 yards, then Yaiser for 20 to move the ball into Indians territory. A25-yard pass to Gesicki put the ball at the four-yard line, and Yaiserneeded just two carries before plunging in from the one with 11:29 left inthe game.

Toms River South had to punt on its next possession, so its defensehad to stop Southern with 8:53 left in the game. Southern marched tomidfield, aided by a fake punt run for a first down by Gesicki from hisown 37. But on fourth-and-four from the 49, Berlinski’s pressure onSheehan forced an incomplete pass and a turnover on downs. Toms RiverSouth would get the ball back and run out the clock with some clutchruns by Berry, including a 12-yarder on fourth-and-two with 1:30 left inthe game.

Now at 2-0, Toms River South is halfway toward its win total fromlast season. The Indians won three games in Signorino’s first season,then four last year. Friday’s win over Southern proved to them they’recapable of big things this season, just as they envisioned when this allbegan.

“We’ve scratched our way out of this hole and now we’re there,”Signorino said. “Now we have to learn how to stay there.”

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

Fri 9/27 Southern at T.R. North (7pm, 105.7FM)

Fri 10/4 Lacey at T.R. South (7pm, 105.7FM)

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

BROADCAST CREW


BROADCAST CREW


BROADCAST CREW


BROADCAST CREW

VOLUME-V /

ISSUE-16 /

9/2

3/13

13Tymere Berry, Stout DefenseLead TR South Past SouthernB y B o b B a d d e r s – S e n i o r S t a f f W r i t e r

F O R A D V E R T I S I N G I N F O RMA 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

VOLUME-V /

ISSUE-16 /

9/2

3/13

14

I can st i l l remember get t ing the phonecal l in the fal l of 2008 that in 10 days Iwould no longer have a job. For two years, we had worked hard to build the DigitalSports site into apopular destination for Shore Conference athletes, fans, coaches andparents. Now the funding for the company had been pulled and it was allover, including a well-paying job.

I spent more than a few nights staring at theceiling in the early hours ofthe morning wonderingwhat I was going todo. I’ll never forgetsome of the kindand thoughtfulemails andmessages thatwere sent my wayfrom coaches, parents andplayers about the work we haddone and extending offers to helpin any way. That’s when we decided to do something thatseemed crazy at the time – start our own company covering ShoreConference sports.

This was October of 2008, when the economy had cratered. We startedour company in the midst of the worst economic climate since the GreatDepression. It was essentially the most ill-advised time to start a companyin the last 80 years. I was about to be engaged to my now-wife, and whileshe and my family were supportive, it was clear that part of them wasthinking, “Are you insane?”

There actually was only a two-week break between when I covered mylast football game for DigitalSports and my first football game for AllShore Media. We started with just a website and then added this newspaperto our coverage in early 2009 before also working closely with coaches’associations for events like the U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic andthe boys and girls senior all-star basketball games.

We did things guerrilla style with almost no budget, advertising our siteand newspaper by word of mouth, promoting it online, and wearing jackets

at games that acted as human billboards with our website address onthem. I figured that if it wasn’t going to work this time after theDigitalSports situation, it wouldn’t be because of something out of ourcontrol or some higher-up telling us that decisions we had no involvementwith would cost us our jobs.

Our belief all along was that as long as the content was good, once wewere able to get people to find it, we could continue to grow it. Slowly butsteadily, our audience has been able to grow since that crazy month in 2008when we decided to go for broke after that devastating day when we foundout we were jobless.

Five years later, thanks to the hard work of my fellow All Shore Mediaco-owner Steve Meyer, who is responsible for our sales and thetremendous graphics and layout that you see in this newspaper, plus ouroutstanding writing staff led by Bob Badders and Matt Manley and a greatgroup of photographers and bloggers, I can’t be more proud and excited tosay that we are now partnered with Townsquare Media. The fact that ourhard work has been recognized by a national company partnering with usto turn All Shore Media into Shore Sports Network shows how far we havecome from our humble beginnings.

That’s why I also would like to offer my gratitude to you: the fans,athletes, parents, coaches and readers of All Shore Media who havefollowed us along the way. Without your support, this never would havehappened, and we will keep working hard to deliver the best and mostexciting content of Shore Conference athletics. That is one thing that

definitely won’t change with the move to ShoreSports Network, and we hope to

make it even better.

In this new venture, wehave a website(shoresportsnetwork.com)with the capability todeliver exciting newfeatures, and we also willhave all of our archived

stories and features from thelast five years still available at our old site of www.allshoremedia.net.

The partnership with Townsquare Media also means you can now find uson the radio. One of the great benefits is that we are now on the same teamwith the award-winning broadcast crew of Kevin Williams, Matt Harmonand Ed Sarluca, a group of talented guys who have been my friends formore than a decade. They will bring you exciting Shore Conferencefootball action every week on 105.7 “The Hawk” f.m. and every Thursdaywith the High School Football Show as well as boys basketball broadcaststhroughout the winter, and you will hear me and others chiming in on thosebroadcasts.

With a package of online, print and radio coverage of Shore Conferencesports as well as our continued involvement in events like the GridironClassic, I couldn’t be more excited about what we are able to offer Shorefollowers as well as advertisers. We’ve come a long way, but there is stillso much more room for growth, and we believe this offers that opportunity.

I can’t wait to get started.VOLUME-V /

ISSUE-16 /

9/2

3/13

15

VOLUME-V /

ISSUE-16 /

9/2

3/13

16

Documents

Shore Sports Network High School Sports 9-23-13 Issue -16