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January 20, 2015 Volume-VII Issue-2

Shore Sports Network Journal High School Sports Making The Best of It, Holmdel's Jeff Harris

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1-20-15 Issue -2 Volume VII A South Brick Memorial Wrestling Takedown

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Page 1: Shore Sports Network Journal High School Sports  Making The Best of It, Holmdel's Jeff Harris

January 20, 2015 Volume-VII Issue-2

Page 2: Shore Sports Network Journal High School Sports  Making The Best of It, Holmdel's Jeff Harris

The first thing fans, players, coaches and parents want toknow after the big game is always,

”Is this going to be on ”

Shore Sports Network Website Features

Shore Sports Network has established itself as a leader in scholasticsports coverage in Monmouth and Ocean counties, providing more videohighlight clips, in-depth reporting, feature stories and regular updates than ANY OTHER OUTLET in the area.

n Get Video Highlights of all theimportant games that Shore Conferencefans will be talking about.

n Catch up on the action you might havemissed

n Watch video clips of everything from the action early in the event to the big finishas well as video interviews with variousathletes.

n www.shoresportsnetwork.com is the mostvisited sports site in the Shore Conferenceduring the scholastic year

n Follow us on Twitter (over 18,000followers) & Facebook, we keep fansposted on the latest scores and news

n Established leading portal for local high school coverage.

/ /2

S t e v e M E Y E RShore Sports NetworkDirector High School Divisions t e v e . m e y e r @ t o w n s q u a 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 PM 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

Sen ior Content Prov idersMattManley // [email protected] // [email protected]

Shore Sports Network Journalis publ ished by: Townsquare Media8 Robbins Street Toms River, NJ 08753

Copyright© 2015 Townsquare MediaAl l r ights reserved Reproduct ion in whole or in part without the permission of Shore Sports Network is prohibited

Page 3: Shore Sports Network Journal High School Sports  Making The Best of It, Holmdel's Jeff Harris

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Prior to his team’s showdownwith defending ShoreConference TournamentChampion Point Beach on Jan.17, Colts Neck junior LloydDaniels was still working offthe shock of his mostdisappointing game as a highschool player.If the game itself was not enough to help Daniels put that rocky

performance behind him, the finish certainly was.

Daniels hit a game-winning scoop shot with eight seconds left inovertime to cap a 25-point performance and the Cougars – the No. 8team in the most recent Shore Sports Network Top 10 – rallied to beatthe Garnet Gulls on Saturday afternoon.

In a 55-46 loss to Red Bank on Thursday, Daniels shot 0-for-11 fromthe field and did not score a point. He entered that night averaging14.1 points per game and having just scored 16 points in 21 minutesin a win over Red Bank Catholic on Tuesday. On Saturday, Danielsshot 9-for-14 from the field and added seven rebounds and threeassists. He scored 19 of his points after halftime, helping the Cougarsovercome a 10-point halftime deficit.

“After the Red Bank game, I was kind of in shock,” Daniels said.“I’ve never played in a game where I scored zero points. I know I’mmuch better than that and I used it as fire to come out and play mybest game against Point Beach.”

Point Beach junior Jimmy Panzini scored the first four points ofovertime to put Point Beach up 56-52 with 1:55 left, but Danielsanswered with a three from the right corner. After senior Jesse Hillmade one of two free throws to push the Point Beach lead to 57-55,Colts Neck’s Jordan DeGroot and Point Beach’s Trevor Coveytraded transition lay-ups to make it 59-57 in favor of Point Beachwith 1:04 left.

Daniels hit two free throws to tie the game with 53.2 seconds leftafter drawing a foul in the paint and Panzini hit one of two on theother end to put Point Beach ahead, 60-59, with 34.7 left. Colts Necktook the clock to 10 seconds before Daniels spun to his left andkissed an under-handed shot off the glass and in for Colts Neck’sfirst and only lead of the game.

Danny Frauenheim attempted a driving lay-up that did not fall astime expired.

Point Beach led by as many as 13 and led 47-37 early in the fourthquarter. Colts Neck pulled even for the first time since the openingminutes on two free throws by junior Tim Cavrack to make it 50-50with 2:29 left. Garnet Gulls freshman Danny Frauenheim andCougars senior Chris O’Reilly exchanged three throws on either endand each team missed a potential go ahead shot to send the game toovertime tied at 52.

“This game shows what kind of team we have,” Daniels said.“We’re going to keep fighting, no matter what the score is, how muchwe’re down, how much time is left. I think we did a great job not

putting our heads down or giving up.They had a lot of momentum whenJimmy got the and-one for them, but wecame right back.”

O’Reilly added 18 points for ColtsNeck, which played without seniorcenter Mike Lamb and lost juniorforward Kyle Gordon to a right kneeinjury and junior forward Tom O’Reillyto his fifth foul in the fourth quarter.Lamb injured his left ankle in a loss toRed Bank on Thursday.

“We were running out of bodies,”Colts Neck coach Lou Piccola said.“We’ve got four of our best big guys onthe bench with injuries and foul troubleand you have a bunch of guys come inwith limited experience and, with noexcuses or anything like that, they justwork hard. We had a guy in KhaledMostafa come in and give us goodminutes on the defensive end, and this ishis first year playing basketball. He’ssix-six and a good athlete, but he’s justscrapping and battling out there and thatsort of thing makes all the difference.”

Panzini led Point Beach with 19 points and senior Mike Frauenheimadded 18 while battling first-half foul trouble. Mike Frauenheim hada clean look from 18 feet at the regulation buzzer, but his potentialgame-winning shot from the wing rimmed in and out.

Hill – Point Beach’s leading scorer – did not play in the first half

because of a sore left ankle. Hill said he rolled it on a curb whilerunning to retrieve his dog from the middle of the street as a car wasbearing down on the animal. Hill made his first appearance with 5:35left in the third and finished with five points.

Colts Neck will travel to Wall – winners of seven straight – onTuesday to cap its first trip through the division schedule. TheCougars are on a run of five straight games against Neptune,Matawan, Red Bank Catholic, Red Bank and Point Beach, of whichthe Cougars have won four.

“This is the toughest stretch of games that I can ever remembersince I’ve been here,” said Piccola, now in his 16th season at ColtsNeck. “Every game, we’re in a war. It’s Neptune, Matawan, RedBank Catholic, Red Bank Regional. Then we play Point Beach, wehave to go to Wall and we finish the week against a team that’s won,how many in a row? It’s relentless.

“The good thing is we’ve been able to pull some of these games outof the fire and I think we’re better for it. We’ve got tough kids. Theyhave a lot of heart.”

Lloyd Daniels Lifts Colts Neck Past Pt.Beach in Final Seconds of OvertimeBy Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer

FOR SSN ADVERTISING INFORMATIONContact : Steven Meyer 732-233-4460 steve .meyer@townsquaremedia .com

Colts Neck Junior Lloyd Daniels

& Photo by:

Matt Manleywww.shoresportsnetwork.com

Page 4: Shore Sports Network Journal High School Sports  Making The Best of It, Holmdel's Jeff Harris

We’ve already had a touch ofcold weather and nobody likesthe prospect of going outside tostart their car and then sit therewhile it warms up. That’s why Sansone Jr’s 66 Automall and 66 MVP.com are giving away a

FREE remote starter system as part of their sponsorship of the Shore SportsNetwork’s Teen Safe Driving Program.

Sansone Jr.’s 66 Automall, locatedon Route 66 in Neptune, and ShoreSports Network have also teamed upto raise awareness among teenagersabout the texting and driving issue.As part of the Teen Safe DrivingProgram, Sansone Jr.’s 66 Automall isalso offering free safety inspectionsof teens’ vehicles..

“It’s really more of an awarenessfactor - that's really more what themessage is that we're trying to send,’’Paul Sansone Jr. said. “It's as much ofa problem as any other incident indriving.”

Sansone Jr., who has children ages22, 20 and 15, first got involved with

the awareness program when his older children were attending Red Bank Catholicand has now continued to spread the message at Sansone Jr.’s 66 Automall.

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WIN a FREE $299 Remote CarStarter With A Simple TextBy Kevin Wil l iams

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FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATIONContact : Steven Meyer 732-233-4460 steve .meyer@townsquaremedia .com

Page 5: Shore Sports Network Journal High School Sports  Making The Best of It, Holmdel's Jeff Harris

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Page 6: Shore Sports Network Journal High School Sports  Making The Best of It, Holmdel's Jeff Harris

Toms River South senior TymereBerry was not especiallyinterested in how many points hehad at halftime of his team’sgame at Brick Memorial, but aclassmate shouted out to himthat through 16 minutes, he hadalready reached his robustseason average.Berry turned his attention toward helping his team win a crucial Class

A South road game and in successfully doing so, he also authored anindividual performance that will go down in Toms River South and evenOcean County and Shore Conference lore.

Toms River South escaped Brick Memorial by beating the Mustangs,68-65, in a back-and-forth game, but just as Berry put his stat-line on thebackburner to pursue a win, the Indians’ win took a back seat to Berry’smonster game. The senior guard scored a career-high 42 points, grabbed16 rebounds, dished out six assists while shooting 14-for-22 from thefield and 5-for-7 from three-point range.

“They jumped out to an early lead and I was just trying to staycomposed,” Berry said. “The shots were falling, but I wasn’t thinkingabout it. I knew I was putting up points, but I was just trying to keep myteam in the game and it turned out to be a great team victory. We werehustling and scrapping to the last whistle and we came out with a hugewin against a very good team in their gym.”

Berry’s 42 points is the highest single-game total at Toms River Southsince Corey Albano scored 50 against St. Joseph’s of Toms River in1993, according to longtime Indians assistant Rich Malek. The 42 pointsis also the most in one game by a Shore Conference player sinceManasquan’s J.R. Hobbie scored 49 in December of 2012.

“His focus and his ability to make everybody else around him betterare what make him special and that was on full display tonight,” first-year Toms River South coach Curt DeFillippo said. “You can go on andon with the things he does well. He is just unbelievable.

“If he’s hitting his shot like he was tonight, you have to go out andguard him and then, he’s just going to go around you. He’s quick, hecan stretch the defense with his shot, he sees the court, he getseverybody involved, he makes unbelievable passes when he does drive– he just does everything, and I don’t know how you stop that when it’sall working.”

By halftime Friday, Berry reached his season average of 23 points,which helped Toms River South cut a 12-point deficit early in thesecond quarter to two by halftime. Berry scored 17 of Toms RiverSouth’s 23 points in the second quarter, including a stretch in which hehit five three-point attempts in a row. The last of those threes was acontested shot from 23 feet out on the left wing in the final seconds ofthe second quarter to pull Toms River South within 35-33 at halftime.

After Brick Memorial took a 42-36 lead, Toms River South took overthe game with an 18-0 run, sparked by Berry and junior forward TylerFall. Berry drove for two and hit two free throws on consecutivepossessions to cut the lead to two, then assisted baskets by Fall onconsecutive possessions. The second of the two was a baseline jumperthat bounced in to put Toms River South ahead 44-42, a lead the Indians

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Senior Tymere Berry(Photo by Ray Richardson)

Tymere Berry Erupts for 42 in TRSouth Win Over Brick MemorialBy Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer

Page 7: Shore Sports Network Journal High School Sports  Making The Best of It, Holmdel's Jeff Harris

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would not surrender.

“The answer to stopping him would havebeen to play a little bit better defense, butwhen he’s making shots five feet behind thethree-point line, it’s tough,” Brick Memorialcoach Ed Sarluca said. “The plan was to notlet him kill us, maybe keep him around 20.Let’s not have him go for 30, and then he goesfor 40.

“But hats off to (Berry). If you have seen abetter player at the guard position at theShore, I’d like to see him play, because thatkid is as dynamic as they come as an athleteand a basketball player.”

Fall followed his go-ahead jumper with athree, then Berry tipped in a miss by seniorKhaleel Greene to push the lead to 49-42heading to the fourth quarter. Fall and Berrythen capped the run, with Fall knocking downa jumper and Berry converting a three-pointplay on an acrobatic lay-up in transition. Intotal, Fall scored nine of his 14 points duringthe 18-0 surge and Berry accounted for theother nine.

“I was really disappointed with my firsthalf,” Fall said. “That’s not the way I wantedto play. Right before the second half, I wentover to Ty, patted him on the chest and said,‘I got you this half. Just look for me and I’llknock them down.’”

Brick Memorial made a push to pull even,starting with a 9-0 run to cut Toms RiverSouth’s lead to 56-53 with 3:16 left. Berry responded with drivingbank shots on consecutive possessions to push the lead back toseven and hit 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to help close outthe game.

The Mustangs hit fourthrees in the final 1:40 – twoby junior Darius Richardsand one each by seniorsAaron Scheiderman andScott White – and got theball back with 24 secondsleft, trailing by three with achance to tie the game.White missed an open lookfrom the corner, butScheiderman ran down theoffensive rebound and BrickMemorial took a timeoutwith 9.6 seconds left.

Scheiderman got the ballin the corner with timerunning out and hiscontested, fadeaway three hitthe side of the backboard,securing the win for TomsRiver South.

White scored 26 points tolead Brick Memorial,including 19 in the first halfto help the Mustangs build a22-10 lead early in thesecond quarter. Scheidermanadded 10 of his 16 in thesecond half.

“They are a fast team, theylike to get up the floor fast,so when you make a shot,

they are up the floor before you even realize it,” Berry said. “Wekept the same game plan the entire week and throughout the game.We knew they were going to fly down the court and you have topick up your man, no matter who it is – just find the first man you

see down the court and stay with him.”

Berry primarily guarded Scheiderman in the first half and Whitein the second half. Scheiderman scored six points in the first half,while White scored seven in the second half.

“I’ve been doing this since my freshman year, so I just try tolead by example: pass the ball, try to rebound, hustle,” Berry said.“You’ve got to try to do a little bit of everything to keep thedefense on their toes, so that’s what I try to do.”

Toms River South handed Brick Memorial its first loss in threegames, which included Mustangs’ wins over Lacey, Southern andpreviously unbeaten Toms River North. The Indians have won twostraight after a 23-point loss at Southern, the most lopsided lossthe Indians have suffered this season.

While many standout football players often need an adjustmentperiod between seasons, Berry – who has football offers fromMonmouth University and Army – has required no such graceperiod. He played all 32 minutes of an up-and-down game Fridayand dominated the glass while also shooting 5-for-10 from thefield and 9-for-12 from the line in the second half.

“In the first half, I was really gassed, but I tried not to showthat,” Berry said. “I tried not to get caught up in the fans and juststay focused on the game, which is pretty much the game plan forme every night.”

“He shows up every day in practice,” Fall said of Berry. “That’snot even an exaggeration. He really does. Tonight, he just broughtthat to the court.”

& Photo by:

Matt Manleywww.shoresportsnetwork.com

Page 8: Shore Sports Network Journal High School Sports  Making The Best of It, Holmdel's Jeff Harris

Year-round indoor athleticshas just taken a giant step inthe right direction forathletes in not only theJersey Shore but the entiretri-state area with easyaccess from main highways.Nine years ago an organization named itself Baseball U. During this

time the organization has grown to be known as one of the top travelprograms in the country while expanding to Fairfield, Connecticut,Scranton, Pennsylvania and Syracuse, New York. The 5 time PerfectGame Northeast Champions had a bigger goal in mind and that washelping players get into college. Over the past 9 years 287 players thathave worn the Baseball U uniform have went on to receive collegescholarships and in the past 7 Major League Baseball Drafts they havehad 64 players drafted.

Baseball U felt that if they could build a facility for pro, college,high school and youth players this would be a game changer forathletes around the state and with that said on January 9th the doorswere opened on what many are saying is the best indoor baseballfacility in the country.

“It’s pretty amazing when youhave three Major League Baseballplayers ask to come in and use thefacility in the morning hours prior tospring training and you pull up onthe third day and see 14 cars out inthe lot with 16 pro players inside andtwo of them are Cincinnati RedsMajor League players AnthonyDesclafani and All Star thirdbaseman Todd Frazier,” said founderJohn Wells. “It is even moreimpressive when they both lookaround like a 10 year old boyattending their first visit to YankeesStadium with their dad and they tellyou this is the nicest facility theyhave ever been in,” said Wells.

U Athletic Performance Center isowned by John Wells and KenCavazonni both Jersey Shoreresidents their entire lives. Wellswho coached at BrookdaleCommunity College and coached in5 JUCO World Series has beeninvolved in scouting with the NY

Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astrosand currently is working with the SeattleMariners. Cavazonni attended ColumbiaUniversity where he went on to breakLou Gehrig’s career batting record atColumbia and then went on to play inthe Cincinnati Reds organization.

Cavazonni believes that if you cangrab a player at the youngest age andtrain them through muscle memorybefore they develop bad habits thesuccess rate greatly improves theirchance of moving on in high school,college and beyond.

Recently U Athletic Performance heldtheir 4th Annual Road to College campthat had 24 colleges including Virginia,Maryland, Monmouth, St John’s,Rutgers, Seton Hall, St John’s, Pittsburgh and many more. “Thecollege coaches were amazed at the size of the facility but all agreedthe lighting was the best they have seen at any facility,” said Wells.The college coaches were so impressed by the facility that a few askedif they could stop by and usethe facility on their way down

to their southern trip this year.

Already using the facility for their college workouts are MonmouthUniversity as well as both Brookdale Baseball and Softball.

While the facility can house live battingand fielding on the indoor field that is totallyenclosed by netting they also have rentals outto softball and several soccer organizationsand plan on hosting field hockey, lacrosseand football in near future as well as host awrestling school and tournaments.

Their speed strength and agility program isrun by Motives who are former wrestlers andfootball players. Motives give the athletes theability to come in get their work done on thefield and cages and then further their abilitythrough the conditioning training program.

“All of this would not be possible if it wasfor our builder Scott Casuccio ,” said Wellsand Cavazzoni. A drawing of what theywanted the facility to be was drawn up andhe built the building to suit.

There is already expansion plans being working on to have another32,000 sq foot building added on to the existing building and bring inmore turf along with basketball and volleyball courts.

“Our final stage of the process will be building our cloverleafbaseball complex where we can host 4 big fields or eight little leaguefields,” said Wells.

One thing is for sure and that is the Jersey Shore has just becomeknown for more than their summer time beaches with U AthleticPerformance opening.

/ /8

Coach Kevin McMullan (Virginia) speaks to hitters and 23 other collegecoaches at the Baseball U Road to College Camp on January 18

Cincinnati Reds All-Star third baseman Todd Frazier, a Rutgers and Toms RiverSouth grad, is shown hitting at the new U Athletic Performance Center.

U Athletic PerformanceIs A Home RunBy John Wells - Baseball U National Director

Page 9: Shore Sports Network Journal High School Sports  Making The Best of It, Holmdel's Jeff Harris

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Page 10: Shore Sports Network Journal High School Sports  Making The Best of It, Holmdel's Jeff Harris

When Brick and BrickMemorial get together – in anysport – it’s an event the fanbase salivates over, and whenboth wrestling teams in one ofNew Jersey’s best grapplingtowns are at a high level, thehype only grows.The wrestlers, however, would most likely not have to face each other at all,

and not for the reasons most would think.

“A lot of us are always working out together and we’re good friends, so wehate to have to wrestle each other,” said Brick Memorial senior Cliff Ruggiero.“You don’t want to be the guy that stops your best friend from achieving whatthey want.”

“It’s always tough wrestling your friends,” Rob Ruggiero said. “But youjust gotta do it.”

With first place in the Shore Conference’s Class A South division on theline, friendships were put aside for a couple hours on Saturday morning. TheRuggiero brothers, facing two of their closest friends, also picked up two ofthe biggest victories that led the Mustangs, ranked No. 2 in the Shore SportsNetwork Top 10, to a 37-20 victory over the No. 6 Dragons. Rob defeatedBrick senior Nick Pollara, 6-4 in sudden victory at 152 pounds in one of themost action-packed bouts of the entire season, while Cliff handed clubworkout partner Will Scott his first loss of the season, 8-6 at 160 pounds.

The Dragons are loaded form 152 through 220 pounds now that senior RayFattaruso is back in the lineup, so it was a stretch of the lineup that BrickMemorial had to successfully navigatein order to come away with the win.Both Ruggieros earned crucialdecisions, while Joe Stowers heldunbeaten state medalist Kyle Wojtaszekto a decision at 170 pounds and seniorConnor Owen held undefeated regionchamp Dean Sherry to a decision at195. The Mustangs won eight of the 14bouts, picking up bonus points in fiveof their wins to remain unbeaten in ASouth and put themselves in the driver’sseat for the division title.

“The kids just went out there andperformed,” said Brick Memorial headcoach Mike Denver. “They know thename of the game and they put togethera great match. They wrestled absolutelyfantastic and they deserved to win.”

After Alec Donovan’s pin over NickWojtaszek at 145 pounds to start the match, both Ruggieros took the matlooking to win major swing bouts. Rob Ruggiero and Pollara, both judoplayers, took turns trying to launch each other to their backs. After a scorelessfirst period, Pollara rode out Ruggiero to enter the third with a chance toescape and take the lead. But Ruggiero hit a standing Merkle in the thirdperiod for three near-fall points to open a 3-0 lead. Pollara battled back witha reversal, and after cutting Ruggiero loose, scored a takedown late in theperiod to tie the score at four and send it to overtime. In sudden victory,Ruggiero secured a takedown on the edge of the circle for the thrilling 6-4win.“I was on top and he started coming up, so I just hit the Merkle,” Ruggierosaid.

“It was a dogfight. We’re both Bricktown kids and every wrestler in thistown is a hard-nosed kid. You have to do your part. Everyone has to do theirpart.”

Cliff followed with an 8-6 decision over Scott at 160 by scoring threetakedowns and earning two near-fall points in the third period. Scott is asdangerous as they come, having believed to just set the state record for careertechnical falls and entering the bout with an undefeated record. CliffRuggiero held him to four intentional escapes until a late takedown in theclosing seconds.

“We knew these bouts were toss-ups and we had to keep them close andscore big when we could,” Cliff Ruggiero said. “We’re all in the same boat.We’re all dangerous in our own ways. You just have to wrestle your matchand stick with what you know.”

“I definitely lost a lot of hair watching those matches,” Denver said. “ButI have faith in those guys. I see how hard they work and I believe in whatthey’re doing.”

At 170, Stowers held Wojtaszek to a 9-4 decision, avoiding bonus pointsagainst as Brick Memorial held a 12-3 lead through four bouts.

The Dragons had some flexibility in the next two weights with sophomoreDean Helstowski and Sherry each weighing in at 182 pounds. Helstowskiwent out at 182 and won by 11-3 major decision over Bob Mitler. Helstowskiscored with four takedowns, the last of which came in the third period tosecure the major decision.

The Dragons needed bonus points again at 195 where Sherry took onOwen, and he looked to be on his way to at least a major decision with a 9-2 lead after the first period. Sherry chose neutral to start the second and Owenwas able to fend him off to keep his deficit at seven heading to the third.Owen chose neutral to start the third and surprised with back-to-backtakedowns off front headlocks. Sherry would get a takedown back, but Owen

held him to a 13-7 decision for another key bonus hold.

“Owen is in really good shape,” Cliff Ruggiero said. “He’s working hardevery day, staying after. Win big, lose small.”

At 220 pounds, Fattaruso built a quick 10-1 lead on Mustangs junior ChrisHayes in the first period, and used two more takedowns in the second for a 14-3 lead heading to the third. Fattaruso picked up three more near-fall points inthe third period to put the major decision well in-hand, and won 17-4 to giveBrick its first – and only – lead at 14-12.

The Dragons forfeited to sophomore Nick Rivera at heavyweight, and thatput the Mustangs back in front for good at 18-14. Joe Ferigne won by 7-2

decision over Matt Wardlaw at 106 to pull Brick within one, but GianniGhione pinned Billy Breen in 41 seconds at 113 pounds to extend BrickMemorial’s lead to 24-17.

Brick Memorial’s other set of twins, seniors Luis and Jose Bocalman, thendelivered key wins at 120 and 126 pounds to clinch the victory. Luis scoredthree takedowns and three back points in the first period on his way to a 14-2 major decision over Kyle Marino at 120, and Jose used a takedown in thefirst and a reversal in the third to shut out Thomas Wright, 4-0 at 126, andgive the Mustangs a 31-17 lead with two bouts left.

Mustangs junior Luke Vescovi pinned Anthony Costanza in 4:26 afterbuilding a 13-2 lead at 132 pounds, before Brick’s Jack McLafferty edgedAnthony Mitchell, 3-1 at 138 pounds to close the dual.

“We matched up with them well and our good guys are where their goodguys are, and at those weights it’s anybody’s ballgame,” Denver said. “Kidsthat were getting majored, then turning it into decisions, that’s what winsstate championships and that’s what we’re going for. We keep wrestling likethis and we’ll be right there with Southern and Howell.”

The win won’t be relished too long, though, not with No. 3 JacksonMemorial coming up on Wednesday. And it certainly won’t be braggedabout.

“I guess it gives us momentum, but it’s just another match,” Cliff Ruggierosaid. “There’s no trash talking. We want to win but we all respect each otherand know how hard we all work. We don’t amp ourselves up and they don’teither. It’s a rivalry, but it’s a a friendly rivalry.”

& photos by:

Bob Badderswww.shoresportsnetwork.com

/ /10

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATIONContact : Steven Meyer 732-233-4460 steve .meyer@townsquaremedia .com

Ruggiero Brothers Lead No. 2 Brick MemorialPast No. 6 Brick & Into 1st Place In A SouthBy Bob Badders – Senior Staff Writer

Brick Memorial’s Rob Ruggiero

Brick Memorial’s Cliff Ruggiero

Page 11: Shore Sports Network Journal High School Sports  Making The Best of It, Holmdel's Jeff Harris

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Page 12: Shore Sports Network Journal High School Sports  Making The Best of It, Holmdel's Jeff Harris

When Holmdel senior guardJeff Harris crumpled tothe ground on a lay−up

attempt during a fall−league gamein October, his worst fears wereconfirmed.Harris had torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee whileplaying for the Hornets at Hoop Group Headquarters in Neptune onOct. 26, which meant the senior season he had worked so hard toenjoy was now up in smoke. It also meant Holmdel had just lost itstop returning player, one on pace to hit 1,000 points for his career.

“I was devastated,’’Harris said. “I thoughtI was never going to

play basketball again.”However, Harris was so desperate not to miss his senior season that he started thinking the unthinkable.

“We talked to several doctors, who laid out all the risks, and my dad and I started doing research on athleteswho competed with a torn ACL,’’ Harris said.

/ /12

By S c o t t S t ump – Manag i n g Ed i t o r

Page 13: Shore Sports Network Journal High School Sports  Making The Best of It, Holmdel's Jeff Harris

San Diego Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers played in a playoffloss to the Patriots in 2008 with a torn ACL, but it’s extremely rare inbasketball because of the constant lateral movement required. Harriswas cleared to be able to play by a doctor because Harris said therewas not much more damage that he could do to the knee, so the

opportunity was there if he really was going to tryand do it.

“I thought he was crazy at first, but knowingJeff for 15 years, I know he’s stubborn enough towant to do that,’’ said Holmdel senior forwardMatt McDonnell.

“My parents had mixed feelings about it,’’Harris said. “I know the risks, but I just

try not to think about it. I just wantedto try regardless, even if I was onlyscoring two points a game.”

Harris approached Holmdel coachSean Devaney and told him that hewanted to give it a shot.

“I thought deep down we wouldthrow him in for a minute just tokeep him active and feel like partof the team,’’ Devaney said.

“That’s the kind of heart thiskid has, so I wasn’t shocked,’’said senior guard LukeMayell.

Wearing a big brace onhis left knee, Harris had toinitially overcome thenatural tendency tohesitate while playingbecause he didn’t knowwhat might happen whenhe planted his foot or madea cut. Practice became aproving ground to see if he

could legitimately function in game-likeconditions while playing with a torn ACL.He also had to modify his game from aslashing wing player who relied on athleticism

to get into the lane to moreof a catch-and-shootguard trying to thinkone step ahead of thedefense to get openlooks from 3-pointrange.

“I actually didn’t feelmuch pain,’’ Harris said.

“But it takes away my explosiveness, so thisseason it’s more about knowing where to beon the court to get open shots. My shot hasreally improved from the beginning of theseason.”

Harris also workeddiligently with Holmdelathletic trainer MakenzieAtherton, who was fillingin for regular athletictrainer Shannon Daviswhile she was onmaternity leave, andthen continued thework with Davis whenshe returned. She gavehim exercises to helpstrengthen his kneeand treat it properlyto be able to make itthrough the season.

“The firstpractice or soyou’re holdingyour breathbecauseyou’re justwaiting forhim tofall,’’

Devaneysaid. “Youdon’t want akid like thatto everembarrasshimselfbecause he can’t

move. But after onepractice, it was like if youdidn’t know (about theinjury), you wouldn’tnotice too much. Thenslowly but surely eachday he became morecomfortable with it.”

Harris began the seasonas a bench player, checking intothe game against MonmouthRegional in the season opener andknocking down a 3-pointer in a winby the Hornets. It was a moment thatdidn’t seem possible only weeksearlier, and he only played a handfulof minutes because of the pain in hisknee.

“After our first game of the year whenhe got in and hit a three, it was emotional,’’Devaney said. “You thought the kid’s senioryear was gone. I thought, at least he had that,at least he was able to get into a game, but itjust seems to have kept going from there. It’s

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amazing.”

The role envisioned for Harris was as a shooter off thebench who could help stretch defenses by playing abouteight to 10 minutes a night. Meanwhile his parents sat inthe stands, half excited and half petrified.

“I got a steal against St. John Vianney, and as I’m goingin for a lay-up I can hear my mom yelling from the stands,‘Be careful!’’’ Harris said before smiling.

His role soon grew to be much more than a reserve. By thetime the Hornets played Manalapan on Jan. 13, Harris hadremarkably moved back into his old spot in the startinglineup, boosting his minutes from about 10 a game to morethan 20 per game. He responded by scoring a season-high19 points, essentially on one leg, in a loss to the Braves.

“When he had 19, I was watching it, and it was like lastyear,’’ McDonnell said. “It was like a flashback.”

“A month ago I was talking about never playing highschool basketball again, so to have that moment wasamazing,’’ Harris said.

Harris has the option to sit out of certain drills in practiceif he thinks it will cause pain in his knee, but Devaney saidhe has rarely missed time or begged out of anything.

“You’re having a rough practice and you see he’s out thereworking hard on one knee,’’ McDonnell said. “It keeps usgoing.”

While Harris has served as an inspiration for histeammates, he has had his own inspirational figure to looktoward as he tries to gut it out every day. He requested towear jersey No. 24 in honor of former Holmdel guardTimmy McDonnell, 21, Matt’s older brother, who wore thesame number for the Hornets. Timmy (pictured below) isa student at Rutgers University who suffered catastrophicinjuries when he was struck by a car near campus on Oct. 4,leaving him in a coma. The driver who hit him has beencharged with driving while intoxicated.

Three different times, the McDonnells were told theymight have to say goodbye to him because he was so closeto dying. Timmy was treated at RobertWood Johnson Hospital in NewBrunswick and then did morerehabilitation at the nearby KesslerInstitute. On Jan. 14, he returned hometo Holmdel to continue his remarkablerecovery, as he is able to walk on his ownand is working to regain his speech andmemory after suffering a brain injury.

“I think aboutTimmy a lot,’’Harris said. “Whathe’s gone throughis unreal, and heinspires me to keepfighting every day.”“(Harris) is one of my best friends and

seeing him go out there fighting with that knee, representingNo. 24, it means a lot to me and my family,’’ McDonnellsaid.

While Harris has had his ups and downs, from the 19-point game against Manalapan to a tough 0-for-6 shootingday in a recent win over St. Rose, he is happy just to havethe chance to be out there. He was getting some looks byDivision III programs before he tore his ACL, but said theinjury means this will be his last season playing organizedbasketball.

“Each time he’s out there, you’re thrilled for him that he’sgetting somewhat of a senior season,’’ Devaney said.

“It’s all about the mindset,’’Harris said. “You just can’t thinkabout it too much. I’m verygood mentally, and I just didn’twant to miss out on this season.You work so hard thinkingsenior year is going to be a bigseason that I just couldn’t sit onthe sidelines and watch it go by.”

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H a r r i sContinued from page 13

Cover Photo By:Scott Stump

other photos courtesyJeff Harris

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With every 360 dunk andevery effortless 3-pointer,the buzz grows louderabout the future of boysbasketball at RanneySchool. A program that has been a Shore Conference afterthought during

its entire existence may soon become a local power given thetalent on the way next season. One of the top eighth-graders inthe country, 6-foot-3 Scottie Lewis, and one of the top young pointguards in the area, Alex Klatsky, are already playing on the middleschool team at Ranney, a school in Tinton Falls that has studentsranging from three years old up to seniors in high school. On theway to high school next season is another top young standout,Keyport resident Bryan Antoine, who currently stars for St. MarySchool in Middletown.

“Basically we just want to create a great environment there andhelp build the basketball program,’’ Lewis said.

All three play together on Team Rio, a nationally-recognizedAAU squad founded and run by Klatsky’s father, Brian, thatcompetes in tournaments all over the country. The three also workout regularly together with trainers Cornell Key and BryceStanhope at I’m Possible Training in Colts Neck, doing everythingfrom strength workouts to skillstraining.

Lewis, who played middleschool ball in Hazlet last yearbefore transferring to Ranney, ispotentially the next ShoreConference superstar, and Antoineis right there with him in thatdepartment. Both are able to soarfor jaw-dropping dunks andunleash polished jumpers aseighth-graders. They have beenthe target of numerous non-publicpowers from around New Jerseybut decided to build somethingnew at Ranney. The Panthers, whocompete in Class B Central, haveworked to make strides in theirathletic programs, includingbecoming a member of the ShoreConference in 2011.

“I like where I’m at,’’ Lewissaid. “I like the people around me,I like the coaches, and I like theacademic environment. We justwant to really build somethinghere.”

“The kids really want to createtheir own legacy (at Ranney),’’Brian Klatsky said. “To play at home is great because guys likethis traditionally disappear and go play at a high school out of thearea. To keep them at home at the Shore is really exciting.”

Alex Klatsky unfortunately had his eight-grade season haltedabruptly when he tore his ACL in only the second game of theseason in late December. However, playing with Team Rio hashelped prepare him, Lewis and Antoine for the rigors of varsity

high school basketball next season with Ranney, whichwas 4-5 through its first nine games this season.

“It’s prepared us really well because sometimes someof these top AAU players are better than ShoreConference players,’’ Alex Klatsky said. “You’replaying against someone who’s 6-8 in eighth grade.”

Lewis, whose older brother, Jordan Smith, is a junioron the team at Raritan, has become well-known in thehallways at Ranney in the latest stop in his journey. Hewas born in Ohio and lived in Virginia and Georgia inaddition to the Bronx before his family moved to Hazletlast year.

Lewis has also gotten used to the attention generatedby clips of his dunks on YouTube and the usual hypethat comes with being a hoops prodigy. He also hasspoken to other players going through similarsituations, like 6-foot-8 Roselle Catholic freshmanNazrean Reid, an Asbury Park resident who is one ofthe top players in the country in his class.

“I think I handle those situations in a positive waybecause I know if I try to excel at the next level, that’show it’s going to be,’’ Lewis said.

Already being in the building at Ranney has alsoeased any transition to high school next season, wherethere could have potentially been friction with a groupof freshmen coming in who most likely will play heavy

minutes.

“Going into high school is not going to be adversarial,’’ BrianKlatsky said. “Everyone already knows them, and the school hasreally embraced them.”

“Everyone has been super friendly,’’ Alex Klatsky said.

The work at I’m Possible Training has also been important

because since they are so advanced for their age, Klatsky, Lewisand Antoine can get better by pushing one another. They havebeen doing primarily skill work to improve their games and noware focused more on strength training to compete with olderplayers next year, according to Stanhope.

“I’m the key player on my (eighth-grade) team, so I’ve just beenworking on my passing and working with teammates who aren’tas talented as me to improve my all-around game,’’ Antoine said.

“One thing we do differently than the typical AAU team is thatwe emphasize skill development,’’ Brian Klatsky said. “We do alot of shooting work and a lot of skill work. It’s not just game aftergame after game.”

It all adds up to a group expected to transform Ranney from ateam stuck at the bottom of the standings to one that may soon becapable of challenging for Shore Conference Tournament titlesand more.

“I can’t wait until we’re all playing together on the same teamnext year,’’ Lewis said. “It should be a lot of fun.”

P h o t o s b y :

Mark Brownw w w . b 5 1 p h o t o g r a p h y . c o m

Trio of Stars Ready to Make anImpact at Ranney Next SeasonBy Scott Stump – Managing Editor

Ranney 8th-graders Scottie Lewis (in air) and Alex Klatsky

From left: Team Rio's Bryan Antoine, Alex Klatsky and Scottie Lewis

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If you are old enough you might remember inthe 1980s there was an advertising campaignthat was the focal point in the war on drugs atthat time. Created by then First Lady Nancy Reagan the campaign was built around

three words: ”Just Say No.” It garnered a lot of attention, both good andbad and like in most cases there is no way of knowing if young peopleresisted the temptation of trying recreational drugs by just saying no.

Of course it’s 2015 and we are still waging war on drugs although thegame has changed a bit. We used to think the big problems were limitedto cities and urban areas and we now know it’s very much in our ownbackyard. Heroin has become the drug of choice for many, including teen-agers and there is the growing problem of use and abuse of pain-killersand other prescription drugs.

Thursday night more than 1,000 student-athletes from the area attendeda forum hosted by the Ocean County Prosecutors Office at the Pine BeltArena in Toms River. Former Giants running back Keith Elias, a highschool star at Lacey, moderated a panel discussion which includedCincinnati Reds All-Star Todd Frazier, MMA fighter Frankie Edgar, SoccerHall of Famer Tony Meola and former basketball standout Erin Cowley,

who is a 24-year clean recovered addict.

The words of all resonated with most of thosein attendance but it was featured speaker RayLucas who might have had the greatest impact.The 42-year old former Rutgers quarterback and8-year NFL veteran chronicled his battle withpain-killers which began when he suffered a

back injury five yearsinto his career. Thepain and abuse gotworse and rock bottomsaw him taking asmany as 1,400 pills per month and losing just about everything he had whileeven planning his own suicide.

Eventually Lucas got help and got better but the road back was not easy andof course not all beat the addiction. Clearly the best advice all gave was to “Playit Clean” which was the theme of the evening. Kudos to all involved especiallyOcean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato, Assistant Prosecutor Anthony Pierroand the Toms River School District for hosting the event.

I had the honor to serve as Master of Ceremonies and introduce Elias, who isas comfortable spreading the word about right choices as he was running aroundand over opponents on the football field.

All-Stars Advise Student-Athletesto ‘Play it Clean’By Kevin Wil l iams

Kevin Williams with former Giantsrunning back Keith Elias

(Kevin Williams, Townsquare Media NJ)

Ray Lucas addresses thePlay It Clean event

(Kevin Williams, Townsquare Media NJ)

FOR SSN ADVERTISING INFORMATIONContact : Steven Meyer 732-233-4460 steve .meyer@townsquaremedia .com

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The bags are packed, thestories have been retold andnew connections are on thehorizon. As I sit with my family of four returning back from yet another awesome

NSCA Coaches Conference representing RYPT and the YSCC, I rememberhow great this week has been, connecting with former interns, mentors andfriends as well as meeting so many great people. Hearing all theirexperiences and stories certainly makes me feel proud that they have comeso far but yet even more excited for them to experience the real challengesahead and how they will respond to them.

Like balancing time between coaching andyour spouse... Or managing both a business ANDa family... Maybe moving yet once again andstarting over, without a guarantee in sight...

A common theme I continued to hear from oldfaces and new dealt with the future, theuncertainty, the "Boogeyman" of the unknown.Whether it was college coaches flirting with theidea of leaving the sacred NCAA or an up andcoming young coach seeking out advice on a newopportunity, the smell of fear was as pungent andrancid as ever.

I was a magnet to all of their questions,concerns and fears, and I couldn't of been morehumbled and honored to hear them.

I guess it makes sense. Since I've graduatedfrom Springfield College in 2006, I've lived in sixstates from coast to coast, worked with six successful organizations, and heldseven different positions from the professional rankings to the private sector.

I even married the love of my life, started a family of four with two beautifulchildren who can do this and even purchased two homes along the way.

I've gotten in and out of credit card debt, lived in Craig's list ad rented rooms

and garage apartments (twice), and ate nothing but cans of tuna fish and MuscleMilk protein bars.

And, at this point in life, I've never been happier.

So how can you sleep a little bit better at night and throw out the fear of theunknown?

Believe in the power of N.O.W. Years back when I was at a crossroad in my life, I met with a sports

psychologist to help provide me clarity on the decisions and experiences goingon at the moment. I was newly married, recently found out I was going to bea father and struggling to find inner peace and belief that everything wouldwork out.

A summary of the breakthrough meetingwent like this...

Him: So, what's your biggest fear? What'sholding you back from making this decision?

Me: I guess it's just the fact I don't know ifit will work. It's a giant risk, something I'venever done before and I'm scared that I won'tbe able to provide for my family.

Him: So, you're telling me that with allthose degrees, all those certifications, allthose life experiences, regardless of whathappens, you WOULDN'T find a way toprovide for your family? You would simplysit there, lose your home, let them starve andsuffer in the inevitable failure? You wouldn'twork an extra job? Hustle around the clockknowing you had to do whatever it took tokeep your family together?

And that's when the light bulb exploded and I thought of the Guinesscommercial GENIUS!

From that moment on, I knew that no matter what happened in the coachingor business world, nothing would stand in my way to take care of what mattersmost; my family. That moment is when I decided to do it N.O.W.

(NO OTHER WAY) There are a lot of things that are going to happen that you

simply cannot control. n The weather.

n The economy.

n The football plays being called.

n It's a sad truth, but in today's world, there are no guarantees.

n No promise your marriage will work.

n No guarantee the business will make money.

n No contract clause that will tell you your job is safe.

So why hold yourself back? Why allow what COULD happen get in the wayof what WILL happen?

Imagine not pitching an amazing idea for your team or department becauseof the cost or logistics involved.

Or not taking a head coaching position because you know there is no wayyou'll be successful there and it's a dead end job.

Or starting a business from the ground level because you're scared it willjust stay in the red and suck you dry?

As we get older, we only lose more time and add more responsibility, so ifwe don't make time for it N.O.W., when will we ever?

The temperature will change, the economy will crash and your head coachwill probably be mad at you for something anyways, so why worry?

Why act in terms of maybe and possibly when you should be speaking withabsolutelys and definitelys?

So, do yourself a favor and make a decision based off what you do know.That you're a committed, dedicated and relentless pursuer of success and won'tallow anything or anybody get in your way of achieving greatness.

There's No Other Way.

The Power Of N.O.W By Adam Feit - Director of Sports Performance (RYPT)

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D.C. United of Major League Soccerselected University of Maryland senior andformer Holmdel star Dan Metzger with the42nd overall pick of the MLS SuperDraft onJan. 15th in Philadelphia.The Black and Red had the final pick of the day and chose Metzger with a pickacquired in a trade with the champion L.A. Galaxy.

Metzger started in each of the last three years and led the Terrapins to a CollegeCup championship appearance in 2013. As a senior at Holmdel in 2010, Metzger ledthe Hornets to a 22-1 record and scored two goals in the NJSIAA Group III final todeliver Holmdel its first and only state championship. That season, he also led theShore Conference in scoring and was named both the Shore Sports Network andAsbury Park Press Player of the Year.

As an amateur player, Metzger played for the New York Red Bulls DevelopmentalAcademy and had the option to sign as a Homegrown talent with the club, meaningthe Red Bulls could add him to the roster at some point in the future should a rosterspot open and Metzger fill a need. Metzger, however, removed his Homegrown tagby declaring for the SuperDraft and attending the Draft Combine in December.

Metzger entered the draft combine as a potential first-round pick, but suffered aninjury at the combine. At Maryland, Metzger played a defensive center midfieldposition, while BlackandRedUnited.com seeing him as a more offensive playerwithin D.C. United’s scheme.

Holmdel’s Dan Metzger DraftedBy D.C. United Soccer TeamBy Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer

Holmdel alum Dan Metzger was chosen with the last pick of the second round inthe MLS SuperDraft on Thursday. (Courtesy: UMTerps.com)

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