all shore media high school sports 10-8-12 issue - 17 - volume iv

3 Army Teamof the Week

4 Brick Mem. Ends Neptune's Streak

8 Ocean Soccer off to anImpressive Start

10 Pt. Beach Football ShowingChampionship Form

12-13Football MidseasonReport

14 Football Feature:Lacrossover

1 6 Football Feature: CommandCenters

23Stumpy’sCorner

October 8, 2012 Volume-IV Issue-17

S t e v e nM e y e rDirector/CEO/Marketingsmeyer@a l lsho remed ia. com

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Week-1Rumson

Week-2Marlboro

Week-3Toms River North

Manalapan head coach Ed Gurr ier i and his team are honored by U.S. Army SGT. Sal . A. Bardel l as the Army Strong Team of the Week for Week Four.

New For This SeasonIn conjunction with All Shore Media, The U.S. Army will

honor one team a week that showed the character,

perseverance and hard work emblematic of The U.S. Army

during its performance that weekend. An Army Game Ball

will be presented to that team during practice that week

in honor of a great showing.

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

Marlboro head coach Derek Sininsky and his team arehonored by SSG Flanders & SSG. Sega of the U.S. Armyas the Army Strong Team of the Week for Week Two

Toms River North head coach Chip LaBarca Jr. and histeam are honored by U.S. Army SGT. King as the Army

Strong Team of the Week for Week Three.

The U.S. Army StrongTeam of the Week for WeekFour is Manalapan, whichcame back on the road for athrilling 35-31 win overMiddletown South in a showdownof Top 10 teams that looks to behuge in deciding the Class A Northchampion.

Coach Ed Gurrieri's Braves (4-0)trailed for the first time allseason, yet found a way to make afourth-quarter comeback andcome up with a defensive stand inthe final seconds to pull out their15th straight win in Class A North.Junior Saeed Blacknall had a 39-yard touchdown catch, an 85-yardpunt return for a score and agame-saving touchdown on

defense. Junior Tyler Leonetti ranfor 135 yards and two touchdowns,including a 19-yard run in thefourth quarter that proved to bethe winning score to put theBraves ahead 35-31.

Junior linebacker Matt McCannalso made a game-clinching playwhen he recovered a fumble atManalapan's 21-yard line with 25seconds left in the game. Anotherjunior linebacker, Chris Noeges,returned a deflected punt for a 1-yard touchdown on special teams.Sophomore kicker Mike Caggianoalso went 5-for-5 on extra points.

The victory gave Manalapan abig leg up as it tries to win threestraight division titles for the firsttime in program history.

Week-4Manalapan 35Midd. South 3 1

When Brick Memorial ended visiting Neptune's 14-game winning streak with a resounding, 40-28nondivisional victory in Week Five, the Mustangs feltit spoke volumes about the ceiling on their potentialthis season.

Namely, that there isno cei l ing.

"That was a big confidence-booster because that'sthe best team that I think we're going to play,'' saidsenior quarterback Ryan Cieplenski. "I think we can go12-0."

No Brick Memorial team has ever gone undefeatedand there are plenty of imposing obstacles ahead, butthe Mustangs (5-0), ranked No. 5 in the All ShoreMedia Top 10, had every reason to be giddy afterhanging the most points on the No. 2 Scarlet Fliers (4-1) since Red Bank Catholic put 40 on Neptune back in2006. Cieplenski was outstanding with 348 yards oftotal offense, three touchdown passes and a pair oftouchdown runs as Brick Memorial amassed 471 totalyards.

Brick Memorial senior quarterback Ryan Cieplenskiwas sensational with 348 yards of total offense andfive touchdowns between rushing and passing in a 40-28 win that ended Neptune's 14-game winning streak.

"The kid is a winner,'' said Brick Memorial coachWalt Currie. "Even when he makes mistakes he figuresit out. He's like a good hitter. He forgets about the last

at-bat and gets backin there and keepsslinging it.

"He did a great jobfor us all night longand did a great job indecision-making inthe run game.Obviously in thepassing game, he putsome really key stuffon the button and didsome stuff on the flythat was just kind ofimprovised. It was areally amazingperformance byRyan.''

The Mustangsweathered a 28-pointsecond-quarterexplosion by theScarlet Fliers andoutscored them 19-0in the second half toclose out the win inemphatic fashionafter struggling to putteams away in close games last year. Their offensecontinues to be unstoppable, as they entered averaging39 points per game and surpassed that against a team

that had the longest currentwinning streak in the ShoreConference.

"We don't ever go into a gamethinking, 'They're ranked higherthan us, we can't win,''' saidsenior running back/linebackerCody Pinho. "We believe we canbeat anybody.''

Neptune led 28-21 at the halfbefore junior linebacker NickCosta turned the tide for good infavor of the home team to set thetone for the second half. In thefirst half, Neptune seniorquarterback Ajee Patterson hadthrown for 194 yards and twotouchdowns while also runningfor two scores on his way to 325total yards in the game and 272 inthe air. With a focus onpressuring Patterson in thesecond half, the Mustangs gotafter him on Neptune's secondplay from scrimmage in the thirdquarter and it resulted in Costastepping in front of a pass andweaving his way for a 45-yard

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S e e BrickC o n t i n u e d o n P a g e 7

Brick Memorial Ends Neptune's14-game Winning StreakB 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

QB Ryan Cieplenski & fullback Nick Costa


H ow much do you bench? It’s often thefirst question that comes out of

teenage male athletes’ mouths when hangingout in the gym. For female athletes, strengthtraining is often associated with getting big,bulky or toning. Both perspectives of thisactivity for athletic success are grosslymisinterpreted and need to be corrected.Getting strong is very important and oftenoverlooked in the quest for winning gamesand solidifying scholarships.

What is strength? Lifting something heavy?Holding a position without moving? Thefaces of strength can be portrayed manydifferent ways, but each cancause a different effect.Strength to a power liftermay be how much he cansquat, bench and deadlift. Toa gymnast, it may be theability to balance on a 4”wide beam or sticking alanding. Despite thedifference in sports, athletesshould always have theability to demonstrate whatwe call athletic basedstrength; having the ability toproduce and absorb enoughforce to be successful inspecific movements or sports.

Each gender, sport andspecific athlete requiresdifferent types of strength.Offensive linemen require

maximal strength to produce highlevels of force to move a largeopponent. Basketball post playersrequire stability to prevent gettingmoved around in the box. Femaleathletes most certainly need toenhance the strength of their legs,primarily unilaterally, as researchhas shown a major percentage of tornACL and other related knee injuriescan be prevented through properlower body strengthening. Thebottom line is this: EVERYONEneeds to be stronger especiallyduring the season. But, how can youwork on strength and sport at thesame time?

Most injuries occurwhen an athlete isunable to controlhis/her bodyweightduring competition.This almost alwaysrelates back to strength (note:collision sports exponentiallyincrease the rate of injuriesfor obvious reasons). Ifathletes could devote 30-45minutes twice a week to aproperly designed trainingprogram, performance willimprove and the rate of injurywill be reduced. In-seasonstrength training should notfocus on improving all aspectsof strength. Athletes shouldnot worry about settingpersonal records or “reppingout”. Priorities should be

focused onmaintainingthe strengthbuiltthroughout theoff-season aswell asimprovingcertainqualities thatcan still betrained at ahigh intensity.Remember,“maintaining”for too longalways leadsto detraining.

From aprogrammingstandpoint,let’s split ourin-season

strength development into two categories:produce and absorb.

• Produce: apply a force great enoughto move yourself or somebody else

• Absorb: apply a force greatenough to avoid movement andremain stable

Performing large, multi-joint, ground basedand 3-dimensional movements maximizesforce production. Exercises such as cleans,snatches, squats, presses, lunges, and rowsare all staples in an athletic based program.They require extreme amounts ofcoordination, strength and body awareness;

similar to sport. Intensities should rangeanywhere from 75-90% of your max andvolume should be kept to a minimum, 3-8reps for 2-3 sets.

Focusing on the ability to stabilize anddecelerate maximizes force absorption. Coretraining for example, is not necessarilyperforming sit-ups, crunches and twists. It’sexercises that aid in PREVENTING thosemovements from happening. Planks, bandholds and other isometric positions all helpthe body stay strong during a chaotic,reactive environment like sport activity. Andif athletes want to work on how fast theirmuscles will produce force, they must alsowork on slowing down, or decelerating. Fastcars must also have great brake systems formaximal efficiency. Focusing on landingmechanics during jump training andcontrolling the eccentric portion of multi-joint movements, specifically the posteriorside of the body are critical for success.

Keep in mind that getting stronger does notalways mean getting sore. Strength programsshould be tailored to the athlete, sport andtime of year. The off-season is the time topush the envelope and challenge athletesoutside of their comfort zone. The in-seasonis the time to manage all athletes’ physicalstress to maximize competition performance.In the next article, we’ll discuss howperformance is affected by not only strength,but how quickly athletes can apply thatstrength (power) during the game.

Strength:The Foundtion of SportPerformance & Injury ReductionB y A d am F e i t - D i r e c t o r o f S p o r t s P e r f o r m a n c e ( RY P T ) P a r t 2 o f 6


Photos by :David Thorne

www.davethorne.smugmug.com

interception return for a touchdown that tied the gameat 28.

"We changed up our scheme on defense with ourcoverages, and I just saw (the receiver) open, justjumped the route and did my thing,'' Costa said. "Weput a little more pressure on (Patterson), (a) little moreblitzes, changed our coverages a little bit and justmanned up with their receivers more and more.''

"That (interception) was everything because tying upthe score, now it's just a whole new game,'' said juniordefensive lineman Jake Lombardo.

Neptune responded by driving down to BrickMemorial's 27-yard line on its ensuing possession, butLombardo nailed Patterson for a sack and caused afumble that was recovered by Pinho for another crucialmomentum shift. Lombardo had three sacks in thesecond half, as the Mustangs put Patterson on theground five times total after not laying a finger on himin the first half.

"We went into the second half knowing we needed tomake a change,'' Pinho said. "The defensivecoordinator (Pete Brennan) realized we needed to getsome pressure on him. We had Lombardo and (Richie)Kuhn step up huge in the second half and that reallypushed us over the top."

After a sack by Pinho on fourth-and-7 from the BrickMemorial 35-yard line ended a Neptune drive at theend of the third quarter, the Mustangs mounted whatproved to be the game-winning drive. They went 61yards in six plays, with Cieplenski improvising on therun outside the pocket to hit some huge passes. Hebought time to find Pinho for a 40-yard gain down themiddle on third down, and then capped the drive whenhe sidestepped the rush and found junior Mike Basilefor an 18-yard touchdown pass and a 34-28 lead with10:35 left in the game. It was Basile's 13th touchdownin five games.

"They're always one step away from making a bigplay,'' Lombardo said. "Costa is averaging a crazyamount on the ground, Mike (Basile) we know has allkinds of touchdowns, and 'Ciep' really runs the show.He's a great leader.''

A sack by Lombardo helped thwart Neptune's nextdrive, and then the Brick Memorial offensive line andCosta went to work to put the game away. TheMustangs mounted an 11-play, 78-yard drive thatchewed up 5:49 and culminated in an 8-yardtouchdown run up the middle by Cieplenski for a 40-28 advantage with 3:32 left in the game. Costa carriedthe ball five straight times for a total of 41 yards tostart the drive as the Mustangs pounded Neptune withthe fullback dive out of the spread option.

"We could see they were tired and our guys weren't,and we were like, 'It's time to put the game away andgive it to Nick,''' Currie said.

"They just outplayed us,'' said Neptune coach MarkCiccotelli. "They wanted it more and just kept comingat us.''

Brick Memorial was relentless from the outset beforeNeptune roared back in the second quarter. TheMustangs ran one play from scrimmage to start thegame, called timeout, and then hit Neptune with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Cieplenski to sophomoreKarl Kumm for a quick 7-0 lead. On Brick Memorial'ssecond possession, it drove 73 yards in nine plays,scoring on a 2-yard keeper by Cieplenski.

Neptune answered with an 11-play, 69-yard drivethat ended with a 1-yard plunge by Patterson that cut itto 14-7 with 11:56 left in the second quarter. BrickMemorial came right back with a seven-play, 65-yarddrive highlighted by a 25-yard yard run by Cieplenski,who found Kumm for a second touchdown pass, thisone spanning nine yards, and a 21-7 lead.

The Scarlet Fliers then rattled off 21 straight pointsto take the lead at halftime. Patterson found seniorKeyshawn Rice for a 60-yard touchdown pass to cut itto 21-14, and then an interception by senior safetyGeoff Fairbanks got the ball right back. Four plays

later, Patterson took off for a 42-yard touchdown runthat trimmed the lead to 21-20 after the extra pointwas no good. A fumble recovery by Kason Newbey onthe ensuing kickoff put the Scarlet Fliers in business atBrick Memorial's 31-yard line. They punched in onemore score when Patterson found senior Sekou Harrisfor an 8-yard strike and then hit Rice for a two-pointconversion pass and a 28-21 advantage with 41.2seconds left in the half.

However, it was all Brick Memorial from there as theMustangs showed they have the potential to make arun at the Class A South title in a very difficultdivision and look to be a prime contender for achampionship in the newly-created Central JerseyGroup V bracket. There are still plenty of formidableopponents ahead, as No. 4 Lacey, No. 7 Toms RiverNorth and No. 9 Southern are all still waiting in ClassA South, and the Mustangs could also run into No. 3Manalapan in the state playoffs.

"(Neptune was) ranked No. 2 and we were rankedNo. 5, but we always believed we could win,''Lombardo said. "Everyone said we didn't really playanyone yet, and we played sloppy at times in thoseother games, but we brought our 'A' game tonight andmade some key adjustments at halftime. We can doanything. I just want to get to Rutgers so bad."

"We're on a roll,'' Costasaid. "I don't think anyonecan stop us.''

BrickC o n t i n u e d f r o m P a g e 4


Game V ideoH i g h l i g h t s b y :

S c o t t S t umpwww.a l l shoremed ia .com

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


Tom Reilly has led the OceanTownship High School boys

soccer program for 28 seasons andhas had dominant teams, Division Iplayers and championship seasons.If a coach can know what a specialteam looks like before the season, hefits the profile.

His 2012 Spartans squad is starting to fit a specialprofile as well, but even Reilly did not see such aseason – or at least such a start to the season – coming.

“No, not at all,” Reilly said when asked if he thoughtthis year’s team could be unbeaten at this stage of theseason. “I knew we were pretty good, but you neverexpect to be 10-0 or even 10-0-1 or anything likethat.”

Reilly may not have expected to have one of theShore Conference’s two remaining unbeaten teamsthrough the first 12 games, but that is exactly what theSpartans are after rolling past previously unbeatenShore Regional, 4-0, on Oct. 4 and doing the same to ahighly-regarded, talented Toms River South team outof the Shore Conference Class A South division.Jackson Memorial has set the pace in the ShoreConference with a 12-0 record through Oct. 6, butOcean is right at the Jaguars’ heels at 11-0-1.

The formula, according to Reilly, is a strong,albeit small, group of senior players whohave played as well as they have led.

"We've had teams since I've beenhere that were oozing talent anddidn't make it this far without aloss," Reilly said. "Don't getme wrong, this team has talent,but it's not a group we lookedat and thought, 'We're goingto win our first 10decisions.'”

Ocean has played its bestagainst its best opponents,as well as in the late stagesof games against all opponents.At one point during the early part ofthe season, the Spartans had won fivestraight games in which they scored thegame-winning goal in the 73rd minuteor later.

"You never know what you’re goingto get out of a team late in thegame," Reilly said. "The game isfunny like that. Sometimes they dowhat you want them to and thingsdon't go your way. I'm just proudof them because they’ve justkept playing. They haven'tstopped to think about what'sgoing wrong or whether ornot they need to changeanything when the clock'sticking down. They just

keep playing and that's all youcan ever ask out of your players."

Senior midfielder Tyler Nowakhas been at the center of Ocean’sstrong start, and while he hasbeen a key piece for the Spartanssince his freshman season, this isthe first time he has led with hisscoring out of the midfield. Upuntil this year, Nowak has playedon Ocean’s defense, all the whileknowing that he would eventuallyget a chance to move back to hisnatural position in the midfield.He finally got the nod from Reillythis season, and he has rewardedhis coach and his team by scoring13 goals to go with two assists.

"It was a discussion we hadbefore the season," Nowak said."I'm a midfielder, I've alwaysbeen a midfielder, but coach Reilly always needed mein the back, so I played there thinking I'd get a chanceto move up once this year came. I didn't mind defense,

but I'm having a lot more fun in themiddle."

Nowak’s move forward hasresulted in an uptick in scoring fromlast year, but not by that much. TheSpartans scored 48 goals in 19 games

in 2011, an average of a little morethan 2.5 per game. This season, Ocean

has scored 32 goals in 12 games, anaverage of 2.67 goals per game.

The difference for theSpartans has been their

success in close gamesand in surrenderingonly 12 in goals in12 games aftergiving up 25 in 19

games last season.Reilly considered

Nowak a necessity ondefense last year because

his team had plenty ofscoring, but not much skill

among its defenders.

"We really needed him in the back lastyear," Reilly said. "Ideally, he would

have been playing in the midfield earlier,but with what we had, we needed his skill

and his leadership defending the net. It wasalways tempting to move him up because you see

what he can do in the middle of the field with theway he sees the field, moves the ball,

communicates, wins balls in the air. He doeseverything you could want a player to do inthe midfield."

Another reason for Ocean’s improvedgoal-prevention has been theemergence of junior goalkeeper ChrisSeager, now in his first season as the

full-time starter. Seager has recorded

seven shutouts – tied with four other goalkeepers forthe Shore Conference lead – and has allowed 10 goals,with two of Ocean’s goals allowed coming whileSeager was out of the game for precautionary reasonsafter a collision against Long Branch on Sept. 19.

"Chris is excellent," Reilly said. "There have beengames when he hasn't had a lot to do, but he alwayscomes up with that magic moment. He's beensensational. As a goalkeeper, you're called upon tomake an acrobatic save, and he pulls it off. He's justanother guy who plays his role and it all works."

Junior defender Tyler Roman has also given Ocean alift by taking over Nowak’s old sweeper position andalong with senior outside fullbacks Jordan Eugenis andChris Tacy, has formed a strong group of defenders infront of Seager. The apex of the defense’s performancecame on Oct. 4, when the group held Shore forwardJon Junqueira scoreless after Junqueira scored 23 goalsin his team’s first 10 games, including at least one ineach of those 10 matches.

"Everything we do starts in the back with Seager andthe defense," Nowak said. "Those guys did anawesome job shutting down Junqueira and getting theball to the midfield. That was probably the bestdefense we've played this year."

Midfielder Kyle Wells is the other senior who hasbeen a key cog for the Spartans, a four-year varsityplayer who has been a strong contributor in each of hishigh school seasons. Beyond Nowak, Walls, Eugenisand Tacy, Ocean has relied on a host of juniors,namely midfielders Fabio Diaz, George Kavarakasand Dan Gomez, as well as forward Justin Silverberg.

The mix of youth leaves the Spartans in a goodposition heading into next year, while the maturity ofthose juniors and the leadership of the seniors haveOcean thinking big this year.

“The thing I like about this team is that no matterwhat, they just keep playing,’’ Reilly said. “They're aresilient group that's proven to be pretty mentallytough. If we do slip up along the way, it's notsomething that's going to bother these guys too much.They'll get right back up."

Ocean Boys Soccer Opening Eyeswith Unbeaten StartB y M a t t M a n l e y – S e n i o r S t a f f W r i t e r

Photos by: David Thornewww.davethornephotography.com

Senior midfielder Tyler Nowak

Coming into a crucial Class B Central game againstAsbury Park in Week Five, Point Beach stressed allweek that it wanted positive yards on every play.

The Garnet Gulls wanted to hold the ball and shortenthe game because they knew that Asbury Park could be avery explosive team. They did that and more in theirdominating 54-20 win at Don Fioretti Field.

Point Beach (5-0, 2-0), off to one of its best starts ever,not only controlled the tempo of the game, the GarnetGulls were the team that unleashed the explosiveness.With their three-headed senior running back package ofseniors Kyle Samaritano, Andre Cochran and DannyTighe, they ran for a total of 345 yards with Tigherunning for 192 of those yards and three touchdowns.

"We knew coming into the game that Asbury was veryexplosive, but we also knew that we had some options onoffense," said Point Beach head coach John Wagner. "Ihave only been here two years so I really don't know(when the last time Point Beach started 5-0). All I doknow is that we are 5-0. We wanted to make sure wecould come into this game at 4-0 and we did."

The win avenges two losses that Beach suffered lastyear at the hands of Asbury Park (2-2, 1-2) and sets up apossible rematch at the end of the season in the NJSIAACentral Jersey Group playoffs, where Asbury Park is thedefending champion. Wagner tried to downplay therevenge factor, saying, "Different teams, different year."As a friendly reminder the score of last year's game (54-6) was on the scoreboard all week during practice for allto see just in case anyone did not remember.

"We lost twice to them last year, and the last one was agood whipping," Tighe said. "Hopefully this will open

some eyes in the Shore.Now we get ready forKeansburg."

Point Beach quicklyanswered an early score byAsbury Park by going onan 8-play, 60-yard drive,tying the score on a 7-yardrun by Samaritano. ZachYates kicked the first of hissix extra points.The GarnetGulls took the lead forgood in the second quarterafter Samaritano picked upa blocked punt andreturned it to the 18-yardline. Two plays and anAsbury Park penalty later,Cochran took it in fromnine yards out to giveBeach a 14-7 lead twominutes into the secondquarter.

Point Beach thenextended the lead to to 21-7 at the half on a 51-yard pass from Jake Fioretti to tightend Bill Barry.

The first half was all Garnet Gulls, as their defense heldAsbury to one first down and only 17 offensive plays.

"The defense really stepped it up and played well,''Tighe said. "We knew how explosive they could be so weworked real hard in practice on it."

The second half started withSamaritano registering one of histwo interceptions for the night andreturning it for a touchdow,n but itwas called back on a block in theback penalty by the Gulls. Eightplays and five minutes later, Fiorettisnuck it over from the 1-yard line,making it a 28-7 game.

After a quick three-and-out by theBlue Bishops, the Garnet Gulls tookone play to add to the lead. Tighetook a handoff and went 70 yards forone of his three second-halftouchdowns. The Blue Bishopsrefused to quit and went on an eightplay, 78-yard drive, cutting the leadto 35-14 on a 5-yard pass fromBarksdale to sophomore runningback Tyquis Davis.

The second half excitementcontinued on the following kickoffas Tighe took it back 81 yards for atouchdown to make the score 41-14after three quarters. Tighe added a

38-yard run before Asbury's Davis took a handoff andbroke three tackles and went 38 yards for a touchdown.The fireworks continued three plays later whenSamaritano went 19 yards to complete the scoring.


Point Beach's Kyle Samaritano

Point Beach Football Stamps Itselfas a Championship ContenderBy Ar t Go rdon – A l l S h o re Med i a Con t r i bu t o r


www.a l lshoremedia .com ASM / 1 1


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ith Week Five in the books,

we have reachedthe halfwaypoint of theseason for amajority of theShoreConferenceteams, soit’s timeto take alook ateverythingthat hashappened sofar and alook aheadat how itmight allend up.

Brick Memorial’s40-28 win thatended Neptune’s14-game winningstreak in Week Five may be thesignal that it’s going to be anexciting finish with someheavyweight teams slugging itout for division titles before thestate playoffs hit. The good newsis that it looks like the debatebetween many teams in the top 10will be settled on the field.

Best Division Race – Class ASouth . Four of these teams are ranked in theAll Shore Media Top 10. Brick Memorial and

Lacey are both in the top five, while TomsRiver North and Southern are right behind

in second place. Brick Memorial still hasto face all three of those other teams,

so this race is far from over. Itshould be one slugfest

after another that willhave fans roaringright into November.

Southern is thedefending champion,

but the most impressive teams so far havebeen Brick Memorial and Lacey, so we’llsee how it turns out. Runner-up: Class B

South. Monsignor Donovan is alonein first place, but there are

four teams only onegame behind theGriffins, so thereis a lot of football

still to be played.Also, with super-

sophomore quarterbackCinjun Erskine noweligible for Barnegat,the Bengals could be a

factor down the stretch,although they need the

Griffins to stumblebecause Monsignor

Donovan alreadybeat them.

Update on the other divisionraces: In Class A North,Manalapan’s final hurdle to its third straightdivision title looks to be Colts Neck on theroad on Oct. 20. In Class A Central, therace looks to be coming down to theThanksgiving game between Red BankCatholic and defending championRumson-Fair Haven. RBC has beaten theBulldogs nine straight times and is lookingfor its sixth division title in the last eightyears. In Class B North, Neptune hasalready beaten prime contenders LongBranch and Matawan and should roll to itsfirst division title since 1998. In Class BCentral, it looks to be coming down to theThanksgiving matchup between Shore Regionaland Point Beach, although Keansburg andKeyport will try to monkey wrench thatscenario. Shore is looking for its seconddivision title in three seasons, while PointBeach is searching for its first division titlesince 1997.

Biggest Surprise (Team):Monsignor Donovan. The Griffins lost 40-0 toSt. John Vianney in the opener after lookingshaky in the preseason. They have not won adivision title since 1993, but control their ownfate for the Class B South title. Colts Neck is 4-0 for the first time in school history, but that’snot surprising given their schedule so far. Back-to-back wins over St. John Vianney andManalapan would vault the Cougars pastMonsignor Donovan as the surprise team in theShore. St. John Vianney also has the chance towin its next four games, which would make theLancers 6-2 and open some eyes around theShore. Their win over Monsignor Donovan alsois looking better and better by the week. Iwould also putMarlboro in thiscategory. TheMustangs wentwinless last

season

andalready have

two divisionalwins for the firsttime since 1999.Holmdel is also 3-2after going 1-9 lastseason and has a shutoutvictory over defendingClass B South championBarnegat.

Brick Memorial's Ryan Cieplenski Neptune's Ajee Patterson


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Biggest Surprise(Player): Ryan Kurtz, Sr.,Keansburg. Kurtz is a veteran, having

started last year and a handfulof games his sophomore

year, but he has taken itup several notches thisseason. The Titans are4-1 after winning onegame in the last twoseasons combined, andKurtz has devastatedopposing defenses. Hehas had two games offive touchdowns

combined betweenpassing and

rushing and hasthe Titansaveraging33.6 pointsper game

afterscoring16.4 pergamelast year.The next

major testwill be to see

if he cancontinue thatlevel ofsuccess againstClass B Centralcompetition like

Shore, Point Beach andAsbury Park.

Top Newcomers:St. John Vianney junior

quarterback Billy DeMato has alreadythrown for more than 1,000 yards in four gamesafter transferring from Bishop Ahr. Neptunesenior quarterback Ajee Patterson has also been

sensational in his firstand only season asthe Scarlet Fliers’starter, and the

same goes for ColtsNeck senior quarterback Mike Campbell. Laceysenior wideout Bill Belford and Red BankCatholic running back Jesse Flaherty have alsobeen impact players in their first and onlyvarsity seasons. Toms River North sophomorequarterback Carmen Sclafani has kept theoffense potent for the Mariners in his firstseason as the starter. Matawan senior JohnAlston has become an important playmaker onoffense for the Huskies in his only season inthat role. Ocean freshman running back Tyler

Thompson already has a 200-yard rushinggame under his belt and appears to be one ofthe future superstars in the ShoreConference. Lakewood sophomore Chapelle

Cook already has two100-yard rushing gamesto get the Piners off to a3-1 start. Finally, eventhough Brick Memorial’sMike Basile was adefensive standout as asophomore, he hasexploded in his firstseason as a startingrunning back on offensewith 13 touchdowns infive games.

Most Improved(Teams): This is athree-way tie betweenBrick Memorial, Laceyand Point Beach. BrickMemorial has taken aquantum leap forwardoffensively to build a unitled by senior quarterbackRyan Cieplenski that isone of the most explosive in the ShoreConference. Lacey has done even better,averaging 46 points per game after scoring 14.4in going 4-6 last year. Lacey and BrickMemorial have both already surpassed their wintotals from last season and look to be primecontenders for division and state titles. PointBeach is off to a 5-0 start in impressive fashion,using the three-headed monster of Danny Tighe,Kyle Samaritano and Andre Cochran todevastate teams on the ground to the tune of45.8 points per game. The Garnet Gulls tied theschool record with eight wins last year, but

they have the look of a team that has thepotential to go 12-0 and win theprogram’s first state championship.

Jackson Liberty also deserves amention as its defense has gonefrom giving up 24 pointsper game to onlyeight this year, ledby linebacker

Chris Cruz anddefensive backMattCastronuova.Shore Regionalis off to a 4-1start after asix-win seasonand has thelook of acontender fordivision andstate titles witha defense stifling teams to anaverage of six points per game.

Most Improved(Players): A major reasonthat Lacey’s offense has explodedhas been the progression of juniorquarterback Tom Kelly, who tookhis lumps as a sophomore but hasemerged as aforce for theLions. I wouldalso put Brick Memorial senior quarterbackRyan Cieplenski in this category. Coach Walt

Currie’s quarterbackstend to take a big stepforward in their secondyear at the helm of thetriple option, andCieplenski has become amonster, regularlyamassing 250-plus yardsbetween passing andrunning. Manalapanjunior wide receiverSaeed Blacknall waspromising as asophomore but hasemerged as the bestwideout in the ShoreConference so far thisseason. He already hasmultiple FBS offers, andhe is one of the mostexplosive all-aroundtalents in the Shorethanks to his returnability in special teams.Long Branch senior

Joscil Jackson has always been solid, but he hasturned into a beast as a linebacker and apunishing runner as a senior.

State playoff predictions:Manalapan and Brick Memorial will fight forthe Central Jersey Group V title. Sayreville willbe the favorite to take the title over MiddletownSouth in CJ IV. Neptune still looks like thefavorite to repeat as CJ III champs, with LongBranch and Allentown looking like primecontenders. Rumson-Fair Haven should be rightthere for its third straight appearance in the CJ

II final, with Shabazz looking like theprime obstacle. The CJ I title looks like

it will be a showdown between PointBeach and Shore, who could play aweek earlier for the B Central title on

Thanksgiving. In South Jersey,Southern and Toms River North

will be contenders in SouthJersey Group V, whereWilliamstown is the favorite.Lacey will be a serious

contender in SJ IV, with TimberCreek as a primary roadblock.Barnegat could make waves in SJIII, with Delsea as a main threat.Finally, Red Bank Catholic willtry to make its first state finalsince 1980 in Non-Public GroupIII, where defending championSt. Joseph-Montvale is the heavy

favorite.

Make sure to check outour website,www.allshoremedia.com,for the expandedmidseason report!

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Pt. Beach's Danny Tighe

Lacey's Tom Kelly


Manalapan's Anthony Firkser


They operate in open space, juke defenders at full speed,absorb booming hits and try to score at all costs.

While that sounds like a job description for arunning back or wide receiver, it also applies to a sportthat is having more and more of a crossover impact onfootball in the Shore Conference – lacrosse. Lookaround the Shore and several key contributors formany teams also happen to be standouts on thelacrosse field in the spring. Their skill set translatesfavorably to the football field, making them threats allover the field, from wide receiver to defensive back totight end to linebacker.

“It used to be that everyone played the big three(football, basketball, baseball), but now lacrosse isexploding in this area,’’ said Manasquan head coachJay Price, who has several lacrosse players on histeam. “It’s not just spatial awareness that translates,either. It’s all the little things like moving your feet,staying low and having good hand-eye coordination.’’

One of Price’s top players, junior runningback/linebacker Joe Murphy, grew up in Point Pleasantand moved to Manasquan just to play lacrosse becausethe two Point Pleasant high schools do not havelacrosse teams. The reason the Warriors even have himon the football team is because of lacrosse.

“The ability to make decisions very quickly isdefinitely the same,’’ said Murphy, who is a midfielderin lacrosse. “On the lacrosse field, I’m running theoffense and I have several decisions I have to makevery quickly depending on the defense. You also haveto be explosive, and you have to be fast.’’

The crossover between football and lacrosse goesway back, as Hall of Fame running back Jim Brownwas a lacrosse immortal at Syracuse in the 1950sbefore he went on to star for theCleveland Browns. In the ShoreConference, however, the sport isbarely a decade old, but is makingits presence felt.

It used to be that newly-formedlacrosse teams at Shore Conferenceschools would try to recruit footballplayers to fill out their rosters.Things are now starting to go in theother direction, as lacrosse playersare being sought by football teams.Senior twins Nick and Mike Specht,a pair of lacrosse stars at JacksonMemorial, came out for the footballteam as seniors and have made animmediate impact as receivers andin the secondary.

“I can see the twins being great D-backs because they play greatdefense in lacrosse,’’ Murphy said.

The versatility of lacrosse players also comes inhandy in football, like Holmdel being able to move do-it-all senior and lacrosse standout Robbie Cantelli toquarterback for the first time in high school and getbetter offensively. One of his top targets, Mark

Scherzer, is another lacrosseplayer.

Rumson-Fair Haven, whoselacrosse team has won the last twoShore Conference Tournamenttitles, is populated with playerswho are standouts in both sports.Running back Conor Walsh,defensive back/kick returnerMichael Clarke, defensive endConnor Phillips, linebacker J.T.Jennings, fullback Dylan Zohnand defensive back Chris Hublerare all Bulldogs starters who playlacrosse. Walsh, who is out for theseason with a knee injury, has ascholarship to play lacrosse atFairfield, and Clarke is headed tothe University of Vermont.

“The biggest thing that we’ve noticed is that theirinstincts translate,’’ head coach Shane Fallon said.“They are aggressive, they play downhill, they have anattack mentality, and they’re not afraid of contact. Wesee so many parallels like making plays in open space,and understanding zone defense. When a play breaksdown offensively or defensively, I think our kids’instincts take over and a lot of that is just fromlacrosse.’’

“Trying to beat someone to the goal is just liketrying to beat someone to the end zone,’’ Clarke said.

It’s not just the smaller attackmen from the lacrossefield who populate football teams, either.

“Back in about 2003-04, we had enormous linemenwho were like 260 (pounds), 270,’’ Fallon said. “Now

more of our linemen are 220-,240-pound kids who are moreathletic and can run. We are waymore athletic up front, and it’sbecause a lot of those kids arelacrosse kids.’’

“The big kids in lacrosse canmove,’’ Murphy said. “You haveto move quickly to stay in frontof people in lacrosse, so it givesbig kids better feet.’’

Certain football aspects alsotranslate to lacrosse. Playing infront of large crowds in pressure-packed environments duringfootball prepares players for biggames in the spring. Players withimposing size also don’t hesitateto initiate contact on a lacrossefield. Two of Colts Neck’s morephysical playmakers on offense,

senior tight end Connor Canonico and junior tailbackAnthony Gargiulo, are lacrosse players. ShoreRegional senior fullback Jack Kelly, Southernoffensive lineman Nick Jinks, Barnegat offensivelineman Nick Anderson and Red Bank Catholicdefensive end Richie Curran are other lacrosse

standouts who play a punishingstyle.

“For lacrosse, I’m a biggerkid, so I use some of thefootball mentality,’’ Canonicosaid. “I’ll be physical up front. Ifeel like when I have the ball (inlacrosse), I can get throughpeople because I’ve done it infootball.’’

Playing both has also becomea tradition in some families.Holmdel has had the Cantellibrothers, and Red Bank Catholichas had the three Whitlockbrothers – Kevin, Doug andChris – all make major impactsin both sports.

What also helps the crossover between sports is thecooperation between lacrosse and football headcoaches at most schools. Rather than forcing theirplayers to focus on one sport over the other, theyencourage playing both.

“(Rumson lacrosse coach) Reid Jackson and I don’twant our kids playing just one sport,’’ Fallon said.“Our kids handle adversity and stress well, and I thinkthat comes hand-in-hand from playing multiple sports.Sometimes in the summer you have football workoutsfour nights a week and lacrosse four nights a week, sokids might have to split two and two, but they havefound a way to make it work. Our lacrosse programhas helped our football program become better.’’

“We’re definitely encouraged to be multi-sportathletes,’’ said RBC’s Chris Whitlock, who is a widereceiver/defensive back. “A lot of kids use it just tostay in shape because lacrosse is great conditioning.’’

Playing both can make the summer a jam-packedtime. Most players often have football workouts orweight room sessions in the morning, lacrossepractices later in the day and lacrosse tournamentsalmost every weekend.

“It works out, but it’s a lot,’’ Clarke said.

While football players have been flowing in thedirection of lacrosse for several years in the ShoreConference, it wouldn’t be a surprise if more and morelacrosse-only players start deciding to give football ashot. Just watching Michael Clarke juke defendersright and left in the open field during a spectacular,63-yard touchdown on a punt return in a win over St.John Vianney in Week Two, it’s easy to see plenty offootball coaches envisioning their school’s lacrossestars doing the same thing for them.

“I ran back to the sidelines after that punt return andone of my coaches who knows lacrosse said, ‘That wasa face dodge,’’’ Clarke said. “That’s a move I use allthe time in lacrosse, except I didn’t have the stickslowing me down this time.’’


Rumson's Michael Clarke

Manasquan's Joe Murphy

Lacrossover: Shore LacrossePlayers Make Impact on the GridironB 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



Look around the upper echelon of teams in the ShoreConference right now, and you will see plenty of high-octane offenses that operate out of the shotgun inspread sets with dynamic players all over the field.

Whether it’s explosive Neptune quarterback AjeePatterson, versatile Brick Memorial talent MikeBasile, a stable of Lacey playmakers, or a talentedToms River North group, several top teams haveplayers who can score fromanywhere. However, lost inall that are the players whokeep the whole operationhumming along withoutmost fans even knowingtheir names – centers.

“Nobody says anythingabout the kicker until hemisses a PAT, and no onesays anything about thecenter until the ball is onthe ground,’’ said Laceyoffensive line coach JohnTierney, who was an FCSAll-American center atTowson University. “But ifyour center goes down, youbetter have three or fourcontingency plans, or yourwhole offense is in trouble.’’

A prime example is Toms River North, which was ina dogfight with Lacey in Week Two in a key Class ASouth game when starting center Nick Silva brokeseveral bones in his leg in the first half while playingspecial teams. The Mariners threw a young andinexperienced backup into the fire, and the offensesputtered the rest of the way in a 37-20 loss to theLions. Toms River North coach Chip LaBarca Jr.turned to senior Garrett Kroeger, a three-year starteron the defensive line, to stabilize the center position.Kroeger started at center as a junior, and since he hasstepped in on offense, the Mariners have resumed theirwinning ways with two straight victories.

“I picked it up pretty quickly coming back fromhaving played it last year,’’ Kroeger said. “(Center) isreal important. We clinched a win this year because ofa bad shotgun snap.’’

Toms River North, Lacey, Neptune, and BrickMemorial, which are ranked in the top seven of the AllShore Media Top 10, all routinely operate out of theshotgun in spread offenses. No. 9 Southern and No. 6Rumson-Fair Haven also routinely employ it with apair of returning seniors at quarterback. Even No. 8Middletown South, traditionally an under-center team,mixes in shotgun and pistol looks.

Using the four teams from the top seven as anexample, Toms River North is averaging 28.5 pointsper game after scoring at 25 last year, Brick Memorialhas taken a quantum leap forward to 39 points pergame compared to 19 last year, Lacey is buzz-sawingteams at 47 points per game compared to only 14 lastyear, and Neptune’s offense is scoring at a rate of 35points per game despite graduating Offensive Player ofthe Year Jaheem Woods at quarterback along withseveral talented backs. All four of those teams havereturning starters and seniors at center.

“It all starts with them,’’ said Neptune coach MarkCiccotelli. “They make sure everything is good upfront first.’’

Their experience is also important considering allfour of those teams have a jet sweep series that relieson the snap to be timed perfectly with a fast playercoming in motion across the formation. They want tomake the play look exactly the same and run at the

same speed aswhen thequarterbackhands the ball tothe runner inmotion and whenhe doesn’t.

They want tomake opponentsto either bemisaligned ortake a false stepin the wrongdirection orfreeze for thatone second thatmight allow aspeedburner likeBasile or TomsRiver North’s

Joey Fields or Neptune’s Keyshawn Rice or Lacey’sChristian Tutela to get to the edge on the perimeter fora big play. All four quarterbacks – Patterson, TomsRiver North’s Carmen Sclafani, Lacey’s Tom Kellyand Brick Memorial’s Ryan Cieplinski – are alsodangerous runners. Opponents have to defend thewhole field when those offenses are running in sync,and it also helps the offense often win the numbersgame on the perimeter if the middle linebacker freezesbecause he isworried about aquarterback run upthe middle.

“We got very goodat that (jet sweepsnap) over thesummer,’’ saidLacey senior centerTyler Walsh, a two-year starter. “Tutelais also able to throwthe ball out of thatset like we showedagainst Toms RiverNorth (with a 62-yard touchdownpass). We’ve gotathletes on our team,so we just need toget them the ball inthe best spot.’’

“We work on that every practice,” Kroeger said.“Coach (LaBarca) will stand behind Carmen and if thesnap is an inch off, he says to get it to the left or rightor up or down to make it perfect.’’

“A lot of it is just chemistry with the quarterback,’’said Neptune senior center Peter Askew, a two-yearstarter. “Ajee and I have played together for a long

time, so I know exactly when he wants the ball.’’

The other thing these teams like to do to keepopponents off balance is to run the offense at warpspeed. Brick Memorial installed the no-huddle thisyear, and Neptune and Toms River North also employthe no-huddle.

“If we can get the ball and snap the ball before thedefense is set, you’re done,’’ Askew said. “If we opencreases up for the guys we have, it’s daylight everytime.’’

However, running at that high pace means the centerhas less time to diagnose the defensive fronts andpressure packages before snapping the ball. Thatmeans film study is crucial to centers. It needs to behard-wired into a center’s brain about what protectionsand blocking schemes to call with only a quick pictureof the defense, and that is often before the defensestarts moving around during the quarterback’scadence. Coaches try to reduce the burden by keepingthe playbook relatively simple.

“It definitely helps to know what fronts you’re goingto go against so that it’s almost second-nature makingthe calls,’’ said Brick Memorial senior center TomSindel, a two-year starter. “You rep it all week, and itcomes right to you. We’re fine with the no-huddle, butwhen they stem during our cadence, that’s a little moredifficult, so sometimes you’re adjusting calls while thequarterback is in his cadence.’’

“(Neptune offensive line coach Mike) DeLucia, hewas a center in college (at Rutgers), so he gives melittle tips on everything, and we watch a lot of film,’’Askew said. “When he tells me I did a pretty good jobafter a game, I feel real confident.’’

Teams walk a fine line between pushing the pace andgoing so fast that the centergets calls wrong and thequarterback gets drilled byunblocked blitzers.

“(Sindel) has to do it quick,’’said Brick Memorial coachWalt Currie. “Sometimes ourO-line guys are like, ‘Slowdown a little bit and let usmake our calls so that I don’tget Cieplinski killed.’ It’s adelicate balance. We want torun it at an up-tempo pace, butwe don’t want to subtract fromexecution.’’

Communication between thecenter and his fellow linemenis also important in the pre-snap read. Often informationdiagnosed by a guard or tackleis relayed to the center to helpmake a key adjustment.

“Against (Toms River) South, they were movingpeople around like crazy before the snap,’’ Walsh said.“Our left guard, Chris D’Addario, picked upsomething that most young guards won’t pick up. Hesaid they were stacking the left side, so we knew to

Football Feature: Command CentersB 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

Lacey center Tyler Walsh


Neptune center Peter Askew (#51)

S e e Command CentersC o n t i n u e d o n P a g e 1 9

both go to the left and ended up getting a touchdownfrom it. You have to have that communication downthe line.’’

One way many teams try to disrupt the shotgunspread is by bringing pressure, often funnelinglinebackers through the ‘A’ gap or looping defensivelinemen. That means the center has to concentrate ongetting the snap right when he knows a wall ofdefenders might be about to crash into him. Thesmallest disruption in the snap can lead to a fumble orthrow off the timing of the play, so the center has to bevigilant.

“That’s definitely true,’’ Sindel said. “Last week Iwas messing up the snap counts, and our productionwas limited. As soon as we got the plays read the rightway, the Toms River East defense had no chance ofstopping it. I’ve been trying to make sure (worryingabout blitzers) doesn’t come into my head because Ifeel like that might pressure me to take attention offthe snap. I might peek up at the linebackers, thinkingabout where they might come from, but if I don’t seethem right away, my footwork is going to bring me towhere I need to be.’’

A sign of the importance to centers for teams like theones mentioned above is that they are often limited inthe amount of reps they might get in a game on the

defensive line for fear of injury or fatigue that mightreduce their effectiveness on offense. Sindel, Walshand Askew play limited snaps on defense. Out ofnecessity, Kroeger will be on the field most of thegame because of his importance, but wheneverLaBarca can get him rest, it’s always on defenseinstead of offense.

“We talk about it all the time,’’ Ciccotelli said. “(Aninjury to Askew) nearly happened in practice today,and I said, ‘Get him off the defense.’ He could be anAll-Division defensive lineman, but we have enoughquality guys there that we do our best to keep him outof there.’’

“I try to beg coach ‘Cicc’ to give me more reps ondefense, but I understand where they are comingfrom,’’ Askew said.

The four teams mentioned mainly employ the “deadball’’ snap, which is more like a knuckleball and easierto teach than the spiral snap seen in NFL games. Walshalso had to retrain himself at Lacey because the Lionsoperated under center last year before going back tothe shotgun under newoffensive play-callerCory Davies, thearchitect of severalrecord-breakingoffenses at Howell.Reps with Kelly over

the summer and 7-on-7 tournaments were crucial forWalsh to getting that timing down again.

When centers get in a groove with quality snaps, noone wants to bring it up for fear that it will be animmediate jinx that causes a bad one at an inopportunetime late in the game.

“It’s like having a no-hitter going,’’ Ciccotelli said.“You don’t want to even talk about it.’’

The goal for the centers of these elite teams is tokeep the machine running and remain anonymous forall the right reasons. If all goes well for the playersfrom these high-octane units, the next time anyonecalls their name will be to come up and get theirchampionship ring.

2012 FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALLBROADCAST SCHEDULE

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

Fri 10/14 Barnegat at Central (7pm)

Fri 10/19 Toms River South at Toms River East (7pm)

Fri 10/26 TO BE DETERMINED

Fri 11/2 Lacey at Brick Memorial (7pm)

Sat 11/9 NJSIAA Playoff Games

Sat 11/16 NJSIAA Playoff Games

Thr 11/22 Wall at Manaquan (11am)

11/30-12-2 NJSIAA Championship WeekendBROADCAST CREW

Matt Harmon, Kevin Williams, Ed SarlucaVisit www.shoresportsnetwork for details


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Interested in joining our team andthink you have what it takes to becovering sports in the ShoreConference for All Shore Media? Weare looking for local writers interestedin covering sports like Football,Track, Soccer, Basketball and more aspart of our newspaper and our website

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Command CentersC o n t i n u e d f r o m P a g e 1 6


L O O K I N G F O R S OM E G R E A TA D V E R T I S I N G O P P O R T U N I T I E S ?

C 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

WatchingNFL kickers connect on f ie ld goals at ahis torical ly accurate rate this season,i t makes sense given how much thingshave evolved at the grassroots level .

In the Shore Conference, you used to be able to countthe top kickers on a few fingers, and for many teams, anextra point was an adventure. So much has changed in thepast few years between kickers receiving personalinstruction and having way more choices when it comesto summer camps. Kickers were often players who didn’tmake the cut on the soccer team or were seeing scantplaying time, so they decided to give football a try.

Now you havekickers who wereelite soccer players atthe youth levelscrapping theirpromising soccercareers in favor offootball. MiddletownSouth senior ConnorRyan, who was an AllShore Media first-team All-Shoreselection as a junior,played on a toptraveling soccer teambefore he got to highschool but gave it up.He has a good chanceof being a scholarshipkicker at an FCS-level college. ShoreRegional sophomoreJake Monteiro, whohas already tied thesingle-season schoolrecord with five fieldgoals in only fivegames this year, alsowas an academy soccer player who decided to focus onkicking instead.

Field goals of 30-plus yards used to be fairly rare in theShore Conference and now they are par for the course for

many teams. Toms RiverNorth senior Chris Gulla,one of the best kickers inthe state, nailed a 45-yardboot to beat Southern in abig Class A South game

earlier this year. Gullais being recruited by

the likes of South Carolina,Rutgers and Penn State.Central’s Austin DeRose

also has shown hisability underpressure with a27-yard field goal

as time expired to beatToms River South in theseason opener.

While the establishednames like Gulla, Ryan andMatawan’s Mike Creamerhave all been outstandingas expected this year, therehave been several othersmaking their mark to showoff the unprecedented depth at the position in the Shore.Monteiro has already had a game with three field goalsand looks like a rising standout.

Rumson-Fair Haven junior Jake D’Amelio has emergedas a weapon for the Bulldogs, including a career-long 41-yard field goal in a 9-3 win over Red Bank this season.D’Amelio also has performed well under pressure, as he

beat Shore Regionalwith a 36-yard fieldgoal in overtime afterkicking a 29-yarder astime expired inregulation to tie thegame. Manalapansophomore MikeCaggiano, who madesome clutch kicks asa freshman, is anotherrising standout in thenext wave behindGulla and Ryan.

Even players whoare not kickingspecialists havecontinued to improve.Monsignor Donovan’sGrant Klimek hit apair of field goals tohelp beat Point Boroand keep the Griffinsin first place in ClassB South in additionto playing runningback and on defense.Barnegat’s Pat Moran

does everything but sell the popcorn, lining up atquarterback and wide receiver while also playing safetyand handling the punting. Yet he still has enough gas inthe tank to make plays as a kicker, including two extra

points that were crucialin a 14-13, double-overtime victory overpreviously unbeatenJackson Liberty. Laceykicker Liam Dollyplays linebacker butstill has range out past40 yards.

Raritan’s C.J. Pulcinehas been a solid fieldgoal kicker while alsoplaying quarterback,and Toms River East’sJerry Caporale isanother position playerwho makes an impactin the kicking game.

There are also kickerslike Point Boro’s BrettBlank, Brick’s SteveFerlisi, Wall’s PhilShields, JacksonLiberty’s MikeOstrowski , Keyport’s

Angelo Miragliotta, and Freehold’s Luke Tiefenthalerwho fly under the radar but are very solid and would getmore notoriety if it weren’t for the outstanding depth ofthe Shore. Point Beach’s Zach Yates is a newcomer whohas been very solid for an explosive Garnet Gulls teamthat has kept him busy kicking extra points.

Even programs where the kicker has traditionally beenan Achilles’ heel or nonexistent have stabilized thatposition. Asbury Park’s Shaheim Tillman booted a 25-yard field goal in a win over Point Boro this year for thefirst field goal in at least a decade for the Blue Bishops.Tillman also plays at running back and in the secondary,but he has given the Blue Bishops confidence at a positionthat was practically nonexistent for them. They haveroutinely gone for two-point conversions aftertouchdowns in recent years.

Neptune’s Keyshawn Rice, a talented runningback/wideout, has stabilized the PAT unit with his kickingability. Senior Keith Kirkwood, a talented athlete who hadonly played basketball in high school up to this year, hasalso become a weapon as a punter for the Scarlet Fliers inaddition to being a standout at wide receiver. LongBranch, another team that has lost some heartbreakersover the years because of its inability to convert extrapoints and short field goals, has had lineman VicenteMota step into the spot. He went 8-for-9 on extra pointsin a win over Pinelands.

You look at all the names mentioned above and it makesyou realize that kicker is not a position that is asneglected as it once was. The Shore Conference is socompetitive that those extra few points can be thedifference between 7-3 and 3-7 in many instances, so Iwould expect to see the specialization continue toincrease and the performances to get even better.


Toms River North's Chris Gul la


Middletown South's Connor Ryan

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