all shore media 2-7-12 volume iv issue-3

February 7, 2012 - Volume-IV - Issue-3

www.allshoremedia.com

3Mater Dei Prep’s Curti Hits 1,000

4-5Wrestling:Tournament Review

7Shore Stars MakeTheir College Choices

8-9A DAY TOREMEMBER

10LacrossePreseason Training

11Wall Football PlayersHeaded to FCS Programs

13Boys Basketball:St. Rose Ends Drought

14Brick Memorial WinsSCT Wrestling Title

15Stumpy’sCorner

A multimedia company thatprovides exciting and innovative coverage to

high school athletics in the Shore Conference in order tohighlight the achievements of local athletes in one of the premier

conferences in New Jersey. Whether it’s the star of the team or the last player offthe bench, everyone has a story and it is our mission to recognize as many athletes as

possible and add to the memories for all of the families, coaches, friends and fans who supportShore Conference sports. Whether in print or on the Web, All Shore Media isyour main source for all things exciting in the Shore Conference.

All Shore Media Web Site FeaturesLog on to www.allshoremedia.com regularly to get

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS of all the important games thatShore Conference fans will be talking about. Catch up on the

action you might have missed and watch video clips of everythingfrom the action early in the event to the big finish as

well as video interviews with various athletes. If youcan’t make it to the game, we’ll bring the game to you, and if

you were at the game and want to relive the excitement,www.allshoremedia.com is all you need to getinside the action.

StevenMeyerDirector/CEO/[email protected] 3 2 - 2 3 3 - 4 4 6 0

ScottStumpDirector/Managing [email protected]

Senior Content ProvidersM attManley / / M m a n l e y 2 1 @ g m a i l . c o mBobBadders / / [email protected]

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February 7, 2012Volume-IV I Issue-3

All Shore Media is proud to announce that ithas partnered with a NorthJersey group to expand its typeof coverage into NorthwestJersey Athletic Conference,this fall.

The All Sports MediaNorthern Review, anewspaper in the mold of theAll Shore Media bi-weeklypaper, will make its debut inSeptember. The free,advertiser-supported paper

will cover scholastic sports at all of the schools inthe Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, whichconsists of schools from Morris County and ahandful of teams in Sussex and Warren counties.

“We're hoping it will be as big a success as theAll Shore Media Shore Conference program, andthe early returns are promising,’’ said PaulMencher, who will be the lead writer and editor ofthe new paper. “People seem excited about it, andadvertisers are excited about it. It’s somethingdifferent than what exists up here.

“There’s a lot of interest in highschool sports in the Northwest JerseyAthletic Conference, and I think thatpeople will be interested in having anew resource.’’

The partnership also broadens the scope of AllShore Media’s coverage to include a presence inNorth Jersey.

“We're excited about expanding ourniche in the market and the way wecover sports,’’ said All Shore MediaDirector/CEO Steve Meyer. “We'reexcited to start here with the objectivethat we want to expand to other partsof the state as well. This is the first stepin our expansion.’’

For more Info. Check Outwww.asmnorth.com

Al l Shore MediaExpanding IntoNorth Jersey

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATIONContact : Steven Meyer 732-233-4460 smeyer@al lshoremedia .com

www.allshoremedia.com Volume- IV Issue-3 2 /7 / 12 ASM / 3

From the moment she stepped on the floor as a freshman onthe varsity team, senior Taylor Curti seemed destined for themoment she enjoyed in Mater Dei Prep’s 47-44 victory overAsbury Park on Jan. 23.

Curti scored her 1,000th career point in the first quarter onher way to a game-high 24 points in the victory, becoming thefirst Seraphs player to reach the mark since Lauren Florio andRyan Killeen each passed 1,000 during the 2007-08 season.

“She’s a gifted player and that was evident even as afreshman,’’ Mater Dei Prep head coach Darren Ault said. “Iknew that she had wonderful basketball skills, so it was moreabout maturing and fitting into the team framework. She didvery well with that, and was a reliable scorer even as afreshman.’’

Curti’s game has evolved over time out ofnecessity, as she is circled on opposing scoutingreports. She is one of only two seniors and one of

only four upperclassmen on a sophomore-ladenSeraphs’rosterthisseason.

“She has worked at scoringfrom different angles, the depthand range on her 3-point shot,and becoming more effectivecoming off screens,’’ Ault said.“A lot of teams are isolatingher and some have even run abox-and-one against her. Interms of basketball presenceand skills, she's the one thatevery opponent knows theyhave to focus on.’’

Curti has already beenaccepted to CatholicUniversity, which is interestedin having her join the team,according to Ault. However,she also is looking at someDivision I schools as purely astudent without playingbasketball.

“She certainlycould play at theDivision II,Division IIIlevel, andCatholic wantsher, but it’s allup to her,’’ Aultsaid.

Regardless ofwhat Curtidecides to do inthe next step inher journey, shehas already left apermanent markin the recordbooks at MaterDei Prep.

Taylor Curti with head varsity girls basketball coach Darren Ault

Taylor Curti with Mater Dei PrepAthletic Director Dennis Tobin

P h o t o s C o u r t e s y o f :

P a u l M o l i c k i

Curti Hits 1,000-Point Milestonefor Mater Dei PrepB 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

Taylor Curti with her parents& younger sister

4 / ASM Volume- IV Issue-2 1 /23 / 12

The most exciting time ofthe year begins this week.The Offsectional wrestling tournaments kick off on

Feb. 6 at 40 sites around New Jersey as we begin to paredown the 120 qualifying teams to six group champions onFeb. 12 at Pine Belt Arena on the campus of Toms RiverNorth. The Shore Conference is once again well representedwith 19 teams in eight sectional brackets. Back-to-backdefending Group IV champion Jackson Memorialleads the way as the top-seed in Central JerseyGroup IV. Ocean is seeded first in CentralJersey Group III, Southern is the top seed inSouth Jersey Group IV, TomsRiver South is the No. 1 seedin South Jersey Group III andChristian Brothers Academygained the top spot for theNon-Public South A bracket.

Central Jersey Group IVDefending champion: JacksonMemorialBracket: (5) South Brunswick (10-5,30.73) at (4) Old Bridge (7-0, 29.86),winner at (1) Jackson Memorial (18-0,33.72); (6) East Brunswick (4-5, 28.33)at (3) Howell (17-3, 31.21), winner at (2)Brick Memorial (14-3, 35.13).

This is the heavy hitter of all thebrackets in the state thanks to the threeShore powers Jackson Memorial, BrickMemorial and Howell, each of whichare ranked in the top 10 in the state.Brick Memorial won the ShoreConference Tournament by

topping Howell, and thetwo will

almostcertainly meet again

in the semifinals at BrickMemorial. No. 1 Jackson

Memorial hasn'twrestled sinceJan. 26because of aMRSA scarethat has sincebeen rectified. The

Jaguars were clearedto resume activitiesthis past

Wednesdayand shouldbe ready togo.

The bigquestion is whether junior106-pounder Alec Huxford will be in the lineup. He hasbeen out over a month with an undisclosed ailment.This is setting up to be Jaguars-Mustangs II, althoughHowell will have plenty to say about that. The Rebelsfeature one of the most balanced lineups around andwere a couple of moments here and there from beatingBrick Memorial. That said, Howell has never won asectional title so the benefit of the doubt goes to thetwo Ocean County powerhouses. A Shore Conferenceteam has won this section every season since 2004with the Jaguars winning six titles and Brick Memorialwinning twice. Either the Jaguars or Mustangs have

gone on to win the overall Group IV title every year since 2006, as well,and it's a pretty good bet that streak will extend for another season.

Central Jersey Group IIIDefending champion: South Plainfield(now in North 2, Group III)Bracket: (5) Nottingham (14-2, 26.85) at (4) Jackson Liberty (13-5,27.17), winner at (1) Ocean (17-1, 30.81); (6) Steinert (9-3, 25.75) at (3)Hopewell Valley (10-5, 27.87), winner at (2) Brick (16-4, 29.55).

Before powerful South Plainfield was put into this bracket two seasonsago, a Shore Conference team had won six straight in this bracket,including five consecutive titles by Ocean Township from 2004-2008.The Tigers won the last two sectional titles but are now in the NorthJersey Section 2, Group III bracket, opening it up once again for the likesof Ocean and Brick. The Spartans are solid favorites hear, even with asound Brick Township team as the No. 2 seed. Ocean is looking for morethan just a sectional title this season and has the capabilities to take outSouth Plainfield and South Jersey power Timber Creek. First they have toget through this bracket, but that really shouldn't be an issue for the state-ranked Spartans.

Central Jersey Group IIDefending champion: Long BranchBracket: (5) Matawan (12-3, 25.53) at (4) Point Boro (13-4, 26.24),winner at (1) Delaware Valley (6-3, 33.13); (6) Lawrence (5-7, 24.75) at(3) Long Branch (8-6, 27.93), winner at (2) Raritan (18-5, 30.78).

Just like during football season this is a bracket stuffed with ShoreConference teams as four of the six qualifiers hail from Monmouth andOcean counties. Long Branch is the four-time defending champion herebut will have a very tough time retaining that title with a Raritan team thatalready won this season's matchup looming in the semifinals. The topseed is Delaware Valley, a state-ranked squad that features standouts MikePongracz, Will Van Doren and Derek Zehnbauer. The Matawan-PointBoro match should be competitive with the winner traveling toFrenchtown on Wednesday. Raritan's only sectional title came in 2004

Jackson Memorialsenior Dallas Winston

Wrestling: A Look at the StateTournamentB y B o b B a d d e r s – S e n i o r S t a f f W r i t e r

C o n t i n u e d o n n e x t p a g e

and since they've been stopped short by Delaware Valley a couple times.If it does come down to Raritan and Delaware Valley in the final it shouldbe a very competitive and entertaining match.

Central Jersey Group IDefending champion: Roselle ParkBracket: (5) Point Beach (11-6, 23.24) at (4) Bordentown (12-6, 25.18),winner at (1) Bound Brook (13-2, 29.36); (6) South River (8-8, 23.56) at(3) Roselle Park (12-5, 25.94), winner at (2) New Egypt (11-3, 26.62).

Point Beach is the only Shore Conference team in the bracket and has avery winnable quarterfinal matchup. The run would likely end their withtop-seeded Bound Brook awaiting the winner. The young Crusaders havebeen a revelation this season and are a serious contender to win the entireGroup I title. It is still amazing that Paulsboro has won 28 of the 30Group I championships since 1980, including 25 in a row(!) from 1983-2007. The Red Raiders have won the last three titles, however BoundBrook, Emerson-Park Ridge and Kittatinny look to have the edge thisseason.

South Jersey Group IVDefending champion: SouthernBracket: (5) Toms River East (5-15, 27.00) at (4) Absegami (8-13, 27.06),

winner at (1) Southern (7-2, 37.00); (6) Cherokee (12-7, 26.00) at (3) EggHarbor Township (18-5, 28.19), winner at (2) Clearview (11-4, 27.27).

Southern hasn't wrestled many dual matches this season and chose notto enter the Shore Conference Tournament, so the Rams have been a bitunder the radar this season. Once again, however, this is their bracket tolose. Southern has won six of the last seven SJ-IV titles and is theoverwhelming favorite as the only state-ranked team in the bracket. Whatthe Rams are looking forward to is Sunday at Pine Belt Arena and achance to capture their second Group IV title in program history.

South Jersey Group IIIDefending champion: Timber CreekBracket: (5) Seneca (11-4, 27..40) at (4) Lacey (13-4, 27.65), winner at(1) Toms River South (12-4, 31.67); (6) Shawnee (13-4, 27.18) at (3)Hammonton (18-5, 28.05), winner at (2) Timber Creek (15-2, 29.92).

This is another bracket whereit would be hard to imagineanyone but the top two seedsmeeting in the final. Lacey hashad its best season in years andcould certainly find itself in thesemifinals. The Lions wouldthen match up with Toms RiverSouth and should give theIndians a solid match. Lacey'sfour losses have come toRaritan, Howell, Brick and PointBoro and have all been within 14points. It should be Toms RiverSouth and Timber Creek onceagain in the final, however. TheChargers have defeated theIndians in the last two sectional finals and have become one of the topteams in the state over that span. It will be a big challenge for the Indians,who will need bonus points from their stars and key wins from their roleplayers.

South Jersey Group IIDefending champion: DelseaBracket: (5) Lower Cape May (12-8, 26.20) at (4) Clayton (18-1, 26.42),winner at (1) Delsea (16-1, 29.75); (6) Barnegat (10-7, 26.06) at (3) WestDeptford (18-0, 27.89), winner at (2) Buena (11-5, 28.13).

A Shore Conference team has won this section just once in 30 years(Point Boro, 2007). Barnegat is the only Shore team here as the No. 6

seed, having qualified for the first time in its sixth season as a varsityprogram. The Bengals get undefeated West Deptford in the quarterfinals,a daunting task. Somehow find a way to win and it's No. 2 Buena in thesemifinals. Even if Barnegat's run ends Monday, just qualifying for thestate tournament is a step in the right direction for this young program.

Non-Public South ADefending champion: Bishop Ahr (now in Non-Public B)Bracket: (5) Notre Dame (7-9, 23.00) at (4) St. John Vianney (9-10,24.89), winner at (1) CBA (13-4, 29.29); (6) Paul VI (8-11, 21.11) at (3)Red Bank Catholic (9-6, 24.40), winner at (2) St. Augustine (16-8, 28.79).

Three Shore teams have qualified here with Christian BrothersAcademy earning the top spot. Last season CBA lost to Bishop Ahr byone point in the sectional final because of a weigh-in snafu that cost themsix points. This year the Colts are the frontrunner. A Shore Conference top

seven squad and a fringe state-rankedteam, CBA is very balanced whilehaving two standouts in Vin Favia andHayden Hrymack. They will be lookingfor their second sectional title inprogram history and could possiblymeet only Shore Conference schools. St.John Vianney has already defeatedNotre Dame this season, 40-25, so theyare the favorite to reach the semifinals.On the other side of the bracket is RedBank Catholic squaring off against St.Augustine Prep. Under head coach JoeGallagher, RBC has posted a winningrecord and qualified for the statetournament for the first time in at leastseven years. That being said, it will be avery tough matchup for the Caseys in

the semifinals should they get past Paul VI in the quarterfinals. It lookslike a CBA-St. Augustine final will be on tap. These two have developedpostseason rivalries in hockey and basketball, so it should be a funenvironment is the seeds hold up.

www.allshoremedia.com ASM / 5

P h o t o s b y :C l i f f L a v e l l e

www.c lea redge .zenfo l i o . com

B o b B a d d e r swww.a l l s ho remed ia . com

Raritan’s Nick Ligouri

TRS’s Kevin Corrigan


n Sehmonyeh Allen—Neptune HSn Sean Armand—Jacqueline Kennedy

Onassis HS (NY)n Delvon Arrington—St. Anthony’s HSn Brian Baker—Colts Neck HSn Mustafa Barksdale—RBR HSn Robert Barksdale—Asbury Charter

Schooln Billy Beggans—Ocean Township HSn Steve Bridgemohan—E Brunswick HS n Josh Brody—RBR HS n Brandon Brown—Freehold Boro HS n Yesenia Burgos—St. John Vianney HSn Rashon Bruno—St. Anthony’s HS n Courtney Calderon—St. John Vianney HSn Richard Calia—Holmdel HSn Shilique Calhoun – Middletown North HSn Quarran Calhoun—Raritan HSn Cooper Calzonetti—Neptune HSn Chase Campbell—Oak Hill Academy (NC)n Cleveland Cannon—Long Branch HSn Raheem Carter—Long Branch HSn Corey Chandler—East Side HSn Robert Cheeks—St. Anthony’s HSn Rahmir Cottman—RBR HSn Vincent Council—Lincoln HS (NY)n Don Coven—Long Branch HSn Paul De Salvo—CBAn Syessence Davis—Neptune HS n Allen Dean—Neptune HS

n Taquan Dean—Neptune HSn Dana Jean DeGennaro—RBC HSn Chris Delaney—CBA n Pat Delaney—CBAn Jose Diaz—Pt. Pleasant Beach HSn Mark Donnelly—RBR HSn Sean Dunne—CBA n Kristian Duravcevic—Fordham

Preparatory School (NY) n Mike Faherty—Brooklyn Polytech HSn Crissie Fisher—Rumson-Fair Haven HSn Sarah Fisher—RBR HS n Adam Fleischner—Holmdel HSn Colin Ford—Manasquan HSn Glen Ford—RBC HSn Greg Ford—Trenton Central HSn Avery Gardner—Long Branch HSn Billy Gilligan—RBR HSn Tyler Glass—Mater Dei Prep HS n Erica Gomez—St. John Vianney HSn Dana Graziano—Holmdel HS n Kevin Grier—CBAn Paul Halas—St. Rose HSn Felicia Harris—RBR HSn Michael Harris—Randolph HSn Mykel Harris—Great Mills HS (MD)n Ashley Hart—The Peddie Schooln Eugene “Nu Nu” Harvey—

St. Benedict’s Prepn Corey Haskins—RBR HS

n Kasey Hobbie—RBC HSn Darien Hutton—Ewing HSn Nolan Ivers—Holmdel HSn Jasmine Jackson—Old Bridge HSn Rosie Jackson—St. John Vianney HSn Tyson Johnson—St. Mary’s HS (NY) n Billy Kiss—Long Branch HSn Michael Kelly—St. Anthony’s HS (NY)n Nick La Morte—Mater Dei HSn Herve Lamizana—St. Patrick’s HSn Erin Leahy—Rumson-Fair Haven HS n Carl Little—Asbury Park HSn Maggie Loundy—Pt. Beach HSn Charles Markens—St. Patrick HSn Mike Mavrinac—Midd. South HSn Jasmine McCall—Manalapan HSn Billy McCue—CBAn Christian Morris—S. Kent School (CT)n Darius Morris—Long Branch HSn Valerie Morris—Freehold Boro HSn Michael Murphy—Howell HSn Sachin Nagpal—Ranney School n Brian O’Reilly—Middletown South HSn Karen Otrupchak—RBR HSn Kevin Owens—Neptune HSn Toni Panza—St. John Vianney HSn Anthony Perry—St. Anthony’s HSn Shinece Perry—RBR HSn Earl Pettis—Saints John Neumann &

Maria Goretti Catholic HS (PA) n Simon Press—Asbury Park HSn Joey Raines—Asbury Park HSn David Reeves—RBC HSn Anne Richards—The Lawrenceville

Schooln Charlie Rogers—Matawan HSn Amanda Rosato—

St. John Vianney HSn Alifiya Rangwala—

The RanneySchool

n Will Sanborn—RBR HSn Keyron Sheard—RBR HSn Brian Snodgrass—Holmdel HS n Lauren Sokol—The Peddie Schooln Stephen Spinella—Colts Neck HS

n Matt Stahl—Middletown South HSn Missy Stavola—RFH HS n Jenna Strich—RBC HSn Scott Stump—RBC HSn Kim Talbot—RBC HS

n Aaron Tarver—RBR HSn Terrance Todd—

Neptune HS n Maurice Turpin—

Long Branch HSn John Weldon—

Freehold Boro HS n Dawn Werner—

St. John Vianney HSn John Werner—St John Vianney HS

n Kade Weston—RBR HSn Kayshanna Wesley—

Asbury Park HSn Eric Yarborough—

Asbury Park HS n Tomora Young—RBR HS n Terry Zinn—RBC HSn Lynne Zoltowski—RBC HS

A SAMPLING OF CURRENT AND FORMER MAC ALL-STARS

Vis i t our website , www.mactest ing.com


Three prominent Shore Conference players reached their collegiatedecisions either right on National Signing Day or only a day beforethey made it official by inking their National Letter of Intent. Matawan senior running back/safety Larry Alston III signed with

Old Dominion on the morning of Signind Day, according to formerMatawan coach Joe Martucci. Laceyoffensive lineman Tyrell Smith signed withUniversity of Massachusetts, choosing theMinutemen over the University of Nevada.Also, Rumson-Fair Haven widereceiver/defensive back Mike Morrallesigned with Lafayette, according to RFHcoach Shane Fallon, after choosing betweenthe Leopards and Bucknell University. Alston had an offer from Temple and

received late interest from Rutgers aftervisiting Old Dominion the weekend beforeSigning Day and Nevada a week earlier, butultimately signed with the Monarchs. Hejoins a program that currently includesformer Middletown South long-snapperRick Lovato. New Rutgers head coach KyleFlood had called Martucci earlier in theweek expressing interest in Alston, butMartucci said he had not heard back fromhim since. Martucci had told Flood that ifhe did not hear back that Alston would signwith Old Dominion because he did notwant the Monarchs to go in anotherdirection if they did not receive acommitment from Alston and then Alston being left without his topchoices. "Old Dominion is a great school and a great opportunity for Larry,''

Martucci said. "The atmosphere that's going to be down there isgoing to be good for him as far as the place itself. I think it's anopportunity for him to be very successful.''

Old Dominion, which is located in Norfolk, Va., also is closer toAlston's mother, who lives in Columbus, Ga. Alston is very closewith his mother, Long Branch graduate Juanicia "Cotton" Everett. "I think that was a big part of it,'' Martucci said. "His mom made

the visit down there and was impressed with the facilities. Plus it iscloser to Georgia, so it allows her to see him a littlebit more."Alston was named the 2011 Shore Conference

Most Valuable Player by All Shore Media. Thehardest-hitting safety in the Shore Conference,Alston had 49 tackles, including 32 solo tackles, andalso had 6 interceptions for a Matawan defense thathelped the Huskies finish 9-3 and win their secondCentral Jersey Group II title in three seasons. He hadtwo key pass break-ups and several booming hits in a3-0 upset win over Rumson-Fair Haven in the CJ IIfinal. Alson also stepped in as the starting runningback in the fourth game of the season and ran for 865yards and 11 touchdowns, including 246 yards andthree touchdowns as well as an interception ondefense in a win over Manasquan in the CJ IIsemifinals. He also finished with 19 catches for 276yards and four touchdowns. He was named All-ClassA Central by the coaches. The 6-foot-2, 220-poundsenior projects as a safety or an outside linebacker atOld Dominion. Smith was an ASM first-team All-Shore selection

as a junior and a second-team pick as a senior for theLions. An All-Class B South pick by the coaches, the6-foot-5, 310-pound Smith also had offers from

Nevada, Marshall, Tulane, James Madison and several NortheastConference schools and helped pave the way for 1,200-yard rusherKyle Spatz as the Lions reached the South Jersey Group III playoffs. He joins a UMass program that has a new head coach, Charley

Molnar, on the heels of a 5-6 season. Smith picked the Minutemenover Nevada, and Lacey coach Lou Vircillo said the proximity to

New Jersey played animportant role in hisdecision. Smith came to Lacey

as a transfer fromLakewood before hissophomore year. Hedeveloped from a rawprospect into aDivision I talent. "There was an

adjustment period thatfirst year, but then hestarted to work hard onhis training,'' Vircillosaid. "I think theturning point in his decision to train harder was when he wentthrough the competitive Rutgers line camp, and then he really startedto develop.'' UMass also is moving up from FCS (Division I-AA) to FBS

(Division I-A) next year to join the Mid-American Conference. "(Smith) looked at their schedule and where there were headed in

the next four years, and I think that also played a role,'' Vircillo said. Morralle was an ASM second-team All-Shore selection and an All-

Class A Central pick from a defense that allowed a ShoreConference-low 83 points and won the Class A Central title and aschool-record 10 games while also reaching the Central Jersey GroupII final. He is one of two Rumson seniors to sign with an FCSprogram, as defensive tackle Jack Eisenstadt is headed to MonmouthUniversity. Morralle joins a Lafayette program that currently includesjunior defensive lineman Rick Lyster, a former star at Ocean.

Rumson's Mike Morralle

P h o t o s b y :B i l l N o r m i l e

www.b i l ln orm i l e . zenfo l i o . com

Coming Down to the Wire: ShoreStars Make Their College ChoicesBy Scott Stump – Managing Editor

Lacey's Tyrell Smith


ith four players signingwith Football Bowl

Subdivision teams and a largegroup making it officialwith FootballChampionshipSubdivision programs,this year’s NationalSigning Day was onceagain an excitingtime across theShore Conference.

Barnegat tight end Ryan Morris (Purdue);Long Branch offensivelineman Ryan Brodie (Rutgers);Neptune linebacker Jazzmar Clax(University of Connecticut) and Red BankCatholic linebacker Doug Whitlock (Navy) allsigned their National Letters of Intent with FBS(Division I-A) programs. Also, Lacey offensivelineman Tyrell Smith signed with the University ofMassachusetts, an FCS program that is moving toFBS next year as a member of the Mid-AmericanConference.

Morris becomes the third FBS recruitin three years for Barnegat, and thesecond tight end in the last threeseasons as Jarrett Darmstattersigned with Boston College in2009. Quarterback Nick SanGiacomo signed with Tulanelast season.

This fall, Morris was an AllShore Media first-team All-Shore selection who had 21catches for 359 yards (17.1ypc) and 2 touchdowns in10 games, missing onegame with a knee injury,and also was an outstandingblocker for a team thataveraged 309.4 yards per game. TheBengals won a school-record 7games, advanced to the South JerseyGroup II semifinals for the secondstraight season and also won the ClassB South title, their first division titlein their six-year program history.Morris finished his career with 58catches for 946 yards and 7touchdowns. Also a defensivelineman/linebacker, Morris had 37tackles and 13 quarterback pressuresthis season and was named to theAll-Class B South team by thecoaches.

Morris was a second-teamASM All-Shore selection as ajunior and had 10 Division I-Aoffers before deciding on Purdue

in the summer. He also heads to West Lafayette,Ind., with the knowledge that head coach DannyHope just received a contract extension that runsthrough the 2016 season.

"Ryan has a lot ofpotential and Purdue saw

that,'' said Barnegatcoach Rob Davis."They really likedhim and they madehim feelcomfortable, so itwas a real easy

decision.'' Morris initiallywas going to bea wide

receiverbut

grew to 6-5, 230 pounds.

"He was a tall, skinny kid and we werewondering if he was going to be a receiver, but hejust got bigger,'' Davis said. "He put good weight onand got more aggressive.''

Long Branch offensivelineman Ryan Brodieannounced his commitment toRutgers last Wednesday, but then itwas briefly in doubt after the newsthat head coach Greg Schiano had leftto take the head job with the TampaBay Buccaneers. Brodie re-affirmedhis commitment to the ScarletKnights only three days beforeSigning Day after taking avisit to the school and goingto the men's basketballgame a day earlier. He isclose with currentplayers like freshmanwide receiver MilesShuler, a LongBranchgraduate, andfreshmanrunning backSavon Huggins,a Jacksonresident.

"Histrip to the (Rutgers) basketball game onthat Saturday, where he was hanging outwith Miles and the other players,affirmed what other kids and coachestold him all along,'' his father, BryanBrodie, said. "He was way tight withthose guys all along.''

Considered New Jersey's topoffensive line prospect, Brodie joinsarguably the top recruiting class inRutgers history, which addednational Defensive Player of the YearDarius Hamilton, a defensivelineman from Don Bosco Prep, onTuesday night. Brodie was athree-year starter who was theleader on an offensive line that

paved the way for an offensethat ran for more than 2,400yards in 10 games.

B y S c o t t S t u m p – M a n a g i n g E d i t o r

Matawan RBLarry Alston III(Old Dominion)

Matawan’sAlexis Urbanski(Seton Hall) soccer


The 6-foot-5, 310-pound senior also playedon the defensive line for the Green Wave,who won five straight to end the season at5-5. He was named to the All-Class BNorth team by the coaches. He alsoplayed with some of the top talent inthe nation in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl in Phoenix onJan. 3.

As for NeptuneLinebacker Jazzmar Clax,his recruitment

came down to the wire ashe took a visit to UConnover the weekend before

committing only two daysbefore he signed his National

Letter of Intent.

"It was definitely a relief to get theprocess done with and know what my homeis going to be for the next four years,'' Claxsaid. "I couldn't have done it without myfamily and everyone else who helped me

along the way, so Signing Day wasa great day.''

Clax cited his meeting withhead coach Paul Pasqualoni asa key factor in hiscommitment and the fact thatPasqualoni and his assistantshave NFL coaching experiencealso appealed to him.

A two-time, ASM first-team All-Shore selection, Clax finished with

156 tackles, including 72 solo tackles, 5 sacks and 2forced fumbles to help the Scarlet Fliers win their firstCentral Jersey Group III title since 1998 and tie aschool record with 11 wins. Clax won his secondstraight title after being part of the Freehold team thatcaptured the 2010 CJ III championship. He was namedthe Class B North Co-Defensive Player of theYear by the coaches this season. As a junior, hehad 91 tackles and 7 sacks for the Colonials.Neptune's defense allowed 14 points per gameand posted three shutouts this season.

RBC linebacker Doug Whitlock,another linebacker who was afirst-team All-Shore pick by AllShore Media, had multiple FCSoffers like Monmouth Universityand Wagner before ultimatelycommitting to Navy. His olderbrother, Kevin, a former RBC

lacrosseand football star, iscurrently a Midshipman at Navy. The Midshipmenare set to join the Big East as a football-onlymember in 2015.

A strong two-way playerfor the Caseys, Whitlockwas an All-Class B Northselection by the coachesand a second-team ASMAll-Shore selection as ajunior. He finishedwith 70 tackles, 3forced fumblesand 3 passesdefensed for oneof the topdefenses in theShore Conference.RBC

finished ranked No. 1 in the Shore Conference, won the Class B North title, reached the Non-PublicGroup III semifinals and did not lose to a ShoreConference opponent all season in winning aschool-record 10 games. He also played tight end,and was a standout blocker in addition to catching6 passes for 161 yards and 3 touchdowns.

2012 Shore Conference Football CollegeCommitment ListMike Alonzo, DT, Rumson-FH (Susquehanna University)

Larry Alston III, RB/S, Matawan (Old Dominion)

Justin Billups, RB, Jackson Liberty (Marian University)

Ryan Breen, OL, Ocean (Sacred Heart)

Ryan Brodie, OL, Long Branch (Rutgers)

Ryan Byrne, OL, Red Bank Catholic (Sacred Heart)

Connor Caponegro, LB, Wall Class of 2011 (Rhode Island)

Anthony Carlucci, QB, St. John Vianney (Franklin & Marshall)

Jake Clapp, TE/DE, Rumson-FH (Middlebury College)

Jazzmar Clax, LB, Neptune (University of Connecticut)

Steve Cluley, QB, Wall (William & Mary)

Dylan Cottrell, QB, Colts Neck (Assumption College)

Tom Crimeni, OL, Howell (Muhlenberg College)

Ryan Davies, QB, Howell (Moravian College)

Tim Donahue, OL, Howell (Fordham University)

Chris Donald, LB, Red Bank Catholic (William & Mary)

Jack Eisenstadt, DT, Rumson-FH (Monmouth University)

Matt Ford, OL, Wall (Lehigh)

Derek Gardner, TE, Wall (Marist)

Ra'Zahn Howard, DT, Asbury Park (Towson University)

Matt Jewett, OL, Rumson-FH (Williams College)

Joe Johnson, DB, Manchester (Monmouth University)

Michael Morralle, DB, Rumson-FH (Lafayette)

Ryan Morris, TE, Barnegat (Purdue)

Ryan Oros, TE/DE, Colts Neck (University of Chicago)

Matt Pisarcik, OL, Wall (Franklin & Marshall)

Jordan Powell, LB/DE, Lacey (New Hampshire)

Terence Scanlon, QB, Red Bank Regional (MonmouthUniversity)

John Sieczkowski, LB, Manalapan (Monmouth University)

Dimitrius Smith, DT, Jackson Memorial Class of 2011(transferred to Monmouth University)

Tyrell Smith, OL, Lacey (University of Massachusetts)

Jesse Tate, TE/DE, Toms River North (Elon University)

Jon Valentine, OL, Middletown South (Sacred Heart)

Mike Villapiano, QB, Rumson-FH Class of 2011 (Brown University)

Doug Whitlock, TE/LB, Red Bank Catholic (Navy)

Tom Winters, LB, Brick (Monmouth University)

Jaheem Woods, QB/DB, Neptune (Stony Brook)


A c t i o n P h o t o s b y :B i l l N o r m i l e

www.b i l lno rm i l e . zenfo l io . com

C l i f f L a v e l l ewww.c learedge .zenfo l i o . c om

Spec ia l t hank you to a l l t he s choo l sfor a l l t he s ign i ng pho tos

Steve Heller was named the first head coach in Brookdale men’s lacrosse history in 2008. In theprogram’s inaugural year, Heller guided the team to an 8-14 record. Prior to coming to Brookdale,Steve was the assistant coach at West Point Prep School from 1996-2007. He was also a three-timemen’s lacrosse all-American at Army, and is a graduate of West Point.In a 6-part series Steve will highlight key elements that will help with a successful pre-season trainingprogram for any level of lacrosse.

At Lax Team Six we stress eight goalsor missions to our players. I thoughtyou would like to see these today andwe give a brief explanation of whateach should mean to you (it’s whatthey mean to us). Reid and I can’t stress enough how much we believe inthese MISSIONS and how much we know if you believe inthese you’ll be successful in anything you want to do inlife. Yes, we are teaching you about lacrosse, the greatestgame played, but we also know (even though you maynot!) that years from now you’ll use these lessons to besuccessful on the field, in the classroom, in yourcommunity, and in whatever you choose to do – rememberyour MISSIONS!!

MISSION 1:POSITIVE ATTITUDE Nothing you do in life, on or off the field, can be done wellif you don’t have a positive attitude! Make sure you haveone DAILY!

MISSION 2:PT (PHYSICAL TRAINING) & BE HEALTHY!You need to take care of your body and mind, work todevelop both and you’ll be a better player and moreimportantly a better person!! Challenge yourself DAILY!

MISSION 3:MOTIVATIONNo one is successful without be motivated, just ask them,they will tell you that motivation to succeed is just asimportant (if not sometime more) than skill!

MISSION 4:EARN RESPECTYou don’t deserve respect, you EARN it – never forgetthat. You are not getting respected you are not workinghard enough to EARN it!

MISSION 5:SET GOALSYou must have goals daily – without goals how do youknow if you are making progress today? What are yougoals for today, this week, this month, this year??

MISSION 6:INTEGRITYNo explanation needed, you know what it is – just do theright thing each day!MISSION 7:MENTORWho do you look up to? Talk to them, learn from them –they have done what you want to do.MISSION 8:HAVE FUN HAVE FUN! HAVE FUN! Each day try to make it as fun as possible, if today is a badday, make tomorrow double to fun – enjoy what you aredoing in the now!You can’t be successful without thesebasic missions.We want you to be comfortable making mistakes.Mistakes are learning points; you can’t be successful untilyou learn to make mistakes!! Remember, making mistakesis ok, just do it at 100% max effort. Did you know that

Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player ever,MISSED over 9,000 shots in his career!!!!

"I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. Ihave lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have beenentrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed.

And I have failed over and over and over again in mylife. And that is precisely why I succeed." --- MichaelJordan

Remember – practice DOES NOT make perfect. If youpractice something the wrong way each day, you are onlyperfecting being wrong. PERFECT practice makesPERFECT!

Together let’s learn to do it right from the beginning,that’s what we are here to help you learn and that’s whatwill make you successful. Ask yourself these questionsDAILY?

Did I PRACTICE perfectly today?

Did I STUDY perfectly today?

Did I EARN respect from someone?

Did I HAVE FUN Today?

You can ask this question for each of your missions, not goout there and get it done!!

LAX TEAM 6 – Reid Jackson and Steve Heller

www.laxteamsix.com

Part 5 of 6

Pre-Season Training:How Do You Prepare?By Steve Heller – Brookdale Community College lacrosse head coach, Region 19 champions 2010 and 2011Co-director of Lax Team Six with Reid Jackson, individual and small group lacrosse training. (www.laxteamsix.com).


FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATIONContact : Steven Meyer 732-233-4460 smeyer@al lshoremedia. com


Three current Wall seniors and a standout from the Class of2011 all signed with Football Championship Subdivisionprograms in early February. Senior quarterback Steve Cluley is headed to William &

Mary, senior tight end Derek Gardner signed with Marist andsenior offensive lineman MattFord is headed to Lehigh. Inaddition, former linebackerConnor Caponegro, who playeda post-graduate season atCheshire (Conn.) Academy, hascommitted to Rhode Island.Also, senior lineman MattPisarcik has committed toDivision III Franklin &Marshall. The 6-foot-3, 270-pound Ford

was a first-team All-Shoreselection by All Shore Mediaand a three-year starter for theCrimson Knights, who won theClass C Central championshipthis season and finished 8-2. Hestarted at guard on an offense that averaged 28 points and 316yards per game while rushing for 1,890 yards. He earned All-Class C Central honors from the coaches and blocked forClass C Central Offensive Player of the Year Steve Cluley, theteam's senior quarterback. Cluley was a standout quarterback, as he was named the

Class C Central Offensive Playerof the Year and also earnedsecond-team All-Shore honors.The three-year starter went 74-for-134 for 1,270 yards and 8

touchdownspassing, while alsorunning for 555yards and 6touchdowns. Hefinished his careerwith a schoolrecord 3,289 yardspassing, 30touchdown passeand 4,364 totalyards. He also hadscholarship offersfrom Albany,MonmouthUniversity andMaine. He joinsRed Bank Catholiclinebacker Chris

Donald as part of this year'srecruiting class at William &Mary. A standout blocker on one of

the Shore Conference's top

offensive lines, Gardner also was areceiving threat for the team that won theClass C Central title. He was named to theAll-Class C Central team by the coaches. Caponegro was Wall's leading tackler

and a second-team All-Shore selection in2010 before playing as part of anundefeated Cheshire Academy squad thisfall. He led the team in tackles with 122and had 21 tackles for a loss, 14 sacks and6 forced fumbles. He also played H-backand fullback on offense, where he had 12catches for 330 yards and 5 touchdowns onhis way to be named first-team AllColonial League and first-team All-NewEngland Prep School. His older brother,Blaze, is currently a linebacker at Temple. Pisarcik was another talented member of

one of the Shore Conference's topoffensive lines and earned All Class CCentral honors from the coaches and third-team All-Shore honors from All ShoreMedia.

Offensive lineman Matt Ford

P h o t o s b y :B i l l N o r m i l e

www.b i l lno rm i le . zenfo l io . com

Wall Football ContingentHeaded to FCS ProgramsB 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

Linebacker Connor Caponegro


St. Rose senior point guard Mark Kukoda has had one of the bestcareers of any Purple Roses guard of the last decade, but up until Feb. 2,he had not had his signature moment that St. Rose head coach DennisDevaney guaranteed him after a rough day as a sophomore two years ago.

Against Christian Brothers Academy, Kukoda finally had his momentwhile also delivering the St. Rose program a landmark win.

Kukoda hit a contested, double-clutch, leaning shot as time expired togive St. Rose a 47-46 win over the Shore Conference's premier programof the past 20 years on its own home floor for the Purple Roses' first winover CBA in 12 tries in Devaney's 28 seasons. It's believed to be St.Rose's first win over CBA since 1979.

"I told Mark when he was a sophomore that he was going to have amoment like this," Devaney said. "He had a key turnover at halfcourt inthe WOBM (Christmas Tournament) game that we ended up losing and Ijust told him after that he still had a lot of basketball left in him and thatin these next two years, he's going to win us a big game. This certainlyisn't the first time he's helped us win a game, but this one is big."

With four seconds left coming out of a timeout, Kukoda threw the ballinto junior guard Conor Leddy and got it back off a pass from seniorforward Dean Devaney. With a defender draped all over him as hedribbled to his right, Kukoda left his feet near the right elbow, double-clutched and released a flailing shot that hit the front of the rim, then thebackboard, and trickled in for the winning score.

"I wanted to get squared toward the basket as much as I could before Ilet it go and then I was just hoping it would go in," Kukoda said. "It hitthe rim first and I was like, 'Oh no,' but then it bounced in, and I startedjumping up and down."

"They did semi what we wanted them to do," Devaney said. "Dean setthe back pick for Mark and Conor threw the ball to Dean, and we kind ofthought they were going to back off of Dean because they knew he wasn'tgoing to shoot and that allowed Mark to create, which he did becausethat's just the kind of player he is."

St. Rose trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half and 15 in thethird quarter, but rallied behind a balanced scoring attack that saw fourplayers score nine or more points and a rejuvenated defense that switchedfrom a 1-3-1 zone in the first half to a man-to-man in the second half. St.Rose outscored the Colts 30-14 in the second half and 16-6 during thethird quarter to climb back into the game.

Kukoda scored only two of his team-high 13 points in the first half andsat out for the majority of the second quarter with two fouls while histeam fell into a 32-17 halftime hole. With Kukoda on the bench, Leddy - aCBA transfer - helped stem the tide with eight of his 11 points in thesecond quarter. Leddy also hit a key 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter tocut CBA's lead to 44-42 with just under two minutes left and held Coltsguard Jimmy Dengler to three points and no field goals in the second halfafter Dengler picked apart the 1-3-1 with five threes in the first half.

"We still thought we had a chance (at halftime)," Kukoda said. "Theyhit a lot of threes in the first half and they didn't hit any in the second half,which I think was a result of the defense we were able to play."

After Leddy hit the triple to cut CBA's lead to 44-42, CBA sophomoreTrevon Gross made one of two free throws with 1:07 left and Leddymissed a three on the ensuing St. Rose possession. The Colts ate up nearly30 seconds of clock before the Roses fouled and put senior KieranHughes on the free-throw line for a one-and-one. Hughes missed the frontend and after a timeout, Devaney called upon his secret weapon.

Out of the timeout, Kukoda found junior reserve Mike Paterno open inthe right corner and Paterno calmly drilled an open three to tie the gameat 45 with 13 seconds left. Paterno played a total of 16 seconds in thegame, but hit what might have been the second-biggest shot of the night.

"I've told him (Paterno), he's one of the best shooters I've ever seen,"Devaney said. "In practice, he's unbelievable. He'll hit 25 and 27-footerslike they're nothing. One time, he hit 16 out of 19 (three-pointers) andthey were long threes."

Paterno has played only sparingly at the varsity level, as Devaneyindicated when asked if anyone had seen Paterno play this season.

"If you watch jayvee games, maybe," Devaney said. "He might be a1,000-point scorer as a jayvee player, if they keep track of that sort ofthing. I joked with him after the game that I made one of the worstdecisions of my career by putting him in the game in that situation, and hemade it look good by hitting that shot. But that's what he can do."

St. Rose nearly gave the game away by fouling Dengler at half courtwith seven seconds left, giving him two shots to break the tie. Denglermissed the first and made the second free throw and St. Rose calledtimeout after advancing the ball to halfcourt.

CBA shot just 6-for-12 from the free-throw line to St. Rose's 14-for-20.The Colts went 2-for-5 from the line in the final 1:07.

Kukoda, Paterno and Leddy all hit clutch shots in the final two minutes,but St. Rose got contributions from a long list of players in the win.Junior Jim Rockstedt scored 11 points, including a three-pointer to cap the16-6 third-quarter run. Sophomore Dan Borner, starting in place of theinjured Sean Maguire, added nine points, nine rebounds and three blocks.

Devaney played his second game since returning from a high-anklesprain and while he did not score, he drew praise from his head coach,who also happens to be his father, for his defensive effort.

"I thought Dean did a great job on defense taking away their backdoorcuts," Devaney said. "He has a real good sense for that kind of stuff. Hemust have prevented about 18 to 20 easy points by just anticipating thosecuts and closing off the passing lanes. That kind of stuff goes overlooked,but it was a big reason we were able to keep them in check in the secondhalf."

Dengler finishedwith a game-high 18points for CBA andGross added 10, butthe two combined forjust four points and nofield goals in thesecond half. Leddylocked down Denglerwhile Gross went tothe bench with threefouls early in the thirdquarter, as did starterEvan Gordinier. St.Rose's switch to theman-to-man defense,as well as Devaney'spresence in thepassing lanes, allowedthe St. Rose wingplayers to crowd theCBA shooters.

"Conor is alwaysgoing to beaggressive, but wheneveryone is doingtheir job, it makesother guys playbetter," Kukoda said.

St. Rose wonconsecutive gamesagainst Class A Northopponents FreeholdTownship - a 55-52 win on Tuesday - and now CBA. The Roses werestruggling with injuries to Devaney and Maguire, but have re-entered thediscussion as a potential top 10 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament,which will be seeded on Feb. 12.

"Last year, we had some injuries going into the tournament, and wekind of struggled going into it," Kukoda said. "This year, we're starting toget a little healthier and hopefully we can stay that way. We're starting toplay a lot better, we beat two A North teams this week and that's going tobe big for our confidence."


www.c l ea redge .zenfo l i o . com

Senior Mark Kukoda

Boys Basketball: St. Rose EndsLong Drought by Stunning CBABy Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer


Brick Memorial had been arguably the best team in New Jersey overthe previous two weeks, but Howell was threatening to end that run inhistoric fashion.After a surprising pin by Howell sophomore Matt Lindemann and

another fall by senior Cole Cameron the Rebels held a nine-point lead onthe Mustangs and looked poised to take their first Shore ConferenceTournament title. But things turned on a dime yet again, as they so oftendo in wrestling dual matches, and suddenly Brick Memorial was back onfire.Freshman Cliff Ruggiero built a five-point lead before locking up

Howell's Ashanti Maurice for a pin at 2:53 at 145 pounds, swinging themomentum right back Brick Memorial's way and setting the stage for sixwins in the next seven bouts for a 34-24 victory in the Shore ConferenceTournament final on Jan. 28 at Long Branch High School. The championship is a record 13th for Brick Memorial, and first for

head coach Dan O'Cone is his sixth season leading the Mustangs. Maurice was fourth in the Region VI tournament last season but fell

victim to Ruggiero's fearless, attacking style. Already becoming knownfor his devastating throws, Ruggiero tossed Maurice to the mat in thesecond period and produced six huge, yet unexpected, points for BrickMemorial."We're thinking maybe we give up a decision," O'Cone said. "Cliff is a

very dangerous person, plus he's a freshman who doesn't have any cares.He's not a senior who has the weight of the world on him. He doesn'treally care who he is wrestling."Ruggiero's win sent the Mustangs on a four-bout winning streak that

turned a nine-point deficit into a 21-15 advantage. Equally as importantwas Tyler Richardson's 3-1 decision over Zach Bohm at 170 pounds.Richardson weighted in at 160 to give the Mustangs some flexibility, butended up matched up with Bohm, who usually is at 160, anyway. After asecond-period rideout by Richardson, he escaped and scored a latetakedown in the third period for a crucial 3-1 decision. In the MustangClassic in late December Bohm had defeated Richardson, 1-0.Nate Litowsky stopped the run with a 2-1, double overtime decision

over Jarred Eccles at 182 pounds, but a 3-1 decision by Anthony Millerover Matt Sulkowski at 195 and an 11-2 major decision from Matt Mooreover George McCoy at 220 pushed Brick Memorial's lead to 28-18 withtwo bouts left. Junior Ezra Figueroa put the finishing touches on the

championship by pinningVinny Martino in 1:07 atheavyweight, clinching thematch with a 34-18 lead andenabling the Mustangs toforfeit to Jimmy Slendorn inthe final bout at 106.State medalist Joe Ghione

started the match with a 7-1decision over AnthonyPiazza at 113 pounds beforeConnor Maliff extendedBrick Memorial's lead to 6-0with a 7-2 decision againstJack Rada. A crucial toss-upbout came at 126 poundswhere Region VI fourth-place finisher Ben Espositoof Howell squared off withdistrict champ Sean Stephenson of Brick Memorial. The two met lastseason in the 112-pound Region VI wrestleback semifinals with Espositoearning a 6-5 decision. It was another tight bout between the pair andEsposito took another one-point decision, 2-1 in double overtime.Esposito rode out Stephenson before escaping late in double overtime forthe victory.Brick Memorial was up 6-3, but Howell was about to take a big lead

with consecutive pins. Lindemann has been one of, if not the best,wrestlers for the Rebels this season, and he came up clutch by pinningDonovan in just 37 seconds. Another of Brick Memorial's standoutfreshman, Donovan was trying to finish off a shot when Lindemannsnatched him in with a bottom-leg cradle to improve to 22-2. Cameron,one of the most frequent pinners in the Shore Conference, followed bydecking Griffin Carney in 1:32 to give the Rebels a 15-6 lead. On paper itlooked bad for the Mustangs. With the matchups ending up the way theydid Howell was favored at 145, 160, 170, 182 and 106. Somewhere theMustangs were going to have to pull and upset - or two - and they didprecisely that. Rarely does a team run through a match winning at eachanticipated weight while giving up minimal damage in its losses. Even thegreatest teams are going to face adversity, and Brick Memorial hascertainly proven what it is capable of overcoming."It was a very tough day because you weigh in for the first bout and

sometimes for us to win we have to weigh in a certain way and we didn'tknow who our opponent was going to be," O'Cone said. "We had threegame plans for Howell and Ocean and we wrestled the team that was infront of us, and Howell was pretty game."

For Moore, the victorywas especially sweet. Thestandout junior who wasfourth in the regiontournament last seasonfractured his clavicle in thefirst tournament of theseason and didn't returnuntil January 18. Since thenhe's 6-0 was able to make amajor contribution towardBrick Memorial's first SCTtitle since 2001."It feels great because

the team as a whole hasbeen through a lot ofinjuries and now we'reback around 100 percent,"Moore said.

Moore's return has changed the entire complexion of the Mustangs'lineup and given them an impressive string of upperweights. With thenew weight classes this season, having good upperweights has proven tobe a huge difference maker."I feel like we are really tough at those weights," Moore said. "We push

each other hard in the room and it shows."With top-ranked Jackson Memorial having to withdraw because of a

MRSA case and Southern withdrawing before the tournament began, thevoid at this season's SCT was certainly felt. There will surely be plenty ofwhat-ifs when discussing this tournament, but those are questions that areout of Brick Memorial's hands."It's tough not to have teams like Jackson and Southern in the

tournament but all we could do is wrestle the teams that were put in frontof us," O'Cone said.The biggest question for Brick Memorial now is where it will put its

newest plaque among its vast collection of wrestling accolades."We have to put a plaque up and I don't know where it's going to go,"

O'Cone said. "Coach (Tony) Caravella has 12 of them, so we'll have tomake some space."

Cliff-hanger: Brick Memorial Wins SCTWrestling TitleBy Bob Badders – Senior Staff Writer


www.c lea redge .zen fo l i o . c om

While thisissue of All Shore Media is filled with all ofthe football success stories from this year’sShore Conference senior class, there is alwaysthe other side of National Signing Day thatfeatures the numerous “what if ’’ tales ofathletes whose dreams are on hold.

Perhaps the one trend that disturbed me the most intalking to local coaches throughout the process wasplayers looking down on Division II orDivision III football, or even in somecases, Football Championship Subdivision(Division I-AA) football. I’m not talkingabout families that simply cannot afford topay for their son to play at one of thoseschools, but ones who refuse to bother withit according to their own principles.

I had a few coaches tell me they spokewith the angry parents of a standout playeron their team who did not earn ascholarship to an FBS or FCS program,mainly because of academics, aboutpossibly playing Division III football. Theresponse was, “That is beneath my son. Heis better than that.’’

I could only laugh at that statement givenhow many first-team All-Shore playerspopulate Division II and Division IIIrosters in the tri-state area. You want tograb that parent and say, “So you thinkyour son is way better than Shawn Brown,the former Long Branch star safety whobecame an All-American at The College ofNew Jersey this fall? I highly doubt it.’’

To me, a player like Brown is the real

role model from the Shore for National Signing Day. Afterall, to go to a Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A)program, the highest level of college football, you usuallyhave to be genetically gifted to start. If you’re not acertain height or a certain weight or run a certain 40-yarddash time, you’ll probably get crossed off the list beforecoaches even look at your highlight tape.

Brown is more the norm than the exception, except thathe is a player of exceptional character and drive, which

are two things that an athlete can control, unlike howtall or big that he gets. He is the type of playerwhom Shore graduates should be emulating. It’s hard

to say you’re going to be like another Long Branchgraduate, Rutgers-bound offensive lineman Ryan Brodie,considering he is 6-5, 310 pounds and moves like a cat.While Brodie has worked hard, he is also geneticallygifted, so he is more the exception than the norm.

Delusional parents and players think that FBSscholarships just grow on trees and because you’re the topplayer in your own little area or because you paid to go tosome combine and sent the footage out that you’reentitled to a scholarship. Shawn Brown was a first-teamAll-Shore player as a senior at Long Branch, one of thehardest hitters in the area. He also is a high-characterplayer, as he won the prestigious Sam Mills Award at theU.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic that year as theMonmouth County player who showed the perseverance

and discipline thatcharacterized legendarylinebacker and former LongBranch star Sam Mills.

Rather than complain for allhis accomplishments that aprogram like TCNJ wasbeneath him, Brown wentthere and flourished. No, therewasn’t the big fanfare overhim on National Signing Daybecause that day does notapply to Division III athletes,only Division II scholarshipathletes and above. But lookwhere Brown is now.

He had a tremendous careerthat culminated with DivisionIII first-team All-Americahonors this fall. He was alsonamed the Division III Playerof the Year in New Jersey bythe sportswriters.

“He is a winner who will besuccessful in any goal he sets

for himself,’’ his head coach, Eric Hamilton, told thesportswriters at their annual banquet this year.

Brown has now given himself options. He can give it ashot and see if he can get in an NFL camp and maybe belike Mills, the former Division III linebacker at MontclairState who became an All-Pro with the Saints. If thatdoesn’t work out, he has a degree and could alwaysbecome a coach, an educator or whatever else he wants topursue. People seem to forget that a lot of the Shore’sgreat coaches are products of Division III schoolsthemselves.

Now imagine if Brown had bought into the notion thathe was better than a Division III program, that he was astar and deserved more. Where would he be now? He mayhave ended up like a host of other top players I’vecovered who talk vaguely of playing for a junior collegeand then are never heard from again.

I think of some of the players who have sniffed atlower-level schools and decided they were above it. Formany of them, their main “options’’ now are decidingwhich local liquor store to hang out in front of to telleveryone how they used to be All-Shore. Either that, orthey are the guys lining the fence during games at theirold high school, yelling at the coaches’ play-calling andtelling everyone how things were different when theyplayed.

I think a big part of the issue of some players rejectingthe notion of playing at Division II or III schools is peerpressure. Certain players are built up to be suchmegawatt stars in this area that they feel embarrassed toannounce that they are going to a Division II or III schoolbecause they’re worried about people saying, “That’s it?That’s the best team you could land at?’’

There’s just this ridiculous mentality that if you’re not“D-I’’ you’re a nobody. Tell me something; are thosepeople going to be supporting you if you decide to blowthose schools off and things don’t work out? Are theygoing to be there when no more reporters are coveringyour games or putting you on the Internet or in the paper?You have to do what is best to benefit yourself.

If there is an opportunity at a lower level of footballwhere you can get a college degree, I can’t see why youwouldn’t take it unless you are an academic superstar andwant to pursue that full time at the expense of an athleticcareer, which is a nice problem to have.

The bottom line is that there is no shame in being aShawn Brown. Far from it. Shawn Brown has a brightfuture ahead of him, which unfortunately is more than canbe said for those who refuse to accept reality.

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATIONContact : Steven Meyer 732-233-4460 smeyer@al lshoremedia. com


Shawn Brown

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