Football – Gridiron Classic: Green Flying Under the Radar for Monmouth

A record-setting, dual-threat quarterback and a pair of All-Shore running backs combined with a head coach who favors the running game as much as any coach in the Shore Conference gives the Monmouth County All-Star squad the composition of a team that is going to pound the ball on the ground against Ocean County during Thursday’s All-Shore Gridiron Classic at Long Branch High School.

With the eyes of any of those in attendance, as well as those on the Ocean County defense, on running backs Dahmiere Willis of Long Branch and Charlie Volker of Rumson-Fair Haven, as well as Mater Dei Prep quarterback Christian Palmer, Monmouth County’s other quarterback is a Falcon flying under the radar.

Monmouth Regional quarterback Jimmy Green was the focal point of his team’s offense during the season and after his efforts yielded only a 3-7 record for the Falcons, he now has a chance to play with an offense full of all-stars.

“These are the guys that you read about in the newspapers or when you signed on to Shore Sports Network, so it’s cool to see those guys in person,” Green said. “Now, we’re all here and the tempo is a lot faster and the guys are much quicker, but that’s what’s nice about it.”

Palmer’s exploits – a first-team All-Shore season that included 3,258 total yards and a Shore Conference record 44 combined touchdowns (passing and rushing) – are well-known throughout the Shore, but Green’s are less so leading up to kickoff. While Palmer racked up more than 3,000 total yards, Green nearly matched him in the air, with 1,975 yards to Palmer’s 1,993.

While Palmer threw nearly twice as many touchdowns on 85 fewer attempts, Green’s talent comes in his ability to connect with his target as frequently as just about any other player at the Shore. Green completed better than 60 percent of his passes (161-for-265) during his senior year, making him third in the Shore Conference in total passing yards and tied for second in completions with St. John Vianney sophomore Anthony Brown – three behind Lacey junior Conor Davies.

“This is last time I’ll get to wear an ‘M’ on my helmet for Monmouth, so it’s mostly playing for my town and being able to represent us at this game and Monmouth County in general,” Green said.

After beginning his high school career at Red Bank Catholic, Green posted strong two-year totals as Monmouth Regional’s starting quarterback. He was more of a dual threat on paper in 2013 than he was as a senior, but his passing efficiency increased substantially this season and that efficiency through the air is what makes him a unique player in an all-star game filled with players who can tuck the ball and pick up yards on the ground.

“Having a running back crew like this really allows us to draw the defense in so we can go over the top,” Green said. “It’s not something every team has, so the fact that we have good running backs means that, hopefully, the defense is in the box a little bit so we can air it out.

“We have to see if they can stop our running game before we start to worry about throwing it. It’s the fact that we can do both that’s going to help us out in this game.”

How much Green will get to air it out on Thursday remains to be seen, but Monmouth County head coach Mark Costantino has insisted that every player is going to get a chance to show what he can do, and that includes in the passing game.

“Every guys going to get an opportunity to play and show what he can do,” Costantino said. “With the weapons we have in the backfield, are we going to run it a lot? I’d like to think so, but we’ve also got quarterbacks who can really throw it and we plan on using them.”

Green’s opportunity may come within an offense that he has not run for some time, but the Montclair State recruit is ready to play under center and with extra backs in the backfield when called upon – a divergence from the spread offense he has been running at Monmouth.

“The first thing (Costantino) said to me was ‘Hey Green, have you ever been under center before,’” Green joked. “We threw the ball a lot the last couple of years at Monmouth running the spread. I have run the Wing-T before. Even at RBC, although it wasn’t out of the Wing-T, we ran the ball downhill a lot so I’ll be alright in whatever the system ends up being.”

Regardless of pre-snap formations and pass-run mix, Green has only winning on his mind this game. While he put up stats despite his teams struggles, he would take and inverse result on Thursday.

“It’s different to go in the huddle and know you don’t have to do it all,” Green said. “So it’s going to be nice to look around and see those guys knowing we can keep giving the ball if it’s working. It’s all about winning.”