Football Midseason Report

With Shore Conference teams having played at least half of their regular-season schedules, it’s time to catch up on everything that has happened and take a look at what is coming up down the stretch in the Shore Sports Network Mid-season Report.

Division race update

Class A North

Manalapan has won this division the last three years, and a win over Colts Neck on Friday night all but mathematically means four in a row. If Colts Neck wins, the Cougars would be in the driver’s seat, with mainly Middletown South as the primary obstacle to closing out the Cougars’ second division crown in program history.

If Colts Neck takes down Manalapan on Friday night, that leaves open the possibility that Middletown South could grab a share of the title with a win over Colts Neck. That would create a tri-championship between the Eagles, Cougars and Manalapan. On paper, it still looks like the winner of Friday night’s showdown will win this division.

Class A Central

No. 1 Red Bank Catholic is rolling along toward its sixth division title in seven years, having dominated every team in its path thus far. If Manasquan beats Rumson-Fair Haven next month, that will all but seal the title for the Caseys. RBC has beaten Rumson 10 straight times in their Thanksgiving game, so if it comes down to that for the division title, the Caseys have a decisive edge there as well. The main intrigue seems to be which public school team will take second to RBC – Rumson or Manasquan?

Class A South

The wildest division race of them all in the Shore, this should come down to state playoff cutoff weekend next month. Lacey can win a second straight title by running the table against Jackson Memorial, Brick and Brick Memorial because it is currently tied with Brick and Jackson Memorial for first in the loss column.

Brick also controls its own future because the Green Dragons will win the division if they go 3-0 against the remaining slate of Toms River North, Lacey and Jackson Memorial. The Jaguars have Lacey, Southern and Brick remaining, so they can win the division if they go 3-0. Meanwhile, Toms River South, Southern and Brick Memorial are one game out of first. They all will have a shot to get a win over a division leader and then may need help by one or two of the other first-place teams to lose.

It all adds up for a slate of compelling games right to the finish.

Class B North

This division title looks to be coming down to Friday’s Long Branch at Ocean game. The winner takes over sole possession of first place in the division. If Ocean wins, it will have to take care of business in games against Wall and Freehold to close out the title. If Long Branch wins, the Green Wave have Matawan and Red Bank in their path to a championship. Ocean’s last division title came in 2006, while Long Branch is gunning for its first back-to-back division titles since 1986-87.

Class B Central

Just like last year, this appears to be a collision between Point Beach and Shore Regional on Thanksgiving that decided the title. The Garnet Gulls took it home last year, so Shore will be eager to take that title back to West Long Branch.

Class B South

Unbeaten Barnegat is alone in first place and its main obstacle to locking down its second division title in program history looks to be its game at Lakewood on Nov. 2.

Best state title bets

Manalapan has the goods to win Central Jersey Group V for its first state title, but faces a rugged field of contenders.

Friday night’s game at Manalapan should give an indication if Colts Neck is the front-runner to win its first sectional title in program history in Central Jersey Group IV. Brick and Middletown South are contenders, and last year’s Central Jersey Group III champion, Nottingham, also is an obstacle.

Friday night’s Long Branch-Ocean game will stamp the winner as the front-runner to win the Central Jersey Group III title in the bracket where the other main contenders, Lawrence and Hopewell Valley, have either never won a playoff game or never even made the playoffs.

Rumson-Fair Haven will have Weequahic and Rahway in its way in Central Jersey Group II, with Lakewood as a darkhorse.

Shore, Point Beach and defending champion Florence should once again battle it out for the Central Jersey Group I title.

Southern has a loaded bracket in South Jersey Group V, and Lacey and Toms River South are underdogs in a South Jersey Group IV bracket headlined by defending champion Timber Creek.

Manasquan and Barnegat could very well meet in the South Jersey Group III final, with defending champion Delsea as the main challenger.

Red Bank Catholic will go from Goliath in the Shore to David in Non-Public Group III, which features the No. 1 team in New Jersey, defending champion St. Joseph-Montvale, as well as strong teams at Delbarton and Pope John XXIII.

Offensive Player of the Year race

A quality crop of running backs are leading the way in this category.

Red Bank Catholic’s Larry Redaelli has been putting up big numbers on relatively limited touches every week because he rarely plays all four quarters with RBC up big on the scoreboard. Colts Neck senior tailback Anthony Gargiulo can make his statement to be the front-runner for this honor with a big game against Manalapan on Friday night. Same goes for Ocean sophomore tailback Tyler Thompson against a tough Long Branch defense on Friday night.

Rumson-Fair Haven junior Charlie Volker is having a big statistical season, and big games against Manasquan, Red Bank Catholic and in the postseason would bolster his case. Point Beach junior Joe Wegrzyniak has been productive, and big games against Shore Regional and in the playoffs would be his primary argument. Manalapan tailback Tyler Leonetti missed time with an ankle injury, but a big game against Colts Neck and some stellar performances in the playoffs would bring him right back to the front. Long Branch tailback Deon Williams is another possibility, but he splits carries with another talented back in junior Dahmiere Willis, which may put his numbers behind other backs in the conversation.

Brick junior quarterback Carmen Sclafani is on his way to a second straight season of more than 1,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing, a rare feat in Shore Conference history. If Brick surges in the second half and makes a run in Central Jersey Group IV, he should be right there in the discussion. A concussion slowed down Lacey senior quarterback Tom Kelly, but a big finish by him against a tough schedule and in South Jersey Group IV would make his case.

A player I would stamp as a primary front-runner right now is Lacey senior wide receiver Christian Tutela. He has 31 catches for 648 yards and 8 touchdowns, which dwarfs most of the receivers in the Shore, and in addition has run for 226 yards and two touchdowns on 9 yards per carry. He even threw a touchdown pass in a loss to Southern last week.

Southern’s Mike Gesicki, a Penn State recruit, could surge right toward the front with a big finish for a team that reached a sectional final last year, and the same goes for Manalapan wide receiver and Rutgers recruit Saeed Blacknall. Toms River South has multiple exciting players, but it’s hard for any specific one of them to compile big numbers because the Indians spread the ball around, which is what makes them so dangerous.

A darkhorse candidate could be Manasquan senior quarterback Tucker Caccavale. If he has some signature games against Rumson and in the playoffs to lead the Warriors to a state final, he would be in the discussion. Another darkhorse is Toms River East senior tailback Matt Gudzak, who has started putting up huge numbers, and if the Raiders can snag a spot in South Jersey Group IV and he can keep it rolling, he will be right there. Howell quarterback Connor McGlynn should have big numbers like most Howell quarterbacks, so it comes down to whether the Rebels can get a signature win or two to put him in the spotlight.

An intriguing possibility could be Barnegat junior Manny Bowen, a dynamic wideout who should now see time at tailback because of a season-ending torn ACL by senior A.J. Opre. Quarterback Cinjun Erskine could also be in the discussion if the Bengals make a run to their first state title.

Defensive Player of the Year race

This is usually harder to determine at this point of the season because it’s often cemented later in the season because, as we all know, defensive wins championships.

Ocean senior linebacker Dan Loizos is a four-year starter who is having a tremendous year for one of the Shore’s best units. RBC has a shutdown defense, so it comes down to which player the Caseys would promote for this award. Linebacker Ryan Schoer? Linebacker/defensive end Jamie Gordinier? Defensive end Shawn McCord? Defensive lineman Quenton Nelson?

The Manalapan tandem of senior linebackers Chris Noesges and Matt McCann both deserve consideration. Their chance to make a statement is Friday against a Colts Neck team that will come right downhill at them with senior tailback Anthony Gargiulo. Speaking of Gargiulo, he is also an outstanding linebacker/defensive end who also deserves consideration.

Long Branch has been a shutdown unit, but it remains to be seen which one of its stars it would promote after former linebacker Joscil Jackson won last year’s All Shore Media Defensive Player of the Year honor. Linebacker Connor Mullan and defensive end Hunter Baillie are both in the midst of great seasons along with Williams, who also plays linebacker when he’s not running the ball on offense.

Middletown South senior defensive lineman Tayler Hendrickson is in the mix, but would need some big games against Colts Neck and in the postseason to leap right to the front of the discussion. Rumson-Fair Haven senior linebacker Tom Martello is having a great season for one of the Shore’s top defenses and deserves consideration. If Manasquan wins South Jersey Group III, one of several candidates could come from that defense.

Jackson Memorial linebacker Ken Bradley is a sideline-to-sideline force, but the Jaguars will have to be tougher on defense after giving up 64 points in their last two games. Same goes for Brick linebacker Ray Fattaruso, whose team just gave up 42 points to Toms River East. Southern linebacker Bailey Bellissimo could be a candidate if the Rams make a deep postseason run, and same goes for Brick Memorial linebacker Jake Lombardo.

Matawan has been tough to score on but has been a pretty balanced unit without one huge star, just a group of very good players working to make plays. Shore and Point Beach are also similar in that they have great depth on defense with several standouts, so it remains to be seen which ones would be promoted by the coaching staff as the most worthy candidates.

I would put Barnegat senior defensive end Greg Moran up there in the conversation, and cornerback Ricky Gerena is also having a strong season along with Bowen. Lakewood sophomore linebacker Amir Tyler has been an impact player along with junior defensive lineman Datrell Reed. If the Piners beat Barnegat or surprise in the playoffs, that would be their argument.

Key injuries

A.J. Opre, Sr., RB, Barnegat: Recently becoming the Bengals’ all-time leading rusher, he suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the win over Central last week. His loss creates a big void considering he was right in the discussion for a first-team All-Shore spot.

Russell Messler, Sr., RB/LB/K, Toms River South: He missed multiple games with a sprained MCL in his knee, and the Indians stumbled without him. His return makes them a dangerous team down the stretch.

Tom Kelly, Sr., QB, Lacey: He was locked in an unconscious groove to start the season, torching one defense after another, before he suffered a concussion in a win over Toms River South. Junior Conor Davies did a great job filling in for him in that game, but since then, Lacey’s offense has struggled even with Kelly back in the lineup. Part of that is because of injuries throughout the lineup, including a season-ending torn labrum for junior running back George Sayre.

Will Pezzollo, Sr., QB, Manasquan: Pezzollo went down with a torn ACL in the second week of the season against Red Bank Catholic. Luckily, the Warriors had a seasoned back-up in senior Tucker Caccavale, who has been outstanding since stepping into the starting lineup.

Best addition

Carmen Sclafani, Jr., QB, Brick: No shock here. He clearly has made a major impact on Brick’s offense and has the Green Dragons right in the thick of the Class A South race, one year after they went 3-7.

Best newcomer

Charlie Volker, Jr., RB, Rumson-FH: Volker saw a handful of carries last year because of injuries to seniors, but he has become one of the Shore Conference's top backs and a workhorse centerpiece of the Bulldogs' offense in his first year as the starting tailback.

Biggest surprise

Manasquan: It’s hard to ever say Manasquan is a surprise, given its history and pedigree. But after a rare 5-5 season, to be 5-1 with a win over a Long Branch team that is right in the mix for the B North title and a 38-0 victory over Middletown South, the Warriors are in a better spot than I think people would have thought in the preseason. They have become a top 10 team again quickly with a chance to make a serious run at the South Jersey Group III championship.

Mater Dei Prep starting 3-0 for its best start since the mid-1980s certainly raised some eyebrows, although the Seraphs have since lost three straight.

Biggest regular-season games remaining before the playoff cut-off

Just about every Class A South game

Colts Neck at Manalapan, Friday at 7

Long Branch at Ocean, Friday at 7

Middletown South at Red Bank Catholic, Nov. 1 at 7

Long Branch at Matawan, Nov. 1 at 7

Barnegat at Lakewood, Nov. 2 at 1

Colts Neck at Middletown South, Nov. 8 at 7

Manasquan at Rumson-FH, Nov. 8 at 7