Honoring the All-Shore Teams

Some 450 people attended Sunday’s breakfast hosted by the Shore Football Coaches Foundation in Gibbs Hall at Fort Monmouth which honored members of the All Shore Academic team as well as those selected to participate in July’s US Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic.

84 seniors, two from each of the football playing schools in the Shore Conference, were saluted for their performance on the field and in the classroom.  With their parents and families on hand they received plaques from the Academic Breakfast Committee which included Raritan coach Anthony Petruzzi and Manchester’s Gerard O’Donnell, the President of the Coaches Foundation.

A special note of congratulations to the nearly two dozen seniors who not only were honored as members of the Academic All Shore team but will also be playing in the 37^th annual All Shore game on July 17^th at Brick Township High School.  That group included Drew Scott (Brick), Jake Lombardo (Brick Memorial), Ken Bradley & Khani Glover (Jackson Memorial), Tom Kelly (Lacey), Noah Yates (Pt Beach), Matt Gliddon (Point Boro), Matt Gudzak (TR East) Robert Dietlmeier (TR North), Tyler Leonetti & Chris Noesges (Manalapan), Mike Creamer & Nick Tomkins (Matawan), Alex Thomson (Keyport), Sam Miles (Mater Dei), Jake Betkowski (Midd North), Dan Loizos (Ocean), Tyler Jones (Raritan), Pat Toomey (RBC), Julanee Prince (SJV) and Brian Miller (Shore).

Head coaches for the longest running All-Star game in New Jersey will be Brick’s Rob Dahl and Don Klein of Ocean.  During halftime four new members will be inducted into the Hall of Fame…former coaches Bob Nani and Bob Generelli along with former Asbury Park Press writer/editor Joe Adelezzi and our own Ed Sarluca of the Shore Sports Network. Kean University coach Dan Garrett served as guest speaker for yesterday’s event which I emceed.   Hats off to the Shore Football Coaches Foundation’s hard-working members who put it all together.

Belated congratulations to Toms River South baseball coach Ken Frank for collecting his 800^th career victory Saturday night when his Indians beat Bayonne.

Just another in a long list of milestones for the winningest coach in New Jersey history.  Many of those milestones reached with the help of Mitch Powitz, who was a standout player at South and has been a Frank assistant for more than 20 seasons.