Manasquan’s eye-opening victory and a group of teams breaking into the win column for the first time this season highlighted Week Five in Shore Conference football.

Here is a look at some news and notes from the weekend:

Warriors come out to play

Clearly the score that no one but the most ardent Manasquan supporter saw coming this past weekend was the Warriors’ 38-0 rout of Middletown South.

Not only that, but the traditionally ground game-oriented Warriors did it with a wide open passing attack, as senior quarterback Tucker Caccavale set single-game school records for completions (17) and yards (350) and tied the school record with four touchdown passes. Manasquan came in with a solid gameplan, figuring that trying to run into the teeth of Middletown South’s defense with Tayler Hendrickson and Conner Spreen in the middle would be a futile exercise, so it came out passing and didn’t stop. The Warriors also have an uncanny knack for calling screen plays at precisely the right time, and they did it again on Saturday in a 72-yard touchdown catch and run by senior tailback Joe Murphy.

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Manasquan senior Tucker Caccavale rewrote the school record book with his passing performance in a win over Middletown South. (Photo by Bill Normile).

 

Caccavale is the latest example that anything can happen, so players need to keep working hard because opportunity could be around the corner. He lost his starting job to fellow senior Will Pezzollo in a preseason competition, but got it back when unfortunately Pezzollo was lost for the season with a torn ACL in a loss to Red Bank Catholic in Week Two. Caccavale was ready, as he threw three touchdown passes in a win over Raritan in his first start. On Saturday, he took it up another notch for the greatest passing day in the history of a program that has won a Shore Conference-record 11 NJSIAA titles.

Not only was he piling up yards, he was accurate, going 17-for-23 on the day. His accuracy also allowed Manasquan’s deep receiving corps to do a tremendous job in running after the catch. Joe Fittin, Tanner Cowley, Matt Paturzo, and Murphy all broke big plays with yards after the catch.

Also, the Warriors’ offensive line was outstanding as Caccavale hardly got touched and was not sacked once. Senior lineman Monte Sinisi is having a tremendous season up front for the Warriors on both sides of the ball and has received FCS interest from Delaware, William & Mary and more. Senior tackle Jake Vernaglia also got a game ball from head coach Jay Price following the win for his performance.

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Manasquan’s O-lines are usually known for their drive blocking in the run game, but offensive line coach Don Klein had them prepared in pass protection against a Middletown South front that was bringing pressure consistently.

On the other side, the defense registered its first shutout since 2009 and became the first team to shut out Middletown South since Wall’s 24-0 win over the Eagles in the 2002 Central Jersey Group III championship game. Middletown South’s running game continues to struggle, and it has allowed teams to consistently pressure quarterback Kyle Brey without worrying about being buried by the run game. Manasquan also did a great job of taking away the quick-hit passes that the Eagles have had success with because of the ability of their wideouts to run after the catch. They also were physical all game.

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The victory by the Warriors showed that this team has the potential to make a serious run at the South Jersey Group III title in what appears to be a wide-open bracket. Defending champion and perennial power Delsea (3-2) obviously has to be respected, and undefeated Barnegat (4-0) is certainly a prime contender, but if the Warriors secure home-field advantage and play near the level they attained on Saturday, they could be back in a sectional final for the first time since losing to Matawan in 2009 in the Central Jersey Group II championship.

On the board

Three winless teams got off the schnide this week as Toms River East, Raritan and Keansburg all broke into the win column.

Raritan ended the longest drought, snapping the Shore Conference’s longest current losing streak at 14 games with a 31-16 victory over Monmouth Regional in Class A Central. It was the Rockets’ first victory since beating Holmdel on Thanksgiving to end the 2011 season. Junior quarterback Riley Sullivan threw three touchdown passes, including two to wideout Dylan Dewysockie, who had five catches for 142 yards, including a 99-yard touchdown. The defense also did not allow a touchdown, as the Falcons scored their points on a pair of kickoff return touchdowns by Mike Reardon.

“It’s been so long, and when (the players) are looking at you for answers and you keep telling them to work hard and that effort goes a long way, and you’re not getting the results you want, you feel like you’re lying to them,’’ Raritan coach Anthony Petruzzi said. “But the players just kept buying in, kept putting in the effort, and they had a great one (against Monmouth). We just made plays, and our defense was flying around.”

Toms River East won a wild 47-41 overtime game against Howell to bring an 0-4 start to a halt. It marked the second time the Raiders have scored 40-plus points this season, as they pushed No. 3 Lacey to the brink in a 45-42 loss. The offensive eruption came one week after they lost 14-10 to Brick Memorial. Senior tailback Matt Gudzak ran for 237 yards and three touchdowns, and junior Jeff Wood ran for the game-winning 22-yard touchdown in overtime after his interception with under a minute to go in regulation set up Gudzak’s touchdown that helped send the game to overtime.

“This was our first win on the road in three years, so I was just really happy for the players because they have been putting in the work,’’ Raiders head coach Charlie Diskin said.

The last time Toms River East won a game on the road was a 16-7 victory at Middletown North in 2010.

Keansburg gave new head coach Chris Damian his first career victory in emphatic fashion with a 41-6 win over Highland Park in a nonconference match-up of winless teams on Saturday. The offense, which had scored 36 points all season before the win, kicked into gear. Running back Joey Rodriguez had a big day with three touchdowns on the ground and another one receiving to give him 200-plus total yards in the win. Check out his performance below:

Vote for special teams player of the week

Some great performances on special teams this week. Vote for your favorite one below.

 

Jensen recovering 

In Lacey’s 21-14 nondivisional win over upset-minded Manchester on Friday night, senior Chris Jensen went from euphoria to an ambulance in a matter of minutes.

Jensen ran for the game-winning touchdown with 23.9 seconds left in regulation, snapping a 14-14 tie, but landed awkwardly on his neck in the process. He was put on a spine board and transported to Community Medical Center in Toms River. Thankfully, Jensen did not suffer any serious injury, according to Lacey coach Lou Vircillo.

Vircillo said Sunday that Jensen had been released by the hospital on Saturday, and that X-rays and a CAT scan were negative for any severe injury.

“He wanted to get up and leave right from the hospital,’’ Vircillo said. “He’s always been a tough kid, and thankfully nothing really serious occurred.”

Doctors will conduct further tests, and Jensen could either return this week or possibly be out a few weeks if any additional problems are found, according to Vircillo. Lacey was down seven starters coming into the game because of injuries and disciplinary issues, and then Jensen and junior running back George Sayre sustained injuries during the game. Sayre didn’t play the second half because of a chronic shoulder issue, but will return this week against Southern, according to Vircillo. Also, starting quarterback Tom Kelly, who sat out the Manchester game after sustaining a concussion a week earlier, will return against Southern, according to Vircillo.

The victory marked Lacey’s latest brush with an upset against a winless team, as it beat Toms River East 45-42 earlier this season and then pulled out the win against the Hawks (0-5) on Friday. The win also gave Vircillo his 263rd career victory, which ties him with the late Vic Kubu for the second-most wins in Shore Conference history behind former Brick coach Warren Wolf.

Gesicki, Kearney take official visits

Toms River South senior running back/linebacker Otis Kearney was out at Michigan State for the Spartans’ 42-28 win over Indiana on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Southern senior wideout Mike Gesicki took in Penn State’s thrilling, quadruple-overtime 43-40 upset over Michigan at Beaver Stadium. Guessing that didn't hurt the Nittany Lions' chances of landing the nation's No. 1 tight end prospect.

Gesicki’s choice is between Ohio State and Penn State, while Kearney also has offers from Buffalo, UMass and Old Dominion, with Michigan State appearing to be the front-runner.

 Random Fact Dept.

---Not only was Saturday’s 38-0 loss to Manasquan a tough one to swallow for Middletown South head coach Steve Antonucci, but Antonucci and his family live in Manasquan, so there was no refuge from the defeat. Also, Eagles assistant Rich Read, who was a longtime coordinator for the Warriors on numerous championship teams, lives adjacent to Vic Kubu Warrior Field in Manasquan. His son, Middletown South assistant R.J. Read, was the starting quarterback on the undefeated 2006 Manasquan team. This was their first game back on their old field as members of the opposing coaching staff.

---In addition to the Reads going back to Manasquan, it was a weekend featuring some other familiar faces squaring off on opposite sides. Manalapan junior quarterback Charles Lombana, who transferred from Jackson Memorial before this season, threw a touchdown pass against his old team in a 31-0 win over the Jaguars.

Brick offensive coordinator Chip LaBarca and Wall defensive coordinator Dan Curcione were on the same staff at Toms River North last season when LaBarca was the head coach. Brick beat Wall 25-6 on Saturday.

---Manasquan offensive line coach Don Klein played at Temple and is good friends with former Marlboro standout Dan Klecko, the son of former Jets’ All-Pro Joe Klecko and the older brother of current Rutgers freshman/former RBC star Josh Klecko. Dan has three Super Bowl Rings, two from his time with the Patriots and one from the Colts. He now sells insurance in the Philadelphia area.

---There were three touchdowns of 90 or more yards this past weekend. Neptune’s Dyshon Day had a 95-yard kickoff return, Mater Dei Prep junior Tysaun White had a 96-yard interception return, and Raritan wideout Dylan Dewysockie had a school-record touchdown catch of “99 yards, two feet and eight inches” joked head coach Anthony Petruzzi.

---Senior tailback Larry Redaelli has run for at least two touchdowns in all five of Red Bank Catholic’s games.

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