Manalapan’s impressive win, some great performances by back-ups stepping in for injured starters, and a pair of statement wins by defending division champions all highlighted Week Four in Shore Conference football.

Monmouth broke through for a 21-13 win over Holmdel this past weekend that helped the Falcons tie their win total from last season and improve to 2-1. (Photo by Bill Normile).
Monmouth broke through for a 21-13 win over Holmdel this past weekend that helped the Falcons tie their win total from last season and improve to 2-1. (Photo by Bill Normile).
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Here is a look at some news and notes from the weekend:

The back-ups shine

Several teams that appeared to be in trouble at key positions this weekend pulled out hard-fought wins thanks to brilliant performances by back-ups in pressure spots.

Manalapan took home a 29-14 win over Middletown South in a showdown of unbeaten top-five teams, and certainly a key reason was the performance of junior tailback Imamu Mayfield. A transfer from Freehold, Mayfield for a career-high 109 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in relief of senior tailback Tyler Leonetti, who was a 1,300-yard rusher last year. After ripping off a 57-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage in the game, Leonetti left one series later with a high ankle sprain suffered on a dump-off pass to the flat and did not return.

Mayfield shouldered the load and had a 37-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that helped put the game away. A runner with a good blend of power and speed, Mayfield is part of a deep group of running backs at Manalapan that also includes junior John Cheung, who had a 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the win. Several of their running backs would start for at least half of the other teams in the Shore.

Speaking of a player who would start for most other teams in the Shore, Lacey junior Conor Davies was outstanding in relief of senior starting quarterback Tom Kelly on Friday night for a crucial Class A South win over Toms River South. Kelly suffered a concussion on a helmet-to-helmet hit in the first half and did not return. Davies went 15-for-20 for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns, powering a 32-24 win that kept the Lions unbeaten.

Davies normally plays wide receiver when Kelly is in there, but he started multiple games last season when Kelly was out with a broken collarbone. Davies is the son of Lacey offensive coordinator Cory Davies and the younger brother of former record-setting Howell quarterback Ryan Davies, so he is far from the average back-up. He obviously knows the offense inside and out, and he was ready at a moment’s notice to make it happen on Friday.

In Monmouth Regional’s 21-13 win over Holmdel on Saturday that improved the Falcons to 2-1, junior Isaiah Searight stepped in at quarterback for James Green, who left the game with bruised ribs after running for a first-quarter touchdown. Searight led two more scoring drives for Monmouth, including one that ended with his own 1-yard touchdown run. He also had the game-sealing interception on defense in the end zone as time expired with Holmdel at Monmouth’s 7-yard line.

Searight is a good all-around athlete who was competing with Green for the starting quarterback spot in the preseason, and he fits well into the zone read scheme because of his running ability.

In Freehold Township’s 12-0 win over Marlboro for its first victory, freshman Anthony Lotti was thrown into the varsity fire when a starter in the secondary got hurt, and he came up with his first interception at a key juncture in the game to help the Patriots register the shutout.

Finally, Manasquan junior James McAlary has proven to be a great addition to the Warriors’ backfield. His speed and elusiveness on the outside have been a good complement to the power running of senior tailback Joe Murphy. McAlary ran for a pair of touchdowns and helped out the run game in a 21-14 win over St. John Vianney with Murphy getting banged up in the second half. Murphy left the game in the fourth quarter and was on crutches afterward, so McAlary’s presence could really be needed in the coming weeks.

For someone who has only played backyard football his entire life until this year, McAlary also has good vision, as he showed on this cutback run for a touchdown here.

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McAlary, who also plays in the secondary, played soccer his entire life before deciding to switch and play football this season after some heavy lobbying by his teammates over the summer. He literally went to the first day of soccer practice, left and was at the second session of Manasquan’s double-session football practice the same day.

“He texts me saying, ‘Coach is it OK if I come out to practice with you guys today?’’ defensive coordinator P.J. Gibbs said. “It all happened the same day with him coming from soccer right to us.”

The 5-foot-7, 170-pound McAlary also has the unlikely nickname of “Bubba.”

“That’s a (Spring Lake) Heights thing,’’ Manasquan head coach Jay Price said. “God knows where he got it.”

“My older brother and my friends have just called me that forever,’’ McAlary said. “There are a lot of nicknames in the Heights.”

 Manalapan continues to own Class A North

The Braves didn’t play anything close to their best game and still beat a talented Middletown South team 29-14 for their 19th straight divisional win and their 19th straight win against Shore Conference competition. The Eagles also had their share of key miscues, including a pair of critical penalties that negated a long pass on offense and an interception on defense, but Manalapan had 11 penalties that seemed to never let them fully get into gear.

Two main reasons the Braves have been hard to knock off the last three years are their individual playmakers and the consistency of their line play on both sides of the ball.  Leonetti and Rutgers-bound wideout Saeed Blacknall are two of several Braves who can change the game with one play when the team is struggling. Also, offensive line coach Joe Tetley is one of the Shore’s best, taking mainly Division III and Division II-caliber players, and many others who don’t go on to play in college, and molding them into a unit that has produced a 1,000-yard rusher every year since 2003 as well as a pair of 2,000-yard rushers.

Rutgers recruit Saeed Blacknall had a 31-yard touchdown catch as Manalapan topped Middletown South for its 19th straight win against Shore Conference competition. (Photo by Cliff Lavelle).
Rutgers recruit Saeed Blacknall had a 31-yard touchdown catch as Manalapan topped Middletown South for its 19th straight win against Shore Conference competition. (Photo by Cliff Lavelle).
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This year’s unit features several newcomers, but it won the battle up front in the fourth quarter against a very talented Eagles defensive line. Manalapan ran for 131 yards in the final period to put away the game as the line consistently got a surge.

On paper, the last big hurdle to a fourth straight division crown for the Braves is undefeated Colts Neck at home on Oct. 25 in a highly-anticipated game.

Not so fast

A big storyline going into this past weekend was the great starts of Mater Dei Prep and Wall as unbeaten darkhorses in their respective division races. However, a pair of defending division champions sent the message that there still is some work for the Crimson Knights and Seraphs to get done before they challenge for a division title.

Point Beach dominated up front on its way to 369 yards rushing in its Wing-T attack in a 40-14 win over Mater Dei Prep in Class B Central that included a career-high 175 yards and four touchdowns by junior fullback Joe Wegrzyniak. The Seraphs were off to their best start since 1986, but ran into a determined team coming off a 7-3 loss to Spotswood that was out to remind everyone that the Class B Central title still goes through them.

The division once again looks like it will come down to Shore and Point Beach on Thanksgiving, although there is still a long way to go and some solid contenders lurking. Shore, which had been struggling offensively in the early going, buried a previously unbeaten South River team 45-0 in a nonconference game on Saturday to show that it will be right in the mix in Central Jersey Group I again after reaching the final last season.

In Class B North, Long Branch suffocated a Wall offense that was averaging a division-high 28 points per game in a 28-3 win by the Green Wave. While Long Branch’s defense has been outstanding all season, the biggest takeaway from this win was an improved showing by a young and struggling offense. The running game got on track behind Deon Williams, and the Green Wave gained some confidence for a sputtering passing attack with a touchdown pass from Shabazz Shuler to Myson Pennington.

Long Branch shared the Class B North title with Neptune last year, and the Green Wave are right in the mix again this season with an unbeaten divisional record. Their game at Ocean on Oct. 25 looks to go a long way toward deciding the title.

Kicking hotbed

The Shore Conference continues to be teeming with quality kicking talent.

Manalapan junior Mike Caggiano went 3-for-3 on his extra point attempts, kicked two touchbacks and did a great job changing field position with booming punts in the win over Middletown South.

Matawan senior Mike Creamer nearly became the first Shore Conference kicker in recent memory to hit three field goals of 40-plus yards in one game in a 23-13 loss to Neptune. He hit a career-long 46-yarder and a 43-yarder, and nailed another 43-yard field goal that was taken off the board when Neptune was called for roughing Creamer on the play, leading to an eventual Huskies touchdown.

He also booted a 44-yard punt that was downed at Neptune’s six-yard line and kicked an extra point and two touchbacks. Creamer and Caggiano are just part of a tremendous group that includes about 15-18 other kickers from this area who are important weapons for their teams.

Random Fact Dept.

---Manalapan junior running back Imamu Mayfield is the son of a former world champion boxer. His father, also named Imamu Mayfield, beat Uriah Grant for the IBF cruiserweight world title in 1997. He went 25-9-2 in his professional career with 18 knockouts. If the younger Mayfield ever used the “my dad could beat up your dad’’ argument on the playground in elementary school, he wasn’t kidding.

Boxing runs in the blood of Manalapan dads. Nick Appice, the father of John Appice, who is a freshman at East Stroudsburg and was a first-team All-Shore lineman last year, won a Golden Gloves title in the 1990s.

---Manalapan assistant Tim Fleming was a Hollywood stuntman before he became a teacher and coach for the Braves. His father still runs a helicopter business that specializes in stunts for action movies. Fleming dabbled in his old craft this summer when he flew out to Chicago and worked with his father on the upcoming Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis movie “Jupiter Ascending.”

---Rumson-Fair Haven junior safety Jackson Reid, who is off to a good start with a pair of interceptions in four games, is the nephew of actress Tara Reid of “American Pie” and the legendary “Sharknado.” There have been no Aunt Tara sightings at Borden Stadium yet this year, though.

---Rumson coach Bryan Batchler once was offered a job as Taylor Swift’s manager in the early 2000s before she was a pop megastar. His father-in-law and Swift’s father are good friends, and Batchler was working on Wall Street at the time before he got into coaching and teaching. He turned down the job because he didn’t want to uproot his family and move out to Nashville where Swift was based. Luckily that decision didn't cost him bazillions of dollars or anything. On the bright side, the Bulldogs are off to a 4-0 start in his first season at the helm.

---Freehold Township linebackers coach Ed Von Nessen played at Boston College from 1981-84 and was a linebacker on the 1984 team with Doug Flutie that shocked Miami 47-44 on Flutie’s famous Hail Mary pass.

---Neptune senior quarterback Shakeem Richardson twice had to leave the game in the middle of offensive series in the win over Matawan because an official ruled his pants weren’t long enough. He had to come out of the game and put on longer pants because it was ruled that they weren’t covering his knees.

Recruit impressions

Here are some thoughts on some players from the two games I saw in person this weekend.

Manalapan junior Imamu Mayfield has the potential to be the next 1,000-yard back for the Braves once Tyler Leonetti wraps up his career this season thanks to Mayfield's blend of power and speed. Also, junior kicker/punter Mike Caggiano is such a weapon. His punts never let Middletown South get anything going in the return game, and he crushed a pair of touchbacks on a muggy night.

Senior wideout Saeed Blacknall showed that the minute you start to forget about him to worry about Manalapan's run game, he will hurt you. The Rutgers recruit caught a pass over the middle, bounced off three defenders and scored on a 31-yard touchdown catch. While everybody knows about linebacker Chris Noesges and noseguard R.J. Krause defensively, I thought Anthony Barone did a solid job at safety and linebacker Joe Mendez was active in bringing pressure and stuffing the run game all night.

Middletown South’s wide receivers are good after the catch. Nolan and Spencer Pereless and Andrew Wisialko all have the ability to turn seven- or eight-yard catches into 15- or 20-yard gains. Wisialko had a great zig-zagging run after the catch to finish off a 51-yard touchdown. Quarterback Kyle Brey also is very dangerous throwing on the run when he’s moving laterally. When Manalapan forced him to backpedal straight back, that’s when the Braves’ defense had success.

On Saturday, there were several quality linemen in the Manasquan-St. John Vianney game. Matt Forst and Monte Sinisi continue to have solid seasons up front for the Warriors. Senior FBS/FCS prospect Justin Gille is a big body at defensive end who moves pretty well for St. John Vianney, and junior nosetackle Clay Kemp had some nice plays stuffing the run.

A prospect who I think has a bright future is St. John Vianney sophomore quarterback/defensive back Anthony Brown. He came in at quarterback and whipped a first-down pass at one point, and he has good running ability. I think he will take off at that spot when he replaces prolific senior Billy DeMato next year. In the secondary, he closes on the ball very quickly and has good instincts. He entered the Manasquan game second on the team in tackles with 24 in three games.

Quick notes

Toms River South senior running back/linebacker Otis Kearney will take an official visit to Michigan State this weekend during the Indians' bye week...Southern star wide receiver/tight end Mike Gesicki will take an official visit to Penn State this weekend for the Michigan game and may announce his decision next week.

Colts Neck has outscored its first four opponents 174-0 this season. The combined record of those opponents is 0-15, so the tough part for the Cougars may be preparing to take a big leap up in competition in the second half of the season after dominating early on…Red Bank Catholic’s 63 points in the win over Raritan may be a school single-game record. The last time the Caseys cracked 60 was in the infamous 61-0 win over Rumson-Fair Haven in their Thanksgiving game in 2007 when Rumson played its backups one week before it played in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II final. RBC has outscored its opponents 198-13 so far this fall…Lacey has not been held under 32 points in a game so far this season against a schedule that includes two playoff qualifiers from a year ago…Brick picked up its first win over Southern since 2007…Dan Van Clef, Jackson Memorial’s placekicker, scored a touchdown on special teams in the win over Toms River North when he blocked a punt, caught it in mid-air and returned it two yards for a score.

Neptune may have found the running complement to Richardson it has sought in junior Aaron Mora, who ran for 100 yards and two scores on 11 carries in the win over Matawan. The Scarlet Fliers also opened up the passing game a little more after bringing it along conservatively in the first three games…Point Beach has a nine-game divisional winning streak after upending Mater Dei Prep…Barnegat showed it can not only pound teams with A.J. Opre and its imposing offensive line, it can also light it up in the air. Junior quarterback Cinjun Erskine went 12-for-17 for a career-high 301 yards and four touchdowns and junior wideout Manny Bowen had 3 catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Jackson Liberty.

Central showed its offensive balance in a win over Pinelands. Senior Marquis Drumright entered the game third in the Shore with 561 passing yards and Isaiah Akers was leading the conference with 19 catches, but the Golden Eagles cranked up the running game in the win. Nick Leone had 133 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns, Mike Yager had a career-high 126 yards and two scores on the ground, and Javon Hardy had 50 yards on 5 carries and two TDs in the win. Central will play at Barnegat in two weeks for sole possession of first place in Class B South…In the four seasons since Rumson-Fair Haven and Red Bank have renewed the “Battle of Ridge Road’’ rivalry, the Bulldogs have outscored the Bucs 75-6…Howell, Monmouth, Jackson Memorial, Brick, Wall, Mater Dei Prep, Central and Pinelands have all equaled or surpassed their win total from last season already.

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