Williams, Shuler Lead Long Branch Past Monmouth

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By Art Gordon - Shore Sports Network contributor

Coming into Saturday's game at Monmouth Regional, Long Branch did not know what to expect.

The Green Wave had some doubts about their ability to move the ball, especially on the ground, after a disappointing loss to Manasquan in the season opener. Their concerns were put to rest very early. The Green Wave came out strong, rushing for 185 yards in the first half as they built a 24-0 lead that held up as the final score against a vastly improved Monmouth Regional team in a nondivisional game.

Senior tailback Deon Williams ran for 104 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries to help Long Branch pick up its first win with a 24-0 victory over Monmouth Regional. (Photo by Sport Shots WLB).

“Last week we came out of the game, a 13-3 loss to Manasquan, thinking about what we did not do and what we could have done,'' said Long Branch head coach Dan George. "You have to go back to your identity, and ours is to run the ball."

The Green Wave (1-1) scored on four of their five possessions in the first half while totaling 200 yards of total offense.

“We expected to run the ball and go play-action,'' said senior quarterback Shabazz Shuler. "They did not stop our running game so neither did we. We just kept running."

Defensively, Long Branch held Monmouth Regional (1-1) to less than 50 total yards during the dominant first half.

“We were concerned with stopping the quarterback iso and power and worked hard all week on it,” said senior linebacker Connor Mullan.

The Green Wave took the opening kickoff back 39 yards to the Falcons' 46-yard line and then marched 43 yards in 8 plays, ending with Vinny Mota's 20-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

The big play in the drive was a third-and-eight pass from Shuler to senior wide receiver Antoine Felder. It was Shuler’s only completion of the game, as Long Branch would only attempt two other passes, one falling incomplete and the other being a tipped interception by Monmouth senior defensive back Azaviah Gibson on their second possession.

The Green Wave continued the rushing assault on their third drive that bridged the first and second quarters. They took possession at the 20-yard line, and nine plays later, Shuler scored on a bootleg run from 10 yards out. With senior running back Deon Williams being so effective on their first drive, George used him as a decoy with Shuler bootlegging three times for 44 yards on the drive. After the first of three extra points by Mota, Long Branch led 10-0 early in the second quarter.

After a three-and-out and an 18-yard punt by Monmouth, Long Branch only needed two plays to travel 34 yards, with Williams powering it in from nine yards out to extend the lead to 17-0.

“Coach said we were going to run the ball and run the ball, and we did,'' Williams said. " I was able to bounce the plays wide, as they were designed to go."

After another three and out, the Green Wave pressured the punter and were able to tip it and it only travel 3-yards. Long Branch navigated the short field and extended the lead to 24-0 on Shuler’s 5-yard bootleg.

“After last week, we realized we had to pick things up, and we tried to do that from the start,'' said offensive lineman Juan Martinez. "We wanted to pound the ball at them."

The Green Wave tacked on a five-yard touchdown run by Shuler before the half to balloon the lead to 24 points at the break. Williams ran for 104 yards on 21 carries and Shuler finished with 89 on just eight carries in the win.

Monmouth Regional came out fast in the second half and attempted to get back in the game, with senior running back Dylan Brown leading the charge by carrying the ball 10 times for 72 yards.

On their first possession, the Falcons moved to the Long Branch 4-yard line but were turned away on the first of two tipped interceptions. Mullan tipped quarterback James Green’s pass on third-and-goal, and junior linebacker Earl Mackason made a diving play. After a three-and-out by Long Branch, Monmouth went back to work, moving 33 yards to the Long Branch 27-yard line, but the Falcons were again turned away on a tipped interception when Mullan got a piece of a pass that was intercepted by junior defensive back Isaiah Martinez.

"Our motto is to bend but not break,'' Mullan said. "We must pick up the offense or special teams whenever we can."

The Falcons would have one more drive in them, marching 65 yards in 14 plays but turning it over on downs with less than a minute to play in the game.

Armed with more confidence on offense and coming off a strong defensive effort, the Green Wave now have a pivotal Class B North clash with Neptune on Saturday.

“We wanted to run the ball today,'' George said. "We knew that we had to keep the pressure on because Rich Mosca-coached team won’t quit. We now set our sights on Neptune."

SCORING 1 2 3 4 FINAL

LONG BRANCH 3 21 0 0 24:

LB: VINNY MOTA 20 YARD FIELD GOAL

LB: SHABAZZ SHULER 5-YARD RUN MOTA KICK

LB: DEON WILLIAMS 9-YARD RUN. MOTA KICK

LB: SHABAZZ SHULER 5-YARD RUN. MOTA KICK

STATS

. LB MR

1^ST DOWNS 12 15

RUSHING 36-223 40-138

PASSING 1-2-1-26 6-12-2--75

PENALTIES 6-26 3-25