Jersey Mike’s Team of the Week: Keansburg

Every week this fall, Jersey Mike’s and Shore Sports Network will be selecting a Team of the Week based on its performance over the past weekend.

The Jersey Mike’s Team of the Week for Week 5 is Keansburg, which won a high-scoring, back-and-forth game with Point Beach, 51-43, for its first division victory since 2012. Shore Sports Network was at practice Tuesday evening to present the Titans and head coach John Bird with a special game ball and a $500 Jersey Mike’s gift card.

Senior quarterback Danny Vital had a record-setting afternoon by throwing for 376 yards and four touchdowns on 13 of 17 passing, while also running for a touchdown. Vital’s big day set the program-record for passing yards in a game, breaking the old mark of 319 set by Dale Valle in 2000. Vital had a 20-yard touchdown pass to Justin Alessi, touchdown passes of 69 and 46 yards to Jashawn Martin and a 46-yard scoring strike to Darius Moore. He then ran for an 11-yard score in the fourth quarter.

Martin had a monster game, as well, with six receptions for 187 yards and two touchdowns, while Moore hauled in two passes for 78 yards. Running back Liam Riecks ran for 53 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries.

Despite giving up 43 points, Keansburg’s defense made several game-changing plays. Junior safety Hunter MacDonald made a game-high 19 tackles and intercepted two passes, while junior Patrick Edwards had a clutch interception late in the game. Sophomore linebacker Wyatt Riecks had a forced fumble on a strip-sack and senior defensive back Gaetano Casatelli had a fumble recovery. Senior linebacker Joe Osterbye also had a big game with 14 tackles.

The victory over Point Beach marked Keansburg’s first Class B Central win since a 27-18 victory over Mater Dei in Week 1 of the 2012 season. It is also the Titan’s first win over a B Central public school since a 34-13 win over Point Beach in 2009.

The Titans are now 3-2 and have already eclipsed last season’s win total. They will make the long trip to Sparta in Week 6 to take on Sussex Tech and try to get to four wins for the first time since 2012.

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