Sanchez, Gargiulo Help Colts Neck Remain Unbeaten
By Art Gordon – Shore Sports Network contributor
COLTS NECK – Colts Neck used a crushing ground game and its usual shutdown defense to remain unbeaten by knocking off visiting St. John Vianney 35-7 in a nondivisional game on Saturday.
Senior tailback Anthony Gargiulo led the rushing attack with 130 yards on 17 carries as the fourth-ranked Cougars (5-0) rushed 40 times for 300 yards. Senior defensive lineman Martin Hooper led a defense that gave up its first points of the season but still was able to hold the Lancers’ high-powered offense to only a single score.
The win sets up next week’s huge Class A North showdown on the road against No. 2 Manalapan.
“It was hard not to look ahead to next week, but the coaches kept us focused,’’ Hooper said.
Junior quarterback Christian Sanchez threw two touchdowns to senior tight end Nick Volpe and also ran for one touchdown as the Cougars built an early 21-0 lead.
Sanchez is getting more and more comfortable and improving each week in trying to replace record-setting quarterback in Mike Campbell.
“In the beginning it was a lot to take on,’’ Sanchez said. “Each week the coaches stressed execution.”
Colts Neck wasted no time in letting the Lancers (1-4) know what to expect. The Cougars marched 64 yards in 10 plays to start the game, with Gargiulo carrying three players into the end zone for an early 7-0 lead.
The Cougars extended the lead to 14-0 late in the first quarter, beginning the drive thanks to a diving interception by Gargiulo’s younger brother, sophomore middle linebacker Nick Garguilo, who also had a sack during the game. His interception gave Colts Neck the ball on the Lancers’ 30-yard line, and the Cougars took advantage of the short field. They needed only five plays to score, with Volpe catching an 11-yard touchdown on a waggle play for the first of his two scores on the day. After the second of Abby Letson’s five extra points on the day, the Cougars had a 14-point lead.
Another diving interception, this one by senior middle linebacker Mike Ververka, set the Cougars up again in St. John Vianney territory and they wasted no time. They moved 49 yards in three plays, with Gargiulo taking it in from 11 yards out for a 21-0 lead
Colts Neck, which had outscored its opponents 195-0 for the season by that point, was then put to its first test on defense. St. John Vianney recovered a Colts Neck fumble at the Cougars’ 13-yard line, but Colts Neck got it right back with a fumble recovery of its own to erase the threat.
However, Colts Neck fumbled it right back, but the defense held again at its own 1-yard line. After a Cougars’ punt, St. John Vianney kept the pressure on and tried to get back into the game when it went 25 yards in three plays to become the first team to score on Colts Neck all season. Sophomore quarterback Anthony Brown, who took over for an injured Billy DeMato in the first quarter, found senior slot back Frank Bonavitacola for a 14-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 21-7 at the half.
Colts Neck’s defense shook it off and dug right back in as St. John Vianney went three-and-out to start the third quarter when Brown threw three straight incompletions. Brown was under constant pressure all game.
“We thought we could pressure their quarterback,’’ said Hooper, who played every snap in the game. “We were smaller, but quicker. We twisted a lot and sent our middle linebackers a lot.”
A 10-yard punt gave Colts Neck great field position, and the Cougars took advantage, needing only two plays to go 30 yards. Sanchez showed his versatility by running for a 21-yard score to put the lead to 28-7.
The Cougars then closed out the scoring when they went no-huddle to pick up the tempo. They drove 63 yards in eight plays, with Sanchez finding Volpe from 20 yards out for a 28-point lead.
The stage is now set for Friday in Manalapan in a monster showdown of unbeatens. Manalapan has won 20 straight games against Shore Conference competition and 19 straight divisional games, winning the last three Class A North titles.
“We will watch a lot of film to see what we can do,’’ Colts Neck head coach Greg LaCava said. “They are the best team on our schedule, and we hope to play our best. We will try to be very multiple on offense and sound on defense.”
“The coaches always preach to own the day,’’ Sanchez said. “Play every game the same. We want to own the day next Friday.”
Box score
Colts Neck 35, St. John Vianney 7
SCORING
TEAMS 1 2 3 4 FINAL
SJV 0 7 0 0 7
CN 14 7 14 0 35
CN: ANTHONY GARGIULO 3-YARD RUN. ABBY LETSON KICK CN: 11-YARD PASS FROM CHRISTIAN SANCHEZ TO NICK VOLPE. LETSON KICK CN: ANTHONY GARGIULO 11-YARD RUN. LETSON KICK.
SJV: 14-YARD PASS FROM ANTHONY BROWN TO FRANK BONAVITACOLA. MATT BENT KICK.
CN: CHRISTIAN SANCHEZ 21-YARD RUN. LETSON KICK.
CN: NICK VOLPE 20-YARD PASS FROM CHRISTIAN SANCHEZ. LETSON KICK
STATISTICS
TEAMS SJV CN
FIRST 12 16
RUSHING 31-82 40-300
PASSING 13-28-2-131 6-13-83
PENALTIES 6$-45 7-43
PUNTS 4-27 3-33
FUMBLES 3-2 6-5
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: SJV: ANTHONY BROWN 8-12, JULANEE PRINCE 4-22, STEVEN RUIZ 1-(1), BILLY DEMATO 5-12, TIM HOPKINSON 11-19, FRANK BONAVITACOLA 2-8. CN: ANTHONY GARGIULO 17-130, CHRISTIAN SANCHEZ 7-82, MIKE VERVERKA 3-19, ABDUL QUDDUS 12-64 DANIEL CALABRO 1-5.
PASSING: SJV BILLY DEMATO 4-6-2 37, ANTHONY BROWN 9-22-94. CN CHRISTIAN SANCHEZ 6-13-83
RECEIVING: SJV: JULANEE PRINCE 2-14, STEVEN RUIZ 7-74, FRANK BONAVITACOLA 2-18, TIM HOPKINSON 2-26. CN: NICK VOLPE 3-32, ANTHONY GARGIULO 17-126, MIKE VERVERKA 3-19, DYLAN CAMPBELL 1-5, CRAIG RUIZ 1-38
INTERCEPTIONS: CN: MIKE VERVERKA, NICK GARGIULO, JOHN MILLER
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