May 5, 2015 Volume-VII Issue-9

The first thing fans, players, coaches and parents want toknow after the big game is always,

”Is this going to be on ”

Shore Sports Network Website Features

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Agroup of 86 ShoreConference seniors who are

standouts in the classroom as wellas the field were honored by theShore Football CoachesFoundation on April 26 asAcademic All-Shore recipients atthe annual banquet at Gibbs Hall.The Academic All-Shore team, which

consisted of two seniors from each of theShore’s 43 teams, was selected by theirrespective head coaches for having a grade-pointaverage of 3.0 or better, making an impact on thefield, and for their service in their localcommunity.Montclair State offensive coordinator Rich O’Connor, who has coached numerous Shore stars

during his 32 seasons as an assistant with the Red Hawks, served as the guest speaker, letting theseniors know what to expect once they reach the college level. Serving as the emcee of the event,which was sponsored by Barnabas Health, was Shore Sports Network’s own Kevin Williams.The Coaches of the Year for each of the Shore Conference’s six divisions were also honored:

Middletown North’s Steve Bush (Class A North); St. John Vianney’s Mark Ciccotelli (Class ACentral); Jackson Memorial’s Walt Krystopik(Class A South); Red Bank Catholic’s JimPortela (Class B North); Shore Regional’sMark Costantino (Class B Central); andCentral’s Willie Jacobs (Class B South).It was also announced that Costantino and

former Jackson Memorial and Wall coachChris Barnes will both be inducted into theShore Football Coaches Foundation Hall ofFame at halftime of the game.The coaches unveiled the rosters for

Monmouth and Ocean County in thissummer’s U.S. Army All-Shore GridironClassic. The game is on July 16 at 7 p.m. atLong Branch High School. Mark Costantino,who led Shore to an 11-1 season, the Class BCentral title, and the Central Jersey Group Ititle, will coach the Monmouth County squad.Walt Krystopik, who led Jackson Memorial toan 11-1 season of its own, the Central Jersey

Group IV title, and the final No.1 ranking in the Shore, willcoach Ocean County.Deserving special mention is

a group of 21 players who notonly received the academichonor, but also have beenselected to play in the game:Barnegat’s Kyle Morris, Brick’sJames Juliano, Central’sAnthony Arneth, JacksonMemorial’s Tyler Rauch andBrody Graham, Keyport’sChase Bright, Lacey’s ConorDavies, Manalapan’s ImamuMayfield, Manchester’s RobertPlanter, Matawan’s DevonSpann, Marlboro’s Mo Omar,Mater Dei Prep’s ChristianPalmer, Ocean’s Frank Henry,Toms River South’s QuentinDeCarlo, Point Beach’s JakeFioretti, Point Boro’s JackFitzsimmons, Raritan’s ColbyJones, Shore’s James Bedell,Southern’s Pat Ferraro and ClayRobinson, and Toms RiverNorth’s Joe Fantozzi.There also were some other

academic recipients, lilke Yale-bound All-Shore first-teamer Kyle Mullen of Manalapan andMonmouth Regional first-team All-Shore wide receiver Isaiah Searight, a Fordham recruit, whowould have played in the game but will be at their respective colleges by early July and are unableto participate.

The following players were honored as Academic All-Shore recipients:Asbury Park: Sal Swain, Karon RigbyBarnegat: Kyle Morris, Adam RicciBrick Mem.: Karl-Mark Kumm, Nick DeGroatBrick: Simon Bingelis, James JulianoCentral: Alex Fernandez, Anthony ArnethColts Neck: Christian Sanchez, Connor RayDonovan Catholic: Dale Barlet, Austin KoziolFreehold Boro: Mitch Johnson, Will FraumeniFreehold Twp.: Matt Pine, Mike ReszkowskiHolmdel: Adam Ibrahim, Joseph IbrahimHowell: Anthony Sarullo, Jeremy SubjinskiJackson Lib.: Matt Pinto, Kyle ScripkoJackson Mem.: Tyler Rauch, Brody GrahamKeansburg: John Corrigan, Isaac BakalaKeyport: Dan Williams, Chase BrightLacey: James Peaney, Conor DaviesLakewood: Keshaun Conover, Anthony TerryLong Branch: Jordan Rodriguez, Steve KologiManalapan: Kyle Mullen, Imamu MayfieldManasquan: Matt Paturzo, Luke O’ShaughnessyManchester: Robert Planter Jr., Kwaku OwusuMarlboro: Mo Omar, Andrew Fishbaum

Matawan: Devon Spann, Nick MaltaMater Dei Prep: Liam Olausen, Christian PalmerMidd. North: Vincent Pianoforte, Parker AndersonMidd. South: Nolan Pereless, Dom TobaccoMonmouth Reg.: Isaiah Searight, Liam KennedyNeptune: Keysan Johnson, Mi’Jaut BerryOcean: Frank Henry, Pat EllisonPinelands: Justin Sisombath, Jake SteurzePt. Beach: Jake Fioretti, Zach SchallerPt. Boro: Jack Fitzsimmons, John YoumansRaritan: Colby Jones, Kevin KoehlerRBC.: Nick Cella, John PortelaRed Bank: Matt Karr, Zachary CarranoRFH.: Tim Morales, Jackson ReidSJV.: P.J. Braccia, Nick MastriaShore: Chris Johnsen, James BedellSouthern: Pat Ferraro, Clay RobinsonTR East: Joseph Davidyock, Bryan BullockTR North: Joe Fantozzi, Tyler MacLaineTR South: Quentin DeCarlo, Francis HearneWall: Liam Ferguson, Jake Van Brunt

U.S. Army Gridiron Classic coaches Walt Krystopik& Mark Costantino

Mater Dei Prep QB Christian Palmer receivedthe academic honor & will play in the U.S.

Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic.

SJV’s Mark Ciccotelli received the Class ACentral Coach of the Year award

ACADEMIC ALL-SHORE & COACH OF THE YEAR RECIPIENTSHONORED BY SHORE FOOTBALL COACHES FOUNDATIONBy Scott Stump – Managing Editor

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With one out in the top ofthe sixth inning on Sundayagainst Donovan Catholic inthe Ocean County Tournamentquarterfinals, Toms RiverSouth coach Ken Frank tookseveral steps from his usualpost outside the dugouttoward the pitcher’s mound –an indication he would bemaking at least one pitchingchange for the 16th time in histeam’s 16 games this year.On the mound stood senior Ray Liguori, who had just

issued his first walk of the game. He had already pitcheddeeper into this game than he ever had in any other game asa varsity starter, as well as any other Toms River Southstarter had this season.

Liguori caught the sight of his coach walking toward themound, slammed the ball into his mitt in frustration andturned toward the outfield as the Indians infield convened onthe mound while waiting for Frank to complete the walk,take the ball from his starter and pat him on the back for a jobwell done.

Surrounded by his teammates, it took Liguori a few beatsto realize that while he had begun to come to terms withleaving the game, Frank had returned to his familiar spot tothe left of the Indians dugout. The winningest coach in NewJersey history gave his pitcher a clap of encouragement andallowed him to go where no Toms River South starter hasgone in 2015.

Liguori rewarded his coach by finishing off the firstcomplete game by a Toms River South pitcher this season,which was enough to quiet the bats of Donovan Catholic ina 4-2 win that pushed the third-seeded Indians into the OCTsemifinals on Saturday against No. 2 Jackson Memorial.

“He’s got guts,” Frank said of Liguori, who is also thestarting third baseman when he is not pitching. “We made apitcher out of him and he’s the first guy to go seven for usthis year. We needed some guys to step up and give us a littlemore than usual with five games in five days.”

A reliever at the beginning of the season after throwing 12innings of relief as a junior, Liguori has built his enduranceup as a starter over the last two weeks. Ten days after makinghis first career start, the senior right-hander was able tofinish what he started. Liguori threw 115 pitches to completethe game and allowed one earned run on eight hits and justthe one walk while striking out a career-high 11.

“It’s a different experience going from pitching one or twoinnings to trying to pitch a whole game,” Liguori said. “I felt

Ray Ligouri Leads TR South to OCT SemifinalsB y Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer

Toms River South senior Ray Liguori

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good though. If I feel like I did today, I feel like I could do thisevery day.”

Although he lacked experience as a starter prior to his first startagainst Toms River East on April 23, Liguori was a standoutreliever at the tail end of last season and the beginning of this year,all but mastering his role coming out of the Indians bullpen.Between the two seasons, Liguori threw 22 1/3 scoreless inningsbefore he got the ball to start the game against the Raiders 10 daysago. Although his streak ended in that game, he earned the win inhis first start and began to lay the foundation for a start like theone he had on Sunday.

Liguori encountered some trouble in the top of the seventhinning with the Indians holding a 4-1 lead against the Griffins.After giving up the third Donovan Catholic hit of the inning – anRBI single through the middle by Matt Drake with two out on anelevated breaking ball – Toms River South pitching coach MitchPowitz paid Liguori a visit looking to coax one more out from hisright arm. Liguori induced a game-ending ground out to firstbaseman Connor Feeney.

“I thought he looked like he might have been getting a littletired, and when I went out to the mound (in the sixth), I thoughthe was coming out,” said senior Ryan Shiffer, who caught the lastfour innings of the game and also went 2-for-3 with an RBI at theplate. “I just told him to dig deep, finish strong and hit his spots.I knew he had it in him to finish strong. Sometimes, you just haveto will it out of this kid.”

Donovan Catholic scored the first run of the game by breakingthrough for an unearned tally against Liguori in the top of the first

inning. After Liguori retired the first two batters of the game,Griffins catcher Steve Lazicki reached on an error and shortstopMatt Drake followed with a single. Designated hitter Kyle Malloy– who pitched a complete game in a 5-3 win over Central Regionalearlier in the day to get the Griffins to the quarterfinals – thendelivered a two-out, two-strike single through the middle to platecourtesy runner Ryan O’Sullivan.

Toms River South took the lead for good in the bottom of thethird on a two-out, two-run single on a first-pitch swing by secondbaseman Anthony Carfora to score pinch-runner Trevor Wagnerand center fielder Michael Conover. Starting catcher TylerWisnewski and Conover both walked with one out, and eachmoved up a base on a ground out to second base by shortstopAustin Gonella for the second out.

Toms River South added a pair of runs in the bottom of thesixth, the first on an RBI double to deep left by Shiffer, who laterscored on a sacrifice fly by third baseman Ben Montenegro.

Donovan put the leadoff hitter on against Liguori in the third,fourth and fifth innings, but came up empty in all three. Seniorthird baseman Russ Petranto and second baseman Charlie Diminoboth singled to start the third, but Liguori got a ground ball byLazicki to get the lead runner at third and struck out Drake andMalloy to end the threat.

Liguori also struck out the side in the fourth after right fielderMike Marron reached on an error to lead off the frame.

The Griffins stayed in the game behind a solid five innings fromfreshman right-hander Mike Dimino, who faced one batter in thesixth before giving way to right-hander Andrew Jarvis.

“He has a poise and a demeanor about him that is a lot morelike a senior than a freshman,” Donovan Catholic coach PaulMurray said of Dimino. “He’s still growing and still learning, buthe has a good enough handle on pitching that you can put him outthere in a game like today and know he’ll give you a chance.”

Dimino’s defense also backed him up with four double plays,two of which came on outfield assists from center fielder NickPovoa.

Toms River South continued to play without first basemanSpencer Kapp, a middle-of the order hitter who is out withmononucleosis. His absence is offset by the return of Wagner toleft field, which has allowed Shiffer to go back to catching fulltime.

“I’ve just gone where the team has needed me,” Shiffer said.“It’s nice to get back to catching more now, but I look at it like I’mready to play wherever coach needs me that day.”

Toms River South will face Jackson Memorial for a third timethis season when the two teams meet on Saturday. The Jaguarshave won nine out of 10 games, which included an 8-5 extra-inning win over Toms River South. The Indians won the firstmeeting between the teams on opening day.

“We’ve been starting sophomores at third base and first, andthey’re all doing the job,” Frank said. “We finally got Wagnerback and now Spencer Kapp is out with the mono. But we’re notinto all of that. You play with who you got and to be 12-4 and inan Ocean County semifinal is pretty good. We’re glad to be wherewe are.”

FOR SSN ADVERTISING INFORMATIONContact: Steven Meyer 732-233 -4460 steve.meyer@townsquaremed ia .com

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Ater a furious fund-raisingdrive that raised more than $1million in two months, MaterDei Prep announced that it hascleared the final hurdle inkeeping the school open.The Save the Seraphs fund-raising group that has been behind the

drive to save the school announced that the Diocese of Trenton hasapproved Mater Dei Prep’s plan to open in September as a privateCatholic school separate from St. Mary’s parish. In February, Fr.Jeff Kegley, the pastor of St. Mary’s parish, announced that theschool would close in June after 50 years of existence due tofinancial difficulties.However, an extension was granted, giving the Mater Dei

community two months to raise $1 million, which was achieved.The plan approved on Thursday allows Mater Dei to re-open as a501(c)(3) non-profit organization that will have a board of trusteesto oversee the school’s finances. Mater Dei Prep will now befinancially independent from St. Mary’s parish, while St. MarySchool, the elementary school adjacent to Mater Dei, will still berun by the parish.“I am excited that the mission of secondary Catholic education will

continue on the Campus of Saint Mary’s at Mater Dei Prep,” Fr.Kegley said in a statement. “This is great news for our parishcommunity and all who have worked and prayed so hard to secure thefuture of Mater Dei Prep for generations to come. I want to thankBishop David O’Connell for his approval of the new model for Mater

Dei Prep, Jim Shaw who chaired the ‘Save the Seraphs’ campaign,Randy MacDonald for chairing the steering committee, the SaintMary’s parishioners for their support and, most of all, our studentswho never gave up believing in Mater Dei Prep.”The Seraph’s Fund will now become an endowment fund for the

school.“We have moved from tragedy to triumph because people believed

in our students, our school, our family,” Jim Shaw of Seraph’s Fundsaid in a statement. “The work of The Seraph’s Fund has not ended, ithas just begun. We are ready for the mission ahead.”Athletic director Dennis Tobin said the school has “50 potential

freshmen” looking to enter the school next year. Beginning on May 29,the school will have its 50-year celebration with the knowledge that its51st year and beyond are secured.

A ruling by the Diocese of Trenton means Mater Dei Prep will keep its doors open in 2016 and beyond afterthreatening to close because of financial difficulties.

Mater Dei Prep to Remain Open AfterApproval by DioceseBy Scott Stump – Managing Editor

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Even after the bus filled withWall baseball players erupted incelebration when the grouplearned it had officially defeatedMarlboro by forfeit in theMonmouth County Tournamentround of 16 on April 25, seniorRyan Orender still could notshake what he called “the worstfeeling” he’s ever felt.OOrender had served up what would

have been the game-winning two-runhome run to Marlboro’s Steve Santigatein the bottom of the seventh inning andwalked back to the bus thinking histeam was now eliminated from thetournament, only to find out that theMustangs’ pitcher who threw the finaltwo innings also threw more than fiveinnings just two days earlier – whichwould render him ineligible to pitch onSaturday.

This Saturday against FreeholdTownship in the MCT quarterfinals,armed with an unexpected secondchance and a complete repertoire ofpitches, Orender dominated the first sixinnings and shut the door on a seventh-inning rally by the No. 12 seed Patriotsto pitch No. 13 Wall into the semifinalswith a 4-1 victory.

The Crimson Knights will look tocontinue their second life in thetournament when they take on No. 16Middletown South in the semifinalround at a date and time this week that is yet to be determined.

“As a competitor, there is always that fire in your belly to goout and perform your best on the mound when your team needsyou,” Orender said. “It’s even stronger when you know you letyour team down the last time out. You don’t usually get a secondchance, so I wanted to make the most of the opportunity.”

Orender allowed just a run on four hits and two walks whilestriking out 10, including a punchout of pinch-hitter Jake Russothat ended the game and kept Shore Conference home-run leaderJoe Silvestrone from coming to the plate as the potential winning

run.

Freehold Township had comeback once against Orender to tiethe score at one, but in the sixthinning, Wall junior right fielderNick Maciejewski gave hispitcher the cushion he wouldneed to finish things off.Maciejewski hammered a two-out, three-run double to deepright-center field that cleared thebases and broke a 1-1 tie.

“I hit the ball pretty solid inmy firstcouple at-bats, so I just tried to stay withmy approach and get something I couldhit,” Maciejewski said. “With two outs, Iwas looking for a mistake over the plate.(Freehold Township sophomore starterRalph Gambino) had just struck out thebatter before me, so I knew he was lookingto challenge me and try to get out of it.”

In his previous at-bat leading off thefifth, Maciejewski hit a line drive right atFreehold Township center fielder BrandonRoth, but on his final swing of the game,he cleared the range of the Patriots centerfielder.

“When I took the turn at first, I lookedup and I thought the center fielder wassettled under the ball,” Maciejewski said.“I have been making some hard outs lately,so it feels like a lot of those hits haven’tbeen dropping, but I was glad that one gotover his head.”

Wall jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the topof the third inning on an opposite-field,

solo home run by sophomore shortstop and No. 9 hitter NolanCloney.

The long fly ball over the left-field fence by the left-handed-swinging sophomore was the first of his career and came offGambino, who struck out nine Wall batters in six-plus innings andseven in the first four innings.

He threw me a fastball and I just saw it for as long as I couldand got a pretty good piece of it going the other way. It seemedlike just a regular fly ball to left off the bat, but it looked like itjust kept carrying and carrying.”

Freehold Townshipresponded in the bottom of thefourth when shortstop BrianOliver lifted the game-tyingsacrifice fly to right field forthe second out of the inning.Silvestrone singled to rightfield, stole second and scoredon the Oliver sac fly, whichhighlighted the seniorcatcher’s 1-for-2 day at theplate at the plate againstOrender.

“He’s got the most homeruns in the Shore Conference, so obviously he’s a great hitter anda really good all-around player,” Orender said. “The one goodthing is he is human, which means you can get him out. I justdidn’t give in to him and executed my pitches. He still got theone base hit off me, but that’s going to happen against a goodhitter. You just have to try to limit the damage.”

Wall senior second baseman Brendan Barcas went 2-for-3 witha run scored and reached base three times via a pair of singles anda walk. Crimson Knights slugging senior catcher Dan Wondrack– who is one homer behind Silvestrone with five – singled in eachof his final two plate appearances and scored on the Maciejewskidouble to highlight his 2-for-4 game.

Cloney also finished the game 2-for-3, adding an infield hit inthe seventh inning.

After a strange celebration in school bus parked in the parkinglot at Marlboro High School, the Crimson Knights enjoyed a moreconventional celebration on Saturday.

“We were all on the bus feeling pretty bad about the loss, but wesaw coach (Todd) Schmitt and (assistant coach Jim) Rochford outon the field talking to the Marlboro coach (Jim Ferraro) so wethought, ‘Hey, maybe something is going on here,’” Maciejewskisaid. “We thought maybe they batted out of order or something,and when they came back on the bus and told us the news, thebus just erupted.

“It was a weird feeling, but it was a great feeling. One minutewe were done and the next we were alive again. Now, we’retrying to make the most of it.”

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Wall Making the Most of a SecondChance in MCTB y Matt Manley – Senior Staff Writer

by:Matt Manley

www.shoresportsnetwork.com

Wall senior Ryan Orender

Sophomore shortstop Nolan Cloney

9

eventeen teams, fivedays of games, one

ultimate champion.

The 2015 Shore Conference Boys Lacrosse Tournamentgets underway today with the play-in game betweenMiddletown North and Brick, and continues with the fullslate of first round games on Tuesday. The SCT continueswith the quarterfinals on Thursday before Saturday’ssemifinal games at noon and 2:30 p.m. at Toms River East.The championship game is at 4 p.m. on May 12 atMonmouth University.

The biggest storyline for this season’s tournament iswhether top-ranked Southern can win the title in what wouldbe its third straight finals appearance to become the firstOcean County team to win the SCT. At the same time,Rumson-Fair Haven is gunning to extend its record SCTwinning streak to five. The Bulldogs have defeated Southernin each of the last two SCT finals, including last season’s17-10 victory for its fourth straight title.

The underlying theme is an extension of what has been thebiggest revelation during the regular season. It’s mostlybeen a wide-open season with a lot of ‘team A beat B butlost to team C’ and so on scenarios. This is probably thedeepest field ever in the tournament, which is anexample of how lacrosse is growing in the conference.If there was ever a season to expect plenty of upsets,this has to be it.

The only game today is the play-in/preliminary-round game between 17th-seededMiddletown North and 16th-seededBrick. Middletown North qualified

for the tournament in just its second season as a varsityprogram and first season of eligibility. This will be thesecond meeting of the season between the Lions andDragons. Brick won the first game, 7-2, back on April 2.The winner of that game gets the unenviable task oftraveling south to Manahawkin to take on top-seededSouthern on Tuesday. Brick’smost recent game wasagainst Southern, a17-1 loss.

There are a coupleof juicy first-roundmatchups scheduledfor Tuesday witheighth-seededOcean hostingninth-seededToms RiverNorth, and7th-seededRed BankCatholictakingon

10th-seeded

Barnegat.

Ocean has enjoyed abreakout season in building a

9-1 record that included opening theseason 5-0. The Spartans’ only loss is to

second-seeded Rumson, and they own winsover Barnegat and St. John Vianney. Ocean has

fourplayerswith atleast20goals,led byjuniormidfielder

ErikRant with39. Juniorattackman

Joey Appioleads the teamin points with21 goals and41 assists.Seniors

Zack Karasicand ChristianGoslin each

have 20 goals on theseason.

Ocean also has one of the bestdefenders in the Shore in senior long-stickmidfielder Steven Graziano, who leads theteam with 95 ground balls. Ocean is also solid inthe face-off circle with junior Alex Bravo winning74 percent of draws and in goal with sophomoreDavid Walk stopping 61 percent of shots on goal.

Toms River North, meanwhile, brings an 8-2record into Tuesday’s matchup. The Mariners lost toShore 7-6 back on April 1 before rattling off sevenstraight wins. Among those were victories over St.John Vianney, Lacey and Brick. Their winning streak

By Bob Badders – Senior Staff Writer

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Ocean’s Steven Graziano

came to an end at the hands of Southern this past Fridaywith an 11-4 loss in the Class A South title game.Toms River North is a solid group up anddown the lineup with attackmen RyanClancy and Andrew Lombardi, midfieldersTyler Foss, Mike Hoy, Tom Butz and JoyVitiello, defenseman Alex Scherer and goalieAustin Bennett leading the way.

It’s a tough road for whichever teamemerges victorious, however, because theywill almost certainly have to face

top-seeded Southern in thequarterfinals.

RedBank Catholic will

enter Tuesday with a 9-3 record andhaving lost only to teams ranked in theShore Sports Network Top 10 –Manasquan, Freehold Township andRumson. The Caseys are a dangerousteam under first-year head coachDave Erdman with seniorattackman Tim Barile, juniormidfielder Brett Habich andsenior

defenseman Matt Pieringer leading the way. The Caseysalso have solid goaltending in Matt Benjamin andsecondary scoring from Julian Esposito, James Mele andAlec Mintz.

Barnegat will be in the same position it was last seasonas the No. 10 seed, and last year the Bengals went on theroad and upset seventh-seeded Wall. They are led bymidfielders Ricky Gerena and J.J. McKenna, who lead theteam in points and goals, respectively. Gerena has 15goals and 12 assists while McKenna has a team-best 23goals.

Other first-round games include 12th-seeded JacksonLiberty heading to fifth-

seeded Howell.The teamsmet earlier

this season with Howell winning 11-4 on March 31. TheLions have picked up two huge wins recently in beatingrival Jackson Memorial and Barnegat, while the Rebelswere cruising along before falling to rival FreeholdTownship last week. Howell also owns a huge win overCBA and victories over Colts Neck and MiddletownNorth.

Thirteenth-seeded St. John Vianney travels to facefourth-seeded Manasquan. St. John Vianney is coached byMike Dowd, who was the longtime coach for the Warriorsthrough 2009. Manasquan is and up-and-coming groupthat starts nine sophomores. To me the Warriors are the x-factor in the tournament because of where they are seededand the fact that they look like they can play with anyonein the tournament. St. John Vianney has been in prettymuch every game this season despite a 7-7 record,however, so Manasquan will be tested.

Rumson hosts 15th-seeded ColtsNeck in a rematch of one of

last season’s SCTsemifinals, and the

Bulldogs areagain theheavyfavorite.Third-seededCBAtakeson

S e eBattlepag e 1 2

Freehold Twp.’s Billy Sasso & CBA’s John O’Keefe Face off

1 1

Southern’s Dylan Jinks

Rumson is looking to win its fifth straight Shore Conference Tournament title

12 / /

14th-seeded Wall and 11th-seeded Lacey heads to face red-hot Freehold Township, the No. 6 seed.

Freehold Township is also a team to watch because ofhow well it has played lately and because of where it isseeded. Since an 11-4 loss to CBA on April 11, the Patriotshave won seven of eight games with their only defeatcoming to Southern. They are coming together at the righttime, and looked fantastic in a 9-2 win over Howell lastweek that forced a three-way tie for the Class A Northdivision title. If the Patriots get past Lacey they will likelyget their rematch against CBA with a spot in the semifinalson the line.

From the early rounds to the championship game, the2015 Shore Conference Tournament has a chance to begreat. The final four could feature any number of teams,and no matter which team wins it, history will be made insome form. Will Southern, which beat Rumson for the firsttime ever earlier this season, get over the mountain in theSCT? Can Rumson, which has had its ups and downs inplaying a brutal schedule, win an unprecedented fifthstraight title? Or will another team rise up and take the title,which other than CBA or Manasquan, would the first inprogram history.

Whatever the answers to those questions turn out to be,it’s going to be fun and interesting to watch it all develop.

Battle Continued from page 11

TR North’s Tyler Foss

Red Bank Catholic’s Tim Barile

Photos by:Ray Rich Photography

www.rayrichphotography.smugmug.comBill Normile

www.billnormile.zenfolio.comDoug Bostwick

www.SportShotsWLB.comMark Brown

www.b51photography.com

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The rosters for the 38th annual U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic, the oldest all-star footballgame in New Jersey, were released on April 26 bythe Shore Conference coaches at the annualAcademic All-Shore breakfast at Gibbs Hall.This year’s showdown between the Monmouth County senior all-stars and their counterparts from

Ocean County will be at 7 p.m. on July 16 on the turf at Bresett Stadium at Long Branch HighSchool. Monmouth County leads the all-time series 20-16-1, but it was Ocean County that came outon top in last year’s game with a 17-14 win at Brick last summer.

Shore Regional’s Mark Costantino, who led the Blue Devils to an 11-1 season that includedwinning the Class B Central and Central Jersey Group I titles, will be the Monmouth County headcoach. Jackson Memorial’s Walt Krystopik, who led the Jaguars’ to the final No. 1 ranking in theShore and the Central Jersey Group IV title, will lead Ocean County.

Costantino also will be inducted into the Shore Football Coaches Foundation Hall of Fame athalftime along with former Jackson Memorial and Wall coach Chris Barnes.

There are 12 Shore Sports Network first-team All-Shore selections playing in the game, includingOffensive Player of the Year Dahmiere Willis, who will play on his home field at Long Branch onelast time after setting the single-season Shore Conference rushing record with 2,589 yards for theGreen Wave this past fall.

MONMOUTH COUNTY ROSTERHead coach: Mark Costantino, Shore Regional

Assistant coaches: Mike Whitacre (Shore); Jon Remedios (Shore); Pete Vincelli (Shore);Bob Biasi (Shore); Jack Levy (Shore); Don Klein (Ocean); Nick Giglio (Red Bank); JohnKaye (Matawan); Steve Roberts (Middletown South);

OCEAN COUNTY ROSTERHead coach: Walt Krystopik, Jackson MemorialAssistant coaches:Mike Smith (Jackson Mem.); Vincent Mistretta (Jackson Mem.); Chris Rash(Jackson Mem.); Tom Bradley (Jackson Mem.); Tony Compitello (Jackson Mem.); Corey Lavin(Jackson Mem.); Jeff Brown (Jackson Mem.); Keith Anderson (Jackson Mem.); Luke Wainczak(Jackson Mem.); Willie Jacobs (Central); Rob Dahl (formerly Brick); Brian McNamara (Brick);Bill Rankin (Toms River South); Matt Martin (Toms River South).

Chris Damian (Keansburg).Hunter Baillie, LB, Long BranchJames Bedell, LB, Shore RegionalTucker Briggs, LB, Rumson-FHChase Bright, RB/WR, KeyportDan Calabro, WR/DB, St. John VianneyDave Colbert, DB, Long BranchFrank Condito, RB/LB, HolmdelMike Cordova, RB/DB, Red Bank CatholicCooper Cuje, OL, Rumson-FHOshane Curate, DL, NeptuneJosh Dixon, RB, Freehold BoroBen Eisenstadt, DL, Rumson-FHRich Eknoian, LB, WallJustin Ferrara, WR/DB, MatawanJimmy Ferrogine, LB, Red BankKyle Gibson, OL, St. John VianneyJimmy Green, QB, Monmouth RegionalFrank Henry, DB, OceanAndrew Holland-Samuels, OL/DL, NeptuneNeil Horenburg, OL, Red Bank CatholicColby Jones, DB, RaritanJarvis Leaks, RB, Howell

Imamu Mayfield, RB, ManalapanJoe Mendez, LB, ManalapanShannen McCue, TE/LB, Monmouth RegionaJake Monteiro, P/K, Shore RegionalRoyal Moore, QB/DB, NeptuneJohn Morris, RB/LB, ManasquanMo Omar, RB, MarlboroChristian Palmer, QB, Mater Dei PrepJordan Pitts, WR/DB, Middletown NorthJim Purcell, OL, Freehold Twp.Abdul Quddus, RB, Colts NeckNick Roy, OL, Red Bank CatholicDan Servidio, DL, Middletown SouthBen Sieczkowski, RB/DL, ManalapanDevon Spann, RB/LB, MatawanTommy Spernal, RB, Red Bank CatholicCharlie Volker, RB, Rumson-FHJake Weber, OL/DL, MatawanTysaun White, WR/DB, Mater Dei PrepDahmiere Willis, RB/DB, Long BranchJames Wilson, OL, Middletown SouthTyrell Wilson, TE/LB, Keansburg

All-Shore Gridiron ClassicRosters ReleasedBy Scott Stump – Managing Editor

Jo in TheShore Sports Network

Team Today!Interested in joining our team and think you have what it takesto be covering sports in the Shore Conference for Shore SportsNetwork? We are looking for local writers interested in coveringsports like Lacrosse, Baseball, Football, Basketball, Soccer,Swimming, Track, Ice Hockey and more as part of our newspaperand our website (www.shoresportsnetwork.com). Grab yourchance to appear regularly in The Shore Sports Network by-weekly publication and posted on www.shoresportsnetwork.comwhile helping us recognize more athletes and bring more stories toShore Conference sports fans. This is your chance to become aregular contributor to a growing business on the cutting edge ofcovering sports in Monmouth and Ocean County.Just contact Managing EditorScott Stump @ stump@allshoremedia.com

Anthony Arneth, WR/DB, CentralTymere Berry, QB/DB, Toms River SouthSean Cahalane, WR/DB, LaceyMatt Castronuova, WR/DB, Jackson MemorialLiam Christensen, OL/LB, CentralCole Collins, RB/LB, Jackson MemorialJordan Craig, TE/LB, Toms River NorthAaron Curet, WR/DB, Jackson MemorialConor Davies, QB, LaceyQuentin DeCarlo, LB, Toms River SouthDave DeFeo, OL/DL, PinelandsJoe DeMaio, QB/DB, Jackson MemorialJoe Fantozzi, OL, Toms River NorthPat Ferraro, OL/DL, SouthernZach Fingerlin, OL/DL, CentralJake Fioretti, QB/DB, Point BeachJack Fitzsimmons, QB/LB, Point BoroMike Frauenheim, RB/DB, Point BeachRicky Gerena, DB, BarnegatBrody Graham, TE/DE, Jackson MemorialKhaleel Greene, RB/DB, Toms River SouthBrad Greenway, OL/DL, Jackson MemorialJoe Hans, WR/DB, Brick MemorialJordan Hardy, WR/DB, CentralJa’Quez Johnson, WR/DB, Brick

James Juliano, LB, BrickChris Kimbiz, OL/DL, BrickGlenn Kipila, OL/DL, Jackson MemorialTyler McGuiness, LB, BarnegatKyle Morris, TE/LB, BarnegatConnor Owen, RB/LB, Brick MemorialRobert Planter, LB/DE, ManchesterJoe Puggi, OL/DL, PinelandsTyler Rauch, OL, Jackson MemorialBrett Ribellino, WR, Jackson LibertyDom Regina, RB/LB, Jackson LibertyClay Robinson, OL/DL, SouthernJaylin Roman, RB/DB, PinelandsJoe Rozell, LB, Donovan CatholicKyle Ryan, OL, Point BoroCarmen Sclafani, QB, BrickEric Segui, DB, LakewoodRudy Solomon, OL/DL, CentralDave Staton, OL/DL, PinelandsZach Tetro, LB, Jackson MemorialJoe Wegrzyniak, RB/LB, Point BeachJeff Wood, RB/LB, Toms River EastXavier Young, OL/DL, Barnegat

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Monmouth University starwide receiver Neal Sterling,a Manasquan graduate,achieved a rare feat onSaturday by becoming justthe second player in Hawks’history to be selected in theNFL Draft.Former Middletown South star Rick Lovato, a long-

snapper at Old Dominion, and former Red Bank Catholicstandout Jack Tabb, a tight end at North Carolina, alsowill have a chance to realize their NFL dreams. Lovato

signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agenton Saturday, while Tabb signed with the Saints.

Sterling, who holds multiple school records atMonmouth, was taken with the third pick of the seventhround by the Jacksonville Jaguars, the 220th overallselection. He joins former Monmouth star tight end JohnNalbone, who was drafted in the fifth round by theMiami Dolphins in 2009, as the only Hawks to be draftedin the 22-year history of Monmouth’s program.

Sterling earned first-team All-Big South honors inMonmouth’s first year in the conference this past fall. Heled the conference in yards per catch (16.9) and wassecond with 905 receiving yards while also finishingsecond in receptions per game and touchdown catches.He is Monmouth’s all-time leader in receptions and is in

Former Shore Stars Headed to the NFLBy Scott Stump – Managing Editor

Monmouth University WR Neal Sterling(Photo via Monmouth University football/Twitter)

Neal Sterling was a first-team All-Shore talent at wide receiver in hisManasquan days. (Photo by Bill Normile)

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the top three in numerous school receiving categories. TheHawks’ star also was the only former Shore Conference talenttaken in this year’s NFL Draft.

Lovato is the second former Middletown South standout tosign with an NFL team in two years, as former tight end ScottSimonson signed with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted

free agent out of Assumption College last year. IfLovato makes the Bears’ roster, that could make threeformer Eagles in the NFL along with running backKnowshon Moreno, who played for the Dolphins lastyear but is currently a free agent.

Lovato was a four-year starter at Old Dominion,earning FCS All-Americaaccolades as a sophomoreand being namedConference USA honorablemention this past season. Helooks to follow in thefootsteps of former SouthernRegional and Rutgers starClark Harris, who isentering his seventh seasonas the Cincinnati Bengals’long-snapper.

Tabb caught 21 passes for206 yards as a senior for theTar Heels this past season,starting all 12 games. Heappeared in 44 games in hiscareer, seeing actionimmediately as a freshmanand also played somelinebacker as a junior. Hesaid he will be heading toNew Orleans after taking hisfinal exam at North Carolinaon Monday.

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Rick Lovato was also a standout defensive lineman during his time atMiddletown South. (Photo by Cliff Lavelle)

Former Red Bank Catholic star Jack Tabb, seen in his highschool days here, is headed to the New Orleans Saints afterwrapping up his career as a tight end for North Carolina.

(Photo by Bill Normile)

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Len Zdanowicz, aBrick graduate and aformer player andassistant coach underthe legendary WarrenWolf, was approved bythe Brick Board ofEducation as theGreen Dragons’ newhead coach.“I’m humbled and honored to have been

given this opportunity to be the Head FootballCoach at Brick Township HS,” Zdanowiczwrote on Facebook. “I would like to thankeverybody for the kind words and support.”

Zdanowicz, who was Lakewood’s offensivecoordinator last year, takes over for Rob Dahl,who stepped down on April 2 after four

seasons in which he led the Green Dragons tothe 2013 Central Jersey Group IV title and the2014 Class A South title. He becomes just thefourth coach in Brick’s 58-year programhistory, the first 51 of which were under Wolf.Zdanowicz, who is currently the head coach ofthe boys lacrosse team, returns to his rootsafter having been an assistant under Wolf for12 years and for two years at the beginning ofDahl’s tenure.

Zdanowicz’s hiring fills the final vacancy inthe Shore Conference. The Green Dragonswill graduate an outstanding senior class ledby two-time All-Shore first-team quarterbackCarmen Sclafani, defensive back Ja’QuezJohnson, linebacker James Juliano andlineman Chris Kimbiz, but do return severaltalented players, including SSN second-teamAll-Shore wide receiver Ja’Sir Taylor anddefensive lineman Dan Finelli.

Len ZdanowiczApproved as Brick’sNew Football CoachBy Scott Stump – Managing Editor

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