Maryland Football Coaches Association | Archive | July, 2007

Forst commits early like his old teammate Mike Mele did last summer/Jim Dowd game tidbits

Posted on 30 July 2007 by new_league.

Forst commits early like his old teammate Mike Mele did last summer/Jim Dowd game tidbits

Manasquan OL Art Forst gives a verbal to Rutgers/Dowd game continues to grow
     As reported by several recruiting sites over the weekend, Manasquan offensive lineman Art Forst, a man mountain who is entering his senior season with the Warriors, has verbally committed to Rutgers.
     At 6-foot-8 and 290 pounds, he will join mega-recruit Anthony Davis, who is headed into his freshman year with the Scarlet Knights. I saw Davis, a 6-5, 340-pound behemoth, pulverize everything in his path at the New Jersey-New York All-Star Classic this summer, and Forst should make a heck of a bookend with him in a few years.
     Forst, one of the top offensive line recruits in the state with a boatload of scholarship offers, got his commitment out of the way early similar to the way his former teammate, Syracuse freshman Mike Mele, did last summer. Mele committed very early to the Orange in the summer, choosing to end any distractions and focus on his senior year. Forst, who was named to the DigitalSports Legends of the Fall All-Star team this past season, and his teammates are already dealing with the news that legendary coach Vic Kubu will not be on the sidelines this year because of illness. Forst is also a good student, so grades or qualifying are not an issue. He comes from a very tight-knit family, so there is no shock that he would want to stay close to home.
     He is one of just two full-time starters returning for the Warriors from last season’s 12-0 rampage and will be counted on as a team leader this year. His job will be to open holes for feature back Chaz Coursey, who ran for over 1,000 yards last year as a junior.
     As always, a verbal commitment is far from ironclad. Just ask Matawan OL Anthony Grasso, who verbally committed to Northwestern this past fall before deciding to sign with Florida State, or Forst’s old teammate, tight end/DT (and now fullback) Brad Newman, who was headed to Delaware before switching to Boston College shortly before signing day.
    
     On Sunday, I helped out in our coverage of the annual Jim Dowd All-Shore Ice Hockey Game, and since Bob Badders is our resident hockey expert, check his blog for a few quick details on the on-ice action.
     Me, I’m more concerned with things like the recent trip to Las Vegas by former Brick star goalie Joe Pearce. He was in attendance to drop a ceremonial first puck along with former Christian Brothers Academy star and recent Flyers draft pick James van Riemsdyk. Pearce was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning a few years back, but has decided to hang it up at 25 years old after finishing his career at Boston College. He now is a commercial real estate broker in Boston, but got one final thrill when he was invited by Dowd to head to Sin City for a celebrity hockey game recently.
     His teammates included Columbus Blue Jackets center Sergei Fedorov and retired Los Angeles King Luc Robitaille as well as the Farrelly brothers (directors of one of my all-time pantheon films – “**** and Dumber”), uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who put on the game, and actors like Cuba Gooding Jr. However, as Pearce put it, the game was really just an excuse to go to Vegas for five days.
     Having been in Vegas for two days and having that be two of the more insane days of my life, I asked him “Five whole days in Vegas?” His response? “Yeah, it probably took a least a year off my life. It was a little much, but it was fun.”
     Van Riemsdyk also remarked that, “It still seems surreal,” that he was drafted No. 2 overall in the NHL draft by the Flyers, easily the highest any athlete from this area has been selected. The last high pick from the Shore was former Lakewood basketball star J.R. Smith, who went 18th overall in the NBA draft in 2004. Van Riemsdyk added that he’s already getting the business from his future teammates at New Hampshire, where he will play at least one year before deciding if he is going to go pro. “They’ve been calling me ‘King James’ and stuff like that, just having fun with it,” he said. Plus, you’re not going to find a more normal mega-draft pick than van Riemsdyk, who was up against the wall cracking jokes with his friends in between signing autographs.
     One noticeable thing is the growth of the Dowd game every year. The line
was out the door leading up to the event, with about 600 people packed
in Red Bank Armory. Hockey just continues to surge in our area, and van Riemsdyk’s success can only help.

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Back from the West Coast in one piece (sort of)/football coming soon

Posted on 29 July 2007 by new_league.

Back from the West Coast in one piece (sort of)/football coming soon

Camps begin this week, basketball tidbits
    After enjoying my final vacation of the year, this is the final little lull before football gets in full gear.
    Several teams start practicing this week, with the two-a-days mostly beginning next week. Obviously, that’s we’ll really be heading out to preseason camps in earnest, but I like to let a little time pass in camp because coaches can’t give you answers as to all of their starters and other info right away, because that’s what camp is for besides just getting everyone into shape and knowing the plays. It’s sort of like all those NFL and college football previews that come out months in advance. For instance, I think the Atlanta Falcons preview might be a little different right before the season than the one that is in all of these magazines that are out now.
    I was just out in San Diego for a week and change, and if you ever get the chance (or about half a million bucks for a tiny starter house), pack up everything you own and move there. The people who say, “But there’s no seasons out there,” are crazy. It’s 75, sunny and breezy every day. Call me nuts, but I could get used to that. However, watch out for the break at WindandSea beach in La Jolla. I was bodysurfing there, flying along on a decent-sized wave and kind of met a sandbar that really didn’t feel like budging, resulting in a ruptured left eardrum. So if you see me out somewhere and are trying to get my attention, don’t feel offended if I don’t hear you right away. It’s supposed to be better in a month or so. Walk it off, as my dad and former coaches always said.
     Anyway, it was tough to hear about legendary Manasquan football coach Vic Kubu not being able to serve as the Warriors’ head man this season because of illness. Hope to see him back soon in the visor on the sidelines, leaning over with his hands resting on his knees outsmarting the opposition or watching the team he drilled relentlessly just run over another foe. Defensive coordinator Pete Cahill will be in charge in his absence, and Manasquan’s coaching staff is at the top of the Shore and state, so the Warriors should be in good hands. Plus, knowing their players, Kubu’s inspiration should drive them to silence any doubters after graduating nearly their entire starting lineup from one of the greatest teams in school history, which went 12-0 last year.
     On the boys basketball front, I would expect Christian Brothers Academy to lock up Seton Hall assistant Geoff Billet any day now. Logic would dictate that if the Colts were going to hire an assistant who served under legendary coach Ed Wicelinski, it would have been done by now. It will be real interesting if Billet has some sort of Billy Donovan change of heart and decides to stay on Bobby Gonzalez’s staff with the Pirates to try and continue his upward trajectory in the college game. Either way, I would think this has dragged on long enough, particularly for a coach who has never been a head coach, although he certainly brings the name recognition and is a former CBA star. Aug. 1 to Sept 8 is the quiet period in NCAA recruiting when recruits can’t be contacted, which means that Billet could fulfill his recruiting duties for this summer and then bow out to CBA. We’ll see.
     I took in the final night of the summer league at Rebounds on Wednesday, and from the looks of it, there is going to be some serious parity next year. No team really stood out from the pack, although it’s always with a grain of salt in the summer because teams don’t have their full squads there and aren’t in top form. I know Lakewood should be improved this year after struggling around .500 or so the past few seasons, Freehold Township should be better than people think, Neptune should be good as usual, and Red Bank’s Will Sanborn should lead the Shore in shot attempts.
    
     Finally, here’s a few links:

  • I love when any sketchy, underworld subject, like fixing games, bubbles to the surface (hello, Tim Donaghy), every mobster and suspect figure starts getting quoted or interviewed by major news outlets.
  • The Knowshon Moreno era at Georgia appears to be getting closer and closer to really kicking off after redshirting last year.
  • The Clippers’ Shaun Livingston is trying to come back from perhaps last season’s winner of “Most Horrific Injury Played on YouTube a Million Times,” before the NBA had it taken down.
  • Also, the most recent edition of “Outside” Magazine has a good story on PGA golfer Will MacKenzie, who was a ski bum and had a few other offbeat jobs before becoming a pro golfer. There’s also a decent story on skiiing in Iran.
  • Finally, in non-sports news, Vanity Fair has a good oral history of a show that has taken countless hours out of my life and now has a movie out, “The Simpsons.” Also, my brother sent me this YouTube clip. It’s the Indian version of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.’‘ There isn’t much more that needs to be said than that.

     E-mail: [email protected]
   
    

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Monmouth County Shore 44 tidbits/basketball notes

Posted on 14 July 2007 by new_league.

Monmouth County Shore 44 tidbits/basketball notes

Extras from Monmouth County’s first Shore 44 practice, updates on some former Shore  hoops players
    Took in a good portion of the first practice of the week for the Monmouth County squad as it prepares for Friday’s Shore 44 Football Classic at Brick, and one area jumped out pretty quickly.
    While the temptation would be to say that area is the passing game behind two of the Shore’s top quarterbacks, Howell’s Sean O’Reilly and Monmouth Regional’s Tom D’Ambrisi, it actually was the defensive line that looks like it will be formidable (not that the passing game shouldn’t be strong as well).
    Anchored by Raritan’s Brian England, Manalapan’s Billy Dokouslis (who was the defensive MVP of the North-South All-Star game already this summer),

and Manasquan’s Alex Iachetta,
this is a group with speed, power and relentlessness. Howell coach Cory
Davies, who is the Monmouth County head coach, even joked about
Dokouslis, that whenever he came out of the game when Manalapan played
Howell, the Howell coaches would be saying, “He’s out of the game! He’s
out of the game! Send in that play we wanted to run!”
Monmouth Regional quarterback Tom D’Ambrisi slings a pass in Saturday’s Monmouth County practice for the Shore 44 Football Classic.

    Ocean County has a good backfield with Toms River East’s Brady Doyle, Brick Memorial’s Vinnie Falkiewicz and Jackson’s Mark Schiavone, among others, so the defensive line will need to make some plays and tie up blockers for Monmouth County’s linebackers to prevent the big play. Falkiewicz slicing up the middle toward Iachetta or England should be a nice collision.
    D’Ambrisi and O’Reilly were working out of the shotgun at times, which is not giving anything away considering Davies said they would be running the spread offense that Howell employs with four wide receivers. One interesting target should be Red Bank Catholic tight end Harry Flaherty, who will probably line up as a slot receiver and could be a handful for any defensive back. Flaherty is playing in the Shore 44 game 27 years after his father, also named Harry, represented RBC in the third All-Shore Classic.
    There were a few other little wrinkles being thrown in here and there that I’m not going to give away, because I know how competitive the coaches get in this game. As for the running backs, RBC’s Don Porzio, Ocean’s Joe Falco, Keyport’s Joey Ware and Raritan’s Carmen Dente were getting most of the carries in practice. Ware could end up being a secret weapon as he has the power to knock over bigger players, and this game is always big to the players from the small schools as a way to prove that they can hang with the talent from the Group III and Group IV squads.
    
     On the basketball side, I caught up with former Christian Brothers Academy star and current Florida sophomore Dan Werner at the Jersey Shore Basketball League in Belmar on Thursday, and the interview is on the homepage and the boys basketball page. Werner made it sound like everything is pretty much back to normal after Gators’ coach Billy Donovan committed to coach the Orlando Magic before backing out and returning to Florida after winning two straight NCAA titles.
     I also caught up with former Manasquan player Jason Westrol, a guard who has bulked up considerably and it showed in the game, as he threw down a tip dunk and made some strong moves in traffic. He said that adding muscle was a big focus for him after beginning his career at Division II Bentley this past winter. The JSBL is also a pretty physical league with older players, many of whom play professionally overseas.
    One of his teammates in the JSBL plays in the same league at Stonehill College, former Monsignor Donovan teammate Randall Stallworth. Westrol, Stallworth and Werner all play for UBS in the JSBL.

E-mail: [email protected]
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Keansburg football team wins 7-on-7 tournament

Posted on 12 July 2007 by new_league.

Keansburg wins 7-on-7 passing tournament

The Titans went unbeaten in a field of 24 teams to win a tournament at Kean University this past weekend behind quarterback Anthony Valle and wideout Josh Bakala.
    Keansburg’s football team, which will return some of the most dynamic skill players in the Shore in the fall, gained some confidence by beating Passaic Valley 14-13 in the final to win a 24-team 7-on-7 passing tournament at Kean University over this past weekend.
    Of the four different teams that advanced to the semifinals out of separate brackets, three were from the Shore – Keansburg, Long Branch and Freehold. Keansburg beat Long Branch 26-12 and Passaic Valley beat Freehold 14-13 in the semis.
   

Keansburg QB Anthony Valle threw 20 touchdown passes and only
two interceptions, according to Titans’ offensive coordinator Tom
O’Keefe. Senior wide receiver Josh Bakala, who led the Shore in
receiving yards last year, was named tournament MVP. Joe Hayes
intercepted a pass in the end zone on the final play to give the Titans
the win.
   Keansburg bounced back from a 2-4 showing at a 7-on-7 tournament at
Monmouth University last month that was won by Holmdel, which beat
Monroe in the final.
Keansburg QB Anthony Valle threw 20 touchdowns and only two interceptions in the tournament

    Obviously, 7-on-7 tournaments aren’t the be-all, end-all, just a good test of a team’s skill players and defensive backs and a chance to get QBs and receivers on the same page heading into the season. Keansburg returns Valle, one of the top returning quarterbacks in the Shore, as well as Bakala, the Laguna twins – Justin and Joe – and wideout Scott Pillar.
   The real question will come on Keansburg’s offensive line, which lost a good chunk to graduation from last year’s Central Jersey Group I semifinalists. That’s why a 7-on-7 only tells part of the story. The team Manasquan had last year wouldn’t have wowed the crowd at a 7-on-7 tournament, but when the Warriors lined up a skilled group of 260-290 pound behemoths on both sides of the line of scrimmage, they were absolutely unstoppable. You still have to block and tackle.
   Bakala has improved by leaps and bounds and a big key for the Titans this year could be Pillar because teams are going to be rolling safeties Bakala’s way because of his blazing speed and ability to score from anywhere on the field. Valle can chuck the longball as well as anyone, so Bakala has to be respected now that he has improved his hands so much after having major struggles with catching the ball early in his varsity career. Pillar also has good speed and could thrive if teams blanket Bakala.
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Basketball, football, baseball notes

Posted on 10 July 2007 by new_league.

Basketball, football, baseball notes

News on the ABCCL baseball all-star game, the Shore 44 Football All-Star game and summer basketball tidbits
    The Atlantic Baseball Confederation Collegiate League all-star game will be held at FirstEnergy Park at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 12, following a workout for the players in front of a host of major-league scouts at 3:30 p.m.
    The ABCCL is an eight-team wood bat current college players that is now in its seventh season of existence and features numerous former Shore Conference standouts and players from programs ranging from locals like Monmouth University, Seton Hall and Rutgers to Florida, LSU, Virginia and Rice.
    The proceeds from the game will go to the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which promotes opportunities for minority players. This is the 60th anniversary of Robinson breaking the MLB color barrier in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
    The game features 50 players selected by league coaches and split into the Yogi Berra All-Stars and the Larry Doby All-Stars. Admission is free, but a $5 donation is suggested.
    Featured players on the Larry Doby All-Stars include former Raritan standout Mike Nunes (Montclair State), Freehold Township’s Damian Csakai (Wagner), Toms River North’s Chad Sloboda (Brookdale) and Mike Casale (Monmouth U), Toms River East’s Scott Fisher (Seton Hall) and Jackson’s Dan Morvay (Wagner).
    The Yogi Berra All-Stars include Wall’s Derek Beckman (Princeton) and Chris Collazo (Monmouth), Manchester’s Travis Musolf (Marist), and Red Bank Catholic’s Casey Walko (Central Connecticut) among others.
    In other baseball news, former Toms River South and Rutgers star shortstop Todd Frazier became the richest member of his prodigious baseball-playing family by signing with the Reds for a reported $825,000 after being taken with the 34th overall pick in June’s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. That trumps the reported $550,000 that his brother Jeff got as a third-round pick by the Tigers a few years back and the $250-300 G’s that his oldest brother, Charlie, got from the Marlins out of high school. Charlie is now an assistant with TR South. Still, that’s awfully impressive to have all three sons drafted into the big leagues for big money.
    That leaves St. Rose pitcher Anthony Ranaudo (Rangers), CBA pitcher Kyle Slate (Phillies) and RBC shortstop J.C. Menna (Pirates) as the main unsigned players from the Shore with the Aug. 15 deadline to sign just over a month away. Slate and Menna will most likely honor their commitments to the University of Maine and James Madison, respectively, after being drafted in the late rounds. Ranaudo, who has a scholarship to LSU, was taken in the 11th round and will most likely only sign for third-round money ($600,000 or so).
   
    In football news, the practices for the Shore 44 All-Star game are scheduled to begin on Saturday, with the Monmouth squad practicing at Matawan from 9 a.m. to noon on the weekend and tentatively from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. during the week leading up to the game at Brick on July 20. The Ocean County team will be practicing at at Lakewood. The rosters should also be up on the site very soon. We will have plenty of stories and videos leading up to the game as well as another feature that any Shore football fan should enjoy.

    Finally, on the basketball front, RBC forward Kristina Coppolino has committed to Northeastern University up in Boston, where she won’t be far from Caseys teammate Kristina Danella, who had earlier committed to Massachusetts.
    I also took a trip over to the boys summer league at Rebounds in Neptune, and that place is like Rumor Central. I actually had one player from a small school, who is one of the top returners on his team this year, come up to me and tell me he wanted to transfer to either Red Bank or Neptune to get more exposure and whether or not that was a good idea. It’s like free agency, as he added that another one of his talented teammates was also considering transferring.
    Neptune is undefeated in the league after edging Red Bank, and looks like it will be tough as usual with or without guard D.J. Gutridge, who is reportedly transferring, but even head coach Ken O’Donnell did not know for sure. Neptune is welcoming transfers Terry Hicks (Monmouth Academy) and Jamar Hill (Ocean).
    Red Bank should be solid, and guard Will Sanborn has a chance to lead the Shore in scoring. The question is whether that will be a good thing for his team or an alienating thing if he is jacking up shots at will. He loves the stepback 3-pointer , that’s for sure.
    Jackson Liberty, a new school that will join the varsity ranks of the Shore Conference this year, is also participating in the league and has taken its lumps thus far as part of the learning process.
    The most buzz is about Monmouth Academy (formerly Lakewood Prep), which decided not participate in the league after initially joining up, according to O’Donnell, who runs the league. Under new coach Mike Rogers, the small school in Howell is supposedly assembling an army of Division I-A level talent – although nothing is officially confirmed. It’s interesting for one big reason. Local coaches, particularly at public schools, are already leery of losing promising players to prep schools like St. Benedict’s in Newark, so if Monmouth Academy becomes a powerhouse right in the Shore’s backyard, that might make the decision for Shore players to leave their school an easier one because it’s right in their backyard, not somewhere up in Newark. Stay tuned on this one.
    The other constant buzz concerns who will finally get the Christian Brothers Academy job. Some reports have Seton Hall assistant Geoff Billet all but taking it, while others say he’s turned it down. He has been actively inking recruits for the Pirates, so he’s done a solid smokescreen if he is going to take the CBA job. Obviously, nothing is out of the realm of possibility, but we’re getting pretty deep into the summer without a head coach for the Colts.
   

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Wall’s Tim Wright commits to Rutgers

Posted on 03 July 2007 by new_league.

Wright commits to Rutgers/coaching updates

   Wall senior RB/WR Tim Wright has given a verbal commitment to Rutgers, according to a report on scout. com.

   Wright, who was a wide receiver at Neptune before transferring to Wall before last season, played primarily at tailback on offense for the Crimson Knights this past fall. He also lined up at quarterback and in the slot as a receiver while also playing in the secondary. He is projected as a wide receiver at Rutgers. After an up-and-down junior season, Wright’s athleticism during the off-season combines led to offers from Michigan State, Maryland, Iowa, Boston College, Syracuse and others in addition to Rutgers, which is also heavily targeting Manasquan offensive lineman Art Forst, who is also heading into his senior year.
    Wright may see more time at receiver with Wall this season, as the Crimson Knights return QB Jim Louro, but his athletic ability means that he will most likely once again be lined up all over the place in order to get him the ball in space.
    Also in football, 28-year-old Ocean assistant Don Klein has been approved by the Board of Education as the Spartans new head coach. He is a former QB at Shore Regional, and he is stepping in for Sal Spampanato, who left to take the head job at Monmouth Regional after leading Ocean to a state sectional title in 2005. Both Monmouth and Ocean suffered heavy losses to graduation after each reaching the state playoffs last season. Monmouth won its first state playoff game in school history by beating the Spartans.
    Manchester’s football vacancy has been filled by assistant Gerard O’Donnell, who succeeds Rob Paneque, who is now an administrator at Wall. The Hawks will play their first night home games in school history this fall after a fund-raising drive allowed them to install lights at their home field.
    The annual Shore 44 All-Star game will be at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 20th, at Brick Township High School. Howell’s Cory Davies will coach the Monmouth County team, with Lacey’s Lou Vircillo heading up the Ocean County team.
    Finally, Happy July 4th to everyone out there, and hopefully the weather cooperates for a day of grilling burgers and drinking cold beverages.
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