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. |
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| 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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