WEEK FOUR THOUGHTS

      If you haven’t already, don’t forget to check out The Fifth Down highlights from this past weekend’s action before this week’s games get underway.
     Also, I added TR North QB Anthony Penna to the honorable mention list for the player of the week, as he threw 3 TD passes and ran for another in a 49-7 win over Freehold Township.
      The one sequence that was basically 10 1/2 out of the top 10 plays this week was Colts Neck’s Ashton Jackson running for touchdowns on consecutive plays of over 50 yards after the first one got called back because of a penalty. You’ll want to check that one out on the Constitution Division highlight page.
      Also, thanks to the following head coaches and assistants for helping us put together this week’s Fifth Down show and to promote the sport: Red Bank Catholic’s Frank Edgerly, Raritan’s Bob Generelli/Anthony Petruzzi/Rob Nucci, Shore’s Mark Costantino, Marlboro’s Joe Passo, Toms River North’s Chip LaBarca, Colts Neck’s Mike McArthur, Howell’s Cory Davies, Middletown South’s Steve Antonucci and Andy Nicholes, Wall’s Chris Barnes and Bill Pietsch, Matawan’s Joe Martucci, Manasquan’s Pete Cahill and Jay Price, and Point Boro’s Calvin Thompson.

I will have the Shore football alumni update up later today, so check back for that.
As for this week, we break down the games in the Schwartz Chrysler Mazda Pick ‘Em show as always (and by the way, congrats to Ocean Township’s Ray Wells for beating me last week and taking home the $100 gift certificate to Monmouth Mall), but here are a few quick thoughts on the big games. Check back tomorrow for more info on this week’s games in The Fifth Down football notebook.

Wall at Middletown South: Watch out for Eagles’ sophomore Sean Campbell, the younger brother of senior quarterback Pat Campbell, who has been one of the team’s top linebackers among a group of stars that includes Matt Martino, Scott Vigar and Dan Miller…There is still a little bit of a sentiment out there that Rutgers-bound Wall senior RB/DB Tim Wright is overrated. Here is as good a chance as any to shut those people up, although we’ll see how healthy he is after missing a 17-0 win over Monmouth with a bruised knee suffered in the second half of a Week Two game against Matawan…Sophomore WR Craig Sweeney has become a real weapon for Middletown South and could be a big factor in this game if Wall jams up the run. Also, watch out for big target Mike Farrell running up the seam on a play-action pass from Campbell…Wall RB Blaze Caponegro has scored at least one touchdown in all three of his team’s games.
Lacey at Howell: How will Lacey regroup after a short week following a 34-28 overtime loss to Long Branch on Sunday that snapped its 14-game winning streak?….Expect Howell to throw in some wrinkles on offense with wideout Brian Battaglia in his second game at quarterback for the injured Tim Lamirande…Howell’s defense has not allowed a point in its last six quarters…Long Branch was the first team to hold Lacey RB Tom Rickmers under 100 yards in a game (he had 95)…Watch out for Howell’s Jason Amato at WR if Lacey chooses to blanket senior WR Chance Carrick.
Freehold at Neptune: A big key for Freehold will not be letting Scarlet Fliers junior RB Michael Peavy to break one early in the game. Peavy is one of the top rushers in the Shore this season and has run for a long touchdown at the outset of all of Neptune’s games thus far to help break the ice and give the Fliers some early momentum…This game may come down to which team has less penalty flags that erase big plays…Watch out for Freehold’s Brandon Brown on special teams as a returner…Neptune thrives on the cutback. There are even plays designed for certain players that require those player to juke a defender without blocking to spring a big play.
St. John Vianney at Manasquan: If Warriors sophomore RB Lorenzo Venables has anything like the 170-yard rushing day he had against Monsignor Donovan, it will be a longshot for St. John Vianney…The Lancers surrendered 5.5 yards per rush last week in a loss to Barnegat, and Manasquan has a better running game than the Bengals…On the plus side, SJV ran for 297 yards against the Bengals…SJV has completed a total of 7 passes for 58 yards in three games, and Manasquan’s strength is its run defense.
Facing Raritan, Barnegat may be without the services of starting RB Bob Fitzpatrick, who suffered a left leg injury in a win over St. John Vianney. However, as one rival coach noted this week, “The other (Erik Smithman) is just as scary.”…Meanwhile, the banged up Rockets got starting QB Brian Kalarjian back last week, but still have had problems generating offense…Barnegat QB Brandon Clarke has not thrown an INT in 41 attempts and has a 63 percent completion rate. He also leads the Shore with 488 passing yards…Bengals junior WR Dan Cintron is averaging 43.5 yards per catch. Think he’s their longball threat?
Brick Memorial at Southern: The Rams have outscored their two opponents 27-0 this season…The real question is how much more the Mustangs continue to grasp Walt Currie’s triple option offense…Southern LB Glenn Carson should be a crucial factor in a game where the Rams will have to play assignment football to stop the option…Brick Memorial has beaten Southern by a combined score of 82-0 the past three seasons, including a 21-0 win last year.
Long Branch at Matawan: The Green Wave are averaging 6.1 yards per rush and 37.5 points per game this season in their two games, both victories against teams that reached the state playoffs a year ago. Scrambling quarterback Isaiah Hall is averaging 6.8 yards per run…In its two losses, Matawan allowed more than 300 yards rushing each time….Watch out for Matawan junior Kyle Hardy on special teams, as he is one of the top kickoff returners in the Shore…With a victory, Long Branch will be only one win shy of tying its win total from last year…If you go to this game, you must get a hamburger, as the Huskies cook up some of the best in the Shore.
Quick hits from other games: Pinelands, Manalapan, Central, Freehold Township, Toms River South, Keyport, Manchester, Marlboro and Red Bank are all looking for their first victories of the season…Freehold Twp. is surrendering an average of 49 points per game as it heads to Jackson….Red Bank Catholic standout RB David Reeves grew up in Red Bank and is the son of a former Red Bank Regional basketball star. The Caseys travel to Little Silver to face the Bucs this weekend….Manalapan started 0-3 last year and reached the state playoffs. The Braves are 0-3 heading into Friday’s game against Toms River South…Point Boro is playing its first divisional game of the season when it welcomes Monsignor Donovan in the National Division. The Panthers are averaging 8.8 yards per rush this season…Rumson-FH heads to Shore to renew a bitter rivalry. The Bulldogs’ locker room doors still have faded spraypaint that says “Shore” on it after beating the Blue Devils last year….Manchester and Monmouth are both coming off shutout losses last week, so something has to give on the scoreboard.

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