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By Scott Stump �?? Senior Editor
Through the first five weeks of the season, it�??s become obvious that it is a three-team race for the Liberty Division title.
Starting on Friday night and continuing for the next two weeks, the championship will be decided as Wall, Red Bank Catholic and Long Branch all will play one another. It all starts with a collision between No. 3 Long Branch and No. 8 Wall on Friday at Wall. Considering that these teams went to overtime last year during the regular season and had two classic games in 2005, it should be another riveting battle.
�??This is a huge divisional game,�??�?? said Wall senior lineman Bobby Reed. �??We haven�??t competed for a division championship for a few years, and we know Long Branch is tough.�??�??
Wall last won a division title in 2003, when it shared the Liberty Division crown with Matawan and Raritan. Long Branch’s last divisional crown came in 1999, when it won the old Class B North.
The unbeaten Green Wave (4-0) bring an arsenal of offensive weapons, including elusive quarterback Isaiah Hall, rugged running backs Travis Patterson and Shawn Brown, and athletic wideouts Donte Gilliard and Larry Morris. No team has held them to less than 28 points in a game thus far, and last week in a 40-7 win over Monmouth, they had three 100-yard rushers in Hall, Brown and Patterson.
�??Our main goal is to stop Patterson,�??�?? Reed said of Long Branch�??s leading rusher. �??The other thing is to keep Isaiah Hall in the pocket because once he sees open field, he�??s gone. Our ends and our corners have worked a lot on containment in the pocket.
�??They don�??t really pass the ball, so if we can get them to pass it, that�??s great, because they�??re running the ball well right now.�??�??
As for the Crimson Knights (4-1), whose only loss is a one-point setback to No. 1 Middletown South, they welcomed junior running back/linebacker Blaze Caponegro back into the fold in last week�??s 48-0 win over Red Bank after Caponegro missed most of the Middletown South game with migraine headaches. Caponegro is Wall�??s workhorse back and a complement to the big-play ability of Rutgers-bound senior Tim Wright and quarterback Jim Louro.
�??We feel that having Blaze back is good in many different ways,�??�?? Reed said. �??It gives Tim a rest, and the defense has two threats to worry about. We can put Tim at wide receiver, put Blaze at running back, and nobody knows what�??s coming. (Caponegro) is a good running back, and he runs hard just like Patterson.�??�??
Not only is a major leg up in the divisional race on the table, but a barrel of power points and a high seed in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III bracket is also in the mix. Also, don�??t think Long Branch will be intimidated for a second on Wall�??s home field, as this is the fourth straight season the Green Wave have played every game on the road because of renovations to their home field.
�??Wall is a tough, physical, well-coached team, so we know it�??s going to be a big challenge,�??�?? said Long Branch coach Dan George.
�??Bob Grace, our special teams coach, told us that we have to have the mindset that if this thing does go to overtime, we�??re going to win it,�??�?? Reed said. �??These games with them are always close games. We�??re definitely expecting a close, competitive game, and we�??ve got to get it done.�??�??
RANKINGS RUMBLE
In another match-up between teams ranked in the DigitalSports Shore Conference Top 10, No. 1 Middletown South will travel to what should be a raucous atmosphere down at No. 6 Toms River North for a nondivisional clash of undefeated teams.
�??They said we�??re going to have a �??gold out�?? at the game, so hopefully that helps a lot and gets some noise going,�??�?? Toms River North senior quarterback Anthony Penna said about the home fans all donning gold T-shirts.
Penna, who threw four touchdown passes in a 28-7 win over Jackson last week, will have to play well as he said starting running back Marlon Brinson will be a game-time decision after being banged up against the Jaguars last week. Jon Daniels, who has shown explosiveness out of the backfield, would fill Brinson�??s shoes if he doesn�??t play. They have to establish the run to make sure that the Eagles�?? aggressive defense doesn�??t tee off on Penna.
The Mariners (5-0) are looking to make believers out of some skeptics who are on the fence about how good they are this season.
�??Considering (Middletown South) is the No. 1 team in the Shore, if we beat them it�??s going to open a lot of people�??s eyes,�??�?? Penna said.
The Eagles (5-0) will do what they always try to do on defense, and that is jam up the run game and then send the kitchen sink at the quarterback on passing downs.
�??We�??re looking to get a good pass rush, which we lacked in the first half of the Wall game before bringing it in the second half,�??�?? said Middletown South junior linebacker Matt Martino.
�??I saw a lot of tape on them, and they do blitz a lot,�??�?? Penna said. �??As my coach (Chip LaBarca) said, �??Grip it and rip it. Everything has got to be quick. Don�??t sit in the pocket or you�??ll get killed.�??�??�??
Penna has an array of weapons, including wide receiver Adam Carey and emerging tight end Austin Kugler, the latter of whom caught a pair of touchdowns last week. It also helps that Penna is more comfortable with the offense after running a completely different offense last year at Toms River South before he transferred across town.
�??I know the plays like the back of my hand now,�??�?? he said.
Kugler, a defensive end, and linebackers Zach Kane and Nick Foukarakis will try to slow down an Eagles�?? offense that has yet to be stopped for a full game this year. Martino is at fullback in the run-heavy flexbone option, and senior Pat Campbell is one of the top quarterbacks in the Shore.
�??We�??re just going to run our offense, and we could try and take advantage of some opportunities if they overpursue,�??�?? Martino said.
The Eagles showed some championship grit in rebounding from a 20-7 halftime deficit to edge Wall, 35-34, in their first big test of the season. They are hoping to drive home the point that they are the No. 1 team in the Shore, and get some momentum going into a game against Freehold next week for the Federal Division title. The winner will also reap a bonanza of power points for a high seed in the state playoffs.
�??(Toms River North) is a bigger school than us, and everyone is calling us out and saying we can�??t play with the big boys,�??�?? Martino said. �??We can�??t just depend on people saying we�??re No. 1. We�??ve got to play like we�??re No. 1. Our playoffs start this week. This is our run. This is where we�??re going to show everyone what we are and start peaking.�??�??
SUBPLOTS GALORE IN POINT BORO-MANASQUAN
Point Boro travels to Manasquan on Saturday for a key National Division game between the unbeaten Panthers, ranked No. 7 in the DigitalSports Top 10, and a Warriors�?? squad coming off a 17-0 loss to Rumson-Fair Haven.
Manasquan was without both of its starting running backs, senior Chazz Coursey and sophomore Lorenzo Venables, in the loss to Rumson. Both will be on the field on Saturday.
�??I�??m playing on Saturday,�??�?? Coursey said. �??Lorenzo�??s coming back, too. This week�??s practice has been the best practice of the year. If we don�??t do it here, we don�??t have a chance at the division title and the playoffs.�??�??
Adding another wrinkle to the proceedings is that Coursey trained in the offseason with Point Boro coach Calvin Thompson, a Manasquan graduate who has his own athlete performance business. Coursey, who took helmet shots to his knee and ankle the last few weeks that put him out against Rumson, leads an offense that will try to take the ball and run it right at the Panthers.
�??They are lining up to smack us in the mouth,�??�?? said Point Boro senior linebacker Kyle Coleman. �??The only way to stop it is to line up and smack them back.�??�??
�??Having your running backs back is always a good sign,�??�?? said Manasquan senior wideout Tyler Fittin, who also saw time at running back in their absence. �??You�??ve seen in the past games what we can do with those two back there.�??�??
Yet another personal wrinkle in this rivalry is that Fittin�??s mother has been best friends since high school with the mother of Point Boro junior quarterback Shane O�??Connor. Fittin and O�??Connor have been friendly rivals since the beginning of their football careers in Pop Warner.
O�??Connor leads an offense that was dealt a major blow this week as 6-foot-5 senior wideout Bob Stowe, who is also a top defensive player, was lost for the season with a knee injury suffered in a 20-7 win over Raritan.
�??I think we have people who are going to step up, but of course it�??s going to be a loss because Bob is one of the best receivers around,�??�?? O�??Connor said.
�??Bob Stowe and I have been best friends since the beginning,�??�?? Coleman said. �??His senior season was brutally taken away from him. I�??ve seen him for the last three days on crutches, and I feel heartbroken for the kid. It�??s just such an inspiration, that the next play it could be stripped away for me too. It�??s personal now. I�??m playing for the team and for Bob Stowe.�??�??
Without having to worry about Stowe getting behind the defense for a long touchdown pass, Manasquan can load up against the run a little more in the Panthers�?? option set.
�??That option offense is always a challenge, especially when you have the athletes they have in the backfield,�??�?? Fittin said. �??When Bob Stowe was there, they could hit you with the home run ball, and it�??s always hard to find the ball.�??�??
It will be up to O�??Connor, senior fullback Skylar Engelken, slotback Joe Bontempo and the rest of the Panthers�?? offense to pick up the slack in Stowe�??s absence.
�??Somebody has to step up now,�??�?? Coleman said. �??I went right over to Shane (after Stowe�??s injury) and said, �??The keys are yours. It�??s your time to shine.�??�??�??
After not having beaten a team with a winning record in starting 4-0, the Panthers are also on a quest for respect in addition to a division title and a prime seeding in the South Jersey Group II bracket, where Manasquan is the defending champion.
�??I understand why they�??re saying that they don�??t respect us because we haven�??t played top opponents,�??�?? Coleman said. �??On any day, we can compete with any team. We�??re backed up in a corner right now, and we�??re going to fight our way out.�??�??
�??We�??ve all heard all the talk about everybody saying we�??re not for real,�??�?? O�??Connor said. �??We knew this was going to be our breakout week from the get-go. We�??ve been really looking forward to this week.�??�??
As for Manasquan, a loss would drop it to 3-3 and could mean the Warriors would need help just to get back to the playoffs.
�??If we win this, we set the path for later games,�??�?? Fittin said. �??If we lose this game, then we�??re waiting for other teams to win or lose.�??�??
ON THE REBOUND
In the wake of its 14-6 upset loss to Southern, Toms River East has to regroup in a hurry as it faces Brick Memorial (2-2) in the American Division. Also adding a twist is that the Mustangs�?? first-year head coach, Walt Currie, is a Toms River East graduate.
�??We got over (the Southern loss) pretty quick because we knew we had to,�??�?? said senior lineman Mike Murphy. �??We�??re not going to fold now. It seems like everyone jumped off the bandwagon and it was humbling, but we�??re ready to go again.�??�??
�??This is a must-win game for us,�??�?? said senior running back/linebacker Ryan Dolan. �??If we lose here, we probably don�??t get into the playoffs. We have to have this game.�??�??
The Raiders are hoping that the setback to Southern is similar to Middletown South�??s upset loss to Ocean last year, which served as a wakeup call and resulted in the Eagles trampling everyone in their path on their way to a state sectional title.
�??It�??s better to get that loss now than in the playoffs,�??�?? Dolan said.
The loss also forced the Raiders to work a little more on the passing game after Southern exposed them as a little bit too one-dimensional with the running game.
�??I�??d like to see us continue to work a little more on the pass because it loosens things up a little more,�??�?? said Dolan, who lines up at quarterback as well.
As for Southern, the Rams are out to prove that last week was no fluke when they take on a dangerous Brick squad in a nondivisional game.
�??We can�??t be satisfied with just this one big win,�??�?? said junior linebacker Glenn Carson, the reigning DigitalSports Defensive Player of the Week. �??We have to keep it going.�??�??
Another big game is Lacey at Colts Neck, as the Lions rebounded from two straight losses to edge Brick 22-16 last week and Colts Neck has not lost since its season opener against undefeated Howell.
The winner of this game could still get a piece of the Constitution Division title if Howell loses to Brick next week. This game also features two of the Shore�??s top running backs in Colts Neck senior Ashton Jackson and Lacey junior Tom Rickmers. Chris Chiarelli�??s ability to make plays in the passing game for Colts Neck could be a huge factor in this game.
EXTRA POINTS
Nine teams are still undefeated and nine teams are still searching for their first win. Something will have to give in the former category when Middletown South (5-0) and Toms River North (5-0) meet. On the flipside, one team will get its first win in the Pinelands-Central, Middletown North-Toms River South and Freehold Township-Marlboro games.
The Middletown North game on Saturday night will be played at Middletown South because the new artificial turf field at North could not be completed this week thanks to the rainy weather�?�Howell is bidding to be 6-0 for the first time in school history with a nondivisional win over Jackson�?�Undefeated Holmdel will be the first Shore Conference opponent Jackson Liberty has faced in its inaugural varsity season�?�Asbury Park is gunning for its fifth straight win when it takes on Matawan in a nondivisional game�?�First-year Mater Dei head coach Nick Varanelli will be taking on his old staff, as the Seraphs face Rumson-Fair Haven, where Varanelli was an assistant under Shane Fallon before taking the head job at Mater Dei.
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