all shore media high school sports 10-22-12 issue - 18 - volume iv

3 Army Teamof the Week

4 Get RYPT: Building Power

6 Southern Running Game Leads the Way

8 Manalapan Wins Showdown

11 One Shining Moment for Brick Senior

12-13Welcom BackBulvid

14 Colts Neck Girls SoccerMakes SCT Run

1 7 Midd. South Boys SoccerAdvances in SCT

19 Jackson Liberty GirlsVolleyball Wins Division Title

23Stumpy’s

Corner

October 22, 2012 Volume-IV Issue-18

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Senior Content Providers

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The f irs t thingfans, players , coaches

and parents want to knowafter the big game is always,

"Is this going to be on All Shore Media?"All Shore Media has established itself as a leader in scholastic sports

coverage in Monmouth and Ocean count ies , providing more videohighl ight c l ips , in-depth report ing, feature s tor ies and regular updatesthan ANY OTHER OUTLET in the area.

All Shore Media Web Site Features

n Get Video Highlights of all the important games that Shore Conference fans will be talking about.

n Catch up on the action you might have missed

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Week-1Rumson

Week-2Marlboro

Week-3Toms River North

Week-4Manalapan

Week-5Brick Memorial

Red Bank Regional head coach Nick Gigl io and his team are honoredby U.S. Army SGT. Smith as the Army Strong Team of the Week for Week Six .

New For This SeasonIn conjunction with All Shore Media, The U.S. Army will

honor one team a week that showed the character,

perseverance and hard work emblematic of The U.S. Army

during its performance that weekend. An Army Game Ball

will be presented to that team during practice that week

in honor of a great showing.

F O R A D V E R T I S I N G I N F O RMA T I O NC o n t a c t : S t e v e n M e y e r 7 3 2 - 2 3 3 - 4 4 6 0 s m e y e r @ a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m

Brick Memorial head coach Walt Currie and histeam are honored by U.S. Army SGT. Hill as theArmy Strong Team of the Week for Week Five.

The U.S. Army StrongTeam of the Week forWeek Six is Red BankRegional, which pickedup its first win of theseason in stunningfashion when it upendeddefending Central JerseyGroup III championNeptune, 21-19, to shakeup the Class B North raceand show plenty ofcharacter after an 0-4start.

Coach Nick Giglio's Bucs gotout to a 14-7 lead and held on,as they never trailed in thegame. The defense forced fiveturnovers, including a fumblethat was returned by senior

Tahji Tomaino for a touchdownand an interception by seniordefensive end Garrett Sickelswith four minutes left in thegame that killed Neptune's bestchance to take the lead at theend.

Tomaino also ran for a 70-yard touchdown, and runningback Jahimere Hinton added a10-yard score. Sickels,linebacker Dillon Stambaughand senior defensive tackleIsaac Coates led a strongdefensive effort. Coatesfinished with 7 tackles, two fora loss, and a batted pass tocontinue a standout season.Sickels, a Penn State recruit,had an interception and agame-sealing sack on Neptune'sfinal possession.

Week-6Red Bank Regional 21Neptune 1 9

I n the last issue, we discussed theimportance of strength and how it can

contribute to athletic success and injuryreduction. Strength is the foundation for allathletics. It provides structure, stability andsupport during movement. However, with thespeed of today’s game, strength is not enoughand can only get you so far. The ability toapply that strength quickly, or power, has asubstantial effect on the outcome of any oneon one match-up, play or game.andsolidifying scholarships.

Good athletes are strong, but great athletesare strong AND fast. In order to maximizeathletic performance to the highest level,strength needs to be applied very, very fast.Take a look at the following examples andsee why power dominatesany sport:

n Hearing/seeing the ballsnap and engagingcontact on a footballplayer

n Seeing a baseballtraveling down the plateand swinging to makecontact

n Reacting to a spike orpass on the court

n Receiving a pass andswinging/kicking throughto hit or throw the ballthrough a net

Each of the aforementioned movementsrequires the finest levels of quickness,reaction time and speed, all qualitiesassociated with being powerful. If you breakdown power into its simplest form, itbecomes the following:

Power: Force x Velocity (or speed)

In regards to training, strength isresponsible for improving force. However,improving strength can only improve powerso much. Focusing only on what we call“foundational” lifts such as the variations ofthe bench press, squat and deadlift will keepthe athlete strong, but also slow. Lifting athigh intensities, traditionally above 85% fortoo long will keep the body strong but willdo very little to improve speed of movement.In athletics, what good does strength do ifyou’re too slow to apply it?

Training for power is acritical component for in-season training, especiallyfor the explosive sportssuch as football, fieldhockey, soccer andvolleyball. However, toomuch power training canleave an athlete fatiguedand weak. Power trainingincludes, but is not limitedto the following:

n Olympic lift variations:Cleans, snatches, pushpresses/jerks with barbellsor dumbbells and from thehang, block or floorposition

n Kettlebells: Swings, snatches, push pressesand throws

n Medicine ball throws: Overhead,rotational, reverse and underhand

n Jumps: Box jumps, vertical jumps, longjumps, lateral hops and bounds

n Traditional Lifts: Speed squats, benchpresses and deadlifts with chains or bands

The goal of power training is simple:improve the rate in which force is applied.Comparing two athletes who weighapproximately the same amount, the athletewho can move their bodyweight faster isdeemed more powerful. This is the athletethat will be able to beat the opponent off theline, jump up and grab the rebound or chasedown the loose ball.

When training for power, here area couple of suggestions:

n Perform all high intensity, high-speedmovements first in a training session. After athorough warm-up, make your “power block” apriority before performing the traditional,slower strength movements. With powertraining, the nervous system is being trained at ahigh rate and must be fresh.

n Stick to 3-6 sets of 1-3 reps for maximumpower on the Olympic lift variations, medicineball throws and jump training. Performing thesehighly technical movements in a fatigued statewill only engrain faulty movement patterns andcause injury.

n Focus on moving the implement as fast aspossible! Even if the load is heavy, the intent tomove a load fast will improve power even if the

implement is moving slow.

n Keep jump training to a minimum in thein-season with sports that primarily jumpduring activity (basketball and volleyball).

n Don’t assume each sport must do the samemovement to improve power! Focusing onmedicine ball throws and jump trainingwith a tennis player may yield morebenefits than trying to get them to powerclean or push jerk.

An important concept to remember is this:power burns in a flame of strength. Ifathletes neglect strength training, there willbe not be enough force to produce power; andwithout a base level of strength, no weightwill move ever move fast enough. Withproper strength and power training comesmovement training. Stay tuned for our nextarticle where we dive into what speed, agilityand conditioning training entails. Get RYPT!


Photos by :David Thorne

www.davethorne.smugmug.com

Power: Explode Through the Next Level

By Adam Feit - Director of Sports Performance (RYPT) Part 3 of 6

4 / ASM V o l um e - I V / I s s u e - 1 8 / 1 0 / 2 2 / 1 2


Abe Gonzalez hadrunning room. Lots

of it.Southern gashed Brick Memorial for

nearly 100 yards on the ground in the firsthalf, but the Mustangs had rallied, and wereabout to force a second straight punt fromthe Rams. Maybe the tide was starting toturn.

Rams coach Chuck Donohue Sr. isn't arisk taker. His teams play stout defense,limit mistakes and try not to force matters.But here were the Rams, facing a fourth-and-1 at their own 39 leading by just atouchdown in the third quarter. The puntteam did not come out.

"Fourth-and-one, they had everybody upat the line and they knew we were going torun the ball right at them," said seniorquarterback Dan Higgins. "But theycouldn't stop us. We ran the ball right downtheir throats."

Gonzalez, a senior tailback, plowed aheadfor two yards to move the chains, adefining moment for Southern in its run-

first, run-everything approach Friday.Five consecutive carries by Gonzalezthen set up Higgins' 30-yard touchdownpass to junior wideout Mike Gesicki,giving the visiting and unranked Rams atwo-score lead on their way Ato acrucial 28-21 Class A South victory overthe No. 5 Mustangs.

"The line stayed on their blocks anddrove them back all game," Gonzalezsaid. "We had running space and we tookit. We controlled the ball. They knew itwas coming, but we still got four or fiveyards at a time."

Southern (4-2, 3-2) planned to keepBrick Memorial's explosive offense,averaging 37 points a game, off thefield, and did so nearly flawlessly.Gonzalez ran for a career-high 170 yardsand two touchdowns on 32 carries aspart of a 278-yard effort. The runninggame chewed up chunks of time withlong drives, running 55 plays to 43 forBrick Memorial and holding a 2-to-1advantage in time of possession.Southern had the ball for over 30 minutes -about 2 1/2 quarters. Higgins threw just

Southern quarterback Dan Higgins

Southern Running GameEnerg izes the RamsB y B o b B a d d e r s – S e n i o r S t a f f W r i t e r

S e e SouthernC o n t i n u e d o n P a g e 9


Success can have a funny way ofmaking a team soft.

And it happens every year. Teams start the season onfire and don't look back. They win easy - untiladversity hits - then it all comes apart. But notManalapan.

Looking for the go-ahead score on the final play ofthe first half, the Braves instead found disaster.Quarterback Mike Isabella tried to force a swing passinto coverage and it was picked off by AnthonyGargiulo and returned 60 yards for a score as timeexpired. In the battle of unbeaten teams in Class ANorth, host Colts Neck now had all the momentum togo along with an 11-point halftime lead.

During a long halftime the Braves regrouped anddelivered a championship performance in the secondhalf. Junior Tyler Leonetti ran for 63 of his 110 yards,the defense pitched a shutout and Dave Debner rippedoff a 54-yard touchdown that stood up as the game-winning score as the No. 2 Braves came from behindfor a 24-21 win over No. 9 Colts Neck on Oct. 20.

"In the locker room we were a little worried, but weknow we're a second-half team," Leonetti said. "Wehad some adversity and we just had to step up to it."

"These kids have amnesia," said Manalapan headcoach Ed Gurrieri. "They never stop believing becausewe've been in these situations before. Last year we winon a last-second field goal against Brick Memorial. Webeat West Windsor-Plainsboro South in doubleovertime. Two weeks ago against Middletown South.There's nothing they haven't seen. In their mindsthey're not done until you bury them in the ground."

Every season Manalapan (6-0, 4-0) can be countedon as one of the most balanced offenses in the ShoreConference. The Braves have had two consecutive2,000-yard rushers to go along with a dangerouspassing attack. Leonetti isn't going to approach thoselofty marks on the ground, but he's a very goodrunning back. On the outside the Braves have arguablythe two best receivers in the conference in SaeedBlacknall and Anthony Firkser. Blacknall has beendownright scary, scoring on long plays and in thepassing game and making special teams his personalplayground. But on Saturday they found toughsledding. Firkser had just two catches for 39 yards.Blacknall had one reception for eight yards. Against aconfident Colts Neck (5-1, 2-1) team that had allowedjust 39 points entering the game it only seemedsensible that the Braves would need all hands on deck.If not at the start of the game, then certainly afterfalling behind by double-digits.

Manalapan proved itself in several ways over thefinal two quarters. The Braves erased an 11-pointdeficit by sticking with their philosophy and notpanicking. They attempted just two passes in thesecond half, challenging their offensive line to win thebattle up front. Leonetti touched the ball 16 times inthe second half, gaining tough yards and moving thechains to lead a pair of scoring drives. When theBraves did finally grab the lead with 9:57 left in thegame, they made sure they weren't going to relinquishit. Colts Neck ran only eight offensive plays the rest ofthe game. When the defense was needed, it camethrough. Chris Cruz's interception with 3:42 left in thegame stopped Colts Neck on the first play of what ithoped would be a game-winning drive. Instead it gaveManalapan the ball back and allowed them to run outthe clock and improve to 6-0 for the first time since1987.

"Everybody cancontribute and everybodycan be a factor on thisteam," said senior two-waylineman Johnny Appice,who had a pair of sacks inthe game. "And that'ssomething that getsoverlooked."

"We're balanced and that'sall I've been striving for,"Gurrieri said. "If you'regoing to take away the passlike they did, you're goingto give us the run. We'lltake that."

Already off to its beststart in program history,Colts Neck couldn't havebegan the game any better.An eight-play, 66-yarddrive on the game's openingpossession staked them to a7-0 lead. Senior fullbackGio Zefferino and Gargiulowere finding and makingrunning room and seniorquarterback Mike Campbellwas sharp. He connectedwith senior tight endConnor Canonico on a 30-yard play down to theManalapan 12, and twoplays later found Gargiulofor a 14-yard touchdown.

Junior linebacker Nick Volpe sacked Isabella onManalapan's first offensive play and the Braves wentthree-and-out. Colts Neck got the ball back at midfieldand five plays later was in the end zone again.Gargiulo converted a third-and-1 with an 11-yard rundown to the Manalapan 36-yard line and Campbelltossed his second touchdown pass of the quarter whenhe found Canonico down the seam for a 23-yard score.McChesney Stadium was going bonkers.

In the second half Manalapan was methodical anddeliberate on offense, but, down 14-0 with 2:31 left inthe first quarter, when it needed to be explosive, itproved it can wear that hat also. The Braves took justthree plays to get into the end zone and make it a one-score game. Isabella threw a 50-yard pass to fullbackNelson Rivera and then an 11-yard touchdown pass toDennis Girolamo to make it 14-7 on a drive that tookjust 1:12. Colts Neck then fumbled the ensuing kickoffand Manalapan recovered at the 20. The Cougars keptthem out of the end zone, but sophomore kicker MikeCaggiano converted on a 36-yard field goal to make it14-10 before the first quarter expired.

It would stay that way until Gargiulo's greatindividual effort gave Colts Neck a 21-10 lead athalftime. Manalapan had started a drive at its own 21with 1:36 left in the first half and moved to the ColtsNeck 36 with seven seconds remaining. Isabellalooked to his running back on a swing pass but theCougars had it well-covered. Gargiulo stepped in frontof the pass, tipped it to himself with one hand andraced the rest of the way for a major momentumswing.

Manalapan turned the tables in the second half, butnot right away. Isabella was intercepted by senior TimVangelas on the third play of the third quarter,swinging the pendulum further toward the Cougars.

The Braves got a stop on thenext series, thanks in large partto a holding penalty and then anineligible man downfield callthat wiped out a big gain byVangelas. They took advantageright away by going 60 yards insix plays to cut Colts Neck'slead to 21-17. Isabella hitFirkser for a 29-yard gain downto the Colts Neck 11, setting upLeonetti's nine-yard score with3:32 left in the third.

The Manalapan defensestopped Colts Neck deep in itsterritory on the next twopossessions, once at the 20-yardline and again when the Cougarsreached the 21. Sandwiched inbetween was the game-winning54-yard touchdown run byDebner. Leonetti had carriedfour straight times to move theball out from the 20 to the 46.Debner did more that just giveLeonetti a breather as he brokefree on a run off right tackle andraced down the right sidelinefor the long touchdown.Manalapan now led for the firsttime all game, 24-21, with justunder 10 minutes to play.

When in doubt, Manalapanturned to it's bread and butter: a

sound rushing attack and stingy defense. It showed anability to adapt and a fortitude necessary to bestanding tall in early December.

"We've been in big games and it really does help us,"Leonetti said. "We know how to react in certainsituations."

"Look at how things were going," Gurrieri said. "Wegive up a touchdown at the end of the half, we lose ourstarting fullback (Nelson Rivera) early in the game andwe almost lose Anthony (Firkser, who tweaked hisankle but returned). Things were not going well for usbut nobody got nervous. They just kept playing andthat's what they do well, they just play."

The Braves have seen a lot in the past few seasons.They've won in dramatic fashion and they've lostheartbreakers. They've been up, down and everythingin between, yet somehow seem to find themselvesright in the thick of division and sectionalchampionship races. The one thing they haven't seen isa sectional title. They came close in 2003, losing toBrick Memorial. Sayreville has eliminated them fromthe playoffs the last two seasons, including the CentralJersey Group IV final last season.

Manalapan has certainly been close to makingprogram history recently, and championshipperformances like Saturday's prove they are definitelyready.


Manalapan junior RB Tyler Leonetti

Manalapan Football WinsShowdown of UnbeatensB y B o b B a d d e r s – S e n i o r S t a f f W r i t e r

Game V ideoH i g h l i g h t s b y :

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P h o t o b y : B i l l N o rm i l ewww.b i l ln orm i l e .zenfo l i o . com

eight passes but made them count, completing sixthrows for 87 yards and two scores. Gesicki caughtfour of them for 60 yards and Nick Hem hauled in theeventual game-winning 21-yard touchdown in thefourth quarter.

Once the Rams went up 21-7 on Gesicki'stouchdown it forced Brick Memorial to all butabandon its running game. And it immediately paiddividends for the Mustangs. On the ensuing driveRyan Cieplenski found Cody Pinho, who made a 30-yard leaping catch to move the ball across midfield.On the next play he aired one out to Joe Hans downthe right sideline for a 49-yard touchdown. In twoplays Brick Memorial had trimmed Southern's leadback to one score.

The Mustangs' (5-2, 3-2) quick-strike ability in thepassing game is what makes them so dangerous, but itdidn't change the fact that they had no answer forSouthern's running game. The Rams took over at theirown 31 with 1:53 left in the third quarter and ran ninestraight running plays to move to the Brick Memorial21 with 6:30 left in the game. On second-and-15,Higgins scrambled to find Hem, who broke a tackleand stumbled into the end zone for a 28-14 lead.

An interception by Logan Sheehan - the game's onlyturnover - robbed Brick Memorial of precious timedown by two scores. Brick Memorial would get theball back again, but not until Southern chopped 4:44off the clock before turning it over on downs. The

Mustangs took over at their own 24 with 2:11 left, andCieplenski was able to lead them into the end zone onseven plays in just 1:02. He connected with Pinho onthree times, hit Hans for 17 yards down and thenfound sophomore Karl Kumm for a 15-yardtouchdown with 1:09 left.

Brick Memorial still needed to recover the onsidekick since it had no timeouts left, but couldn't retainpossession. The Rams took over, Higgins broke off a57-yard run and then took a couple of knees to clinchtheir biggest win this season.

"Both teams were coming off a loss so we bothneeded this game," Gonzalez said. "The game planwas just to execute. If we don't execute we don't win."

The biggest winner in the ever-changing A Southsaga was Lacey. With Southern knocking off BrickMemorial and Brick stunning Toms River North, theLions can clinch at least a share of the division titleby beating Jackson Memorial today.

Southern, Brick Memorial, Toms River North andToms River South each have two division losses, sothey need a collapse by Lacey to win the division. Butfor Southern this win was one they needed regardlessof division implications. If the Rams fell to 3-3, itwould have been a major blow to their state playoffhopes.

"We came in saying this was our season, these nextthree games," Higgins said. "We know this big winssets us up to get a playoff spot, but we have to takecare of it next week too."

Southern made no secret what its game plan was in

the first half. Brick Memorial received the openingkickoff and marched 65 yards on 10 straight runningplays to take a 7-0 lead on Cieplenski's two-yard run.The Rams found a way to one-up the Mustangs withtheir own clock-draining drive. Starting from theirown 18 the Rams took 13 plays to go 82 yards,running the ball on 10 of those plays. Southern wentfor it on fourth-and-11 from the 28 and used a passinterference call for a first down at the 14-yard line.On the next play Gonzalez broke free up the middle totie the score at seven.

Brick Memorial's next drive stalled at the Southern39 when Zach Amirr sacked Cieplenski on fourthdown. Southern then went 61 yards in 11 plays to takea 14-7 lead on Gonzalez's one-yard run with 1:42 leftin the half. Gesicki started to make his presence felton the drive, catching two passes for 30 yards.

Southern's defense certainly benefitted from itsoffense holding the ball for long periods, but theRams did limit the Mustangs to just over 100 yardsrushing, kept Mike Basile in check and held BrickMemorial to its lowest scoring output of the season.

SouthernC o n t i n u e d f r o m P a g e 6



B o b B a d d e r swww.a l l shoremed ia .com

F i l e P h o t o b y : B i l l N o rm i l ewww.b i l l no rmi l e .zen fo l i o .com

www.a l lshoremedia .com ASM / 1 1

For four years, Brick seniorkicker Anthony Starego has

paid his dues as part of the GreenDragons' football team.On Friday night, it paid off with a moment Starego nor

the Green Dragons will soon forget. Starego, who isautistic, booted the game-winning, 23-yard field goal with21 seconds left in the game for a stunning 24-21 upset ofNo. 4 Toms River North (4-2, 3-2) in Class A South.

"I've been playing with Anthony (Starego) for eightyears because we played Pop Warner together," saidsenior running back/linebacker Doug Cuccinello. "He issuch a great kid who works so hard. We earned this hard-fought win when people doubted us, and Anthony earnedthis opportunity."

With the game tied at 21, Brick sophomore quarterbackJoe Phillips raced down the sideline for a key 45-yardgain. Following runs by Cuccinello and sophomore RayFattaruso, Starego nailed the game-winner after havingwon the starting kicker job in practice this week. TheGreen Dragons (2-5, 2-3), who have won two straightafter an 0-5 start, then closed out the win with aninterception after a 48-yard kickoff return by Toms RiverNorth's Jalen Hunter had put the Mariners in strikingdistance for standout kicker Chris Gulla.

Brick led 14-7 at halftime thanks to a 1-yard touchdown

run by Cuccinello and an8-yard score by Fattaruso,who had a career-high181 yards rushing on 20carries in the win. TomsRiver North had taken anearly 7-0 lead on a one-yard run by junior JoeyField before Brick tookthe lead and never trailedagain.

Following intermission,the Mariners got a hugelift from Hunter. The full-time defensive back/part-time receiver found aseam in the Dragons'secondary to haul in a 45-yard pass fromsophomore CarmenSclafani to knot the score at 14. After a pair of stalledMariner drives led by two interceptions by Brick's JohnFuino, it was Fattaruso spinning and bursting up themiddle for a 40-yard touchdown run to give the Dragons a21-14 advantage early in the fourth quarter.

Toms River North then tied it on a 24-yard touchdownpass from Sclafani to senior Damien Singleton beforeStarego's final heroics.

Senior RB Doug Cuccinel lo & Sophomore QB Joe Phi l l ips

One Sh in ing Moment forBr ick SeniorBy Chr i s Me l v i n - A l l S h o re Med i a Con t r i bu t o r


C h r i s M e l v i nwww.a l l shoremed ia .com

File Photo by: Cliff Lavellewww.c learedge.zenfo l i o .com

12 / ASM V o l u m e - I V / I s s u e - 1 8 / 1 0 / 2 2 / 1 2

ver since hestarted as asophomore in2010, Holmdel

senior Eric Bulvid has alwaysbeen the first person on histeam to attack a ball in the airor challenge an opposingmidfielder with a slide tackle.On a team known for itsabundant skill and finesse,Bulvid served as the team’sembodiment of toughness.

In las t year ’s Shore ConferenceTournament semif inal against Lacey,Bulvid went af ter a loose bal l and wasthe f i rs t man to i t , as he of ten is . ALacey defender a t tempted a s l ide tackleand drove his leg into Bulvid’s lef tshin without any give, a col l is ion thatresul ted in an audible crack.

For the next half-hour, Bulvid l ie onthe turf a t Neptune’s Memorial Field ona rainy night with temperatures below40 degrees . He would la ter havesurgery on a broken lef t t ibia , an injurythat required him to s tay off the footfor four weeks, but of ten requires a ful lyear of recovery t ime for an athlete .

I t has been near ly a ful l year s inceBulvid went down on Memorial Fieldand now he is back close to ful ls t rength and t rying to help his Holmdelteam get back to the same f ie ld onwhich his season ended las t year.

Heading into Oct . 23, Holmdel is onewin away from reaching the ShoreConference Tournament semif inals forthe second s t ra ight year af ter losing tothe 21-0 Chris t ian Brothers Academyteam in las t year ’s f inal , 4-0.

“I t was hard not being a par t of our(NJSIAA Group II) s ta te tournamentrun,” Bulvid said.“The teamplayed greatand I wanted tobe a par t of i t .Rehab was

defini te ly a lot of hard work, butal l I could think of was get t ingback to my team and t ryingto win a championship.”

At the t ime of hisinjury, i t wasuncertainwhether or notBulvid wouldbe ready forthe regularseason. Inthe f inalweekbefore

the s tar tof the

2012 season,Holmdel

coach JohnNacarlo wasunsure i f

Bulvid wouldplay in the f i rs t few gamesof the fal l .

“He was doing bal l workthroughout or t ra iningcamp, and he def ini te lylooked l ike he wasready,” Nacarlo said.

“But you s t i l l neverknow how a guy is

going to respondto game act ionand I didn’twant to push

him too hard.After seeing him andtalking to him, I fe l t pret tycomfortable that he wasready to give us goodminutes and just havingthem out there , I think,gives our guys an

“It was really painfuland most of what Iremember from thatgame is just lying onthe field for a reallylong time and going to thehospital,” Bulvid said.“My first thought wasjust not being able tohelp my team in abig game.”

B y M a t t M a n l e y - S e n i o r S t a f f W r i t e r

emotional l i f t .”

Bulvid did play on openingday and while Nacarlol imited his minutes ear ly,the senior midfielder wasback to playing af termissing a total of only

seven games, a l l a t theend of the 2011 season.

“Mylegfeels

good,”Bulvid said at the beginning ofthe season. “The mainchal lenge is just t ryingto get back into playingshape. The leg feels

s t rong, I feel l ike Ican do al l thethings I didbefore, but Ijust don’thave thestaminayet . I ’dsay I’mat

about60 percentr ight now, butI’m pret tyconfident I canget to 100percent by theend of the year.”

During hissophomore andjunior seasons,Bulvid playedmost ly s topper forthe Hornets andwas an All ShoreMedia All-Shoreselect ion las t seasondespi te missing thosef inal seven games. This year,he has played exclusively in thecenter midfield.

“He s t i l lplays with thataggressivenessand I don’twant to takethat away fromhim,” Nacarlosaid. “Playingthe centralmidfield, we’rekind ofprotect ing himfrom himself al i t t le bi tbecause i tshif ts his focusmore on beingoffensive-

or iented rather than get t ing involved ina lot of contact .”

Bulvid has been a sol idcontr ibutor f rom the s tar t of theseason, but his landmark

performance came on Oct . 4 against

Red Bank Cathol ic . Less than one yearaf ter breaking his lef t leg, Bulvidscored three goals in a 5-0 win overthe Caseys. The hat t r ick was enoughto convince Nacarlo that he had hissenior three-year s tar ter and leaderback.

“I thought i t would take him unt i l theend of the season to get back to ful ls t rength because I knew he had to gethis f i tness up,” Nacarlo said. “I’ve hadto rein him in at t imes because I don’tthink he real izes how much he’sgassing himself with the way he plays,but he has made a lot of progress .

“I talked to the teamafter the (Red BankCatholic) game and I said‘I just have one thing tosay after that win:

Welcome backEric Bulvid.'”

Photos by: Cliff Lavellew w w. c l e a r e d g e .z e n fo l i o . c o m



PPlaying on a Colts Neck girls soccer team that has a rosterwith only two seniors, sophomore Halley Cartas plays

wherever her teams needs her to play.

In the opening round of the Shore ConferenceTournament against 20th-seeded Rumson-Fair Haven,Cartas was again exactly where her team needed her tobe when it counted most.

Cartas headed in a cross from junior Oti Laki 6:45into overtime for the game-winning goal in the No. 13Cougars' 1-0 win over the Bulldogs, which Colts Neckfollowed with a win over No. 4 Ocean to advance tothe SCT quarterfinals.

"We pushed our three bestscorers up top and they did whatthey had to do," Cartas said."Oti's crosses are always whereyou expect them to be and thatone was right there, and I justput it in."

Before scoring the game-winning goal, Cartas was allover the field for Colts Neck.She started the game at outsidefullback, pushed up to forward,went back to outside backbefore playing in the centermidfield to finish the game.

"Halley is by far our mostversatile player," Colts Neckcoach Doug Phillips said. "Sheplays mostly outside backbecause that's her naturalposition on her (OlympicDevelopmental Program) team.There are times where she'llstart push forward, like you sawtoday, when there's really notmuch action in the back, and ina situation like that, we'll haveher go forward. But there aregames when we need her in the back and she canimpact a game back there."

Before Cartas ended the game in the 87th minute, theCougars had two near misses. Laki popped an openlook from eight yards out over the crossbar in the 85thand just seconds before Cartas' winner, senior KelseyBurns slid a shot off the left crossbar.

"It can be frustrating and we were probably a littlenervous coming into the game, knowing we were thefavorite and playing at home," Laki said. "We knew wewere so close to scoring and we just kept playing. Aswe started to get closer and closer, we really put thepressure on and worked to get that goal."

Colts Neck had the only scoring opportunities of thefirst half, reflected in an 8-0 advantage in shots, and

had another flurry of offense in the latter stages of thesecond half. Cartas nearly scored from a difficult angleon the right side when her shot hit the top of thecrossbar and Rumson sophomore defender LindsayMcKean's clearance attempted rocketed off the leftpost and away from the net.

Cartas also got a clean look from the top of the 18-yard box in the final minutes of regulation, but herleft-footed shot sailed over the crossbar.

"To Rumson's credit, I thought they outworked us inthe first 80 minutes," Phillips said. "They were themore physical team, they were quicker to the ball thanwe were, and they had a lot to do with us not being

able to score. For the seven minutes of overtime, weput it on them like I thought we would all game. I wasreally proud of the way we came out in overtime andanswered the challenge, because we didn't do it for thefirst 80 minutes."

"The biggest difference from last year is that we hadmore senior experience last year and that means wewere a bigger, more physical team," Laki said. "Thisteam has the talent to make it as far as we did lastyear, but we're smaller than most of the teams we play,and we're still adjusting to that."

The Cougars played with an even younger lineupthan usual against Rumson as senior captain DanielleKrachie missed her fourth straight game with a

concussion, according to Phillips.

"There's no substitute for that gritty, seniorleadership at this time of year and that's what this teamlacks that last year's team had," Phillips said. "We onlyhave two seniors and missing Dani is really a big lossbecause not only is she a Division I talent, but shegives us leadership that we just don't have when she'sout of the lineup."

Rumson-Fair Haven's best stretch of play came in thefirst 10 minutes of the second half, during whichjunior midfielder Schuyler DeBree led the Bulldogs'play in the middle of the field and created severalchances. Four of Rumson's five shots were on net, all

of which were saved by Cougarsjunior goalkeeper LaurenZborovancik.

"I tried to communicate to themat halftime and after regulationthat they just needed to workharder," Phillips said. "There's anurgency that seniors play withbecause they know it's their lastshot. You don't have to tell themthat, because they know. Whenyou have so many young players,they don't have that same urgency.They just don't need it becausethey're still so young. They haveto learn it as they go, and that'swhy I was so proud of their effortin overtime because I think westarted to see that hunger."

Colts Neck reached the ShoreConference Tournament semifinalsas a No. 7 seed out of Class BNorth last season and will try tomake a similar run with a differentteam as the No. 13 seed this year.

"We still have a lot to prove as a13 seed," Cartas said. "We feltlike we were better than the seed

we got and that some people underrated us. But westill have to go out and prove it by winning and that'swhat we're going to try to do."

"If we can get everyone on the field at the sametime, I think we can make another deep run," Phillipssaid


Colts Neck freshman midfielder Amanda Visco

Colts Neck Girls SoccerMaking a Run in the SCTB y M a t t M a n l e y - S e n i o r S t a f f W r i t e r


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When Middletown South senior James Merges was takenoff the field at Toms River East High School in an ambulancewith a hip injury with just 1:36 left in the second overtimeperiod, the Eagles lost one of their best penalty kick shootersjust as the game drew to a close and approached a shootoutround to decide which team would advance to the ShoreConference Tournament quarterfinals.

Yet Middletown South coach Pat Petretta did not hesitate toagree to skip the last 1:36 and proceed directly to theshootout, not only because of the long delay to clear Mergesfrom the field, but also because he knew his team was ready,with or without its standout forward.

The Eagles converted all five of their penalty kicks in theshootout Saturday and senior goalkeeper Sam Altland madethe lone save of the round of kicks asMiddletown South - the No. 10 seed in theShore Conference Tournament - advanced to theShore Conference Tournament quarterfinals in a5-3, shootout victory after a 1-1 draw with No. 7Toms River East.

"High school kids are all insecure so youspend so much time building their confidence sothat when they get in a certain situation, theytrust themselves to handle it," Petretta said. "Iknow we're a team that can handle penalty kicksbecause I've seen us do it in practice. Then, it'sjust a matter of convincing the players that whenthe game time comes, they can handle thepressure because they've practiced it over andover again."

Altland made only one save in the shootout,but it was all he was expecting to make based onhis knowledge of the shooters on his team. Thesenior goalkeeper finished off a strong game innet in which he saved four shots and turnedaway a dangerous shot by Toms River Eastdefender Buddy Gibbons to the lower right ofthe frame midway through the second half.

"I didn't feel too much pressure because Iknew our shooters were going to make theirshots," Altland said. "If they all make their shots, that means Ionly have to come up with one save and I feel like I'm goodfor at least one save out of five. Even though we lost one ofour best 'P.K.' shooters in James Merges, I still thought we'dbe good and Kieran Campbell stepped into his place andmade a big shot."

Senior midfielder Kevin Monaghan, junior forward GabrielGuzman, junior midfielder Ryan McKinney and Campbell allconverted their kicks for Middletown South, while Gibbons,senior defender Zach Dehl and Kyle Smyth all converted forToms River East, which shot second in the shootout.

"I actually think the pressure on the keeper decreases as theshootout progresses because a miss becomes even biggerlate," Altland said. "Meanwhile, I'm still thinking I just needto guess right once and that could be the difference."

After Campbell - who moved to sweeper early in theseason when Merges moved from sweeper to forward -buried his shot to the right corner of the net, Altland thendove to his left for a save on a shot by Kyle Sommer. Thatsave opened the door for Eagles senior midfielder SteveMcGeever to slam a shot to the right side of the netting andend the shootout.

"I knew the pressure was going to be on me at the end,"McGeever said. "Once Sam made that save, it took a lot of

that pressure off and I knew all I had to do was put it on netand we'd get out of here with a win."

The round of penalty kicks started prematurely when bothPetretta and Toms River East coach Ted Gillen agreed tobypass the final 1:36 of the second overtime period after alengthy delay while tending to Merges. The senior forwardinjured himself while making a long run to chase down a ballsent over the top of the defense and after he went down, anumber of players on both sides hit the turf out of pureexhaustion.

"We said enough is enough, and we just considered it acoaching courtesy to go right to P.K.'s," Petretta said. "It wasa slugfest out there. The teams were practically mirror imagesof each other and both coaches agreed that we were both

going to sit on the ball and kill the clock anyway, so why notget right to it?"

"I thought that both teams were tired and it seemed like avery logical decision, at that point, to move it forward,"Gillen said. "It was suggested by (Petretta) but it made a lotof sense to me."

Merges has been one of the keys to Middletown South'sturnaround, moving from sweeper to forward while becomingone of the Eagles' top scoring threats, along with Monaghanand McGeever. Merges set up Marc Krivitzky's goal in the70th minute that briefly put the Eagles on top.

"Losing James is a big loss, not doubt and that's definitelygoing to affect us going forward if it's a worse-case scenario,"said Petretta, who said the medical staff on hand suspectedMerges might have a torn tendon in his hip that would causehim to miss the remainder of the season, although nodiagnosis was yet handed down. "I love that kid like a sonand as a player, and we're all going to feel the loss if he's out.But if we're going to lose a player, it's probably best that it's aforward because we have a few guys who can play theposition and it shouldn't affect the other positions on thefield."

Krivitzky is one of those forwards who will look to fillsome of the void left by Merges should he miss an extended

period of time and he delivered a timely run and finish for theEagles Saturday. Merges touched the ball forward betweentwo defenders and Krivitzky maneuvered past the lastdefender and poked a shot past Toms River East goalkeeperAnthony Correia and to the right side of the netting for a 1-0lead.

"They were actually playing off me at that point in thegame, so I just used my speed," Krivitzky said. "Jamesplayed be a pretty good ball and I just got there first and gotthe shot off."

Middletown South began to apply pressure on Correiastarting in the 65th minute, when Monaghan hit the left poston a bounce and Merges rebounded the miss and popped ashot over the crossbar. The flurry followed a quiet first 65

minutes in which the Eagles took only fourshots, none of which were on net.

"They were a really physical team, maybethe most physical team we've played,"Krivitzky said. "But we're used to playingphysical teams just from playing in (the ShoreConference Class) A North, and I think we justrealized what the game meant and knew ourstamina was going to be a big part of closingthe game out."

Middletown South could not, however, closethe game out after breaking a scoreless tie inthe final 10 minutes. The Raiders respondedwith the game-tying goal 3:41 after Krivitzkygave Middletown South the lead, with Smythripping a shot from the top of the 18-yard boxoff the left post and into the goal.

"I wasn't surprised to see us respond becauseall year, we've been able to create chances andI knew with our backs against the wall, wewere going to give ourselves a chance," Gillensaid. "That's not taking away fromMiddletown South. They're a very good teamand they took it to us in overtime, but I'm surethey'd acknowledge that we had opportunitiestoday, just like they did. It just so happened

we put ours in after going down a goal and unfortunately, Ithink we started running out of gas."

Middletown South's performance on the road rewarded theEagles with a home game in the next round thanks to No. 15Monsignor Donovan's upset of No. 2 Colts Neck in overtimeon Saturday. The Griffins will travel to Middletown South onTuesday having beaten a team that tied and defeatedMiddletown South this season.

The Eagles entered the tournament having lost to Marlboro,4-3, in overtime on Monday, but showed no ill effects fromthe overtime loss, which may have cost Middletown South atop-five seed.

"I think it brought us closer together," McGeever said. "Wesaw it as a fluke and we knew that it had to be a lesson to usthat we couldn't let anything like that happen again."

Midd. South Boys Soccer ReachesSCT QuarterfinalsB y M a t t M a n l e y - S e n i o r S t a f f W r i t e r

Middletown South midfielder Steve McGeever #7



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F O R A D V E R T I S I N G I N F O R M A T I O NC o n t a c t : S t e v e n M e y e r 7 3 2 - 2 3 3 - 4 4 6 0 s m e y e r @ a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m

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Sat 11/9 NJSIAA Playoff Games

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The Jackson Liberty Girls Volleyball Team is having an outstanding season. For the firsttime in the six years of the program, the team has won the B-South Division in the ShoreConference. They finished the regular season with a 10-2 divisional record, and a 15-3overall record.

The team is led by three senior captains. They include middle blocker April Szymcyzk,Opposite outside hitter Maggie O’Connor and libero Alex Ruffler. Their experience andleadership has brought the team together as a cohesive unit both on and off the court.Szymcyzk is a Shore Conference leader in kills and blocks, while Ruffler and O’Connorare among the leaders in digs.

Junior setter Kelly Lynk has played a large role in the team’s success with her emergenceas a confident setter and key contributor. Juniors Kristie Kolpaczyk and Stephanie Towle,along with Sophomore Gillian Eppinger have added to the success of the offense with theirstrong hits. Junior Lillian Dixon and sophomore Melanie Patterson have proved to be asolid blocking team.

Offense has not been the Lion’s only strength. The team has been described as tenaciousand tough on defense. Junior Adelle Hickman and Alex Ruffler anchor the back row, whileSophomore Krystina Gelsleichter has provided additional support.

Coach Melissa O’Neill is very proud of her team’s accomplishments. “The Lady Lionsknow that communication and teamwork are two important components of any good team.The hard work they put in at practice, their determination to continue to improve and thepride they show on the court has made them an amazing group of athletes. They are anextremely coachable group of players, always looking to do what they can to improve theirgame. ”

The Jackson Liberty Lions are looking to make a statement and show just how strong of ateam they are in the upcoming Shore Conference and State Tournaments. “We have won somebig games this season,” says O’Neill, “but the best is yet to come.”

Jackson Liberty Girls Volleyball: A Season to Remember

Jackson Liberty volleyball team


L O O K I N G F O R S OM E G R E A TA D V E R T I S I N G O P P O R T U N I T I E S ?

C o n t a c t : S t e v e n M e y e r 7 3 2 - 2 3 3 - 4 4 6 0 s m e y e r @ a l l s h o r e m e d i a . c o m

It seems l ikeevery t ime you turn on the te levis ionon a Saturday or go onl ine to getupdates , the names of ShoreConference footbal l alumni arepopping up. Here is a sampling of how several former Shore

Conference stars are performing at the collegiate level andbeyond.

Junior wide receiver Lamar Davenport (Asbury Park) issecond on the team with 27 catches for 271 yards and twotouchdowns through six games for Monmouth University.

Freshman quarterback Nick SanGiacomo (Barnegat), atransfer from Tulane, is 15-for-42 for 136 yards and threetouchdowns through one start over five games for CentralConnecticut State.

Sophomore defensive end Dylan McDonnell (Brick) has16 tackles, 3.5 for a loss, in six games, including one start,for Bucknell University.

Garrett Graham (Brick Memorial) is a third-year tight endfor the Houston Texans who has six catches for 79 yards insix games.

Redshirt sophomore Adam Skidmore (Central), who is 6-foot-6 and 300 pounds, is the starting right guard at TulaneUniversity.

Junior kicker Eric Spillane (Colts Neck) is 8-for-10 onfield goal attempts with a long of 41 yards through six gamesfor Monmouth University. Spillane set the school record forcareer field goals with his 32nd in a loss to Albany on Sept.29.

Sophomore defensive end Brandon Weiss (Freehold) has ateam-high 3.5 sacks and has 5.5 tackles for a loss to go with19 tackles in seven games for Stonehill College.

FCS All-American receiver Ryan Spadola (Freehold Twp.),a senior, leads Lehigh with 34 catches for 476 yards and atouchdown through six games.

Senior wideout Glenn Grainger (Holmdel) is second onThe College of New Jersey with 35 catches for 321 yards infive games.

Senior David Hayes (Howell) is a three-year letter-winnerwho is third on the team with 138 yards rushing and a

touchdown through five games for the University ofDelaware.

Junior linebacker Matt Filosa (Jackson Liberty) has 18tackles and a team-high two fumble recoveries in six games

for Albright College.

Junior linebacker Paul Hobbs (Jackson Memorial) issecond on the team at Albright College with 36 tackles in sixgames.

Senior wideout Scott Pillar (Keansburg) has ateam-high 43 catches for 469 yards and 6touchdowns through six games for AlbrightCollege. He also has run for 124 yards and a

touchdown.

Junior defensive tackle Bryan Thomson (Keyport) has 28tackles, 2 for a loss, in six games for East Stroudsburg.

Junior defensive lineman Mike Stuppiello (Lacey) has ateam-high 4 sacks along with 14 tackles and 5 tackles for aloss in six games for Assumption College.

Sophomore Miles Shuler (Long Branch) has returned apunt and seen time at wide receiver in six games for Rutgers.

Fifth-year senior quarterback Craig Peterson (Manalapan)is the back-up to Kyle Frazier at Monmouth University.

Junior linebacker Dan Sullivan (Manasquan) leadsMonmouth University with 41 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a lossand 5 sacks and also has an interception through six games.

Freshman linebacker Stephen Bick (Manchester) has 13tackles in six games for FDU-Florham.

Freshman wide receiver Jared Allison (Matawan) has onecatch for 20 yards and a touchdown run and is averaging25.8 yards per kickoff return for the University of NewHampshire in six games.

Senior linebacker DanWollman (MiddletownNorth) has been outstandingwith a team-high 51 tackles,including three for a loss, insix games for KeanUniversity.

Junior linebacker NickBricker (Middletown South)is second on the team at TheCollege of New Jersey with58 tackles, including a team-high six for a loss, throughsix games.

Junior wide receiverAnthony Fruncillo(Monmouth) leads FDU-Florham with 27 catches for401 yards and a touchdownin five games.

Junior Colin Testa (Msgr.Donovan) is the starting rightguard for FDU-Florham.

Defensive back IkieCalderon (Neptune) has 31tackles, 3 sacks and 3 tacklesfor a loss in six games forMilford Academy.

Junior Christian Bailoni (Ocean) is the starting quarterbackfor Kean University, where he has been outstanding with 999yards passing and 14 touchdowns against only threeinterceptions in six games.

Senior linebacker Charlie Thomas (Pinelands) is second onthe team with 53 tackles, including 3 tackles for a loss, in sixgames for FDU-Florham.

Junior defensive lineman Pat Tighe (Pt. Beach) has 9tackles, including a sack, in six games for McDaniel College.

Sophomore tight end Ryan Malleck (Pt. Boro) has 10catches for 95 yards in seven games and has made threestarts for Virginia Tech.

Junior cornerback Bennett Jackson (Raritan) leadsundefeated Notre Dame, ranked No. 5 in the nation, withfour interceptions and is fourth with 27 tackles in six gamesfor the Fighting Irish.

Senior quarterback Louie Bianchini (Red Bank Catholic) ishaving a strong season as Rowan’s starting quarterback,throwing for 1,033 yards and 13 touchdowns on 66 percentpassing in six games.

Junior wide receiver Colin Lang (Red Bank) has seen timefor Carnegie Mellon and also played on special teams andcompleted a pass for 40 yards.

Senior wideout Ryan Kirchner (Rumson-FH) leads theUniversity of Albany with 31 catches for 394 yards and atouchdown in seven games. Kirchner became the program’sall-time leading receiver when made his 148th grab in a winover Bryant University on Oct. 6.

Sophomore tight end Evan Ruane (Shore Regional) hasone catch through five games for Monmouth University.

Junior linebacker Glenn Carson (Southern) is third on theteam with 38 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, in six gamesfor Penn State.

Junior quarterback Joe Carlucci (St. JohnVianney) has thrown for 210 yards and 2touchdowns in six games for MuhlenbergCollege. He was named the CentennialConference Co-Special Teams Player of theWeek for Week Six after help pulling off agame-winning fake field goal.

Sophomore running back Nico Steriti(Toms River East) leads the University ofNew Hampshire with 672 yards rushing andsix touchdowns in seven games. That totalranks second in rushing in the ColonialAthletic Association.

Sophomore wide receiver AnthonyCarrington (Toms River North) is second onthe team with 14 catches for 259 yards anda touchdown through six games for WagnerCollege.

Senior wideout Tim Wright (Wall) is thirdon the team with 21 catches for 239 yards insix games for Rutgers.


Photos by: Cliff Lavellewww.c learedge.zenfo l i o .com

Former TRE star Nico Ster i t i

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