Live Chat Thursday Night, Football Notes

After not being able to get to it because I was pressed for time last week, there will be a live chat on Thursday night (tomorrow) at 8 p.m. where we can talk about all things Shore Conference football, so just come to the blog to hop in and get your questions in.

I also have some extra notes for the weekend on Long Branch and Monmouth as we head into what looks like a kind of low-key Week 5 with the exception of Toms River North-Brick Memorial and the underrated rivalry between Shore and Rumson-FH on Friday and the usually rugged Brick-Lacey match-up in the Constitution Division on Saturday.

I caught up with Monmouth coach Sal Spampanato to talk about the Falcons’ 53-17 win over South Plainfield that put them into the win column. After rotating Justin Argylan and A.J. Visconti at quarterback in the preseason and early on, he decided to go with Visconti full time and he responded with 198 yards passing and 3 touchdowns on just six completions in the win over South Plainfield.

The reasoning was that Spampanato wanted Argylan to focus on playing cornerback full time and have less players playing both ways. Argylan did what was best for the team, and he rose to the occasion with two interceptions on defense in the win. The eight attempts for Visconti are about the average for Monmouth’s run-heavy offense, but he made them count with six long completions.

“We didn’t tinker with the offense or the play-calling too much, we just threw for a high percentage to complement the running game,” Spampanato said. “It was more just a matter of refining what we do well.”

Monmouth’s players also stuck with it despite an 0-3 start against three good teams – Matawan, Bishop Ahr and Long Branch.

“The kids never got down,” Spampanato said. “They never pointed fingers, they were all at practice every day and working hard, and they stayed with it. You could tell we were getting better every week.”

The bad news is that now the Falcons have to face Highland Park and senior running back Nate Smith, who already has 1,015 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns, with two 300-yard rushing games to his credit.

“He shouldn’t be playing in high school, he should be playing for the Giants by now,” Spampanato cracked.

In other Liberty Division news, Long Branch‘s defense has improved markedly from last season and has fueled the Green Wave’s 4-0 start. The main improvement has been up front, where the defensive line has done a good job holding its ground and tying up blockers for linebackers like seniors Billy George and Julian Mayo to make tackles.

Tarik “Fridge” Cox and Mike Sirianni in the middle and Billy Ballie and Robert Brodie on the ends have helped the Green Wave become much better against the run this season, particularly in the red zone, as they showed in a bend-but-don’t-break performance in a 14-7 win over Red Bank Catholic. Brodie’s younger brother, 6-foot-5 sophomore and potential Division I-A recruit Ryan Brodie, is working in there as well.

“We have a bunch of role players who get it done up front because they are hard-working kids,” said George, who is a four-year starter at linebacker. “Experience has been a big factor, and really practicing hard. On every play in practice, whenever someone makes a tackle, all 11 guys run to the ball before we get to the next play. Kids are really concerned about us having good practices.”

George and Mayo, a transfer from St. John Vianney, have also developed instant chemistry in which they can make calls quickly on the fly to alert the other one about exactly where to be in Long Branch’s defense. Omar Elsherbeiny has also done a solid job at linebacker.

“He’s flying around and scraping off blockers, and it’s allowed us both to make a lot of plays close to the line of scrimmage,” George said about Mayo.

Also, last but certainly not least, is Long Branch’s stellar secondary, which includes Miles Shuler, Karon Hair, Kevin Morris, Ezra Kelly and Devron Clark. Clark has two interception returns for a touchdowns, both of which went for at least 89 yards, so when he gets his hands on it, he is liable to take it all the way back no matter where he is on the field. That makes teams think twice about putting the ball in the air, which only helps the improvement of the run defense.

The Green Wave are fortifying themselves for the gauntlet of Ocean-Matawan-Manasquan in the final three weeks before the state playoff cutoff. Matawan and Manasquan are two teams they could see again in the Central Jersey Group II playoffs, while the Ocean game could potentially decide the Liberty Division title.

“We feel like we still have something to prove,” George said. “Down the stretch we have three games against three outstanding teams, so it’s up to us to rise to the challenge.”

Finally, here’s hoping for a speedy recovery for Lakewood junior wide receiver Anthony Carrington. He is out for the season with a broken leg that he suffered in a season-opening loss to Pinelands. The good news is that he is expected to be healed and ready to return by the winter, where the Toms River North transfer will be a guard on Lakewood’s loaded basketball team for what it hopes is a big season.

Wall Camp Report/Long Branch Notes and More…

I got to 1 1/2 camps today, I guess you would say, as I was dodging the lightning bolts at Wall and then went to watch Long Branch’s intrasquad scrimmage. Instead I watched along with everyone else from the locker room as the sheets of rain came down. The game ended up being postponed to Saturday at 9:30 a.m. because of the bad weather. Bob Badders also visited Shore Regional and Barnegat on Friday, so I will get those reports from him tomorrow.

Before I get to that, it was great to hear that Pete Czech (Keyport/Wagner) is getting a shot as a kicker for the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Czech was in the Ravens’ training camp last year before being released by now is on the preseason rosters for the Steelers. If there is anybody who has the leg to kick in the terrible weather in Pittsburgh, it’s Czech. Jeff Reed is the incumbent, but here’s hoping that Czech can find a way to stick or at least generate enough interest from another team looking for a kicker to sign Czech. At least he has endeared himself to his teammates as he recently booted a 52-yarder that ended practice early on a 90-degree day.

Monmouth University had its first scrimmage of the fall on Friday, with several former Shore Conference players making an impact.

The College Sporting News has named Villanova defensive end Tim Kukucka (Wall) and Lafayette defensive end Andrew Poulson (Middletown South) as preseason honorable mention All-Americans for the Football Championship Subdivision (Division I-AA). The best name on the list? New Hampshire tight end Scott Sicko. He’s a guy I would want blocking for me. Monmouth University star running back Dave Sinisi was also named as a third-team All-American on the list.

Now, on to a quick report from Wall camp and some Long Branch notes as we get ready to roll out our full previews next week.

WALL

With All Shore Media first-team running back Blaze Caponegro having moved on to Temple, the Crimson Knights are flying a little bit under the radar this year. They look to have a solid senior core as well as some promising sophomores. If the young guys can get up to speed quickly, the Crimson Knights could be back in the state playoffs after a one-year absence.

Senior Maurice Washington and junior Will Avon are now the feature running backs that will have to fill Caponegro’s shoes after he led the Shore in rushing last year. Sophomore Steve Cluley and senior Erik Doherty are in competition for the starting QB spot, and having gotten a glimpse of Cluley, he could be one of the more promising quarterbacks Wall has had since the days of Brett Burke and Chris Malleo and appears to have a bright future. I would think he will win the job, but nothing is in stone right now. His main targets look to be seniors Fred Sprengel and Matt Mancino, as well as another intriguing prospect, senior Javon Richardson. Richardson was wearing No. 5 at practice and in a uniform he is a doppelganger of former star Tim Wright, who is now at Rutgers. He has battled injuries during his career, but if he becomes another downfield weapon, this could be a much different offensive team than last year.

They certainly should be more balanced compared to last year, when they rode Caponegro as far as he would take them and rarely went to the air. A player to keep an eye on is sophomore tight end Derek Gardner, who is 6-4 and 220 pounds. He is part of a freshman team that went 7-2 last year, losing only to Neptune and Manasquan. Another sophomore to watch is lineman Matt Pisarchik, whose last name might ring a bell, as he is a relative of former New York Giants quarterback Joe Pisarchik. The leader of the line looks to be senior Pat Kilmurray.

The Caponegro well isn’t empty, either, as junior Connor Caponegro returns to help anchor the linebacking corps. The secondary should be a strength of this team as everyone returns, although Avon has moved from the secondary to weakside linebacker in Wall’s 4-3 defense.

This season will come down to how much the sophomores can contribute immediately and if Wall can pick off Neptune, Middletown South, or Freehold in the Federal Division while taking care of business in its other games, including nonconference games against South Plainfield and Colonia. One thing is for sure – this team badly wants to get back into the state playoffs after failing to qualify last year for the second time in three years. Kilmurray called it “disgraceful” that the Crimson Knights missed out on the postseason last year, which shows you the standard that has been set at Wall.

LONG BRANCH

I didn’t get to see anybody on the field because the intrasquad scrimmage was nuked because of the lightning and rain, so it will be on Saturday morning. I did catch up with Green Wave coach Dan George, so here are a few tidbits.

First of all, George usually downplays his teams, but he could not hide his excitement for this group, noting that their offseason dedication was some of the best he has seen in his 10-year tenure and that this is one of the most coachable groups he has had.

This team has some stud skill players, including junior quarterback Miles Shuler and wideouts Ezra Kelly and Devron Clark. Shuler showed flashes of his explosive running ability last season and George said he has worked very hard to refine his passing ability. If Long Branch is good up front this year, Shuler has a chance to make a run at an All Shore Media first-team spot. George said that “if we asked Miles to do 10 drills, he did 11. Whatever we asked him to do, he did it.” Plus, Shuler is also an excellent student who boasts a high-90 average, according to George.

Kelly and Clark are both dangerous, meaning that if teams decide to double one of them, the other could really hurt them. Three-year starter Billy George, Dan George’s nephew, returns as a running back/linebacker and will be joined in the backfield by the experienced Elijah White, who came on strong toward the end of last year.

The key to this whole team is the line, on both sides of the ball. They have to be better against the run defensively, and the more holes they open up for an outstanding group of skill players, the more this offense can be like the one that helped the Green Wave reach the Central Jersey Group III championship game in 2007. A promising newcomer to watch on the line, which returns three players who saw time last year, is sophomore Ryan Brody, who is 6-5 and 255 pounds and a possible star in the making if he continues to work hard and progress.

It also helps to have St. John Vianney transfer Julian Mayo, a tight end/linebacker who will step in and start both ways. George said Mayo and his family have moved to Long Branch and all the paperwork has been finalized, so he will be eligible from Day One.

Five starters are back on defense, led by George at linebacker and a very experienced secondary that includes junior Koran Hair, who is a speed burner who can also stretch the field at wideout. All in all, this team has what it takes to challenge for a state championship in the rugged Central Jersey Group II bracket and make a run at the Liberty Division title. It will all come down to the line play on both sides because opposing offenses will try to run the ball and grind Long Branch down in order to keep Shuler and Co. off the field. The Green Wave seem to have a little bit more depth than the other CJ II contenders in the Shore Conference, so we’ll see if that pays off come playoff time.