South football team hopes opening win is an omen
Eagles off to a flying start with 21-14 win over
No. 6 Matawan
By george albano
Staff Writer

JERRY WOLKOWITZ Middletown South quarterback Brandon Kennedy races for a touchdown during the Eagles’ opening-day win over Matawan.

Some towns would throw their local high school football team a parade if it ever produced a 7-3 record. But at Middletown High School South, 7-3 is almost considered an off season.

OK, maybe that is stretching things just a little, but the Eagles, who have gone 7-3 each of the last two years, certainly raised the bar in the ’90s and set some pretty high standards for their football program.

How high? All Middletown South did was go a perfect 11-0 in 1995 and win the state championship and then return to the state finals in 1997 and ’98 when it went 8-3 and 9-2, respectively.

So perhaps the last two seasons were a bit below the high level they’re usually accustomed to, but the Eagles were still among the best teams in the Shore Conference.

This year should be no different; in fact, the MSHS gridders have all the ingredients to post another of those special kinds of seasons.

"Yeah, we’ve got a good team this season, and we’ve got some very good players," head coach Steve Antonucci said. "I don’t know if it’s a championship team, but it’s a good team. Our quarterback looks good, our line is pretty deep and our defense is all right.

"I definitely think we’re back on the right path now," the fourth-year coach added. "We have a great group of kids, and I’m pleased to coach them."

And if first impressions mean anything — and they usually do — then the Eagles showed they mean business by winning their season opener 21-14 over a solid Matawan team Saturday in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score might indicate.

"We dominated the game; we just didn’t show it," Antonucci said. "We made four turnovers, which I attribute to first-game jitters. On the opening drive, we drove all the way down to the eight-yard line and fumbled the ball. Then we got the ball back, drove to the 20 and fumbled again.

"We put in a new offense, an option, which was totally new to the players, and it just took awhile for them to get adjusted," he added.

But once they did, the Eagles seized control of the game, accumulating a whopping 462 yards of total offense, including 344 on the ground.

One of the keys to the explosive outburst was the play of senior quarterback Brendon Kennedy, a receiver the past two seasons and one of the favorite targets of two-year QB Nick Ernst, who passed for over 3,000 career yards.

But with Ernst graduating, Kennedy was converted to replace him and made quite a smashing debut Saturday.

All he did was carry the ball 29 times for 234 yards and score all three of Middletown South’s touchdowns, two on quarterback sneaks and the other on a three-yard run.

As if that weren’t enough, Kennedy also completed 8 of 16 passes for another 127 yards, as he accounted for 361 of the 462 total yards.

"He had a real nice game," Antonucci understated. "He’s been a real good surprise for us."

But there’s more to the Eagles’ offense than just Kennedy. Anthony Macaluso, a 5-10, 185-pound junior fullback, led the ground game in the win over Matawan with 83 yards on 15 carries.

"He’s kind of the bang-it-up guy in our option," Antonucci noted. "He carries the load when the quarterback makes the right read."

Meanwhile, senior Andre McCray, a 5-9, 175-pound tailback, added another 32 yards on seven carries and gives the Eagles a potent one-two backfield punch.

"We just have to get Andre involved in the offense more," Antonucci said. "He’s a pretty good player."

Another senior, Mike McClelland, was very involved in the offense at wide receiver, as he caught all eight passes Kennedy completed.

And at 6 feet tall and 175 pounds, McClelland makes a pretty good target.

"He’s not a blazer, but he runs very nice routes and has very good hands," Antonucci said.

The offensive line also appears to be solid, anchored by Tom Mauro, a 6-2, 250-pound senior guard.

"He’s definitely a Division I-AA kid," Antonucci said. "A lot of colleges have come in and shown interest in him."

Rob Stockley, a 6-2, 215-pound senior, returns at the other guard position, while two-year starter Andrew Romano (6-0, 200) is back at center.

But while the Eagles appear solid on offense, the defense began the year with a few more holes.

"Defensively, I lost a lot," Antonucci said. "I lost three linebackers who all started three years, plus a couple of guys in the secondary and a couple of guys up front."

Among them was John Castoro, an All-Shore Conference and all-state lineman now playing at the University of Maine.

But Antonucci is counting on a lot of the same people who make the offense run with McCray doubling up at cornerback, Macaluso at linebacker and Mauro at defensive tackle.

In addition, a pair of juniors who turned in solid games against Matawan were linebacker A.J. Boury (6-0, 180) and defensive tackle Ryan Stryker (5-10, 195).

"They both played well and had real nice games," Antonucci said.

But Antonucci and the Eagles didn’t have much time to celebrate their opening win.

Facing a short week, they had to get right back to work to prepare for Friday’s 7 p.m. home opener against a vastly improved Red Bank Regional squad.

So far, however, Antonucci likes what he sees.

"It’s a long season, but I’m very pleased with the way the team has performed so far," he said. "They’ve done everything we’ve asked of them in the weight room, during summer practice, during triple sessions. They’ve really done a nice job up to this point."

Who knows, maybe there could even be a parade in the Eagles’ future.