Local athletes represent Shore area at Gridiron Classic
BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA Staff Writer
Several local players put the cap on their high school football careers by competing in the Shore Gridiron Classic at Brick on Friday evening.

Holmdel High School's Glenn Grainger kicks the ball during the first quarter of the 2008 Shore Football Coaches Foundation Shore Gridiron Classic at Brick Township High School on July 18. The annual game featured all-star players from Monmouth and Ocean counties, with Ocean winning the contest by a score of 27-20.

And while Ocean County won the contest by a 27-20 count, just playing in the game is an honor, Matawan coach Joe Martucci said.

Martucci went to Brick to watch Huskies linebacker Dan Cleary play for the Monmouth County contingent. Cleary saw plenty of action rotating as an inside linebacker and also played on special teams.

"I thought Dan did a real nice job; he made some good hits and he got to play a lot," the Matawan mentor said. "It was a good experience for him and it was a good night of football. would have liked to have seen Monmouth win, but Ocean made some big plays and that was the difference."

The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Cleary, who also ran the ball for Matawan, is planning to continue his career at Lackawanna Junior College in Hazleton, Penn.

Meanwhile, the resurgent Holmdel program, which won 10 games last fall under Andy Carlstrom, placed five players on the Monmouth team. They include running back Ryan Haslett, linebacker Connor Nelson, defensive back Glenn Grainger, and linemen Kevin De- Maio and Will McGurk.

As for the contest itself, St. John Vianney coach John Anabile called it "a great game to watch. The kids really gave it their all on both sides of the ball."

Anabile was there to cheer on linebacker Rich Esdaile, who represented the Lancers. The 6-foot-2, 225- pound Esdaile will continue his football career at Kean University this fall.

"Rich got to play a fair amount and he had a strong game," Anabile said. "He also played on the punt coverage and punt return teams. It was a good night."

The big play of the game came in the third quarter when Brick's Karl Loftus hauled in a Monmouth County punt and electrified the crowd by 70 yards going through the middle and down the sidelines for a touchdown.

Other local players included linebacker Dan Miller and lineman Steve Lang from Middletown South; lineman Paul Muller of Middletown North; quarterbackAnthony Valle, running back Justin Laguna and wideouts Scott Pillar and Josh Bakala, all of Keansburg; as well as defensive back Gilly Olini of Keyport.