Middletown South shuts down Lions
BY DOUG McKENZIE Correspondent

CHRIS KELLY staff Middletown South's Matt Martino tries to muscle his way past Jackson Liberty's Cody Edley during a home game on Sept. 26. The Eagles defeated Jackson Liberty 26-0.

In what was a light week for the local high school football teams (with the three undefeated teams all enjoying their bye weeks), Middletown South used the opportunity to steal the spotlight with an impressive 28-0 win.

Early on against Jackson Liberty, however, the Eagles appeared to be in for a battle in the Swamp, as the upstart Lions used an inspired defensive effort to keep the game scoreless through the first quarter.

That is when sophomore Andrew Suarez, starting for ill teammate Chris Bunge, took over, and turned his first career start into his personal showcase.

Suarez broke free down the right side for a 60-yard run early in the second quarter, setting up the Eagles' first score. Shortly thereafter, senior running back Matt Martinho found the end zone from 4 yards out, and the Eagles were on their way.

On their next possession, the Eagles got another big run from Suarez (a 17-yard scamper) that set up Martinho's second score of the game — this one from 2 yards out.

CHRIS KELLY staff Middletown South quarterback Ryan Mullan dives for a few extra yards against Jackson Liberty at the Sept. 26 home game.

South was well within its comfort zone when Suarez struck again with a big play, hauling in a 45-yard pass from quarterback Ryan Mullan and racing the rest of the way for the 60-yard TD. Up 20-0, the Eagles capped the scoring when Mullan hit senior Mike Farrell with a 32-yard scoring strike with just over six minutes to play in the game.

While the Eagle offense found its stride thanks to the efforts of Suarez (186 total yards for the game, including 74 rushing and 112 through the air), the South defense looked as stingy as ever, particularly in the second half. Jackson Liberty had no answer for the Eagles' swarming defense, accumulating just 13 total yards after the break.

South will look to build off its solid overall showing when they return to action next week (following this weekend's bye). The Eagles will be hosting a 1-1 Central Regional team that was no match for highpowered Neptune this past weekend, losing 46-0.

The Keyport Red Raiders had to wait until Monday to post their second win of the season, as the inclement weather postponed their game with Point Beach. However, once the game began, Keyport wasted little time exerting its dominance over a Gulls team that simply had no answer for the Raider running game.

Behind the efforts of running backs Aaron Lee (three touchdowns) and Yusuf Francis, who combined for 229 yards on 28 carries, Keyport raced out to a 28-0 lead by the half and never looked back. The Red Raider defense, which was stellar in the first half, lightened up a bit in the second half, as the Gulls scored 12 unanswered points to get within 28-12. However, it was too little too late, as Keyport promptly added another score when QB Tim Snyder hit Cody Carrol for a 47-yard TD on a post pattern. Up 35- 12, Keyport added another score in the fourth on a Francis 5-yard scamper.

The Red Raiders' 42-18 win got them to 1-1 on the young season, as they prepare for the first night game in school history this Friday night when they host Mater Dei.

The young Mater Dei Seraphs have struggled mightily so far this year, and Saturday was no exception. Shore Regional scored all 41 of its points in the first half, handing the Seraphs their third lopsided loss in the three tries.

The two remaining local teams that were in action this weekend both lost, with Holmdel dropping a 27-10 affair to Manasquan; and St. John Vianney proving to be no match for Point Borough in losing 40- 0.

For Holmdel, who managed just a 45- yard TD from J.J. Cuccurullo to Patrick

Clarke on a screen and a 25-yard field goal from Cuccurullo against the BlueWarriors, it was a struggle offensively, as Manasquan's defense shut down the Holmdel running game (holding the Hornets to just 34 yards on the ground). Meanwhile, Manasquan tailback Lorenzo Venable ran for 124 yards on 27 carries to pace his team's attack. With the loss, Holmdel fell to 0-3 on the year, making this week's game against St. John Vianney even more important.

The Lancers were shut out by one of the Shore's top defenses in Point Borough on Saturday, managing just 17 yards rushing. That number becomes even more impressive when you consider that SJV was averaging over 230 yards rushing per game entering the contest. However, it's important to note that running back Charles Davis, one of the more explosive players in the Shore, did not play on offense as he recovers from a shoulder injury. If he's able to play both ways this week, you can expect Vianney (1-2) to get its rushing attack back on track against the young Hornets on Friday. Game time is 7 p.m.

Middletown North will look to get to 3- 0 on Friday when they host an 0-2 Marlboro team at the Swamp. The Mustangs got beaten up by Colts Neck, 30-7, on Saturday, and will be looking to make a statement against the resurgent Lions. Head coach Joe Trezza's Lions need to be careful not to get caught looking ahead to their Oct. 11 showdown with 2-1 Colts Neck and take care of business this Friday. Game time is 7 p.m. in Middletown.

Matawan will also be looking to get to 3-0 on Saturday when they take on a Monmouth Regional team that is looking for its first win of the season.

Matawan has looked like the Huskies of old through two games, while the Golden Falcons have struggled a bit more than anticipated. This is another game that Matawan should win; however, they will certainly need to maintain their high level of play to do so. Game time is 2:30 p.m. in Tinton Falls.

That leaves the Raritan Rockets, who at 2-0 have certainly made people take notice of their improvement from a year ago. Raritan has outscored its opponents 70-7 through two games, and is poised to stake its claim as a team to beat in the Shore's National Division.

This week, however, the Rockets face one of the Shore's very best teams in Red Bank Catholic. RBC has been brilliant thus far, outscoring its opponents 76-0 through two games, including this past weekend's dominant 48-0 showing over rival Red Bank Regional.

RBC's offense has gotten much of the headlines early on, but Raritan head coach Bob Generelli knows full well that the RBC defense is likely as good a unit as his team will face all season.

There are people who think this Raritan team is just about ready to reclaim its place among the Shore's best teams. This Friday night, they'll have an opportunity to see exactly how they stack up against a team that may very well be the best the conference has to offer.

Game time is 7 p.m. at Count Basie Park in Red Bank.