Anyone for instant replay?/Week 4 comments, reaction

Here's the place to make post game comments on Week Four games...



Wall vs. Middletown South..should there be replay in high school football where practical? Probably not, but just throwing it out there what with all the video now at games.

Was Wright over the goal line on 2-point conversion?

Would outcome have been different if Blaze Montenegro played for Wall in the second half?

Will Middletown South win that fifth consecutive sectional title???

Here's a game that lived up to its billing, that's for sure.


Player of the Year - Campbell or Wright (others)? Yes, I know it just four weeks into the season. Just tossing it up for your views. By the way..both are teriffic kids. Kudos to Wright for his post game interviews.


Howell vs. Lacey.....Lamirande's unexpected return!! Rebels better than last year??
Southern: best start (3-0) since 90! Then they lost three straight. Where did the offense come from??.


Anyone know if Southern ever started 4-0???



Reminder: RALLY ROUND TABLE WEEK 4 on line, RALLYCAST of Midd. South-Wall on line. Scores and many halftime scores on line in near Realtime as well - and Scoreline at 1-800-822-9770 (ext.4470). Outside NJ 1-800-248-2217...

Brad Newman (Squan) - story on him in today's Boston Herald

Freshman fullback is making impact at BC

By Steve ConroyFriday, September 28, 2007
Boston Herald Sports Reporter


Boston College fullback Brad Newman knows things can change in a hurry.
Last year, Newman was one of the top high school players in New Jersey, playing tight end and defensive end for Manasquan High School, earning All-State first-team honors for the latter.
But as of early last January, Newman did not have any Division 1 scholarship offers and as a result, was all set to go to Div. 1-AA Delaware to play tight end. But with the coaching change at The Heights came an increased interest in the 6-foot-2, 250-pound Newman, who Jeff Jagodzinski viewed as a fullback. And although Newman had never played the position before, he jumped at the offer.
And now, with starting fullback James McCluskey out with a knee injury, Newman should see additional playing time tomorrow against UMass.
“It’s been an interesting season so far, from going from the point of not knowing whether I was going to redshirt to the position that I’ve been put in now,” the true freshman said. “It’s been fun and it’s been interesting.”
Jagodzinski sees Newman as the type of player he’d like to sprinkle throughout his roster.
“We saw that he was a tough kid, and I don’t think you could have enough of those type of bodies,” the first-year coach said. “He’s playing fullback for us, but he could play H-back, linebacker. All those guys are the same, and I think if you can get five or six of those guys in your program a year, they’re all going to play somewhere. Brad’s playing now because of James’ situation.”
And like a good Jersey kid, he’s using the snub from the others schools as motivation.
“I came in here at the beginning of the season with a chip on my shoulder trying to prove people wrong,” said Newman, who recovered a fumble on special teams against North Carolina State. “I knew I could do it, my coaches knew I could do it and people from back home knew I could do it. It’s been really, really gratifying this season, being able to get onto the field and give it my all.”
When Newman saw McCluskey hurt his knee while driving for a first down last week against Army, he knew his responsibilities would increase.
“First off, more than anything, when I saw James go down I felt bad for him. He’s a good guy, he’s a hard worker and he’s a hell of a football player,” Newman said. “But in the back of my mind, I knew I had to step up and perform my role.”
Newman said the BC veterans have helped him with the transition from high school to college ball.
“The older guys have been real helpful,” he said. “We’ve got a bunch of good leaders on this team like (Gosder Cherilus) and Matt Ryan and everyone else. They are there for you. With them and the chemistry that the team has, it’s been pretty easy sliding in as a freshman, playing my role.”
So far, Newman is soaking in the atmosphere.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” he said. “I went from playing in front of a couple of thousand in high school to playing in front of tens of thousands here. The Georgia Tech game was really a neat game for me. We rode the bus down frat row and everyone’s giving us the finger and stuff. Then you go into the stadium and you’ve got fans yelling at you. It was a really unique experience for me so far. I can’t imagine what Virginia Tech and some of those other places are like.”

He’ll get to find that out soon enough.

Instant Replay in high School anyone? Week Four comments

Here's the place to make post game comments on Week Four games...

Wall vs. Middletown South..should there be replay in high school football where practical? Probably no,t but just throwing it out there what with all the video now at gmes. Was Wright over the goal line on 2-point conversion? Would outcome have been different if Blaze Montenegro played for Wall in the second half? Will Middletowmn South win that fifth sectional title???

Player of the Year - Campbell or Wright??? (or someone else). Yes, I know it's just four weeks into the season. Just offering it up for discussion. By the way..both are teriffic kids. Kudos to Wright for his post game interviews.

Howell vs. Lacey.....Lamirande's unexpected return!! Rebels better than last year??

Southern: best start (3-0) since 90! Then they lost three straight. Where did the offense come from??.. Anyone know if Southern ever started 4-0???

Reminder: RALLY ROUND TABLE WEEK 4 on line, RALLYCAST of Midd. South-Wall on line. Scores and many halftime scores on line in near Realtime as well - and Scoreline at 1-800-822-9770 (ext.4470). Outside NJ 1-800-248-2217...

Coming Friday on APP.com

The second installment of the weekly Rally Roundtable, featuring yours truly, Tony Graham, Joe Adelizzi and Josh Newman and produced by Tom Costello. The Rally Roundtable will be on app.com each Friday the remainder of the season, except for Thanksgiving Week, when it will likely be on that Wednesday. Each week, we will look at four key games in the Shore and give our thoughts and selections on those games. This week, games featured on the Rally Roundtable are Wall at Middletown South, Lacey at Howell, Brick Memorial at Southern and Freehold at Neptune.

Coming Tomorrow in the Asbury Park Press

The first installment of the weekly Shore Conference Football Statistics package. They will run each Thursday from now until Nov. 8. The stats are based on boxscores that have appeared in the Asbury Park Press and on corrections submitted by coaches. Only coaches can submit corrections.

Rumson-Keansburg classic

What a game.

It seems every time I go to Rumson it's an epic..I saw several great RFHS-Keyport games there when Keyport had Bedle and Cattouse..
At halftime Thursday night - KB coach Brian Kmak said he told Justin Laguna - ""Put us on your shoulders" and he did.
It was truly "The Night of the Laguna."

The kid was terriffic....just refused to down. Check RALLYSCAST Friday morning for the winning TD and other highlights.

RFHS claims it scored the tying TD on third down in OT but officials ruled otherwise...
Whatever happened - an unreal goal-line stand by KB at the end ...

For halftime and final scores throughout the evening

go to app.com under breaking news and for final scores around 10:30 p.m. tonight, call the rally scoreline at 1-800-822-9770 extension 4470.

Final score: Southern 21, Marlboro 0

Halftime score: TR South 3, Colts Neck 3

Week 3/Pick Six RallyCast video debuts/Make predictions/comments/RallyCast, etc.

Thursday morning at www.app.com our new High School Football Rally Round Table debuts..where each week myself, Steve Falk, Joe Adelizzi, and this week Sherlon Christie will take a quick look at several key Shore Conference games....


Who do you like in these games ? (and any others)

Rumson (2-0) vs. Keansburg (2-0)

Barnegat (1-1) vs. SJ Vianney (1-1)

Jackson (1-1) vs. #3 TR`East (2-0)


Long Branch (1-0) vs. #2 Lacey (2-0)


Also - Video and audio highlights of the Rumson-Keansburg game and of the Barnegat-St. John Vianney game will be featured on RallyCast at http://www.app.com/ the morning after the game. All final scores, as well as many halftime scores will be available on http://www.app.com/.
Scores are also available by phone on the Rally Scoreline at 1-800-822-9770, extension 4470.

In wrestling news:

Former state champion Doug Withstandley was named Jackson Memorial High School's head coach tonight. He succeeds current Rutgers University head coach Scott Goodale. For more information on this, come back to app.com tomorrow morning, or read tomorrow's Asbury Park Press.

For the Asbury Park Press' High School Football Notebook:

Either come back to app.com tomorrow or read tomorrow's Asbury Park Press.

Rallycast:

The rallycast of tonight's Brick at Toms River North will be up by Saturday morning and the rallycast of Saturday's Ocean at Toms River East game will be up by Sunday morning.

For scores all weekend:

log on to app.com under breaking news on the front page for halftime scores of most of the games and all the final scores or call 1-800-822-9770 extension 4470.

Thoughts on a few of this weekend's games:

Brick at Toms River North, tonight, 7 p.m. These two old rivals should wage a defensive slugfest. Brick, even though it went 5-5 last year, played well on defense all season. It has six starters back from that defense. Toms River North, even though it lost standout safety Arin West to graduation, is probably a better all-around defensively than it was last year. The Mariners are big up front and have an outstanding middle linebacker in Zach Kane. Brick did not get much done offensively in this game last year. It managed just four first downs and lost 7-0 as West had the game's lone touchdown. Toms River North marched up and down the field last week in a 49-3 win over Toms River South. It will not march up and down the field tonight. The playmaking ability of Penna and Toms River North's size should be the difference. TRN 14-7.
St. John Vianney at Holmdel, tonight, 7 p.m.: Who would have thought going into last weekend, that this would become a big game in the National Division? But, both teams recorded upset wins last week. St. John Vianney thrashed Raritan at Raritan as it unveiled the all-around talents of freshman Charles Davis. Holmdel defeated Manasquan, 10-7, at Manasquan on the day that Vic Kubu Warrior Field was officially dedicated. St. John Vianney showed last week it has two dangerous backs in Davis, who also lined up at quarterback and wide receiver, and Chris Mayo. That should give Holmdel's defense a lot to think about. Last week, the Hornets were able to zero in on Manasquan's Chaz Coursey without the threat of being hurt by somebody else. Holmdel's win over Manasquan was no fluke, though. It was physically the better team. However, the Lancers have more big-play potential than the Hornets. That should spell the difference. St. John Vianney 20-14.
Manasquan at Barnegat, tonight, 7 p.m.: This game points out how things can change in a year. Last year, Manasquan, with one of the Shore's all-time great teams, thrashed the Bengals, who were in their first varsity season, 56-0. However, this time, Manasquan graduated 28 seniors from last year, many of whom were great players. It also lost legendary coach Vic Kubu, who passed away from pancreatic cancer on Aug. 26. Barnegat returns everyone from last year and has multiple weapons on offense in quarterback Brandon Clarke, running back Rob Fitzpatrick a corp of speedy wide receivers. The potential for Barnegat to record a win that will show everyone in the Shore it is for real is definitely there. The Bengals, for the good season they had last year, which saw them qualify for the NJSIAA South Jersey Group I playoffs, did not come close against any of the top flight teams they played last year. They will tonight. However, I am slow to change when it comes to picking a new school against an tradition-laden program. I am not giving up on Manasquan yet. I look for Coursey to run behid Rutgers University-bound right tackle Art Forst all night and have a big game. Manasquan 21-14.
Ocean at TR East, tomorrow, 1 p.m.: Ocean is a team that is tough to get a read on because it graduated a ton of good players from last year, and it has a new coach in Don Klein. But, Ocean is another one of these tradition-laden programs. It has had 5-6 coaches since George Conti Jr. retired from coaching after the 1993 season, and it has still churned out good teams most of the time. The Spartans were slow to get started last week against Central, but they had a big second half and won 20-0. I expect them to try and get physical with a Toms River East defense that flies to the football. In this game last year, Toms River East won 21-7, but Ocean dominated the game statiscally. Toms River East rolled to a 48-0 win over Freehold Township last week, with the aid of three blocked punts. It played three quarterbacks in Ryan Sandberg, Tyler Groves and Ryan Dolan, and it hardly threw the ball. Ocean will try to gang up against the run here, but I think Toms River East's speed on the turf will be too much. Toms River East 20-7.
Also, look for Jackson Liberty, which was routed, 43-0, by Bridgeton last week, in its first varsity game, to get its first win tonight at Group I Wildwood, which did not have a team the last two years, has not won a game since 2002 and has always been one of South Jersey's weakest teams.

Week Two Results - your comments

Care to offer your own thoughts/comments on games played this weekend? You may make them here...again please go to www.app.com - out front- or the Rally Scoreline for fast/up to the minute results....

Did you think TR North would pull it out?

Manasquan would come back vs. Barnegat?

What result surprised you the most Friday?? ..Donovan, Holmdel, Jackson Liberty ?? Another game?

Week Two Predictions? RallyCast/Web scores/Scoreline

Care to make your own predictions on this weekend's games? Comment on the Pick Six Forecasts, etc., etc.??

Also - the TRN vs. Brick and TRE vs. Ocean games will be on RallyCast, final scores will be published rapidly at www.app.com as well as some halftime scores, and will also be available on the Rally Scoreline (in NJ), 1-800-822-9770.

Local HS players in college football

I am placing this on the blog because I think those that those who otherwise may not see this story may be interested in some of these players..


Also, there are more players here than will run in Thursday's paper because there are no space limits on the blog..

And also..if you are aware of any other locals playing college football or care to update me early each week please do so via tonygsports@aol.com



By TONY GRAHAM
STAFF WRITER

Despite a big day from red shirt freshman Knowshon Moreno (Middletown South) Saturday, then No. 11 Georgia (1-1) fell to South Carolina 16-12. Moreno had 14 carries for 104 yards, both of which set career highs in his second game. His 50-yard run in the third quarter helped electrify Georgia's Sanford Stadium sell-out crowd of 92,746. Moreno had 70 yards on 20 carries in Georgia's 35-14 season opening win over Oklahoma State... Georgia defensive tackle Kade Weston (Red Bank Regional) has accumulated seven tackles, a sack, and five quarterback pressures...Troy State senior Kenny Cattouse of Keyport has rushed for 54 yards and a TD in the Trojans' first two games, losses to Arkansas and Florida. In 2006 the Trojans' leading rusher saw action in 12 games, eight as a starter, finishing with 810 yards on 168 carries...Wisconsin redshirt sophomore tight-end Garrett Graham (Brick Memorial) caught his second touchdown pass in as many weeks. Graham, caught two passes for 11 yards and a score in a 20-13 victory over UNLV. In the season opener he caught his first career touchdown (11 yards) in a 42-21 victory over Washington State on his way to three catches for 38 yards...Stony Brook senior quarterback Josh Dudash, a Toms River South graduate, threw for 233 yards and a TD when the Seawolves defeated Bucknell, 48-20, to start 2-0 for the first time since 2003. Dudash hit on 21 of his 30 attempts as he eclipsed the 200-yard mark for a second straight week. In two games sophomore defensive back Cory Giddings (Ocean Township) has registered five tackles. ship) has registered five tackles. Mike Lepore, a redshirt freshman wide out, is on the Stony Brook roster after transferring from New Hampshire...Joe Mele (Manasquan), a senior linebacker, had five tackles for Northeastern (0-2) in a loss to Richmond. Mele had seven tackles in a season opening game vs. Northwestern. In 2006 Mele started all 11 games and ranked second on the Huskies in total tackles with 61.. True freshman Mike Mele, Joe's brother, had two tackles for Syracuse (0-2) in its season opening game vs. Washington...New Hampshire safety Ryan McGuinness (Howell) made two tackles including one for a loss in a defeat by James Madison....St. Francis, Pa. fifth year senior Lou Beninato (Colts Neck) had 11 tackles and a fumble recovery as the Red Flash bowed to Morehead State, 21-14...Senior Piotr Czech (Keyport) hit field goals of 49 and 19 yards as Wagner (1-1) lost in overtime to Iona, 17-14....U CONN redshirt sophomore Donald Brown (RBC) had 87 yards on 20 carries in a victory over Maine.... Sacred Heart running back and former Point Boro fullback Brian Friedman ran for 27 yards on six carries in a 41-20 victory over Assumption and 24 yards on four carries in a 54-14 victory over La Salle ...Free safety Jarrett Sanderson (Long Branch) had six tackles for Bowling Green in a loss to Michigan State after collecting seven tackles in an overtime victory over Minnesota...Quarterback Stephen McGrath (Manasquan), running back Adam Hansen (St. John Vianney), and lineman Dan Cooper (Freehold Township), are senior regulars for Marist (0-2). T


In Division III

Sophomore quarterback Bill Winters, a Brick High school graduate, helped spark
Fairleigh Dickinson College at Florham to a 20-17 overtime win over Juniata. With the win the Devils, led by former Shore Conference coach Rich Mosca, are 1-0 for the first time since the 2004 season and only the second time since 1996. Winters had a 16-yard touchdown run to send FDU to a 7-0 lead also had a 20-yard run during the drive. FDU upped the lead to 14-0 with 5:03 left in the first quarter on a 23-yard touchdown strike from Winters to senior tight end Ray Kwiatkowski (Monsignor Donovan). Winters finished with 14 rushes for 89 yards and Kwiatkowski caught two passes for 38 yards. Defensively for the Devils sophomore defensive tackle Nick Cusanelli (Brick) had a sack and three tackles for loss...Montclair State senior quarterback Mike Jump (Toms River South) completed 14 passes for 150 yeards helping lead the Red Hawks (1-0) to a 14-7 non-conference win over Wilkes University. Senior linebacker (Rumson) made nine tackles.

On the weekend of Aug. 31-Sept. 1

Rowan senior quarterback John Rankin (Toms River North) completed 18 passes in 35 attempts for 166 yards when the Profs dropped their season opener at Christopher Newport, 23-17. In the game junior linebacker Chris Pinto (Southern) recorded 11 tackles and freshman outside linebacker Dan Hopkins (Jackson Memorial) posted one interception....Six Shore Conference alumni suited up, five from Salisbury University when the Sea Gulls downed Albright University, 42-12. Ryan Hesnan (Brick), Josh Leonardis (Pinelands), Chris Loveland (Central), all manned linebacker spots for Salisbury where Garrett Burgess (Southern) and Joe Falco (Ocean) are reserve running backs. Dan Duddy Jr. (Central) was the long snapper for Albright.... Kean senior kicker Jonathan Robinson (Brick) was tabbed the New Jersey Athletic Conference Football Special Teams Player of the Week following a record-setting performance in a 48-7 victory over USMMA-Kings Point. In the game Robinson connected on a career-high four field goals, the second highest single game total in program history, and 4-of-5 extra point attempts to become the program's all-time leader in both categories. His successful kicks of 38, 35, 25 and 35 yards game him 15 career field goals. In the win, sophomore Jared Chunn (Monmouth Regional) rushed for a career high 118 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown run. Senior A.J. Roque (Matawan) eclipsed 6,000-career passing yards, as he finished with 155 yards passing and freshman running back Chris DiMicco (Lacey) had touchdown runs of 12-yards and seven-yards....College of New Jersey sophomore quarterback Chris James (Brick Memorial) was 15-for-32 for 123 yards with one interception in a 15-0 loss to Muhlenberg.

Various college websites and http://www.eliterecruits.com/ contributed to this report..

Dinner for Warren Wolf

The New Jersey Football Coaches Association will host a Black Tie Dinner to honor legendary Brick Township High School football coach Warren Wolf on Saturday, Feb. 23 from 6-11 p.m. at the East Brunswick Hilton.
Wolf is New Jersey's winningest all-time high school football coach with 351. He is currently in his 50th season as the only head football coach Brick has ever had.
Tickets will be $350 per couple and can also be purchased as a table or individually.
Checks should be made out to New Jersey Football Coaches Association c/o Marty Yudichak, P.O. Box 316, Allamuchy, N.J. 07820.
Joe Nolan, the WABC-TV and WPLG Morning Show traffic reporter, will host the event and Rutgers University head football coach Greg Schiano will be one of the guest speakers.

Former Point Boro football coach Al Saner to receive award....Press release from New Egypt High School

New Egypt, NJ, September 10, 2007 - It is an honor to announce that long-time Point Pleasant Borough High School Head Coach and current New Egypt High School Assistant Coach Al Saner has been selected as this year’s recipient of the prestigious Dr. John F. Bateman Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Coach Saner will formally receive the award at a banquet on Friday, October 5th at the Rutgers University Stadium Hale Center.



The award, sponsored by the Dr. John F. Bateman Education Foundation, is one of two annual awards presented by the Foundation; the “Winners For Life” Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award. The Foundation was established in memory of Rutgers football coach John Bateman by a group of his former players to honor New Jersey High School football coaches who best exemplify the ideas of developing character and academic competence in their players along with athletic skills. The important ‘off the field’ impact a coach can have on his players and the community was a prime concern of Coach Bateman. It became a major part of his coaching philosophy and is the primary objective the foundation seeks to promote and recognize. Award recipients are chosen from nominations received from coaches, high school administrators, and members of the press. The initial recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award were the legendary Joe Coviello and Gary Kehler, and we are pleased to add Al Saner’s name to the list of distinguished honorees.



Al Saner began his 50-year football career playing for the legendary Joe Coviello at Memorial High School in West New York, New Jersey . He continued his playing career at St. Benedict’s Prep and then on to Gettysburg College. After college and a stint in the military, Al Saner began an unparalleled coaching career. Coach Saner has served as the Head Coach at Hawthorne High School for six years and at Pt. Pleasant Borough High School for twenty-eight years where the football field is named in his honor. He is the architect of a 34 consecutive game win streak, three state championships, and eleven conference/division championships. He has had assistant coaching stops along the way that includes both high school and college ( Kean University ). He currently is entering his 50th year in football and his 4th year as the Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach at New Egypt.

My take on TR North's last TD:

Since I'm the one who asked the question in a previous post, if it was necessary for TR North to put the first team back in and then throw a TD pass with the score 42-3? I will come to the aid of my colleague Tony Graham.
No, TR North should not have done that. I don't think it's good sportsmanship to ever run up the score, no matter what the sport, or what the level of competition we are talking about. If a coach does not want it done to him some day, he should not do it to another coach. What's the old saying? What goes around, comes around. The sporting thing for TR North to do would have been to keep its first string backfield on the bench, which it apparently had already done, and just try to run the game out, satisfied that it had recorded an impressive win over its arch-rival on their field. By throwing for this last TD, TR North has taken some of the attention away from its impressive showing.
Now, having said all this: I like Chip LaBarca Jr. and his staff. They are good guys and good coaches. I just disagree with what they did here. It was not, in my mind, the right thing to do.

For the Asbury Park Press High School football notebook

the Asbury Park Press' offensive and defensive players of the week and the Gannett New Jersey Top 20 Football Poll, please come back to app.com tomorrow or read tomorrow's Asbury Park Press. Middletown South remains No. 6 in the Gannett New Jersey Top 20 Poll.

For reaction fromJackson Memorial standout wrestler

Scott Winston on his decision to make an oral committment to attend Rutgers University, please come back to app.com tomorrow or read tomorrow's Asbury Park Press.

Thoughts on the Saturday night games:

Red Bank Catholic, in its 55-12 win over Matawan, proved what many thought, that it might have the best offense in the Shore. The Caseys ran for 450 yards and had 563 yards of total offense. Red Bank Catholic has the offensive firepower to go 9-0 against its regular season schedule. However, the Caseys have the misfortune of being classified in the NJSIAA Non-Public Group IV playoff bracket, the same bracket that Don Bosco Prep and St. Peter's Prep are in.
Toms River North's 49-3 win over Toms River South was impressive because it was the widest margin of victory in the 36-year history of the series. That is saying something considering some of the whippings the Indians laid on the Mariners in the early years of the series.
We will find out much more about Toms River North this week, when it hosts Brick.
Two questions from this game: Was it necessary for Toms River North to put its first team offense back in the game after Toms River South kicked a field goal to close within, 42-3? And was it necessary to throw a 66-yard TD pass with the score 42-3?

Asbury Park Press Top 10 Poll:

Middletown South remains No. 1 in the Asbury Park Press Top 10 Poll. For the remainder of the top 10 poll, please come back to app.com tomorrow or read tomorrow's Asbury Park Press.

Some thoughts from Saturday afternoon games

Holmdel's 10-7 win over Manasquan was no fluke. The Hornets, who showed they meant business right from the start with a 73-yard, eight-play drive in the first 2:47 of the game, were the better team on both sides of the line of scrimmage. . Hornets' senior quarterback Ryan Haslett was probably the best athlete on the field. He did a good job at both running the ball and pitching on the option. The Hornets also were, for the most part, able to contain Manasquan running back Chaz Coursey. That means Manasquan's offensive line, led by Rutgers University recruit, Art Forst, a 6-foot-8, 305-pound right tackle, and Travis Fink, a 6-foot-5, 280-pound left tackle, was not able to dominate the Holmdel defensive front.
Also, Howell's 28-26 win over Colts Neck shows the Rebels are picking up offensively right where they left off the past two seasons even though quarterback Sean O'Reilly, an Asbury Park Press All-Shore selection last year, is now at Wagner College. O'Reilly's replacement, Tim Lamirande is not much of a dropoff from O'Reilly, if at all. Howell also has a great receiving corp in Brian Battaglia and Chance Carrick. Look for Howell to be right there in the Constitution Division race.
Odd stat from the Rumson-Asbury Park game. Asbury Park rushed for 351 yards, and lost by three touchdowns.
Toms River East's 48-0n win over Freehold Township shows the Raiders are probably not missing a beat even though quarterback Jared Morris and running back Brady Doyle have graduated.

Early Saturday afternoon scores:

Steve Falk here with some early Saturday afternoon scores: Holmdel 10, Manasquan 7 on a 26-yard Glenn Grainger field goal with 8:42 remaining. Keansburg 26, Keyport 6; Rumson-FH 35, Asbury Park 14; Monmouth 43, Red Bank 6;

Rallycast:

Steve Falk, here again. Check out The Press' Rallycast of last night's Middletown South-Neptune game.

For scores:

Steve Falk here again. For scores this afternoon, you can either go to app.com under breaking news after 4 p.m. or call 1-800-822-9770 extension 4470, where my colleague Tony Graham will have the scores up after 5 p.m.

Friday night football quick thoughts:

Steve Falk here to talk about high school football. This will be the homeplace for high school football until our new web site is launched in October.
Here are some quick impressions from the opening night of the season:
Southern Regional's 6-0 win over Jackson Memorial was the most noteworthy result from Friday night.
This is the type of the game the Rams would usually lose in the past. Not surprised they could play Jackson Memorial tough because they played the Jaguars tough in recent years, losing by a combined 13 points the past three years, including a last-minute 10-9 defeat to an unbeaten Jackson Memorial team two years ago.
The trick for Southern now is to build on this result. It has the defense to contend with anybody in the American Division, and has for several years. Consistency on offense has always been an issue with the Rams.
As for Jackson Memorial, just wondering if the opening of Jackson Liberty has started to drain some of the talent, and if the loss of outstanding assistant coaches, Scott Goodale, now the head wrestling coach at Rutgers University, and Mike Walsh, now the athletic director at Jackson Liberty, has also had an effect.
I'm sure one of the happiest people at Southern's Goldberger Memorial Field last night was Rams' junior linebacker-fullback, Glenn Carson. The state wrestling runner-up at 215 pounds last year, Carson had not been on a Southern team that had ever defeated Jackson Memorial. The Rams' wrestling team had gone 0-6 against the Jaguars the last two seasons, including losses in consective NJSIAA Group IV championship matches.
St. John Vianney's 27-9 win over Raritan was also noteworthy, especially the performance of Lancers' freshman Charles Davis.
It appears Davis, whose father played for Lancers' head coach John Amabile, when he was the head coach at Neptune, in the late 1980's and early 1990's, has taken over the role last year's Asbury Park Press All-Shore first team selection Chris Lewnes occupied. Davis, like Lewnes at times last year, lined up at several different positions Friday night, including quarterback and wide receiver. It does not get much better than scoring on your first two touches of the ball of your high school career from two different positions.
Took in Middletown South's 23-7 win over Neptune. The Eagles strugged through most of the first half, as they had done through entire scrimmages against Jackson Memorial and Brick Memorial. However, they looked like a No. 1 team in the Shore in the second half, when they scored on their first three possession in impressive fashion and shut Neptune down completely on its first three possessions.
No question, Middletown South, which has some inexperience on the offensive line, will get better week-by-week.
Neptune has the speed and talent at running back and receiver to win its share of games.
Jackson Liberty, which was defeated, 43-0, by Bridgeton in its first-ever varsity game, will likely not face a team with the talent of Bridgeton the remainder of the season.
The Lions will do grow from this experience, and will defeat Wildwood, a Group I school that has usually struggled, this week.
Lacey showed it is going to pick up right where it left off last year with its impressive win over Manalapan. Everybody knew Tom Rickmers was talented last year, when he was the starting fullback in front of Asbury Park Press All-Shore first team selection Chris DiMicco last year. Look for Rickmers to easily surpass 1,000 yards.
Also, nice win for Lakewood at Pinelands as it spoiled Wildcats' first-ever night game, like Pinelands did to the Piners last year.
The Federal Division appears to be three-tiered division, with Middletown South in its own tier, Ocean and Neptune in the next tier, and Freehold Lakewood, Central and Pinelands in the next tier. There are winnable games for those teams in the third tier. A team that sweeps the games in the third tier puts itself in position to have a chance at a .500 season.

High School Football Results,RallyCast,Scoreline

1. For high school football results please go to http://www.app.com/ and the scores will be out front on BREAKING NEWS, or call 1-800-822-9770, ext. 4470...also Friday's Middletown South-Neptune Game will be featured on RallyCast. Again please go to http://www.app.com/ Saturday mornings for the video and audio highlights and post game interviews...