Shore Sports Networks 2016 Rumson & Manaquan NJSIAA Matchup

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The first thing fans, players, coaches and parents want toknow after the big game is always,

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K e v i n W I L L I A M SShore Sports Network Directorkev in .wi l l i ams@townsquaremedia .com

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K e v i n W I L L I A M SShore Sports Network Directorkev in .wi l l i ams@townsquaremedia .com

S t e v e M E Y E RShore Sports NetworkDirector High School Divisionsteve.meye r@townsquaremedia .com7 3 2 - 2 3 3 - 4 4 6 0

Sen ior Content Prov idersBobBadders // [email protected] // [email protected]

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”Is this going to be on ”






Shore Sports Network has established itself as a leader in scholasticsports coverage in Monmouth and Ocean counties, providing morevideo highlight clips, in-depth reporting, feature stories and regularupdates than ANY OTHER OUTLET in the area.




nof all the important games that Shore Conference fans will be talking about.

n Catch up on the action you might have missedn Watch video clips of everything from the

action early in the event to the big finish as well as video interviews with various athletes.

n www.shoresportsnetwork.com is the most visited sports site in the Shore Conference during the scholastic year

n Follow us on Twitter (over 18,000 followers) & Facebook, we keep fans posted on the latest scores and news

n Established leading portal for local high school coverage.

nof all the important games that Shore Conference fans will be talking about.

n Catch up on the action you might have missedn Watch video clips of everything from the

action early in the event to the big finish as well as video interviews with various athletes.

n www.shoresportsnetwork.com is the most visited sports site in the Shore Conference during the scholastic year

n Follow us on Twitter (over 18,000 followers) & Facebook, we keep fans posted on the latest scores and news

n Established leading portal for local high school coverage.

GET VIDEO HIGHLIGHTSGET VIDEO HIGHLIGHTSGET VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIESFOR THE 2016 LACROSSEALL-STAR GAME DAYPROGRAM Be part of a tradition at the Jersey Shore thatreaches a large and enthusiastic Lacrosse audience from Monmouth and Ocean

counties by having your business featured in this year's 2016Shore Lacrosse Coaches Senior & Youth All-Star Game officialgame day program, JUNE 15 AT RUMSON-FAIRHAVEN HIGH SCHOOL. The detailed game programput together by the Shore Sports Network staff not onlyrecounts the past season and highlights this year's group of All-Stars, it also serves as a keepsake for all the players, coachesand fans involved. Not only is the program a chance for yourbusiness to reach a wide and passionate audience, it is a chanceto become a permanent part of a lasting memory for manymembers of the Shore Conference Lacrosse community.

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VOLUME -V I I I / I S SUE - 10 / 5 / 24 / 1 6

The Shore Conference Athletic Directors Honor93 Athletes with Sportsmanship AwardsBy Kevin William – Director Shore Sports Network

3SHORESPORTSNETWORK.COM

Sportsmanship is defined asfair play, respect for opponentsand polite behavior by someonewho is competing in a sport orother competition. Most of usdon’t need a dictionary todefine the word although clearlyit seems like sportsmanship isoften lost in the “win at allcosts” world we live in today.

The ShoreConference ofHigh Schoolsbelieves that goods p o r t s m a n s h i pshould be verymuch part of the game and annually identifiessenior student-athletes who best combine thequalities of a true sportsman: hard work,exemplary leadership skills, respect for othersand putting the needs of their teammates aheadof their own personal glory.

On Sunday May 15 at the Pine Belt Arena inToms River our Shore Sports Network inpartnership with the 47 schools that make up the

Shore Conference honored a male andfemale from each school who werechosen for what’s become adistinguished honor and I once againhad the honor to serve as Master ofCeremonies.

The 93 soon-to-be high schoolgraduates make up an impressive groupas well as a diverse one. There are thosewho are well known for their athleticprowess in marquee sports while otherscompeted in relative obscurity outsidetheir own school and community. Manywill be competing in athletics on thecollege level but for a large portiontheir playing days have or soon willcome to an end. What they all have incommon is that they’ve set a highstandard for the way the game shouldbe played.

May 15th event drew over 300 people including family members and coaches andspecial thanks to the Toms River Regional Schools for hosting the event and for theefforts of Café 1144 in providing breakfast to everyone. Four very lucky honoreescollected $1000 college scholarships from the Pine Belt Auto Group in a randomdrawing conducted by Executive Manager Rob Sickel (top left) and spokespersonAlana Hackshaw (far right). Ciara Sullivan of Middletown North, Shana Rayside ofLakewood (standing), Anthony Bassani of Manalapan and Luke Butera of TomsRiver North (kneeling) all came away with some unexpected help as they head tocollege.

Also honored Sunday as Athletic Directors of the Year by their peers were RustyTodd of Ocean Township High School and Joe Arminio of the Toms River RegionalSchool District.

An outstanding group of senior athletes from across the conference’s 47 schools was honored by theShore Conference athletic directors with Sportsmanship Awards on May 15. (Photo by Steve Meyer)

FOR INFORMATIONON H I -RES COLOR PR INTS OF ANY PAGES& IMAGES IN ANY OF OUR PUBL ICAT IONSCONTACT: Steven Meyer 732-233-4460 s [email protected]

Joe Arminio of the TR Regional schooldistrict accepts his Atheltic Director of

the Year award

Shore Sports NetworksDirector Kevin Williams


It took 16 innings, but thepotent Toms River North lineupfinally figured out how to scoreon Toms River South senior right-hander Trevor Wagner.Senior Pat Marinaccio delivered a two-out, two-run single on a 2-2 count

to break a scoreless tie in the top of the eighth and fourth-seeded Toms RiverNorth beat No. 3 Toms River South, 2-0, to win its second Ocean CountyTournament championship in four years Thursday night at Toms River EastHigh School.“We had a chance to win a championship on Monday and we came up

short,” Toms River North coach Andy Pagano said, referencing a loss to BrickMemorial that cost the Mariners a share of the Shore Conference Class ASouth title. “You could tell the guys were disappointed and they weren’t goingto let the opportunity slip away again.”The Mariners loaded the bases with one out in the top of the eighth against

Wagner, who entered the game having not allowed a hit in nine scorelessinnings during two regular season meetings between the teams, including aseven-inning no-hitter. Austin Feigin led off the inning by beating out a groundball to second base that deflected off the mound and Wagner then hit seniorthird baseman and Shore Conference home run leader Joey Rose.After a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Jared Bellissimo, Toms River South

opted to walk senior right fielder Jeff Ciervo intentionally. Wagner respondedby striking out Craig Larsen on three pitches and working his way to a 2-2count against Marinaccio with four straight fastballs. On the fifth pitch of theat bat, Wagner went to the breaking ball and Marinaccio stayed on it longenough to punch it through the middle, chasing home both Feigin and Rose.

“I knew (the breaking ball) was coming, so I sat onit and I just poked it through into center,” Marinacciosaid. “In the previous at bat, he got me out with thecurveball so I thought he’d go back to it.“I knew coming up, I knew I had to get the run in.

We practice that situation a lot in the cages and inpractice and the hard work paid off there.”Before leading off the eighth with his infield single,

Feigin made the second of two crucial outfield playsby the Mariners. With the winning run on second basein the form of pinch-runner Jared Kwicinski and oneout, Indians first baseman Connor Feeney hit a sinking,humpback line drive toward left-center. Feigin charged in, made a slidingcatch and threw to second to double off Conover and send the game into extrainnings.In the bottom of the sixth, Toms River South third baseman Ben

Montenegro lined a single to right field with a runner on second and one out.Courtesy runner Sam Conover attempted to score on the play, but Toms RiverNorth right fielder Alex Klalo fired the ball home in time for catcher IanMindas to tag out Conover for the second out of the inning after Conover slidearound the plate, but could not touch it.Klalo entered the game in the top of the inning as a pinch-runner for Ciervo

and remained in the game and the ball promptly found him in a criticalsituation.Sophomore right-hander Brendan Mullins earned his third win of the

tournament with seven scoreless innings and took home the Most ValuablePlayer award of the tournament. Mullins limited the Indians to four hits andissued just one walk to go with one strikeout.“I let the offense do their thing and I do mine,” Mullins said. “I have to

control the game and control my tempo. I expect a lot of myself and my teampicked me up big time.”“I’m a sophomore – I’m a youngin’. To know coach has trust in me to get

the ball in a game like this is a great feeling.”“He’s a competitor,” Pagano said of Mullins. “I told him to his face that if

we were naming captains, I would have named him one because he’s that kindof kid. And we’ve never had a sophomore for a captain. He just has heart andthat’s what you need in a game like this.”Fellow sophomore Anthony Sasso took over in the bottom of the eighth

and pitched a one-two-three inning to close out the game. He struck out twobatters, including Wagner on a 3-2 fastball for the final out.Wagner pitched another seven scoreless innings after pitching a two-hitter

in a 1-0 semifinal win over Brick on Saturday. Over eight innings, he allowedtwo earned runs on six hits and two walks – one intentional – with sevenstrikeouts.“You have to tip your cap to Wagner,” Pagano said. “The kid’s a competitor.

He’s a kid that anybody would want starting for them.”

Marinaccio and Mullins Deliver TR NorthOCT Title With Win Over TR SouthBy Ma t t Man l e y – S en i o r S t a f f Wr i t e r

SHORESPORTSNETWORK.COM 5


The hamstring is agroup of threemuscles that rundown the back ofyour thigh.

A hamstring strain or “pulledhamstring” is a commoninjury in basketball, football,soccer and track. All of thesesports require a lot ofrunning, jumping, starts, andstops. A strain can occurwhen the muscle is stretchedbeyond its capacity orchallenged with a suddenload. This can cause a sharppain in the

back of thigh orbuttocks andmakes it difficultto walk orstraighten the leg.

Risk factors forhamstring strainsinclude inadequatewarm-up beforeexercise, tightquadriceps muscles,and weakness in buttockmuscles. Typically, ahamstring strain can be“graded” as a 1st, 2nd or3rd degree, also known as“mild, moderate orsevere”. Treatments for

hamstring strains arerest, ice, elevation,and compression withelastic bandage.Third degree strainsmay require theathlete to be non-weight bearing for aperiod of time.Athletes withhamstring strainsmay requirerehabilitation with aphysical therapist orathletic trainer towork on stretching,strengthening and functional rehabiliation. This will allowthe athlete to safely return to play.

Hamstring StrainsBy Kev i n B rown , Phy s i c i a n A s s i s t a n t – P ro f e s s i o n a l O r t h opa ed i c A s s o c i a t e s


HE KINGS OF

SHORE

CONFERENCE

LACROSSE HAVE

RECLAIMED

THEIR THRONE

Junior attackman Charlie Curranscored the go-ahead goal with 4:15left in regulation and top-seededRumson-Fair Haven added twomore late goals to defeat second-seeded Manasquan, 8-5, and winthe Shore ConferenceTournament championship onMonday May 16 at LongBranch High School.

The 2016 SCT title is therecord sixth conference crownfor Rumson, which was makingits eighth straight championshipgame appearance in the 12-year

history of the Shore Conference Tournament.The Bulldogs have now won the SCTtitle in five of the last six seasons.

“It feelsunbelievable,” saidsenior attackmanRobbie Garavente.“To get this team win,we’ve been working forthis all year. To win achampionship with all

these guys as seniorsis the best feeling in

the world.”The Bulldogs had their streak of four

consecutive SCT titles snapped last season in a loss to Southern in thechampionship game. They rebounded just fine with an epic statetournament run that culminated with the NJSIAA Group I title, the firststate championship won by a Shore Conference boys lacrosse program.Losing their grip on the Shore Conference was still eating at them whenthis season started, however.

“It was heartbreaking last year, but now it’s back where it belongs,”said junior defenseman Emmett Jennings. “Last year took thewind out of our sails stopping the streak, but we knew wehad a lot of guys coming back.”

Curran’s goal came after Manasquan had scoredtwice in a four-minute span on goals by JamesPendergist and DevanCarroll to tie the game 5-5. Carroll’s goal at5:01 knotted thescore, but seniorButch Clark wonensuring face-off to giveRumson possession. TheBulldogs wasted no timeretaking the lead as Currandodged to his left,rolled back to

his right tofree his handsand ripped a shotthat found the backof the cage.

“When they tied it 5-5me and Dan Maloney, whoare juniors, went over to(defenseman) Ian (Clarke)and (goalie) Kyle (Knapp),who are seniors, and said‘we’re not going to lose thisone for you guys. You’re

seniors and this isyour last

ride’,” Jennings said.

“We came together and came outon top.”

From there Rumson’s tenacious defense put the clamps onManasquan to secure another conference title. Throughout

By Bob Badders – Senior Staff Writer


Rumson’s Peter LucaRumson’s Emmett JenningsRumson’s Robbie Garavente

9

the season and in the Shore Conference Tournament, the Bulldogs’ defense has beenoutstanding. They held Christian Brothers Academy and Manasquan to acombined nine goals in two games in the semifinals and final. WithJennings and fellow junior Maloney, plus Clarke as the defensemen,Knapp in goal and senior Lachlan Hull and sophomore Peter Lucas asoutstanding defensive midfielders, Rumson’s defense has been nearlyimpenetrable. There’s also sophomore LSM Stephen Edler andfreshman defenseman Thomas Bavuso to add depth.

“It’s really impressive,” Garavente said. “As an attackman I havethe privilege of watching them work from the other side of thefield. Just watching Kyle do his thing and watching Ian,Emmett and Dan run that defense, it’s really the mostvaluable part of this team. Without them we would notbe the same team.”

“We can always trust them and they’re alwaysthere making tremendous stops,” Curran said.“Their one-on-one games in particular are verygood and they talk a lot. They know where togo - two slides, three slides - and they’re reallygood competitors. They took us to thischampionship.”

Garavente led all scorers with three goalsand senior attackman GriffinSchultz had one goal and oneassist. Curran, juniors Colin Pavlukand Alex Werner, and sophomorePeter Lucas each scored once.

Rumson senior goalie Kyle Knapp made six saves inback of another outstanding defensive effort by the Bulldogs,

which held the high-scoring Warriors (14-4) tojust five goals. Jennings had anothertremendous game to lead the way.

Junior midfielder Pat Felstedt had two goalsand junior attackman Jarrett Birch had onegoal and one assist for Manasquan,which was seeking its first SCT titlein the program’s secondchampionship game appearanceand first since 2005. Juniorgoalie Tom Pollock made sixsaves.

R o u n d

TwoRumson was baskingin the afterglow ofwinning another

Shore ConferenceTournament while

Manasquan was trying to shake offa championship-game defeat, but players

on both teamshad the presenceof mind to knowthis was probablyjust the beginning.

“This was two greatteams going at it,”Garavente said. “They’re

SHORESPORTSNETWORK.COM

See Collision page 10

Manasquan freshman attackman Canyon Birch

as

10 VOLUME -V I I I / I S SUE - 10 / 5 / 24 / 1 6

very skilled, and there’s a really good chance we see them again.”

“Losing to Rumson in the SCTfinal was tough, but we had toforget about it because we knewwe could see them again in thestate final,” Jarrett Birch said.Rumson and Manasquan began the season as theNo. 1 and No. 2 teams, respectively, in the Shore SportsNetwork Top 10, and are still in the same positions today.They were on a collision course all season, and, asexpected, met in the SCT championship game. Oncethe season hit its midway point and the statetournament started to make its way into theforefront, it became clear the two could also meetsomewhere in the NJSIAA South Group IIplayoffs.

When the state seeds werereleased on May 16 just hours

before the ShoreC o n f e r e n c e

Tournamentf i n a l

it confirmed whateveryone had assumed.Rumson and Manasquan were the toptwo seeds with the Warriors having earnedthe No. 1 seed and the Bulldogs the No. 2seed. The two powerhouses were on anothercollision course, and if they met for a second timeit would once again decide a championship.

Manasquan reached the sectional semifinals forthe first time in program history with a 16-3 winover Lawrence in the first round and a 15-7 triumphover Somerville in the quarterfinals. Rumson, whichwon the NJSIAA Group I title last year but, alongwith Manasquan, was classified in Group II thisseason, beat Barnegat 11-0 in the first round andblanked Ocean City by the same 11-0 score inthe quarterfinals.

The stage certainly seems set for an all-Shore Conference battle to decide thesectional championship, but both haveto first take care of business in the

semifinals. Both are favored, but neither game is a gimme. Rumson certainly has theedge in experience with two sectional titles and a trip tothe Tournament of Champions under its belt, but willhave to get past a very tough Seneca (16-3) team.

Rumson’s defense has been the story for the entireseason, but has really flexed its muscles over thepast month. The Bulldogs allowed just four goals toa red-hot CBA team in the SCT semifinals and helda dynamic Manasquan offense to five goals inthe conference title game. They have yet toallow a goal in the state tournament.

Manasquan, meanwhile, needs to beatfifth-seeded Hopewell Valley, whichdefeated Ocean, 16-6, in thequarterfinals. The Warriors haveshrugged off their loss to Rumsonnicely, and have a balanced scoring

attack and a tenacious defense. The finalscore of the SCT championship may have been8-5, but it was essentially a one-goal game asRumson scored two goals in the final 20seconds, including one just before the buzzer.Manasquan showed it could play with Rumson,and the Warriors are confident they can come outon top if they do indeed meet again.

“We didn’t know what we weredoing at first, but once we foundout how to play with them wewere able to stick our goals,and we ended up tying them,”Jarrett Birch said. “If we get asecond chance at them we

know how they play, whatthey play, and I think we’lldo a lot better from thestart.”

Rumson and Manasquan have been the two best teams in the Shore Conference allseason, so the chance they’ll meet twice and with a state championship on the line iscertainly a treat for area lacrosse fans. It will either be a veteran Rumson team takinghome its third sectional title in program history or a young and promising Manasquansquad raising the trophy for the first time. No matter the outcome, it has the makingsof another classic between Shore Conference blue bloods.

Co ll i s i on Continued from page 9

Manasquan’s Kyle LeBlanc

P h o t o s B y :

Mark Brown Rob Samuals Ray R ichardsonwww.b51photography.com www.boofacephotography.com rayrichphotography.smugmug.com

FOR INFORMATIONON H I -RES COLOR PR INTS OF ANY PAGES& IMAGES IN ANY OF OUR PUBL ICAT IONSCONTACT: Steven Meyer 732-233-4460 s [email protected]

Rumson’s Kyle Knapp

SHORESPORTSNETWORK.COM 1 1

12 VOLUME -V I I I / I S SUE - 10 / 5 / 24 / 1 6

Quiet Leader,the first words usedby both hockey coachMike DeCotis andlacrosse coach KevinMain to describe RedBank Regional seniorgoalie Jon Pierce.The truth in those descriptions was evident at the

11:36 mark of the fourth quarter during the Bucs’final game of the 2016 lacrosse season, a first roundNJSIAA South Group II tournament matchup atHopewell Valley on May 18 when Pierce collectedhis 1,000th career save on a shot from Hopewell’sJack Boyer.

Knees down, stick from low to high to scoop theball, a quick cradle and then a simple outlet pass tomidfield.

Like it was just another save.

“I didn’t think I was going to get 1,000 saves [thisseason],” Pierce said. “To get 1,003 overall when Iwas finally done was amazing, and in the moment Ididn’t have much emotion for it, but then when I gothome, I realized that, wow, that was prettyamazing.”

That save solidified his place at the top of the listof career saves in New Jersey, per LaxRecords, with1,003. Glen Ridge’s Jack Davis held the previousrecord at 957 when the season began, and Piercepassed him by making 18 saves in a win overMiddletown South on May 11. He joins only tenothers in the country who have hit the 1,000-savesmark during their high school careers.

Pierce will also go down as one of the top goaliesin both state and Shore Conference history for hisaccomplishments on the ice. In four years with theBucs and as the starter in his junior and senior years,Pierce collected 1,048 saves on 1,235 shots against.He reached 1,000 career saves in hockey onFebruary 10 in a 9-2 win over Manasquan.

SAVES KING; Red Bank RegionalSenior Goalie Jon PierceBy E l l a B ro ckway – Sho re Spo r t s N e two rk Con t r i bu t o r


“I was surprised there, because Ireally didn’t start [in hockey] until myjunior year,” Pierce said. “It was kind offunny because everyone was alwayssaying how I face more than 500 shotsin a season, and I was shocked when Ihit 1,000.”

For someone who doesn’t crave thespotlight, it may surprise some thatPierce’s favorite part of being a goalieis the pressure. But he says that thepressure and excitement of theposition is something that he’s beendrawn to ever since he started playinggoalie as a kid.

“My brother needed somebody toshoot on in the driveway, and I kind ofjust offered to jump in,” Pierce said. “Ithrew these huge pads on me that wentup to my chest, and they didn’t fit at all.He would just rifle shots at me. Iactually liked it, and then I found out Iwas pretty good at it once I grew up.”

And ever since he put on the pads forthe first time at a young age, Pierce hasn’t stopped facing shots.During the 2015-16 hockey season he averaged about 38 shotsagainst per game. This past lacrosse season he faced a whopping503 shots on goal. At the same time he fought different kindsof shots on both the ice and the field - from critics who said the

only reason he had such highsaves and shots against totals wasbecause of the “weak defenses” ofhis teams, whose records did notalways reflect the performancePierce saw on the field.

“I like the pressure,” he said. “Ilike knowing that the game couldcome down to one final save in theend, and that every save countsand I could potentially win gamesfor our team.”

And as he took more and moreshots, he became better and morereliable when it came to saving histeam from them.

“Jon leads by example,” saidDeCotis, an assistant coach for theice hockey team at Red Bank. “Hedoesn’t say a lot, but he doesn’tneed to say a lot because he islooked up to and well respected byall of his teammates because ofhis work ethic and what he does

and how he does it.”

Main, the head lacrosse coach for the Bucs, agreed when hespoke with Shore Sports Network after the Bucs’ 9-7 win overMiddletown South on May 11, when Pierce officially broke thestate record and finished the game with 967 career stops.

“It’s my first year with him and my only year with him, andhe’s such a quiet leader and it’s amazing how he can take controljust by his presence,” Main said. “I think the most impressivething (is) his field awareness of what’s going on in front of him,not just where the ball is but where his defenders are and wheretheir offensive players are and being able to anticipate when theball is going to be thrown...and he can step over and be in theright position to stop that.”

Pierce finished his senior season with 555 saves in hockeyand 306 in lacrosse. He’ll be continuing his career as a goalie atDivision III Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove,Pennsylvania next spring, and joining the long list of ShoreConference alumni who have matriculated on to success on acollege lacrosse field.

It wasn’t too long ago that playing college lacrosse seemedmore like a dream and less like a reality for Pierce. But nowhe calls himself a lacrosse goalie who also plays ice hockey,who has already achieved more things than he ever thoughtwere possible.

“I never even thought I’d be playing lacrosse. Freshmanyear was my first year playing,” Pierce said. “I was a hockeygoalie, and I just picked up lacrosse pretty fast. For twosports, I never thought that this ‘-the four years, the 160combined games, the ups, the downs and the 2,051 combinedsaves -‘ would be possible.”

Photos By: M a r k B r o w nb 5 1 p h o t o g r a p h y . c o m


Jim Portella has resigned after sevenseasons as Red Bank Catholic headcoach, he told Shore Sports Network onThursday May 19.“I got an opportunity in my professional life and I have decided to pursue

it,” Portela said. “I was in finance before I started coaching football full timebut I was still doing some consulting work. I had to make a decision. I did bothfor a long time but at my age I don’t feel like I can do both anymore. I felt anopportunity like this might not come up again.”Portela went 63-13 from 2009 through 2015 as the Caseys emerged as one

of the top programs in the Shore Conference. RBC won five division titlesduring his tenure, including a banner 2014 season that saw the Caseys end a38-year title drought by capturing the NJSIAA Non-Public Group III title, thefirst state title for a Shore Conference parochial school since 1980.

Portela is also a teacher at RBC where he taught accounting, financial literacy, economics and leadership.He is also the athletic coordinator.“There’s not one part of the job I don’t love,” Portela said. “I love being around the kids and in the weight

room, I love being a teacher in the school. I certainly love Friday nights. I’m going to miss it terribly.”Portela said he will remain on as interim head coach until his contract expires on June 15 as athletic

director Joe Montano goes through the process of hiring a new head coach.“It was certainly not me or one guy that led to the success,” Portela said. “It all starts at the top with Joe

Montano and all the assistant coaches. Joe wants all the assistant coaches to stay put.”“We want to make sure the kids continue to have the great experiences they’ve had. Winning and losing

is secondary to the things we feel are important. We want the kids learning life lessons and leaving hereprepared to succeed at the next level and in life.”Among Portela’s fondest memories were being able to coach his sons, John and Jim, at Red Bank

Catholic.When Frank (Edgerly) resigned in 2009 my son Jim was a rising sophomore,” Portela said. “He just

graduated from Ohio State, so it’s crazy how time flies. I loved coaching my kids, but every player issomeone’s son. I tried to treat them all the way I would want mine to be treated.”

The Central Regional Board ofEducation has approved JustinFumando as its new head footballcoach.Fumando succeeds Willie Jacobs, who resigned last month after three seasons.

Fumando was most recently the defensive coordinator for Manalapan and was anassistant coach for the Braves for seven seasons, helping them become one of thetop programs in the Shore Conference. Fumando was Manalapan’s defensivecoordinator when the Braves captured the 2014 NJSIAA Group V title.

Fumando is a 2000 graduate of Middletown North and played collegiately atKean University, where upon graduation became the defensive line coach whilealso serving as Kean’s head Strength and Conditioning Coach for all the athleticprograms.Fumando’s connection to Central stems from his time at Manalapan. Tom

Gallahue, who was Manalapan’s head coach from 2007-2009 and also an assistantunder current head coach Ed Gurrieri, is now the Central Regional SchoolDistrict’s Chief Academic Officer. Gallahue was previously the principal at Centraland also an assistant coach for the Golden Eagles during the 2014 season.Central is coming off back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in over a

decade. The Golden Eagles went 6-4 last season and finished 8-3 in 2014 whenthey claimed a share of the Class B South division title and won the program’sfirst state playoff game since 1994.Central moves from B South to Class A South for the 2016 season to play in a

division that includes defending sectional champions Jackson Memorial (CentralJersey Group IV) and Toms River North (South Jersey Group V), as well assectional finalist Brick Memorial. The Golden Eagles return one of the ShoreConference’s top running backs, Mike Bickford, for his senior season. Bickford ranfor a school-record 2,052 yards as a sophomore before rushing for over 1,500 yardslast season.

Jim Portela Resigns as Red Bank Catholic Head CoachBy Bob Badders – Senior Staff Writer

Justin Fumando Named Head Coach at Central RegionalBy Bob Badders – Senior Staff Writer



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Shore Sports Networks 2016 Rumson & Manaquan NJSIAA Matchup

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