Borough remains perfect after homecoming romp
Colonials visit Keyport Saturday for key
division game
By tim morris
Staff Writer

FARRAH MAFFAI Freehold Borough’s Rashawn Pitts finds some running room during the Colonials’ Homecoming Day win over Mater Dei on Saturday.

Freehold Borough High School served up a homecoming feast Saturday as the Colonials remained perfect in 2001 with a 55-14 romp over Mater Dei High School, Middletown.

The Colonials (5-0) scored early and often in jumping out to a 34-0 at the half and then coasted.

Coach Larry Boice was pleased that the Colonials had so many players chip in and make an impact on the game.

"We had a number of different players do some very nice things for us," he pointed out. "It shows that we have a little bit of balance."

FARRAH MAFFAI Freehold Borough’s Damian Wolcott finds some room during the Colonials’ win over Mater Dei on Saturday.

The Colonials picked up 350 yards on the ground, with Rashawn Pitts doing most of the damage with 148 yards on just 14 carries. He scored on runs of 45 and 34 yards.

Damian Wolcott added to the big plays turned in by the running backs with a 57-yard dash to the end zone. Josh James chipped in with a 21-yarder as Freehold’s TDs were all on plays of 17 yards or longer, as the Seraphs (0-5) were no match for the Colonials’ speed.

Quarterback Bret Jones had a big day running and throwing the ball. He scored Freehold’s first touchdown on a 17-yard run. He then turned to the passing game, teaming up with Kenny Jomo on a 51-yard scoring strike. He came back and later scored on a 67-yard scamper. He was 5-7 for 132 yards and added 87 more running.

The defense chipped in as well with Lateef Shuler returning a pass interception 75 yards for a score.

The homecoming romp was a warm-up for what is the Colonials’ biggest game to date, Keyport. The Red Raiders are the defending division champions and after a slow start appear to be jelling. The Red Raiders improved to 3-2 with a 26-7 over Rumson-Fair Haven over the weekend.

"Keyport is always dangerous," noted Boice. "They’ve been doing what they do for quite a long time.

"We have to play the game at their place, and they will be ready," he added. "We have to match their enthusiasm. Beating an undefeated team will be a motivating factor for them."

Boice is very wary of the Colonials’ visit to Keyport. Two years ago, in a similar spot, his Colonials upset a Keyport team that was headed for the Central Jersey Group I state sectional championship. The win enabled the Colonials to share the division championship with the Red Raiders. Boice knows that Keyport would like to return the favor on Saturday.

Freehold Borough is now the hunted. The Colonials are the only undefeated team in the Shore National Division with their 5-0 mark.

They are followed by 4-1 Colts Neck and Shore and Point Beach, which are 4-2. Keyport is 3-2, and the only chance the Raiders have to retain their title is to beat Freehold Saturday and Colts Neck the following Saturday and hope someone else can knock off Freehold.

The Colonials can make things easy for themselves by winning this difficult road test and taking a giant step toward not only the division title but also the state playoffs.

Keyport has one of the Shore’s leading rushers in Kenny Cattouse, who scored three times against Rumson to bring his season total to 10. He has gained 554 yards in five games. The Red Raiders, though, are not one-dimensional. Quarterback Steve Greggins makes you respect the passing game, and Steve Cline can make plays from his tight end position.

The Red Raiders will provide a good test for what has been an immovable object, the Borough defense.

Freehold’s offense, especially with Jones passing the ball well, has become difficult to defend. It has big play makers in Pitts (559 yards) and Wolcott and a power runner in James. Add to that Jones’ running and passing talents, and Freehold is undefeated for a reason.

Kick off is 1:30 p.m. Saturday.