Howell, Manalapan make playoffs with wins
Colts Neck is also in
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Above, Manalapan's David Presby finds some running room during the Braves' win over Jackson on Friday night in Jackson. Below, Colts Neck's Pat Six puts a move on the Brick defense during a home loss on Saturday.

Howell and Manalapan played their way into the state playoffs, while Colts Neck, played its way out of a home game last weekend.

The state playoffs begin this weekend with Howell, the No. 5 seed in Central Jersey Group IV, to play No. 4 West Windsor South on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.

Manalapan, the No. 6 seed, plays at No. 3 Hunterdon Central Friday night, and No. 7 Colts Neck will make a trip to Jackson, the No. 2 seed and defending champion, Friday night.

It was simple for Corey Davies' Rebels Friday night in Howell - win and you're in.

Sean O'Reilly turned a close game into a rout in the second quarter, returning two pass interceptions for touchdowns leading to a 33-0 lead at the half against Marlboro (0-8) and an eventual 39-0 win.

After Howell had taken a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a one-yard run by David Hayes, Marlboro mounted a drive behind the short passes of quarterback Gerard Cicero. The Mustangs were knocking on the door inside the Howell 10 when O'Reilly returned a pass interception 97 yards for a score, and the rout was on.

O'Reilly followed with a 21-yard scoring strike to Brian Battaglia, and then stepped in front of another Cicero aerial at midfield and returned it 50 yards for another touchdown.

"He was in the right place at the right time, twice," said Davies.

Before the half was over, O'Reilly scored on a five-yard run.

O'Reilly, whose arm and quarterbacking talents have led the Rebels the past two years, displayed his versatility Friday night, coming up with one touchdown running, one passing and two on those pass interceptions. He was "only" 5-for-8 passing for 98 yards, but he picked up 199 rushing on just nine carries. His 50-yard run set up Howell's first score.

Scott Dankel, who used all of his 6-4 frame and stretch to make a diving catch, and Chance Carrick's catch while simultaneously getting hit, helped set up Howell's final drive in the first half.

Backup QB John Grinnell finished the Howell scoring with a 15-yard pass to Rich Devine in the fourth quarter.

This is the first time that Howell (5-3) has qualified for the state playoffs in back-to-back years.

Howell goes into the game at full strength health-wise, and battle tested.

"We've been in some close games this year," said Davies. "The Shore Conference has been unbelievable."

Howell got its first-ever playoff win last fall, and Davies noted that the Rebels head into the playoffs knowing that just being there is no longer enough.

"We have to win the game," he said.

Manalapan put itself in a hole for the second straight year, starting 0-2, but rallied again.

"We [coaches] knew, and they knew that we were a good football team," said coach Ed Gurrieri. "They never lost confidence. We told them what we had to do was win."

That was the position the Braves were in Friday night at Jackson, knowing that with a win, no matter what happened elsewhere, they were in the playoffs. They responded with a 28-10 win over the Jaguars (6-3), who had already clinched a playoff berth and the No. 2 seed.

Quarterback Craig Peterson continued his maturing, going 8-for-13 for 258 yards and three long touchdown passes of 58 yards to Jordan Whitehead, 50 to Chris Pellicano, and 50 to tight end Bill Dokouslis.

David Presby moved closer to 1,000 yards, gaining 85 on 23 carries. He scored the first of Manalapan's four second-quarter touchdowns on a seven-yard run.

With Peterson coming along at quarterback, the Braves have become a dangerous team.

"Right now we're hitting on all cylinders," said Gurrieri. "You don't go into Jackson and be one-dimensional. You have to have a balanced attack and we have that."

Dokouslis has become a force on offense that Gurrieri admitted he didn't expect.

"He's the only player in the Shore who you can say is the best player at two positions," said Gurrieri. "He has double figures in sacks as defensive end and he's a force on offense at tight end.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't expect this from him on offense," he added. "He's one of our fastest players, and we decided to see if he could catch the ball. We could see signs that he could, and he keeps getting better and better."

Manalapan, which advanced to the semifinals last year, takes the long trek to Hunterdon County to take on the 6-2 Red Devils.

Colts Neck, already assured of a playoff spot before taking the field, was in a position on Saturday to get a first-round home game with a win against Brick Township.

But the Green Dragons (3-5) had something to say about that, scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter to knock off the Cougars, 28-19.

Turnovers, a fumble recovery for a touchdown and a pass interception that led to a short field, helped Brick, which trailed 13-8 heading into the fourth quarter, turned the tide and upset the Cougars.

A 10-yard run by Ashton Jackson and a four-yard keeper by quarterback Kevin Kelly gave Colts Neck its 13-8 lead at the half.

A two-yard pass from Kelly to Jeremy Dinkin accounted for Colts Neck's final score.

Jackson continued his sensational season, gaining 163 yards on 27 carries.

Colts Neck (5-3), slipped to the No. 7 seed with the home loss.

The Cougars may be going into Friday's game at defending champion Jackson off a defeat, but in their first year in Group IV they've proved they can play with anyone. With a solid playoff record, the Jaguars will find the Cougars a very, very tough out.

Elsewhere over the weekend, Freehold Borough (3-5) lost at home to Matawan (6-2), 27-21, in the fourth quarter. The two teams had hooked up in a shoot-out in the first half with the score tied 21-21. Both defenses reclaimed their turf in the second half, and it was a 50-yard pass from Julian Sonnenfeld to wide receiver Tre Waldon that produced the winning touchdown.

Jahquan Fenn and Robert James scored on touchdown runs of seven- and 19 yards for the Colonials, and quarterback Brian Prisk hooked up with Alex Fernandez on a 19-yard scoring play.

James led the Colonial running attack, which accumulated 213 yards with 128 on 19 carries.

Freehold Township (2-6) had its bye week and did not play.

The Colonials, Patriots and Mustangs will play their NJSIAA consolation games this weekend. Their opponents were not determined at press time.