Offensive line powers Freehold Borough
Colonials win Federal Division Championship
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
The look in the eyes of the Middletown South defensive linemen told Freehold Borough offensive linemen all they needed to know.

The Colonials were running the ball at will on the Eagles, driving a stake through their competitive hearts.

"There was nothing they could do about it; we took their will away," said Colonial offensive lineman Peter Gerbehy.

The Eagles defense had helplessly tried to stop the Freehold Borough offense in a vain attempt to get its offense the ball one last time.

Instead, in a methodical march that took the final eight minutes off the clock, the Eagles could do nothing to keep Freehold Borough from holding on to its 27- 21 upset victory on Oct. 19 and the Federal Division championship, the school's first since 2001.

The game ended with Colonial quarterback Brian Prisk taking a knee inside the Eagle 10-yard line.

That final drive is what offensive linemen dream about, mentally and physically dominating a team.

Prior to that last drive, the Colonial coaches challenged the offensive line to deliver the victory.

"The coaches came up to us and told us it was all on us," said center Brandon Carter.

Gerbehy and Carter and their teammates in the trenches, Luis Torres and Mac Matthews, along with tight end Ryan Solley, responded, putting the team on their collective backs and carrying it to the victory.

"As we were moving the ball, we kept pushing, pushing, pushing," said Gerbehy. "We kept saying, 'Don't stop.' "

They didn't until Prisk took a knee and Freehold Borough had one of the biggest wins in school history.

"It was the greatest feeling I've ever experienced in football," said Carter. "It took us (seniors) four years to take the program here All the seniors want to keep it going."

Gerbehy and Carter, three-year starters, have been the mainstays of an offensive line that has battled through injuries to remain the team's driving force. No matter what the makeup of the line has been, the Freehold Borough offense has moved the ball every week.

What does it take to make it on the offensive line?

"You have to have heart and desire to be an offensive lineman," said Gerbehy.

Carter added hard work and foot speed go into making a good lineman and echoed "desire."

What makes for a good offensive line?

"It's chemistry," noted Carter. "You have to trust the guy next to you."

Gerbehy noted that the Colonials built that trust and chemistry by doing things together.

"The whole line works out together," he said.

With the chemistry comes execution - each lineman being on the same page. That execution goes back to hard work. Practice makes perfect, and the Colonials do plenty of that.

"We do reps all the time," said Carter.

Gerbehy remarked that head coach Mark Ciccotelli prepares the Colonials' game situations by putting them in a hostile environment during practices that prepares them for anything they will see during a game.

The Colonials also believe that their conditioning is second to none. They've been the stronger, fittest team in the fourth quarter in every game.

While drives like the one in Middletown are collectively satisfying, nothing makes a lineman happier than a pancake. Not the food variety but the kind in which the lineman puts his opponent flat on his back. There's nothing better, Carter and Gerbehy said, than to see a defensive lineman diving to the ground on plays after being pancaked.

Carter and Gerbehy know that as seniors they are responsible for setting the example for the underclassmen to follow. They know they are looked up to, to provide leadership. When they were younger, they looked to Brandon's brother Bryce Carter (now playing for Temple University) as well as Dave Owens and James Jadacki.

"It was the way they approached. They pushed every day," said Carter. "They went after everything the way you should."

Now, it is their turn to have that impact on their teammates.

On Saturday at Homecoming, the Colonials gave the fans something else to cheer about as they celebrated the outright division championship. Their 38-12 win over Pinelands gave them a perfect 6-0 division mark for the season.

Big playmaker Brandon Brown was at it again, as he scored on a 65-yard pass play with Prisk and returning a punt 57 yards for a score.

Torres scored on defense returning a fumble 15 yards for a TD.

Freehold Borough will conclude its regular season Saturday night in Matawan (3-4). Kickoff is 7 p.m.

While proud of bringing the school another championship banner, Carter and Gerbehy know the season is far from over.

The team pushed its record to 6-1 overall with the win against Pinelands and improved its seeding for the upcoming NJSIAAA Central Jersey Group III playoffs that start the weekend of Nov. 9-10.

Freehold Borough was sixth in power points heading into last weekend's play.