Colonials claim state grid crown
Freehold High School defeats Middletown South, 21-14, to cap 11-1 campaign
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
What happens when your dream becomes a reality? "It's better when you live it," Brandon Brown said after his Freehold High School Colonials captured the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Central Jersey Group III football championship by defeating Middletown South High School, 21-14, on Dec. 6 at Rutgers Stadium, Piscataway.

PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff Freehold High School's Martin Corso (13) and the rest of his teammates celebrate the Colonials' 21-14 victory over Middletown South High School in the Dec. 6 Central Jersey Group III championship game at Rutgers Stadium, Piscataway. At left, Freehold's Brandon Brown (4) and Nick Tyson were up in the air after Tyson scored a touchdown in the first quarter.

The victory marked the first time in Freehold High School's history that the football team won a state championship on the field of play. The Colonials capped an 11-1 season with their victory over a fellow member school from the Shore Conference.

Brown could easily have been speaking on behalf of all his Colonial teammates, who are no longer dreaming about a state championship. They fulfilled their season-long goal and made school history by becoming the first Freehold High School football team to win a state playoff championship.

"It was a lot of hard work and determination," said Brown of the reason coach Mark Ciccotelli was holding up the championship trophy after the game.

Quarterback Nick Tyson, voted the Colonials' Most Valuable Player of the game, credited the team's closeness with being the difference maker for this championship team. Everyone had each other's back.

"We play as a team," Tyson said after scoring a pair of touchdowns in the triumph over Middletown South. "We care for each other."

For Ciccotelli, it was a win for all of Freehold Borough.

"This is pretty special," he said. "I'm so happy for the community."

Safety Harold Bolton remarked that the Colonials were buoyed by the support of the Freehold Borough community all season.

"The community has been behind us from day one," Bolton said. "We couldn't have done this without our fans. It's overwhelming."

JEFF GRANIT staff Freehold Borough's Alex Fernandez hauls in a pass in front of Middletown South's Kevin O'Reilly during their Central Jersey Group III championship at Rutgers Stadium on Dec. 6. Borough won the game, 21-14.

When Ciccotelli took over the Freehold program five years ago, it was at its nadir. He knew that he could not turn the program around overnight and he never wavered in his belief that Freehold had what it took to be a winner.

His first three seasons at the helm were indeed painful (nine wins and 21 losses), but it did not scare the committed players away or lessen Ciccotelli's resolve to build a winner.

"It's a tribute to the kids who came before, because they were the foundation," noted Ciccotelli. "We were getting our heads kicked in, but they kept working hard. They believed in what we were doing. They told these kids we're with you, stay the course."

The football program's fortunes turned around last year when Freehold fired the first salvo by winning the Shore Conference Federal Division title by beating Middletown South. The Colonials qualified for the state playoffs, but lost in the first round.

Veterans like Brown were determined that was not going to happen again in 2008. There would be no letdown — and there wasn't.

The Colonials opened the season by beating Middletown South, 22-7, to pave the way for another division title.

When the playoffs rolled around, they outscored Nottingham, 33-23, behind Tezzy Thorpe's 150 yards rushing, and then, sparked by Brown's 55-yard punt return, scored two touchdowns in the final 3:00 to beat Neptune, 14-0, in the sectional semifinals to punch their ticket to the state sectional championship game at Rutgers University, where a determined Middletown South team was anxious for revenge.

With 10 straight wins following their opening week loss to the Colonials, many people believed the Eagles, with playoff history (nine state titles) that dwarfed the Colonials (no titles and one sectional final), were poised to regain their dominance.

But someone forgot to tell that to the Colonials, who stunned the Eagles with big plays that produced a 21-0 lead in the second quarter. Freehold then held off the Eagles' second-half comeback with two big defensive stands late in the fourth quarter.

During his tenure as the Colonials' coach, Ciccotelli has stressed staying the course and trusting one another. That trust was tested as perhaps never before in the fourth quarter of the championship game, as the defense, which seemed to have been on the field for the entire second half, came up with two stands that denied the Eagles the tying touchdown.

After closing within 21-14 with a thirdquarter score (a Ryan Mullan-to-Sean Campbell 11-yard pass), the Eagles launched a fourth-quarter drive and marched 65 yards to Freehold's 6, where they had a first-and-goal.

An errant pitch by Mullan to Chris Bunge resulted in an 11-yard loss. A gain of less than one yard by Bunge and an incomplete pass left the Eagles facing fourth-andgoal from the 17. Mullan hit Campbell on an 11-yard pass that left the Eagles 6 yards short of pay dirt.

Freehold's offense, which only had one first down in the second half, took over on the 6-yard line with 5:24 to play and needing desperately to move the first-down chains.

After a false start brought the ball back to the 3-yard line, Tyson came up with one of the game's biggest plays: a 22-yard run that gave the offense some breathing room.

The drive eventually stalled and Freehold punted with 3:29 to play. The Eagles took over on the Colonials' 49-yard line with momentum and plenty of time on the clock.

After all of the highlight plays that were produced by the offense during 2008, Freehold's championship hopes rested on the shoulders of the defense.

"I sensed that we had gotten too comfortable" with the lead, linebacker Rakim Thorpe said. "We had to re-establish the blitz and put pressure on them. It was all will. We wanted it more."

Brown said the defense was not about to let the team or each other down.

"We all looked into each other's eyes and said keep our heads up," he said.

The Eagles picked up a first down on an Andrew Suarez 4-yard run to the 39-yard line.

On first down, the Eagles tried to beat the Colonials wide with a pitchout, but Bolton was there to bring Bunge down for a 3-yard loss that took the run option away from Middletown South.

"We've been coached to play the option," Bolton said. "I went straight to the pitch man."

Incomplete passes on second and third down left the Eagles with a fourth-and-13 with :58 remaining. Under pressure, Mullan threw up a pass over the middle that fell into the hands of Freehold defensive back Damar Bivins, who returned it 34 yards to the Middletown South 42-yard line to seal the victory.

Tyson took a knee for two plays and the celebration began.

"It's amazing," said linebacker Thorpe. "It was a team effort. We're the hardest working team in the Shore."

In September, the Colonials controlled the line of scrimmage and rushed for more than 300 yards against the Middletown South.

On the first play of the Dec. 6 championship game, the Colonials let the Eagles know they can go to the air as well. Seeing single coverage on receiver Gerry Plescia, Tyson floated a perfect strike to Plescia who caught the ball in stride. The play covered 45 yards and took the ball to the Eagles' 4-yard line. Two plays later, Tyson scored from the 2-yard line. Plescia kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

"We thought we could get the ball out on the perimeter," Cicccotelli said.

On Middletown South's first possession, Freehold's Cody Olmo and Ryan Solley teamed up to sack Mullan on the first play for a 10-yard loss. On third-and-21, Mullan went to the air and Plescia intercepted the pass at midfield and returned it 17 yards to the Eagles' 33-yard line. The Colonials appeared poised to break the game open early, but the Eagles' defense responded with a stand and forced a punt.

Following an exchange of punts, the Colonials had the ball on their own 42-yard line and proceeded to march 58 yards in 10 plays and scoring with :47 left in the opening quarter.

A completion on third-and-eight from Tyson to Brown kept the drive going, and Willy Thomas' 19-yard run took the ball inside the 20-yard line. Frank Nicosia's 17-yard scamper took it down to the 3 and two plays later Tyson scored on a dive behind center for a 14-0 lead after Plescia's second extra point.

Freehold tacked on another score in the second quarter after Solley recovered a fumble on the Middletown South 34-yard line. A Tyson-to-Brown pass of 14 yards on thirdand seven moved the ball to the 1-yard line and Tezzy Thorpe (Rakim's cousin) scored on the next play. Plescia's third extra point made the score 21-0 and the Colonials were flying.

But the Eagles, with their history of success, are not prone to panic. They got back in the game when Mullan and Suarez hooked up on a 49-yard touchdown pass with 1:12 left in the half. Mullan bought time in the pocket, and while he was scrambling the Freehold coverage broke down and Suarez got behind the defensive backs and was able to reel in the catch and score.

Ciccotelli told his players at halftime that they had a game on their hands.

"I never thought they would roll over," he said about Middletown South. "I told the kids to get ready. I have too much respect for their kids to think it was over."

The Eagles promptly came out in the second half and tried to take over the game, but the Colonials were not going to be denied. They made the plays that were required and ended up lifting the NJSIAA championship trophy at midfield at Rutgers Stadium.

Tyson was Freehold's leading rusher with 60 yards on 13 carries. He was 9-15 passing for 140 yards. Alex Fernandez and Brown each had three receptions.

Freehold outgained Middletown South, 304 yards to 265 yards.

Defensively, Solley led the team with nine total tackles and 1.5 sacks. Rakim Thorpe led Freehold in solo tackles with six (seven total) and he recovered a fumble, as did Solley.

Bivins, who had seven total tackles, and Plescia accounted for the two interceptions.

Freehold registered six sacks for a total loss of 32 yards.

Mullan led Middletown South (10-2) with 54 yards rushing and 177 yards passing, completing 11-21 passes with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Freehold joined Marlboro (1994) and Howell (2007) as Freehold Regional High School District football teams that have won state championships.

Freehold lost the 1985 sectional final to Somerville. The Colonials' 10-1 squad was led that year by the great running back Joe Henderson and included Scott Conover, who went on to play for the Detroit Lions.

As Ciccotelli said, Freehold's win was for everyone; for those who had played for the Colonials and for the community at large, which was brought together behind this team the same way it was behind Henderson's team. That made everyone a winner on a Saturday night, which was highlighted by the police and fire escort the team bus received on the way through town back to the high school.