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Colonials state title tops grid season
There were the seniors on the team who were freshmen and sophomores when the team was outgunned by the likes of Middletown South and Neptune (in one three-game stretch South outscored Freehold 142-14). Payback was sweet and served very cold. There was the incredible story of quarterback Nick Tyson, who the previous season had suffered a broken neck while playing for Marlboro. The break healed on its own, enabling Tyson to play football again and allowed him to show off his talents and leadership skills. There was the community that came out continuously to watch sons and brothers and cousins play as well as ex-Colonials like the great Joe Henderson. No one can get behind a team quite like Freehold Borough. The season began with a solid 22-7 over the Eagles that removed any lingering doubts after the Colonials legitimacy. Neptune was next and Freehold rolled to a 35-14 victory that put them in charge of the Federal Division. They had to survive a near nightmare against Long Branch in late October falling behind 14-0 in the first eight minutes. The team regained its composure and rallied for a 21-14 victory that kept them on the road to a repeat championship. Any questions about their ability to handle adversity were answered. The Colonials arrived in Wall Township with a 6-0 record and the division title and the top seed in CJ III on the line. Brandon Brown came up with the spectacular game that is the stuff of legend. He electrified the Colonial fans and destroyed the Crimson Knights in a Freehold 35-13 victory. He scored three touchdowns the first three times he got his hands on the ball in the first quarter. First, he got passed the Knight secondary and hooked up with quarterback Nick Tyson on a 48-yard touchdown pass. He, then, returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown. Wall punted to the Colonial's big playmaker a second time and he took it 58 yards for a touchdown. It was 21-0 with 5:19 still remaining in the first quarter. That, for all intents and purposes, ended the competitive stage of the game, as the shellshocked Crimson Knights had no answers. The Colonials stepped out of division to edge Howell, 34-27, and at 8-0 clinched the top seed the state playoffs. The march to the state championship began in Freehold with a 33-23 victory over Nottingham. The offensive line was the story of this game as the Colonials netted more than 300 yards on the ground along. Tezzy Thorpe gained 150 yards and Tyson, 123. A rematch with Neptune was next in the semifinals and would be the last home game of the season. This would be as a titanic defensive struggle. Each yard was earned and surrendered grudgingly. It remained 0-0 until well into the fourth quarter until Brown returned a punt 58 yards to the Scarlet Flier 14-yard line. On the very next play, Tezzy Thorpe followed his blockers into the end zone and Freehold had a 7-0 lead with just 3:17 left in the game. A Martin Corso interception set the Colonials up on the Flier 5-yard line, and it was Thorpe who put the game away taking it in from the 4-yard line. On Thanksgiving Day, Colts Neck spoiled the Colonials bid for a perfect season with a 32-15. With a state championship still to play for, the Colonials put the loss behind them quickly. Waiting for the Colonials in the state sectional final at Rutgers Stadium was none other than Middletown South. The Eagles were 10- 1 having reeled of 10 straight wins after the opening game loss to Freehold Borough. There were many who still weren't ready to give the Colonials their just respect and believed that the Eagles were ready to set the record straight. Freehold Borough's 21-14 victory settled that, and, with the state championship, gave them the respect they deserve and earned. On the first play from scrimmage game, MVP Tyson connected with Gerry Plescia on a 45-yard pass play, and two plays later, Tyson scored from the 2-yard line. Just 1:08 into the game it was 7-0 Freehold. Tyson's 1-yard keeper made it 14-0 before the first period was over. The Colonials stretched it to 21-0 on Thorpe's 1-yard plunge late in the second quarter. The Eagles, with their pride stung, would come fighting back, closing to within 21-14 in the third quarter. But, they never could get the tying score as Rakim Thorpe, Ryan Solley and the Colonial defense held. Damar Bivins' pass interception with 58 seconds left in the game sealed the win and the state championship before a huge Colonial following at Rutgers Stadium. For the first time since the playoff system was instituted in the early 1970s, the Colonials had won a state championship. They finished 11-1 and with a school record for wins in a season. Tyson completed 74 of his 147 passes for 1,234 yards and 13 touchdowns. He ran for 654 more and 10 touchdowns. Thorpe gained 1,008 yards while averaging more than six yards a carry. He scored eight times. The slotbacks, Willie Thomas and Frank Noscia, combined for just under 1,000 yards (947). Brown caught eight touchdown passes and averaged 20 yards per catch on his 34 receptions. He returned three punts for touchdowns and averaged 22 yards per punt return. Defensively, he had four pass interceptions. He is the best of the big playmakers in the area. It was a concrete offensive line led by Darrin Love, Alan Barnstead and Brandon Weiss that allowed the Colonials to produce just under 4,000 yards of total offense and score 354 points. Defensively, Solley, Jared Mostowsky pressured teams upfront allowing linebackers Rakim Thorpe and Richard Thorpe to make plays. Harold Bolton, Bivins and Brown anchored a secondary that could stop the run and play the pass with equal proficiency. Title for Colts Neck While the Colonials were marching toward their state championship, Mike McArthur's Colts Neck Cougars were making some history of their own. They won the school's first-ever football title when they shared the Shore Conference Constitution Division title with Brick Township and Toms River East. Colts Neck again made it to the state playoffs falling to Sayreville in a back-andforth thriller, 27-20. Junior quarterback Chris Chiarelli continued his maturity passing for 1,367 yards and 14 touchdowns. Tight end Chris Leroy pulled down 26 of his passes and three were for touchdowns. Colts Neck got more than 1,300 yards running from the combination of Ryan Moore and Brendan Cotter. Defensively, an aggressive linebacking core of Sean Smith, Richie Foligno and Cody Bello made plays all over the field. That was thanks, in part, to a solid defensive line that kept offensive linemen occupied. John Weber and Jimmy Grech were the keys there. Colts Neck finished 6-4. Manalapan again rode a big November to finish 5-5 and avoid its first losing season in years. Jimmy Gilburn ran for more than 1,000 yards (keeping that Manalapan tradition of 1,000-yard rushers) behind fullback Steve Ching and an offensive line led by Jarrett Levin. Sophomore quarterback Mike Bimonte did better than could be expected, and now the position is in secure hands for the next two years. Mike Seminerio and Chris Essner sparked the Brave defense. Freehold Township bounced back nicely, finishing the season on a two-game winning streak. Ryan Spadola was the Pats playmaker. Matt Fiaella and Paul Amakihe anchored a strong defensive effort all season long. Howell had only one true starter back from its 2007 state championship team and struggled to a 3-7 season. But, the offense still produced two of the leading receivers in the Shore in Rob Handy and Phil Adamo, who both pulled down 42 passes. Marlboro broke a threeyear winning drought when the Mustangs drubbed Lakewood, 26-6, in their state consolation game. That one win was an important one, helping to turn the program's culture around under the leadership of new coach Derek Siniski. Seniors E.J. Tucker, Marc Ng and Rich Santora could leave with the monkey off their backs. 2008 All-Freehold Regional District Football Team
Honorable Mention: Colts Neck-Ryan Moore, Brendan Cotter, Cory Bello, Jimmy Grech and Richie Foligno; Freehold Borough-Willie Thomas, Frank Noscia, Richard Schwartz, Brandon Weiss, Alex Fernandez, Martin Corso, Cody Olmo, Quadell Everett and Macarthur Mathews; Freehold Township-Kevin Borden, Joe Pavinski, Cameron Beatty, Dan Zara, Dylan Burst, Kyle Collinsand Matt Intile; Howell-Chris Simmons, A.J. Brzozowski, Rob Sabbagh, Rob Malfara, Ryan Lowe, Adam Feehan, Joe Murphy, Cole Panacionne, Will Hayes and Anthony Gedell; Manalapan- Josh Firkser, Tom Higgins, Steve Harold, Alex Pasternack, Matt Hollenstein, James DeBlase, Mike Klepper, Matt Sallzman, Chris Pellacano, Steve Caputo, Jim Falcone and Johnny Dakouslis; Marlboro-Rich Santora. |
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