BY DOUG McKENZIE
Staff Writer
JEFF GRANIT staff Red Bank Catholic’s Donald Brown tries to run away from Rumson-Fair Haven’s Phil Brickerton during the Caseys’ 36-13 win on Nov. 26 in Red Bank. The Casey win cut Rumson’s lead in the Thanksgiving series to 23-22-6.
While the Green Wave football team put forth a solid defensive effort against Red Bank on Saturday, they will need to be even stingier when they take on New Brunswick Sunday at Kean University for the Central Jersey Group II title.
The Zebras entered the season with many prognosticators ready to crown them Central Jersey’s top team in Group II, and they have not disappointed thus far, cruising through the regular season undefeated while establishing themselves as the Greater Middlesex Conference’s top offensive team along the way.
Thus far in the playoffs, they have maintained their dominance, though a valiant Spotswood team gave them a scare in the semifinals by jumping out to a 14-0 lead before the Zebras responded with 25 unanswered points.
To label the New Brunswick offense as prolific does not do it justice. It is downright explosive, and Long Branch head coach Dan George knows it.
"They are very tall and very fast, and are very good," he said. "They have tremendous receivers, and their quarterback does a nice job of spreading the ball around.
"They are a very athletic team that makes plays," he added. "It’s kind of like first-and-goal anywhere on the field when they have the ball. It’s going to take a monster effort by our defense this week."
The New Brunswick receiving corps is led by 6-5, 195-pound senior Dwayne Jarrett, who is hands down the top receiver in the state, and one of the top recruits in the nation. He is joined by another 6-5 receiver, Desmond Belton, who has also displayed game-breaking abilities on numerous occasions this year.
The guy in charge of getting Jarrett the ball is senior quarterback Josh Jones, a transfer from Highland Park, who has stepped in to lead the Zebra offense with his precision passing and his ability to run with the ball.
While George is hoping his defense can contain the explosive Zebra offense, he is also hopeful that they’ll get some help from the Long Branch offense.
"When you’re facing a team with a great offense, one of the things you have to do is control the ball and the clock," he said. "The best way to keep them from scoring is to keep their offense off the field."
And that will be a challenge in itself. While New Brunswick’s offense has received most of the acclaim this year, the Zebra defense has been more than steady, emerging as one of the most underrated units in the GMC this year. New Brunswick has posted some extremely lopsided scores throughout the season, which points to solid efforts on both sides of the ball.
"All of the guys that people talk about on offense are also playing defense for them," George said. "They get the notoriety on offense, but they are just as dangerous on defense.
"What we have to do is play much smarter football than we did last week," he added. "We have to be in the right position at the right time, which is a mental thing, and take advantage of our opportunities."
Game time is 11 a.m.