All three Brick Dragons Pop Warner teams — Junior Midgets, Pee Wee and Junior Pee Wee White — advanced to the championship games of the Jersey Shore Pop Warner League playoffs after winning opening-round victories last weekend.
And all three championship games will be held at the Drum Point Complex on Oct. 31.
Brick Dragons Junior Pee Wee White (6- 2-1) will look to avenge a 27-0 loss to Wall when they play at 9 a.m. The Junior Pee Wee White likewise avenged a 14-0 loss to Howell on Oct. 24, when they pulled out a 12-6 overtime victory.
Alex Muratore ran 11 yards for the winning touchdown on fourth down on a reverse, the first time the team ran that play in a game this season. Muratore fought off a couple of tacklers near the goal line before he scored.
“We ran it in practice, but it never worked,” coach Rich Schleifer said. “It worked this time, that’s for sure.”
Defensively, Ryan Hawkins, Jeremy Rothenberg, Anthony Costanza, Jared Hajeski, John Buchanan and Patrick Ashton led a well-balanced defensive effort.
“We need to play outstanding defense again and to block well on the offensive line,” Schleifer said of the championship game.
The Junior Midgets (8-1) broke away from a scoreless first half to beat the Toms River Angels, 20-0 as Brian Matthews scored twice and Ray Fattaruso added another score, all on long runs. Joe DiLauro kicked a conversion. The Junior Midgets beat the Toms River Angels, 8-0, in the opening game and now play another Toms River team — the Toms River Indians — at 4:30 p.m. at home on Oct. 31. The Junior Midgets did not play the Indians during the season.
“We have to play well defensively because they’re a good offensive team,” said coach Al Russo, who got good defensive efforts in the victory from Tom Leech, Chris Lopez, Karson Dillert, Jake Layton, Craig Levine and Dan Finelli.
As for the unbeaten Dragons Pee Wees, Joe Phillips ran for one touchdown and threw for another in a 21-0 victory over the Middletown Eagles. They play against Jackson at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 31 for the title.
“Jackson was the only team to score on these kids in two years when we beat them, 14-12, during the season,” coach Tom Holland said. “We’ll be alright as long as the defense plays a solid four quarters. Last time we played then, we took a quarter off and let them back in the game.”
Phillips ran 15 yards for a touchdown and completed a conversion pass to Mike Begovich as the Dragons took a 7-0 halftime lead against Middletown. In the second half, Phillips and Begovich hooked up on a 50- yard pass play and Kyle Wojtaszek ran five yards for insurance touchdowns. Kyle Taranto kicked a conversion. The defense was led by Dean Sherry, Jake Scott, James Juliano, Tom Costanza and Begovich.