Jackson Memorial High School quarterback Jim Celidonio tries to elude a host of Sayreville War Memorial High School tacklers during a Central Jersey Group IV state playoff game in Jackson on Nov. 11. The visiting Bombers defeated the Jaguars, 21-13. ERIC SUCAR staff The Jackson Memorial High School football team, coming off a 21-13 loss to defending state champion Sayreville War Memorial High School in its NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV playoff opener, will be playing solely for bragging rights in the township when it closes the 2011 season at home on Nov. 23 against crosstown rival Jackson Liberty High School. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.
Jackson Liberty coach Tim Osborn said there is a lot on the line for both teams in the upcoming contest.
“No. 1, Jackson Memorial is determined not to be the first team at its school to lose to Jackson Liberty,” Osborn said. “We are excited. We want to be the first Jackson Liberty team to beat them. Every game has been extremely intense. It’s a fun game to watch.”
Jackson Memorial (7-2) will play an emotional game when it takes on the Lions.
“None of these kids want to be known as playing on the first team to lose to Liberty,” Jackson Memorial coach Walt Krystopik said. “They will put out their best effort. It’s an in-town rivalry where all of the kids know each other and it’s always competitive, regardless of the teams’ records.”
But records, just as they have for the past two meetings, matter again this year.
Coming into the game against Jackson Memorial on the heels of a 34-14 victory over Freehold High School, Jackson Liberty (4-5) is looking to dodge a second straight 4-6 season. It’s a different story than the two prior seasons when both teams had final records at stake — capping a winning season or avoiding a losing campaign.
For the third season in a row, this game has a significant bearing on Jackson Liberty’s record. Jackson Memorial clinched a winning season at 6-4 with last year’s victory, and Jackson Liberty, bidding to finish with a .500 record, ended up 4-6.
In 2009, Jackson Memorial was looking to avoid a losing record and won, 9-7. Jackson Liberty, which was bidding for a winning season, missed a field goal in the closing seconds that could have won the game, and both teams ended up at 5-5.
Jackson Memorial has a productive offense behind two-time 1,000-yard rusher Brandon Winston, who scored the Jaguars’ two touchdowns against Sayreville to give him 12 for the season.
Dimitrie Christodoylakis at linebacker and Chris Jackson in the secondary led the defense.
Sayreville “was a little more seasoned than this team, which hasn’t been in it, and they are the defending state [sectional] champions,” Krystopik said. “You can’t make mistakes like the first or second game of the season like we did” in the playoff game.
Quarterback Jim Celidonio leads the Jaguars’ offense behind a solid blocking line that has exceeded Krystopik’s expectations in his first season as the head coach at his alma mater.
Linemen Jake Gaboff, Max Mondalbo, Ben Collins, Mike Lopez, Keith Cornish and Nick Trent are among the key figures for a strong push off the snap that could provide the difference. But the game looms as a showdown of the Jaguars’ staunch defense against Jackson Liberty’s offense, which Osborn called the team’s strength.
“They talk about their offensive line, but I’m also impressed with their defensive line,” Osborn said.
The key, he said, is if Jackson Liberty’s offensive front that features NCAA Division I prospect Remy Martin can hold their blocks for quarterback Tyler Wright, who throws to Ira Hayes and Ahmed Shalabi. The two receivers each caught a touchdown pass against Freehold.
Shalabi intercepted two passes against Freehold, giving him seven for the season.
Bryan Daniels and Justin Billups are the Lions’ top rushers. Daniels ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown against Freehold and ran 30 yards for another touchdown as Jackson Liberty rolled to a 27-0 lead on its way to the victory over the Colonials. “I was impressed with how the defense played [against Freehold]. We struggled this year, but that was the best we played,” Osborn said as he praised linebackers Nick Tizo and Jeremy Sousa, as well as Martin and Shalabi for their efforts in the game.
Martin has been a center of attention throughout the season as a two-way lineman and has done a “great job” at punter, said Osborn. Martin has been recruited by Syracuse, Connecticut, Temple, Villanova, Delaware and New Hampshire, and Osborn said he expects more schools to join that list.
“They have a couple of very talented individuals, particularly Martin on the defensive line… and they have team speed at the skill positions,” Krystopik said of Jackson Liberty. “They have kick returners who have run four [kicks) back [for touchdowns]. The key is the same thing we’ve been doing all year: to line up and be physical, stop the run and move people off the football.”