A fter going on a 9-2 run last season, Long Branch High School had five former players selected to play in the July 18 clash between standouts from Monmouth and Ocean counties.
The U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic, New Jersey’s oldest football game now in its 36th year, is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Toms River High School North’s Gernerd Field. The Monmouth County all-stars, who will be led by head coach Greg LaCava of Colts Neck High School, won last year’s game, 28-7, and are 19-15-1 overall.
For the Green Wave, running back Dwight Clark, offensive lineman Anthony Howard, linebacker Joscil Jackson, and defensive backs Corey Morris and Brett Roach are on the Monmouth County roster, and they will get to play one final game as high school teammates.
Howard committed to Stevenson University (Maryland), while Jackson is headed to the University of New Haven (West Haven, Conn.) Morris will attend Delaware Valley College (Doylestown, Pa.).
Shore Regional High School’s Mark Costantino (l) and Ocean Township High School’s Matt Hicks (r) are two of the area football players who will compete on the Monmouth County team in the July 18 U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic at Toms River High School North. The Monmouth all-stars will be facing the best from Ocean County. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. SCOTT FRIEDMAN Long Branch’s representatives were key contributors to a season that included a share of the Shore Conference B North Division title. The Green Wave built momentum through the final leg of the season, thanks in part to a gamewinning field goal over Matawan Regional High School followed by a second win over the Huskies in the state tournament’s first round.
After Long Branch shut out Red Bank Regional High School on Thanksgiving Day, the team fell short, 7-0, in a sectional semifinals game against Nottingham High School.
Red Bank Catholic High School defensive lineman Richie Curran, linebacker Dylan Hroncich, wide receiver James Taylor and defensive back Chris Whitlock will be on the Monmouth County squad, as well.
Curran enrolled at Saint Anselm College (Manchester, N.H.), Hroncich will attend Sacred Heart University (Fairfield, Conn.), Taylor is going to Hamilton College (Clinton, N.Y.) and Whitlock will head to Monmouth University (West Long Branch).
The Caseys went 10-1 last year, winning the A Central crown. Their only loss was to St. Joseph High School of Montvale in the NJSIAA Non-Public Group III semifinals. St. Joseph went on to win the championship and was the top-ranked team in the state.
Shore Regional High School played for the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group I title last fall, losing in overtime to Florence Township Memorial High School, 23-17. The Blue Devils (9-3) will be represented by running back/linebacker Mark Costantino and Jack Kelly, also a running back/linebacker. Costantino is headed to William Patterson University (Wayne) and Kelly will attend York College (Jamaica, N.Y.)
Middletown High School South, which finished last season at 8-4 and barely missed a sectional title, also has former senior standouts in the Gridiron Classic. Running back Jake Ripnick and defensive back Eli Smith will represent the Eagles.
Representing Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (7-3), running back/defensive back Conor Walsh will be joined by linebacker Travis Clark. Walsh is going to Fairfield University in Connecticut to play lacrosse.
Red Bank Regional’s Dillon Stambaugh, who served as a captain in wrestling and baseball, will play on July 18 and is readying for a wrestling career at Roger Williams University (Bristol, R.I.).
Also named to the Monmouth squad are Matt Hicks, Ocean Township (offensive lineman), and Sheldon McCue, Monmouth Regional High School (tight end/defensive lineman).
Also on July 18, Southern Regional High School’s current head coach Chuck Donohue Sr. and former Matawan coach Joe Martucci will be inducted into the Shore Football Coaches Foundation Hall of Fame during a ceremony at halftime.