By Jeff Appelblatt
The first quarter at Howell High School Oct. 14 looked as simple as the first five games for Manalapan High School’s football team. Following touchdowns by Naim Mayfield and DaShone Taylor, the Braves took an early 13-0 lead.
But Howell refused to give up — not on its own field and not with its Homecoming crowd in attendance.
Nevertheless, Manalapan quarterback Luke Corcione kept his composure from start to finish, and he anchored the Braves to a 41-34 victory.
“It was a real challenge,” the junior said after the win. “They put up a great fight, but we came out with the win.”
Corcione, nor any of Manalapan’s starters, were used to being on the field in the fourth quarter this season. The team’s leads were extravagant through three in each of the first five games. But the regulars didn’t mind playing in crunch time.
“We finally got to come out, play all four quarters and come out with a big win,” Corcione said.
It might not have been what they were used to at game time, but it’s what the players have on their minds at practice.
“That’s how we prepare in practice. Everything is fast tempo,” Scott Scherzer, who took five receptions and a team-high 71 yards against Howell, said. “Coaches put us in the hardest situations, so when it comes down to games like this, we’re ready.”
And head coach Ed Guerrieri was so proud that his team showed practice paid off.
“I’m happy with the way my kids competed,” he said after Manalapan’s first close game of the year. “They played all night. They came up big at the end when they had to.”
The coach also gave credit to Howell.
“Their coaches did a great job at preparing them,” Guerrieri said. “Their kids did a great job in playing. There was no quit in them.”
But in the end, the team with the most points wins. And on this night, Manalapan did the majority of the scoring.
“There was no quit in us either,” Manalapan’s coach said. “We’re 6-0. We’re so happy to be 6-0.”
Immediately when the game started, Howell tried hard to show Manalapan that the game would be more competitive than what it had been used to. But Manalapan quickly turned a fourth-down conversion into its first points when Mayfield took the ball into scoring territory for the first of his two touchdowns.
Taylor added on another touchdown before the first quarter ended, catching a 13-yard pass.
But Howell showed signs of life in the second quarter. It got the football into the end zone twice for a pair of scores. However, Manalapan was able to match, taking another two trips to the end zone of its own, as Sean Kinniburgh caught a 65-yard pass from Corcione for the first and Symir Blacknall returned a kickoff 88 yards for the final points of the first half.
Manalapan was silenced in the third quarter, while Howell managed the frame’s only points, coming when it’s quarterback, Edwin Morales III, pounded the ball into the end zone.
However, Manalapan held on to a 27-20 lead after three quarters. And that wound up the difference in the game.
Each team tacked on another two touchdowns in the fourth. Manalapan struck first when Taylor caught another pass in the end zone, but the Rebels quickly responded with a touchdown of their own.
But following a Manalapan fumble, Howell quickly scored again. Then, with less than four minutes remaining, the game was knotted up at 34.
The Braves went back to Mayfield. The junior took the ball 212 yards on the day, but none proved to be more important than his final rush: a 17-yard trip to the end zone for the game’s final points.
Six wins matches the total number of victories Manalapan had last season. But the team doesn’t intend on sitting on six victories for too long.
“We’re not worried about last year,” Scherzer said. “We’re just worried about moving forward and eventually getting to 12-0.”
Manalapan would need to win its next game at home Oct. 21 against Neptune High School (2-3) to possibly reach Scherzer’s goal. But the team plans to take it one game at a time, starting with that 7 p.m. matchup.
“To have a real successful year, we’ve got to get better each week,” Guerreri said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
And with his team alongside him, Corcione can picture 7-0 — but he won’t guarantee anything.
“The coaches are putting me in a great spot. The linemen are doing a great job. The defense is making stops,” the quarterback said. “We’re going to try and make it 7-0 next game.”