Vinnie Mistretta, Jackson Memorial High School’s head football coach, continues to be happy with how far his team has come this season, especially following a first-round victory in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 4 sectional playoffs.
“I am pleased about where we are at,” Mistretta said.
Jackson Memorial defeated Brick Memorial High School in the first round of the state playoffs, scoring a 22-14 victory in Brick on Nov. 10. En route to a trip to the playoff semifinals, the Jaguars have achieved a 6-4 record thus far in Mistretta’s first season as head coach.
“I think we are doing a good job,” the coach said. “The kids have worked hard, and they have taken on the identity that we have been preaching since the summer: hard working, physical, run the football and play good defense.”
Jackson Memorial was scheduled to meet Long Branch High School in the Central Jersey, Group 4 playoff semifinals in Long Branch on Nov. 17. Long Branch opened the playoffs with a 20-0 victory over Middletown High School South on Nov. 10.
The championship games of the state playoffs will be held from Nov. 30 through Dec. 3.
The playoff victory allowed the Jaguars to avenge a loss from the previous week in Brick when the Jaguars fell to the Mustangs, 27-21, in a regular-season matchup.
In the rematch in the playoff opener, junior running back Leo Shimonovich put Jackson Memorial on the board first with a 52-yard run into the end zone in the first quarter. The Jaguars added to that lead when senior quarterback AJ Tolmachewich connected with senior wide receiver Matt D’Amore on a 21-yard pass for a touchdown. Tolmachewich ran in for a two-point conversion to give Jackson Memorial a 15-0 lead that it took into halftime.
Brick Memorial narrowed the lead to 15-7 on a 64-yard run from Tyler Sindel in the third quarter, but Jackson Memorial extended its lead again to 22-7 in the fourth quarter when senior tight end Brandon Hirsch hauled in a 20-yard pass from Tolmachewich. Brick Memorial found the end zone one more time with a 3-yard rushing touchdown by Tony Thorpe.
Mistretta, who took over as head coach after Walt Krystopik stepped down in May after six seasons with Jackson Memorial, said it was the perfect situation coming into a program he was familiar with and that the upperclassmen have done a great job setting the tone for the freshmen and sophomores.
“They could not have done anymore to kind of set that tone and set the bar pretty high, and now it is up to our young guys to work that hard and do the things that these seniors have done,” he said. “That is partly on me and partly on the kids continuing to buy in, but I am happy where we are and where our seniors are leaving us.”
Mistretta said he wanted to get back to the Jackson tradition of a hard-nosed defense before the season started.
“I am happy with what we have accomplished so far,” he said. “I think it has been a successful season overall, but we are not done with the job at hand. What we wanted to accomplish is to win [the state championship] since day one. These kids have been through the trials and tribulations and have been through fire. We are battle-tested, and we would be truly pleased if we end on the top of the mountain.”
The Jaguars were 6-5 a season ago under Krystopik and fell to Allentown High School, 41-15, in the semifinals of the Central Jersey, Group 4 tournament.
“We would like to take two more steps forward and end on a high note,” Mistretta said.
Tolmachewich said the team knew coming into the season it was going to have a good year.
“Most of the people obviously doubted us, but we knew if we worked together and played hard, we would be able to get to the spot we want to be at, which is [winning the state championship],” he said.
The quarterback said beating Brick Memorial in the first round of the state playoffs proved their point, and he is exactly where he wants to be in his senior season.
“My first years on the team, we went to two state championships, so we know what it is like playing in November. We know what it is like playing in December,” he said.
The Jaguars captured the Central Jersey, Group 4 crown in 2014 and 2015. They defeated Brick Memorial to win the 2015 championship, while they topped Middletown South the season before.
Tolmachewich said the team’s familiarity with Mistretta helped. Mistretta became the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator in 2015 before becoming the head coach this season.
Senior fullback Tom Pellone said he feels like expectations went up since the start of the season.
“A lot of people doubted us, and they did not expect us to win as many games as we did and perform the way we did in the first round of the playoffs,” he said. “And now they are all ready to watch us now that we are starting to win.”
Pellone said he feels like the team has more eyes on it. He said he feels like he met his personal expectations but wants to win a state championship.
Senior lineman Joe Hurle said the Jaguars always expect to compete for a state championship.
“I know a lot of people were expecting us to have a down year,” he said.”We lost a couple of great players. Those seniors were really good players for us last year. But in terms for our expectations, they really did not change much for us. We always expect to be playing for a state championship every year.”
Hurle said defeating Brick Memorial in the quarterfinals was a really big victory for the team.
“It is not too often we get the chance to beat the team that we lost to the previous week,” Hurle said. “They are just a good team. We are playing the best football of our season right now.”
Hurle said if the Jaguars want to control their destiny, they will have to control the game upfront on the line and continue to ground and pound their way to a state championship.
“Things are looking good for us,” he said.