One more victory is all that’s needed to seal a season of redemption for the Manalapan High School football team.
A year ago, Manalapan entered the championship game in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 5 sectional playoffs at High Point Solutions Stadium on the campus of Rutgers University with an undefeated record. The Braves had their hopes for a title and unblemished record come to a crashing end with a 34-13 loss at the hands of Piscataway Township High School.
Fast forward to this season, and Manalapan enters that same championship game at Rutgers again with an 11-0 record.
Manalapan seeks to erase the memory of that defeat when it squares off with South Brunswick High School on Dec. 2 in the Central Jersey, Group 5 tournament finals in Piscataway. The game will kick off at 1 p.m.
Head coach Ed Gurrieri and his Braves are prepared to take on a very skilled South Brunswick team that comes to the showdown with a 10-1 record and one of the most dynamic players in New Jersey, Penn State University-bound Justin Shorter — a senior who plays receiver and in the secondary.
“They’re the most talented team we’ve played and have the best player we’ve played in Shorter,” Gurrieri said. “The good thing is we’ve played great teams all year in the Shore Conference. We just have to come into the game prepared and can’t make mistakes.”
The Braves, who knocked off Freehold Township High School, 63-22, in the semifinals on Nov. 17, feature their own terrific weapon in senior running back Naim Mayfield.
Mayfield has rushed for more than 2,000 yards and 45 touchdowns this season. Gurrieri believes it will take more than the talented Mayfield to thwart South Brunswick.
“Our [senior quarterback] Luke Corcione is a three-year starter,” the coach said. “He’s been great in big games. We haven’t needed him to do much this year, but when he’s been called upon to step up, he always has. There’s only one ball to go around. When you’re taking care of business in the first half and shutting it down in the second half, it’s hard for everyone to get a chance to shine.
“[Senior] Scott Scherzer and [senior] Symir Blacknall, our wide receivers, are great players on the outside for us. We know what they can do, and we’ll need them to play well for us to win as well.”