Four Sayreville War Memorial High School players and one Old Bridge High School player will represent their respective teams in the Snapple Bowl on July 21 at Kean University.
The annual game pits all-star teams from Middlesex and Union counties against each other, with proceeds from the event going to the Lakeview School for Cerebral Palsy in Edison and the Children’s Specialized Hospital. Nowin its 18th year, the Snapple Bowl has raised more than $300,000.
The fact that four Bombers are playing should not come as a surprise following Sayreville’s 11-1 showing and run to the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV championship last fall. Joe Geiger, Dorien Clyne, George Koblentz and Tyler Strauss will be in coach Marcus Borden’s Middlesex lineup.
Clyne and Koblentz, both linebackers, and Strauss, a defensive end and defensive tackle, were all key players for a Bombers team that allowed just 117 points and recorded three shutouts. They saved their best performance for last, when the blue and gray pitched a 14- 0 shutout against Brick Memorial to win the CJ Group IV crown at Rutgers Stadium. Right from the start, the Bombers shut down the Brick Memorial offense and battered quarterback Mike DiGuilmi. Strauss constantly broke through the Mustangs’line to harass his beleaguered opponent.
Geiger, meanwhile, guided coach George Najjar’s attack, which piled up 422 points over its 12 games. He threw for three touchdowns in Sayreville’s 53-21 Central Jersey Group IV quarterfinal victory over Rancocas Valley. Against Brick Memorial, Geiger played a solid mistake-free game against a fired-up Brick Memorial defense. He scored on a two-yard quarterback sneak to give his team a 7-0 lead that held up until the Bombers added some insurance in the fourth quarter.
Lominy, who is expected to play guard and center in the Snapple Bowl, played guard for the Knights and also lined up as a defensive tackle. He played well on both sides of the line for a young Old Bridge team that struggled to a 2-7 record.
In addition to the players, each school will be represented by a cheerleader: Ashley Cullinane for Old Bridge and Samantha Ritter for Sayreville are their respective schools’ picks.