By Ken Weingartner, Sports Writer
The Monroe High football team has been to this party before. This time, the Falcons hope to extend the good times.
For the second consecutive year, Monroe is playing in the Central Jersey Group III playoffs. Last season, the Falcons made their first-ever trip to the postseason, but lost in the opening round at Hamilton. At 1 p.m. Saturday, they visit No. 3 seed Freehold Boro, a team making its first appearance in recent years.
”If we have an edge, that’s going to be it,” Monroe coach Pat Dowling said. “We have a good group of kids that have experienced the playoffs. They understand what it takes to win. They know you can’t play with the same intensity as the regular season; you have to raise the bar.”
Monroe (6-3) is the No. 6 seed and coming off consecutive losses to South Plainfield, which qualified for the North 2 Group III playoffs, and Montgomery, which hosts South Brunswick in CJ Group IV. The Falcons’ other loss was to South River, which is the No. 1 seed in CJ Group I.
In addition to a victory over South Brunswick, the Falcons have wins over postseason qualifiers Colonia and Bishop Ahr.
Freehold (7-1) is a 13-10 setback against Red Bank from being unbeaten, but that was one of just two victories for Red Bank this year. The Colonials possess a win over defending Shore Conference Federal Division champ Middletown South, which is the No. 5 seed in CJ Group III. Their only other victory against a team with a winning record was against Neptune, which failed to reach the playoffs.
”They run the option and have big-play potential,” Dowling said. “We have to be sound defensively because whenever you face an option team it presents some problems for you. I feel pretty confident we’ll be able to move the ball. We’ve got to be able to run the ball and keep the clock on our side. We have to grind out a few touchdowns.”
That means a steady dose of tailback Ryan Meseroll, complemented by the running of quarterback Brian Taylor and fullbacks Nile Clement and Brett Rutzler.
Meseroll ran for 138 yards last week, his fifth game with at least 130 this season, giving him 1,040 yards with 10 touchdowns. He has rushed for 2,176 yards over the last two years.
Freehold is coming off a 35-28 win over Matawan after trailing by 22 points in the fourth quarter. The Colonials have seven offensive starters back from last year and eight returnees on defense. They have a trio of three-year starters on the line.
The team has dedicated its season to Michael Dragonetti, a former offensive lineman who died in an after-school car accident in January.
”They’ve had a great year,” Dowling said. “That was a pretty impressive win last week; they’re very resilient.”
Dowling is hoping he can say the same about his squad after Saturday’s game as Monroe looks to put its two-game skid to rest. The Falcons don’t have a Thanksgiving Day game, so their season will extend only as long as their playoff run.
”It’s truly a second season; this is it for us,” Dowling said. “We’ve got the kids focused there. We either collect equipment Monday or we get ready for another opponent. We’re hoping we’ve got a lot of football ahead of us.”
Time to get the party started.
