By: centraljersey.com
A year ago, with running back Blake Bascom rushing for 2,001 yards and 20 touchdowns, it might have been easy to overlook the contributions of quarterback Alex Vizcaino to Monroe Township High’s state championship campaign.
If Vizcaino’s performance in last week’s season-opening win against East Brunswick was any indication, he will be impossible to ignore this year.
Vizcaino completed 11 of 13 passes for a career-high 212 yards and three touchdowns to help lead the Falcons to a 21-18 win at East Brunswick. He tossed scoring strikes of 51 and 28 yards to Jahree Williams and 52 yards to Bakari Malik. He completed passes to six different receivers.
"That doesn’t surprise us," Monroe coach Chris Beagan said. "We think he’s the best quarterback in (Middlesex County), if not one of the top ones in the state. He can make every throw. He’s matured a great deal. He’s the leader of our offense. He’s someone that every team has to prepare for.
"I think it confirms what a lot of people might have thought about him. He wasted no time to demonstrate what he’s capable of doing when he’s given the opportunities to throw it down the field a little bit more. We spread the ball around. He just did a really nice job going through his progressions and his reads."
Vizcaino’s performance last year was quietly solid as he completed 66 percent of his passes for 1,023 yards and 14 touchdowns, with just three interceptions. He threw for only 230 yards in Monroe’s three Central Jersey Group III postseason victories, but had five TD tosses.
"You need your quarterback to be playing at a high level to win a state championship," Beagan said. "He did that in the shadows of some of the other stars we had on the team."
Vizcaino is one of only two returning offensive starters for the Falcons and the senior signal-caller has embraced his role as a leader.
"I think I’m doing a pretty good job. I try to relax (the other players) and encourage them. When people feel better about themselves they are better players.
"If we work hard, we can definitely get back to the championship game again."
In addition to his three TD passes, Vizcaino came up big on Monroe’s last possession to keep the ball away from East Brunswick. After Elias McDowell ended the Bears’ final threat with an interception at Monroe’s 9-yard-line, Vizcaino converted third down plays with a 25-yard pass to tight end Mike Walp and an 8-yard run.
With the win, Monroe avenged its only loss from last year. The Falcons, who went 11-1, dropped a 23-21 decision to East Brunswick on a last-minute field goal the second week of the season. The Bears went on to capture the Central Jersey Group IV championship.
"I told my team in the fourth quarter we’re not going to lose this game. That is not going to happen again," Vizcaino said. "Winning the first game is very important, especially against East Brunswick because they also won a championship. I thought that was a big test for us."
The tests will continue. Monroe plays this season in the Greater Middlesex Conference’s top division, the Red, after winning the White crown last year. The Falcons played at Old Bridge last night (after press time) and have games against powerful Sayreville and Piscataway next on the slate.
"We have a long way to go," Beagan said. "We have a tremendous amount of things we need to improve on and work on. We have to get better every time we step on the field."
Vizcaino’s presence will help.
"It’s going to take us a little while to gel, but the fact we’ve got that kind of force (at quarterback) is going to make it a little easier," Beagan said. "It’s been a stabilizing factor."
