The 2025 season marked a resurgence for a Manasquan program that had gone 16-15 over the previous three years. The Warriors defeated rival Point Boro for the first time since 2021, earned a share of the Class C North division title, finished No. 8 in the final Shore Sports Insider Top 12 rankings, and posted an 8-3 record.

Despite those accomplishments, the season ended on a sour note. Manasquan fell 46-6 to eventual Group 2 state champion Camden in the Central Jersey Group 2 semifinals before closing the year with a 17-8 loss to rival Wall on Thanksgiving.

Overall, last season marked a pivotal step in Manasquan’s climb back toward the championship standard that has long defined the program. Now the Warriors are focused on building on their breakthrough season while ensuring this year’s season ends on a much stronger note.

Manasquan has been moved into a challenging Class B North division that features perennial contenders Middletown North, Middletown South, and Matawan, setting the stage for what should be one of the Shore Conference’s most competitive divisional races.

Offense

The Warriors return four starters from an offense that averaged 23.5 points per game last season while totaling 2,039 rushing yards and 751 passing yards.

Senior quarterback Kyle Dow (6-3, 195) returns as Manasquan’s starter after a season in which he was forced to sit out four games following his transfer from Donovan Catholic. Recently offered by Stonehill, Dow is the Warriors’ first Division I quarterback prospect since Steve McGrath in 2002.

Dow threw for 509 yards and five touchdowns while adding two rushing scores in seven games last season. With First Team All-Shore running back Ace Etienne graduated, the Warriors are expected to place a much greater emphasis on Dow and the passing game in 2026.

Senior Dax Klein (5-10, 180) replaces the departed Etienne as the lead running back. A hand injury that required him to wear a cast limited his offensive snaps last season, but he will play a much larger role this fall.

Senior Chris Matthaei (5-11, 190) and junior Wyatt Sowul (5-10, 180) will also compete for carries in the backfield. Seniors Jackson McDonald (6-1, 215), Tommy Certo (5-9, 190) and Jon Jones (5-7, 205), along with junior Matt Reffler (5-9, 190), will compete for snaps at fullback. Certo and Reffler shared the starting duties last season, while McDonald transitions from tight end.

With Manasquan replacing its entire starting receiving corps, the battle for playing time at wide receiver is wide open. Juniors Connor Lalli (5-8, 150), Casey Mahoney (6-0, 185), Kennedy Larned (6-0, 160) and Evan Sinkhorn (5-11, 170), along with seniors Jon Parziale (6-3, 170), Aidan Magee (6-0, 175) and Zach Esdaile (5-10, 160), are all competing for starting roles.

Senior Luke Barry (6-4, 215) returns as the Warriors’ starting tight end. Senior Ryder Boyle (6-3, 185) and junior Kevin Farmer (6-2, 195) add depth and are expected to contribute this season.

The offensive line returns just one full-time starter in senior center Dom Incolla (5-10, 225), who earned First Team All-Class C North honors last season.

A wide-open competition is underway at both guard spots, with seniors Jake Weckenman (5-9, 195), Colin Peters (6-1, 235), and Henry Backes (5-10, 230), along with juniors Billy Sheehan (5-10, 245), and Billy Walsh (5-11, 220) all in the mix.

The competition is equally fierce at tackle, where Peters, fellow seniors and returning defensive starters Lucas Kubu (6-1, 215) and Nick Loughrey (6-1, 195), and good-sized juniors Cole Friedman (6-6, 235) and Dan Ball (6-5, 250) are all vying for starting jobs as Manasquan looks to solidify its front five.

McDonald, Weckenman, and sophomore James Brophy (6-5, 200) will compete for the kicking duties, while Barry, McDonald, and Sinkhorn are in the mix for the starting punting job.

Defense

The Warriors return five starters from a unit that allowed 14.9 points per game last season.

Loughrey and Kubu return as the Warriors’ defensive ends. Loughrey earned Third Team All-Shore honors after leading the defense with five sacks while recording 48 total tackles, including 14 tackles for loss. Kubu, a First Team All-Class C North selection last season, totaled 22 tackles, five tackles for loss, and two sacks before a season-ending injury sidelined him in the first round of the playoffs. McDonald, Boyle, and Farmer will all compete for snaps in the rotation.

The competition at defensive tackle is wide open, with a host of players vying for playing time. The majority of the Warriors’ offensive linemen are in the mix, along with Jones.

Barry returns as the Warriors’ middle linebacker after earning Third Team All-Shore honors last season. Despite missing two games, he led the team with 52 tackles and will once again anchor the defense.

Matthaei returns as the starter at one outside linebacker spot after recording 50 tackles last season and earning Second Team All-Class C North honors. Reffler, Magee, Sowul, and Certo are all competing for the other starting outside linebacker position while also battling for snaps in the rotation at the other two spots.

Mahoney projects as a starter in the secondary after seeing time at both cornerback and safety last season, although his exact position has yet to be determined. Lalli is the frontrunner to claim one of the starting cornerback spots, while Esdaile, Larned, and a handful of others also are in the mix to start.

Klein, a Second Team All Class C North selection last season, returns as the starter at one safety position after recording 41 tackles and an interception last season. Dow, Parziale, Larned, Sinkhorn, and junior Grayson Youssouf (5-9, 140) are also competing for a starting spot at safety.

 

Manasquan at a glance 

Head coach: Jay Price, 16th season 

Career record: 93-63

2025 record: 8-3

Offense: Pro I

Defense: 4-3

 

Coaching Staff

Offensive coordinator/QB: Justin Cella

RB: Darrell Falkinburg

WR: Brian Lee

TE: Lou Certo

OL: Ben Barry

DL: Eddie Kapalko, Matt Voskian

LB: Eric Howland

DB: Pete Cahill, Jay Price Sr.

Athletic trainer: Kevin Hyland

Circle the Date: Sept. 12 vs Matawan

The Warriors’ only loss before last season’s state tournament began came against the Huskies, a defeat that forced Manasquan to share the division title with Red Bank rather than claim it outright. Now both teams have moved to Class B North, making their matchup at Vic Kubu Warrior Field an early measuring stick. A win in the home opener could provide a significant edge in what projects to be a tightly contested divisional race.

Newcomer to Watch: Connor Lalli, Jr., WR/DB

Lalli emerged as a dynamic weapon in the return game as a sophomore and is poised for an expanded role on both sides of the ball this fall.

Schedule 

Date	Opponent
8/28	Westwood (at Northern Highlands)
9/3	at Point Boro
9/12	Matawan
9/18	at Middletown North
9/26	Middletown South
10/9	at Freehold Township
10/17	Neptune
10/23	at Shore
11/26	Wall