Brick Memorial’s Championship Hopes End in 24-7 Loss to Millville in Central Jersey Group 4 Semifinals

BRICK TOWNSHIP — Brick Memorial had spent the entire season finding ways to win. But on Friday night, when the Mustangs needed one more answer to keep their championship hopes alive, they couldn’t find it.

An early touchdown offered hope but missed opportunities and three touchdowns from Millville senior Reginald Holley proved too much to overcome in a 24-7 loss in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals.

Playing through rain on a muddy, waterlogged field following Thursday morning’s downpour, Brick Memorial saw its eight-game winning streak snapped and its season end at 9-2.

“Credit Millville today. They outplayed us,” first-year head coach James Mahoney said. “I didn’t do a great job, but I’m just super proud of these seniors and the season we were able to put together.”

Brick Memorial opened with a sustained drive behind senior quarterback Tyler Pierce and senior running back Colin Schoellkopf. Facing fourth-and-long, Pierce found senior wide receiver Shawn Fowler for 25 yards before Fowler finished the possession with a two-yard touchdown run. Senior kicker Jack Marotta’s extra point made it 7-0.

Millville answered quickly.

Senior quarterback Robert O’Connor connected with Holley for a 64-yard touchdown before Holley added a 21-yard rushing score early in the second quarter. A missed extra point left the Mustangs trailing 13-7.

Brick Memorial had its chances.

Fowler returned the ensuing kickoff 53 yards, while freshman defensive back Zyion Weaver intercepted two first-half passes. But Millville’s defensive front repeatedly disrupted Pierce, with senior lineman Rylan Harris and Elijah Williams recording sacks as the Mustangs struggled to capitalize.

Still, Brick Memorial entered halftime within six points.

That changed almost immediately after the break.

A mishandled snap on the Mustangs’ opening possession of the third quarter resulted in a fumble recovered by Millville. On the next play, Holley broke free for a 26-yard touchdown and added the two-point conversion, extending the lead to 21-7.

Brick Memorial never recovered offensively. Pierce was sacked on fourth down during the ensuing possession, and sophomore kicker Jack Powers added a 38-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

Holley finished with 132 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, along with 78 receiving yards and another score.

Even as the deficit grew, Brick Memorial’s defense continued battling.

“Our kids are tough, man,” Mahoney said. “Regardless of what the score was, they’re going to continue to compete.”

Weaver’s two interceptions brought his documented season total to at least six, offering a glimpse of the program’s future.

“He carries himself like a senior,” Mahoney said. “He’s got a great maturity to him. He doesn’t get too high, he doesn’t get too low. He’s competitive as hell.”

For Brick Memorial’s seniors, however, Friday’s loss meant more than the end of a playoff run. It closed a season spent proving they could carry on what the players before them had built.

Mahoney had replaced Walt Currie, the program’s all-time winningest coach, whose 19 seasons produced 116 victories and two sectional championships.

Pierce succeeded Jason Lajara, Brick Memorial’s all-time leading passer. Nyzier Matthews had graduated as the school’s all-time leading receiver, Trey Tallmadge as its all-time leading tackler, and Na’Zeer Whittaker as one of the Shore’s premier running backs.

Together, that group helped deliver Brick Memorial’s first sectional championship since 2008.

Few expected replacing so much talent and leadership to be easy.

Instead, the Mustangs won nine games and reached another sectional semifinal.

“Everybody’s talked about the group we had last year, and they should, because they’re incredible kids, and they’re incredibly talented,” Mahoney said. “But I think the forgotten class, and we’ve talked about it all year, is this group of seniors.”

Fowler became one of the Shore Conference’s leading Two-Way Player of the Year contenders, entering Friday with 374 receiving yards, 328 rushing yards and 12 offensive touchdowns. The standout defensive back also recorded 49 tackles and made an impact on special teams.

Senior Jaxon Pacheco, a 6-foot-2, 300-pound two-way lineman committed to Division I Stetson, helped anchor both lines of scrimmage. A second-team All-Shore selection last season after recording 41 tackles and seven sacks, Pacheco remained one of Brick Memorial’s most imposing and dependable players in the trenches.

Senior tight end and defensive end Joe Livio contributed on both sides, entering Friday with a team-leading 384 receiving yards while adding 40 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and five sacks defensively.

And Pierce, facing the challenge of replacing a record-setting quarterback, made the offense his own.

He entered Friday with 1,486 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns, 672 rushing yards and seven rushing scores, becoming one of the Shore’s most productive dual-threat quarterbacks.

“Tyler’s a dream to coach,” Mahoney said. “During basketball season, he’s watching film in my classroom every day, getting ready for the season.”

His journey carried added meaning alongside his twin brother, senior receiver and defensive back Casey Pierce.

The sons of former Brick Memorial standout Jeff Pierce, the brothers grew up around the program. In the season opener against Wall, Tyler found Casey for a five-yard touchdown, fulfilling a dream they had shared since elementary school.

Casey also recorded 53 tackles through 10 games, while Schoellkopf surpassed 1,000 rushing yards and senior Devin Mingalone helped provide veteran leadership.

“Guys like Jaxon Pacheco and Joe Livio and Shawn Fowler have done it for a lot of years, and they’ve had the star power,” Mahoney said. “And then the program kids, Tyler Pierce, Casey Pierce, Devin Mingalone, Colin Schoellkopf, those guys really stepped up this year in big ways.”

The seniors finished their three-year varsity run 28-8, with a sectional championship and multiple playoff victories.

Friday wasn’t the ending they wanted. But it didn’t erase what they had built.

“We don’t recruit guys,” Mahoney said. “We just get the tough kids from Brick, and we make them into men here.”

“This is an unfamiliar feeling for us,” Mahoney said. “We don’t lose a whole lot at Brick Memorial, and that’s a credit to our boys.”

Brick Memorial’s season ended Friday night. The standard its seniors upheld did not.