A Leg Up: Middletown North Rides the Legs of Belenko, Montague to Upset Manalapan in CJ 4 Semis

MANALAPAN – There were question marks surrounding Middletown North at the end of the regular season, as the Lions entered the postseason with a 3-4 record after facing a gauntlet of opponents in  Class A North, including Red Bank Catholic, Rumson-Fair Haven and Holmdel.

There was a loss to Central in early October that caused parts of the Shore Conference community to write the Lions off. Then there was the Halloween resurrection win over crosstown rival Middletown South in the Central Jersey Group 4 quarterfinals for their first win over the Eagles in nine years.

In an encore playoff performance on Friday night, junior running back Matt Belenko carried the ball 23 times for 96 yards and two touchdowns and senior left-footed kicker Seamus Montague booted two field goals to lead third-seeded Middletown North to a 20-14 upset over second-seeded Manalapan in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals.

The victory catapulted the Lions (5-4) into their first sectional final appearance since 2016. They will go on the road to face top-seeded Brick Memorial in search of their first state sectional title since 1996.

For the second week in a row, Belenko was a workhorse for the Lions’ ground game. Unlike last week’s 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage, Middletown North grinded out a 14-play opening drive that took 9:11 off the clock before Belenko plunged up the middle for a 1-yard TD run and a 7-0 lead. Belenko carried the ball 10 times on the opening drive, setting the tone for the Lions.

“The opening drive was huge,” Belenko said. “We came in and knew what we had to do – punch them and get the first score. The line and the receivers all did their job and blocked great on the drive.”

Manalapan answered right back, going on a 14-play drive of its own that spanned 7:07 of the end of the first and beginning of the second quarter. Senior running back Ah’sere Woolfolk scored on a third-and-goal run from the two-yard line, making the score 7-6. Manalapan, who has had snapping issues late in the season, went for a two-point conversion, but Woolfolk was denied by the stout Middletown North defense.

Middletown North then scored on its last two drives of the first half. Montague booted a 34-yard field goal with 3:15 left and connected on a 36-yard field goal with eight seconds left, sending the Lions into the locker room with a 13-6 lead.

“My first kick was low and just cleared the cross bar,” Montague said. “Our home field is turf, so kicking on grass is totally different. My foot kicked the grass first before I struck the ball. I made an adjustment on the second kick and sent a beautiful ball through the uprights.”

The Braves (7-4) got the ball to start the third quarter and ran six minutes off the clock before punting to the Lions. Middletown North went on another lengthy drive of its own, a 15-play march that ended on another Belenko touchdown run from three yards out for a 20-6 lead with 9:19 left in the game.

Manalapan junior running back Nicky Palmieri then broke off a 56-yard touchdown run, followed by a two-point conversion rush from Woolfolk to bring the score to 20-14 with 7:25 remaining.

Middletown North’s subsequent drive ended when Belenko was stopped on a fourth-and-3 from the Braves’ 32-yard line, and Manalapan took over at its own 30 with 1:46 left.

Junior quarterback Cameron Desfosse threw a deep ball intended for DJ Corsaro that drew a pass interference flag on the Lions, moving the ball to the Middletown North 48-yard line. Three plays later, on third-and-3 from the 41, Desfosse was hit as he let go of the ball, and for the second week in a row, junior defensive back MJ Parulis came up with a game-clinching interception.

“All I saw was the ball and lots of green grass in front of me,” said Parulis. “Our goal as a defense coming into the game was to stop the run. We made them uncomfortable going into the second half, having to throw the ball. We just dropped back and made plays.”

“It was a great win for our program, and our kids really stepped up,” Middletown North head coach Steve Bush said. “That was a difficult offense to prepare for. We hadn’t played anything like that all year. Our kids dialed in all week and came out ready to play. Our offensive line is a very physical unit up front, and they opened some big holes for our running back (Belenko), and he hits the holes hard.

“We are excited to get to the sectional final. We get to play a very tough Brick Memorial team that puts up a lot of points. We will get into the film room and see what we can do.”

Statistics

Passing:

Middletown North: Robson 10-15 146 yards

Manalapan: Desfosse 5-11 68 yards; Corsaro 1-1 7 yards

Rushing:

Middletown North: Belenko 23-96 2 TD; Robson 3-30; Sigler 2-7

Manalapan: Woolfolk 10-36 TD; Palmieri 2-69 TD; Melendez 8-38; Desfosse 6-34; Corsaro 2-4

Receiving:

Middletown North: Viola 6-88; Sigler 2-18; Clark 1-43; Little 1-6

Manalapan: DSavage 2-32; Melendez 1-24; Woolfolk 2-12; Desfosse 1-7