Ace in the Hole: Etienne breaks 59-year-old Manasquan football record

A record that stood for nearly six decades fell on Saturday at Vic Kubu Warrior Field. And it took just two quarters for it to be broken.

Manasquan junior running back Ace Etienne had a game for the ages when he ran for 230 yards and six touchdowns on 14 carries – all in the first half – when the Warriors routed visiting Monmouth Regional, 48-14, in a Shore Conference nondivisional game.

Ettiene scored on runs of 2, 40 and 60 yards in the first quarter and added touchdown scampers of 8, 7 and 40 yards in the second quarter as Manasquan built a 41-0 advantage. In two games, Etienne has rushed for 348 yards and seven touchdowns on an average of 11.2 yards per carry. The Warriors are 2-0 for the first time since 2018 with victories over Neptune (33-0) and Monmouth.

Photo credit: Steve Meyer | JSSI

Five players had previously scored five touchdowns in a game for Manasquan, starting when Ken Bill initially set the record in a 1965 game vs. Shore Regional. John Ferreira tied the mark with five touchdowns versus Central Regional in 1966. In 1991, Calvin Jones matched the mark in a game vs. Wall, and in 1997 Tim Murphy also had five scores when the Warriors faced Monsignor Donovan (now Donovan Catholic). Mike Mele scored five touchdowns for the legendary undefeated 2006 team in a 51-7 NJISAA South Jersey Group 2 playoff victory over Bridgeton and Tariq Turner equaled the total in a 35-13 win over Metuchen in 2010.

All five also jointly held the program single-game record for points scored with 30 before Etienne set the new mark of 36.

Manasquan returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 14 when it hosts Manalapan (0-2) in the Class C North division opener for both teams.