Big-Game Hunting: 2025 Middletown North Football Preview

With one of the top returning quarterback-receiver duos in the Shore, Middletown North is storming into the 2025 season expecting to get back to the NJSIAA sectional semifinals after falling one win home short of playing for a South Jersey Group 4 championship last fall.

The road to get there, however, will look much different than this fall it did a season ago, when the Lions started the season 8-0, won the Class B North division championship and earned the No. 2 seed in the South Group 4 playoffs behind only powerhouse Winslow – the No. 1 public school team in the state to close 2024.

Coming off an 8-2 season, Middletown North is now in the Class A North division with two perennial contenders for the No. 1 spot in the Shore Conference (Rumson-Fair Haven and Red Bank Catholic), its decorated crosstown rival (Middletown South) and two upstart programs looking to build on breakthrough seasons (Marlboro and Holmdel).

Expectations remain high at Middletown North thanks to the return of quarterback Owen Robson and wide receiver Jack Viola. The seniors are the second-most productive quarterback-receiver duo returning to the Shore this year behind Brick Memorial’s Jason Lajara and Nyzier Matthews. Robson finished seventh in the Shore Conference with 1,749 passing yards and was one of three quarterbacks at the Shore to complete better than 70 percent of his passes. Robson produced 16 touchdowns through the air against only four interceptions in 180 attempts.

Viola, meanwhile, caught 41 passes for 662 yards and five touchdowns as a junior, making him the No. 2 returning receiver at the Shore in receiving yards behind only Matthews and the leader in receptions among receivers returning to the Shore in 2025.

Viola is part of a receiving corps that has proven it can produce in varsity games. Six-foot-4 senior Ryan Clark posted 295 yards on 21 receptions in 2024 and junior Dany Sigler was a big-play threat as a sophomore with 143 yards and two touchdowns on just three receptions. Senior Braden Marcotte also returns at tight end and returning junior linebacker Kade Little is also a potential weapon at the position.

Middletown North graduated a 1,000-yard rusher in Shane Volante, but his understudy is ready to take over as the starter and help keep the Lions offense the well-rounded force that it has been. Junior Matt Belenko rushed for 227 yards on 35 carries (6.5 per rush) with four touchdowns as a sophomore – enough to give Robson and coach Steve Bush a high level of comfort with him taking over at a key position in the offense.

Outside of transitioning to a new division and the schedule that comes with it, the top challenge facing the Middletown North offense this season will be acclimating a new group of offensive linemen. Senior Shea Mora is the lone returning starter on the line and he will shift from guard to left tackle. Junior Derek Laguna started one game a season ago and will move into the starting right guard spot. Senior Jason Woods has three prior years experience at long snapper and will take over the starting center spot full-time in his final high school season. Juniors Josh Johnson and Logan Grenham round out the starting line – Johnson at left guard and Grenham at right tackle.

All five offensive lineman will contribute to the defensive line rotation along with senior Brody Uhl, who will play defensive end opposite Woods. Mora, Laguna, Johnson and Grenham will cycle in at the two tackle spots to round out the four-man front.

Marcotte and Little both return for their second year as starting linebackers in Middletown North’s 4-2-5 scheme. The duo will look to pick up some of the slack left behind by the graduations of impact defenders Brian O’Donnell, Brody Tooker and Joe Grasso by bringing experience and upside to the middle of the defense.

Clark made a case as the highest-impact player on Middletown North’s defense last year, when he finished tied for third at the Shore with five interceptions. He returns as the rover in the 4-2-5 defense after a standout debut season as a starter.

Senior Jovonni Fernandez and junior M.J. Parulis will be full-time starters for the first time this season, with Fernandez gaining some experience with the first-team defense as a junior. Junior Brennan Cross is another new starter in the secondary and will play strong safety next to Viola, who returns at free safety in his third year as a defensive starter to go with his exploits at wide receiver. Senior John Engels and Anthony Christiani will also figure into the mix in the secondary.

The Lions also return a quality kicker in Seamus Montegue, who will also handle punts for a second straight season on top of his kicking duties.

Middletown North has the talent on offense to turn in another competitive season after finishing 2024 ranked No. 6 in the Shore Sports Insider rankings, but the Lions will need their new starters on both lines to catch up quickly. The season opens with tough matchups vs. Howell and Marlboro – Nos. 11 and 12, respectively, in the final SSI rankings – before road games vs. Red Bank Catholic and Rumson-Fair Haven in back-to-back weeks.

Seniors like Viola, Robson, Clark and Marcotte have had a year to stew over the home loss to Shawnee in the playoffs and while the season starts off with a challenge, the Lions leaders will have them as ready as they can be for Week 1 and beyond.

Middletown North at a Glance

Head coach: Steve Bush

Career record: 141-111-1

2023 record: 4-6

Offense: Multiple-Spread

Defense: 4-2-5

Coaching Staff

Defensive Coordinator: Jason Glezman

Running backs: Connor Welsh

Wide Receivers: Dwight Wilkerson

Tight Ends: Jason Glezman

Offensive line: Fred Stengel, Larry McKnight

Defensive line: Justin Fumando, Larry McKnight

Linebackers: Jason Glezman, Connor Welsh

Secondary: Dwight Wilkerson

Athletic trainer: Danielle Kanski

Circle the Date: Oct. 24 at Holmdel

There should be no shortage of points on the scoreboard when the Class A North division’s two newest teams clash in the final week before the NJSIAA Playoffs. Middletown North and Holmdel will face what might be their toughest schedules ever (almost certainly so for Holmdel) and will close it out by playing one another in a game between teams known for their offenses. Robson will lead the Lions offense into battle against Dartmouth commit Jack Cannon and the Hornets in the final week prior to the seeding of the NJSIAA Playoffs.

Rookie Watch: Anthony Christiani, So., CB

Middletown North’s depth chart is almost exclusively seniors and juniors, so a sophomore on the roster stands out. Christiani is squarely in the mix for playing time at corner back along with Parulis and Fernandez and will help the Lions lay the foundation for its next wave of starters looking to the future.

Stat to Know

Middletown North’s high-octane offense powered a scoring attack that produced 30.5 points per game in 2025, making the Lions one of six teams in the Shore Conference to average at least 30 on the season. With Robson (quarterback) and Viola (wide receiver) both returning coming off Third Team All-Shore selections by Shore Sports Insider, the Lions expect to be a formidable offense again, even as the schedule gets more difficult.

SCHEDULE

Date                             Team                                  Time

Friday 9/5                      @Howell                              6:30 p.m.

Friday 9/12                    Marlboro                             7 p.m.

Friday 9/19                    @Red Bank Catholic         7 p.m.

Friday 9/26                    @Rumson-Fair Haven     7 p.m.

Friday 10/3                    Central                                7 p.m.

Friday 10/17                   Matawan                             7 p.m.

Friday 10/24                  @Holmdel                          7 p.m.