Central Jersey Group 4 Football Final Preview: Brick Memorial vs. Middletown North
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 4 CHAMPIONSHIP
WHO: (3) Middletown North (5-4) at (1) Brick Memorial (9-2).
WHEN: Friday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m.
WHERE: DiFabio Field at Brick Memorial High School, 2001 Lanes Mill Road, Brick
BRICK MEMORIAL’S ROAD TO THE FINAL: Defeated Marlboro 57-7 in the quarterfinals; defeated Steinert 40-7 in the semifinals.
MIDDLETOWN NORTH’S ROAD TO THE FINAL: Defeated Middletown South 28-19 in the quarterfinals; defeated Manalapan 20-14 in the semifinals.
BRICK MEMORIAL’S BEST WINS: 35-7 over Wall; 41-27 over Point Boro; 28-21 over Toms River North; 55-41 over Holmdel; 19-14 over Southern.
MIDDLETOWN NORTH’S BEST WINS: 23-21 over Matawan; 28-19 over Middletown South; 20-14 over Manalapan.
PLAYOFF HISTORY: Brick Memorial is in its second straight sectional final and trying to win its first state sectional title since 2008 and the third in school history. This is the Mustangs’ ninth appearance overall in a sectional championship game. They lost 48-7 to Millville and current Alabama freshman Lotzeir Brooks in last year’s title game. Their first state title came in 2003…Middletown North is in the state final for the first time since 2016 and the seventh time overall. The Lions’ last title came in 1996 and they also won titles in 1983 and 1986.
ANALYSIS
Top-seeded Brick Memorial, which is ranked No. 2 in the Shore Sports Insider Top 12, comes into the game as a heavy favorite against the Lions, who are ranked No. 12.
The Mustangs feature one of the Shore Conference’s most explosive offenses at 35.6 points per game and have dropped a combined 97 points in two state playoff games.
Brick Memorial senior wide receiver Nyzier Matthews has set numerous school records this season. (Photo by Tom Smith/tspimages.com)
Senior Jason Lajara is the school’s all-time leading passer and has just about every other quarterback record for the Mustangs. He is having a huge season with 2,036 yards and 25 touchdowns passing and 622 yards and 12 touchdowns rushing, and he’s done all of that in nine games after missing the first two games of the season with an illness. His main target is one of the state’s top receivers in senior Nyzier Matthews, who also has a bushel of school records. He has 46 catches for 820 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.
Senior Nazeer Whittaker is a rushing and receiving threat with 1,203 total yards and 12 total touchdowns who averages 8.5 yards every time he touches the ball. Junior Shawn Fowler averages 22.3 yards per catch as another deep threat, senior wideout Ricky Dillon averages 22.7 yards per catch and junior tight end Joe Livio (18-356-4) is a big target over the middle.
The Mustangs have weapons all over the field, and they play at hyper speed. They will snap the ball the instant the official spots it, play after play in their spread offense. They try to stun teams right off the bat, as they dropped 50 in the first half against Marlboro in the first round and 33 by the break against Steinert in the semifinals.
Whenever Lajara sees Matthews has single coverage, he will put it up to him, even if it looks like he’s covered, because he trusts Matthews to win any one-on-one matchup. Lajara also only has three interceptions all season on 159 attempts, so he takes care of the ball.
This is a senior-laden team that has been prophesied since their freshman year to be the ones that will end a 17-year drought of state titles, so they have been on a mission for four years. They have endured illness and a rash of injuries to be playing their best football at the best time.
It’s a tall order for Middletown North’s defense, which allows 25.9 points per game, but has been better in the playoffs in allowing 16.5 in two postseason games.
The Lions are battle-tested, as they have faced the Shore’s No. 1 team, Red Bank Catholic, as well as No. 3 Holmdel, No. 7 Rumson-Fair Haven, No. 11 Central and a Matawan team that reached the Central Jersey Group 3 semifinals. There is nothing they haven’t seen by this point, but weathering the early storm from Brick Memorial will be huge if they are going to stay in the game.
Middletown North and linebacker Kade Little (making tackle) will try to bottle up one of the Shore Conference’s top offenses. (Photo by Tom Smith/tpsimages.com)
Middletown North will try to slow down the Mustangs behind junior linebacker Kade Little (91 tackles), who made a huge play in the win over Middletown South, as well as veteran defensive backs Ryan Clark and Jack Viola. They don’t have anyone with more than two sacks or three tackles for a loss this season, which may not bode well against a team that is hard to knock off schedule.
If Middletown North sinks a bunch of defenders into coverage, Brick Memorial will have to be patient and take what the Lions are giving them with Lajara and Whittaker in the running game. However, Lajara hunts big plays. If he sees his guy with a step on anyone, he is firing it downfield.
The Lions’ best defense may be their offense, which averages 23.8 points per game and is capable of churning up the clock behind junior running back Matt Belenko, who has 1,149 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns. He is the barometer for their success. When he plays well, like he did with 98 yards and two touchdowns against Manalapan last week, Middletown North usually wins.
Middletown North junior running back Matt Belenko has had a breakout season with over 1,100 yards rushing. (Tom Smith/tpsimages.com)
They will aim for long, sustained drives to limit Brick Memorial’s possessions in their pro-style offense, which mixes in a lot of screens and quick throws to Viola and others.
Against an offense like Brick Memorial’s, Middletown North will need all hands on deck. That means senior quarterback Owen Robson, whose 68.1% career completion percentage is a school record, will need to be on point and take care of the ball. Viola is the main playmaker in the passing game with 44 catches for 665 yards and four touchdowns, and junior Danny Sigler has had a breakout season with 27 catches for 345 yards and two touchdowns.
Brick Memorial’s defense, which allows 17.7 points per game, has returned to full power after star linebacker Trey Tallmadge missed a large chunk of the season with a hamstring injury. He still has 41 tackles and two interceptions and is complemented by senior linebacker Mike Pappas, who leads the team with 88 tackles. Their main pass rusher is junior defensive tackle Jaxon Pacheco, who has five sacks.
Matthews lurks in the secondary, where he has three interceptions, and senior Erik Pedre is another playmaker with 62 tackles and three forced fumbles.
Their goal will be to stand up to Belenko and the running game, let their offense jump out to a double-digit lead and then attack when Middletown North is forced to throw more frequently.
Middletown North has the edge in the kicking game thanks to senior Seamus Montague, who booted two field goals in the semifinals against Manalapan. He has a school-record nine field goals this season for Middletown North, which include a school-record 41-yard field goal and seven others from 30-plus yards.
Junior Jack Marotta, who also is a standout defensive back with three interceptions, is 37-for-46 on extra points for Brick Memorial.
The pick: Brick Memorial, 40-28.
Scott Stump is the football editor and a reporter for Shore Sports Insider. He first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999 and has covered basketball, baseball and seemingly every other Shore Conference sport at some point.
Email: scottstump25@gmail.com
