Full Speed Ahead: 2024 Long Branch Football Preview
Long Branch made an underdog run to the Central Jersey Group 4 final last season, and the Green Wave don’t plan on going backward despite the loss of some stars and their head coach.
All-Shore talents like Earnest Reevey and Da’Von Craft have graduated and Chad King is now the head coach at Ocean, but Long Branch quietly returns almost all its lineup under new head coach Ben Woolley. The goals are still the same.
“Our expectations are to get back (to the sectional final),” Woolley said. “We have way more of the core returning than I think people realize, and we have a job we want to finish.”
Long Branch’s calling card last year was a physical defense that shut out Jackson Memorial and star tailback Jonah Glenn in one playoff game and held previously unbeaten Brick Memorial to seven points in a win in the semifinals.
All-Shore linebacker Joseph Corley, who spearheaded the defensive effort in the postseason, is back for his senior season. He will be a key cog in the 4-2-5 defense that will be run by new coordinator Justin Fumando, the former head coach at Central and former defensive coordinator on championship Manalapan teams.
Corley, the son of Long Branch athletic director Jason Corley, finished with 79 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss and 4 sacks last season. He is getting interest from Monmouth University, Villanova and Central Connecticut State, according to Woolley.
“(Corley) switched from defensive end halfway through last season and look at all the damage that he did,” Woolley said. “He was learning on the fly. Now he’s had a whole summer and a whole preseason, and he’s gotten better at his craft. He can blow stuff up.”
Tyler Taylor (63 tackles, 6.5 sacks) returns as a three-year starter at defensive end, and senior Jace Fenn (6-2, 235) could be a big addition if he stays healthy. He missed last season after suffering an injury the previous spring in lacrosse but has been a force in preseason scrimmages.
Freshman Imeer Jones and sophomore Nick Storia are also part of the four-man rotation up front. Weakside linebacker Javi Guzman is a returning starter alongside Corley.
The secondary also looks to be a strength despite the graduation of Reevey, who was one of the Shore’s top safeties. Senior Chris Moses (2 INTs) and sophomore Nyron Snerling are back at cornerback, and seniors Javi Gonzalez (91 tackles), Nehemiah Lambert (66 tackles) and Aulander Daniels (3 INTs) are all back at the hybrid safety/linebacker positions. Moses also returns as the punter.
Offensively, the Green Wave bring back eight starters. Junior Quinton Fisher, who stepped in at quarterback for a handful of games after Reevey was injured in Long Branch’s season opener last year, gained valuable experience and showed he could make plays throwing on the run.
“Last year we threw him into the fire and kept it simple,” Woolley said. “That’s not the Quinton you’re going to see this year. He throws a great deep ball, he’s able to get the ball to the receivers in space, and he’s super mobile.”
Helping to fill the void in the backfield left by graduation is Red Bank Catholic transfer Zahkai McDonald, a junior who has flashed as a runner and receiver in the preseason. Daniels is an all-around threat on offense who can line up in the backfield, at quarterback and split out as a receiver. Guzman is another threat in the run game.
The wideouts are all experienced as well. Snerling showed playmaking ability as a freshman last season, and Moses and Gonzalez will see more time on offense this year after playing on defense last season. Junior Miguel Maldonado is another target as a three-year starter at tight end, and Lambert will also play some tight end.
The offensive line brings back three starters. Corley returns at left tackle for a third season, senior Jaden Mercado is a three-year starter at center, and Taylor is a three-year starter at right guard. Junior Caden Coleman, who was in the mix to start last season before he suffered a torn ACL, is at right tackle, and junior Alexis Mendez steps in at left guard.
Senior Arthur De Jesus, who has range out to 40 yards, is the kicker.
The Green Wave will get an immediate test when they face another playoff team from last season, Holmdel, before getting into their schedule in the realigned Class A North. It kicks off a daunting start to the season that also includes games against Jackson Memorial, Red Bank Catholic and Rumson-Fair Haven in the first four weeks.
RBC is the favorite in the division, with perennial power RFH right behind, but the Green Wave will look to make a darkhorse run against a field that also includes Colts Neck, Marlboro and Middletown South.
At a Glance
Head coach: Ben Woolley, first season
Career record: 0-0
2023 record: 7-5
Offense: Multiple
Defense: 4-2-5
Coaching Staff
Defensive coordinator/DL: Justin Fumando
RB/LB/special teams: Gary Beddoe
RB: Chris Riley
OL: Raoul Rivera Jr.
WR/DB: Kyle Harms
DL/freshman: Damon Colbert
Athletic trainer: Kim Small
Circle the Date: Sept. 6 vs. Jackson Memorial.
It’s a nondivisional game, but it’s a rematch of last season’s first-round playoff game in which Long Branch upset the Jaguars 13-0 on the road. This is the type of game that could be huge for playoff seeding down the road, plus a good test for both teams.
Rookie watch: Zahkai McDonald, Jr., RB
The transfer from RBC is a running and receiving threat who will be Long Branch’s primary tailback to help fill the shoes of the graduated Da’Von Craft.
Stat to Know
The Green Wave return four players on defense who had at least 60 tackles last season, led by senior linebacker Joseph Corley with 79.
SCHEDULE
| Date | Team | Time |
| Friday 8/30 | @Holmdel | 6 p.m. |
| Friday 9/6 | Jackson Memorial | 6 p.m. |
| Saturday 9/14 | Red Bank Catholic | 1 p.m. |
| Friday 9/20 | Rumson-Fair Haven | 6 p.m. |
| Saturday 9/28 | @Colts Neck | 11 a.m. |
| Friday 10/11 | Middletown South | 6 p.m. |
| Saturday 10/19 | @Red Bank | Noon |
| Saturday 10/26 | @Marlboro | Noon |
