Manalapan runs over No. 12 Manasquan to avoid 0-3 start

MANASQUAN — Even though they had nothing to show for it, Manalapan did plenty of things well over the first two weeks of the season. The issue was closing out games in the second half.

That was bullet point No. 1 all week heading into a pivotal division clash, especially when the Braves took a 14-point lead into halftime on Saturday afternoon.

“In the locker room at halftime coach specifically said ‘finish’, that’s the one word we should think about,” Manalapan senior Vin DeFillippo said. “In this game, we knew we had to get the job done.”

Facing a potential 0-3 start to the season, the Braves answered the call with a defensive stop to begin the third quarter followed by a 75-yard scoring drive. It was that kind of day for Manalapan, which delivered a thorough 35-7 Shore Conference Class C North road victory over No. 12 Manasquan on Saturday at Vic Kubu Warrior Field.

Manalapan began the game with a 13-play, 75-yard scoring drive and produced touchdowns on their first three possessions to take a 21-7 halftime lead. Five of the Braves’ seven possessions resulted in touchdowns as they ran for 255 yards and five touchdowns to pick up their first win of the season.

“We knew our backs were against the wall,” DeFillippo said. “We came out flying to the ball. We knew we had to make a change and we made that change today and got the result we wanted.”

“We know we’re not built to be an 0-2 team,” senior quarterback Ryan Dougherty said. “We just had to come in here and execute.”

 

Ground and Pound

Manalapan’s identity is as a power-running team, and that was on full display from start to finish. The Braves’ game-opening 13-play, 75-yard scoring drive was headlined by junior running back Ahsere Woolfolk, who carried nine times for 35 yards and punched in a 1-yard touchdown to give Manalapan an early 7-0 lead.

Manasquan responded with a 6-play, 69-yard scoring drive to tie the game. Junior quarterback Matt Antonucci connected with junior wide receiver J.D. Teza for a 39-yard gain on the Warriors’ first play from scrimmage. Junior tailback Ace Etienne then ripped off a 20-yard run to set up a 14-yard touchdown pass from Antonucci to Teza on third-and-9.

From there, it was all Manalapan.

The Braves got the ball back and essentially replicated their first series by going 66 yards in 12 plays to take the lead for good. Sophomore Nicky Palmieri entered at running back and gained 36 yards on four carries and Dougherty carried three times for 15 yards. Woolfolk polished off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run for a 14-7 lead with 8:47 remaining in the second quarter.

The key play on the drive came when Manalapan faced a crucial fourth-and-6 from the Manasquan 34-yard line. Dougherty tried to roll to his left but was immediately pressured by two Manasquan defenders. He scrambled and looked back to his right where he was able to find senior tight end Anthony Hammel in the backfield. Hammel secured the pass and gained 12 yards for a first down that kept the drive alive.

“He probably thought I was getting sacked and he’s just a check-down on that play,” Dougherty said. “At that point, I was just trying to get the ball in his hands and let him make a play.”

Manalapan’s defense was superb all game and delivered a three-and-out on Manasquan’s next offensive series. After a penalty for fair catch interference on Manasquan pushed the ball to midfield, the Braves needed just five plays to march 50 yards and take a two-score lead. Sophomore running back Ethan Fogelstrom capped the quick drive by taking a toss 28 yards for a touchdown.

There were no huge chunk plays, but the Braves were brilliantly consistent running the ball in the first half thanks to an offensive line that played its best game of the young season. Senior Reggie Bennett and junior Joe Petriello at guard, seniors Nick Monteleone and Brody Alfieri at tackle, senior Alex Osmun at center, and seniors Hammel, Dennis Healey and Nick Leone at tight end paved the way for Manalapan to rush for 150 yards in the first half on an average of 5.8 yards per carry with five different ball carries.

“The big boys up front, that’s where it all starts,” DeFillippo said. “They worked hard all week and this week they were at a different level. After that first drive, we knew we were going to run it down their throats the whole game.”

“We’ve felt this way about our offense the whole year, to be honest,” Manalapan head coach Dom Lepore said. “With our offense and the athletes we have, we felt we could do some real good things. You just have to come out and execute and finish drives.”

 

Sealing the Deal

Even with a 14-point lead at halftime, Manalapan knew the heavy lifting was still to come. In a Week 0 loss to Piscataway and a Week 1 loss to Middletown South, the Braves were outscored in the second half both times. Last week, they led 21-14 at halftime only to lose 28-21 in overtime.

Manasquan received the kickoff to begin the third quarter and had a chance to get right back into the game. Etienne, who rushed for 230 yards and a school-record six touchdowns last week, began to heat up as the Warriors moved across midfield. A 13-yard completion from Antonucci to junior running back Dylan Lu brought up fourth-and-1 from the Manalapan 25-yard line.

Antonucci had time to throw but surveyed a field that was well-covered by Manalapan’s secondary. He tossed a pass toward 6-foot-2 senior wide receiver Matt Schneider but Manalapan senior strong safety Dennis Gabinelli leaped to break up the pass in the end zone and force a turnover on downs.

The Braves then produced their second 75-yard scoring drive of the afternoon. Eight of the nine plays were on the ground and DeFillippo capped it by breaking loose for a 29-yard touchdown run and a 28-7 Manalapan lead.

True to their word, the Braves did not let up. After stopping Manasquan on three straight downs to force a punt from the Warriors’ 25-yard line, the vaunted Manalapan special teams unit forced a short punt that ended up at the 20-yard line. A handful of plays later, Woolfolk was in the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown run, his third of the game, for a commanding 35-7 Manalapan lead.

“Last week against Middletown South we either led or were tied the whole game, so that was the mantra today, just finish it,” Lepore said. “Hold the rope. Believe in each other and come out and finish the game.”

“We came in knowing it was a must-win game and we didn’t stop at halftime. We played a four-quarter game. We just needed one (win) because we know what we can do. We beat a good team who was coming in 2-0. We’re going to hold this energy and bring it into next week.”

What’s next for both teams?

Manalapan travels to Raritan (0-2, 0-1) for a Class C North division game. The Rockets lost to No. 10 Wall, 28-13, on Friday night.

Manasquan has another stern test when it heads to Bob Roggy Memorial Field to face Holmdel. The Hornets, led by dynamic junior quarterback Jack Cannon, were ranked No. 7 and 2-0 before a 33-19 loss to No. 9 St. John Vianney on Friday night.

 

Box Score

Manalapan 35, No. 12 Manasquan 7

 

	Manalapan	Manasquan
First downs	18	9
Rushes-yards	42-255	23-102
Passing	6-9-0	7-10-0
Passing yards	48	73
Fumbles-lost	1-0	0-0
Penalties-yards	6-45	3-25

 

	1	2	3	4	F
Manalapan (1-2, 1-0)	7	14	7	7	35
Manasquan (2-1, 0-1)	7	0	0	0	7

 

Scoring Summary

MPN – Ahsere Woolfolk 1-yard run (Kai Bohichik kick)

MSQ – J.D. Teza 14-yard pass from Matt Antonucci (Jackson McDonald kick)

MPN – Ahsere Woolfolk 2-yard run (Kai BohichicBohichikk kick)

MPN – Ethan Fogelstrom 28-yard run (Kai Bohichik kick)

MPN – Vin DeFillippo 29-yard run (Kai Bohichik kick)

MPN – Ahsere Woolfolk 5-yard run (Kai Bohichik kick)

 

Individual Statistics

RUSHING — MPN: Ahsere Woolfolk 20-77, Nicky Palmieri 8-58, Vin DeFillippo 3-50, Ethan Fogelstrom 2-31, Ryan Dougherty 6-27, Cameron Desfosse 1-5, #38 1-4, Ryan Melendez 1-3; MSQ: Ace Etienne 14-57, Dylan Lu 4-18, Dax Klein 3-15, Matt Antonucci 2-12.

PASSING — MPN: Ryan Dougherty 6-9-0, 48; MSQ: Matt Antonucci 7-10-0, 73.

RECEIVING — MPN: Jackson Pfister 3-35, Anthony Hammel 1-9, Justin Troxell 1-7, Ahsere Woolfolk 1-(-3); MSQ: J.D. Teza 3-61, Dylan Lu 1-13, Matt Schneider 1-0, Jake McDaid 1-0, Ace Etienne 1-(-1).