Son of Manasquan football great honors his late father in an emotional victory
Manasquan sophomore Dax Klein paid tribute to his late father, former Warriors great Donny Klein, the best way he knew how in Wednesday night’s win over Brick.
“It meant a lot that the game happened to be on the anniversary of my dad’s death,” Klein said. “I knew I had to play my absolute heart out and put on a show for him.”
Klein delivered on that promise by playing the best game of his young career. He finished with a team-high 11 tackles and two sacks along with 45 yards rushing and a touchdown in a 34-7 win over the Green Dragons on the sixth anniversary of his father’s death.
Manasquan’s Dax Klein had a career-high 11 tackles and two sacks and also ran for 45 yards and a touchdown in a win over Brick on the anniversary of his father’s death. (Photo by Sean Dettlinger)
“To have a night like that, you can’t help but wonder if there’s something bigger at work when those moments happen,” said Manasquan head coach Jay Price, who coached with Donny. “It’s surreal that it worked out that we had a game on that day. You know he was looking down and was so proud.”
An emotional day for Dax Klein
Dax’s performance came six years to the day that Donny died at 37 years old in a one-car crash in Route 195 in Mercer County. Dax was a 9-year-old fourth-grader when he lost his father.
The sophomore, who lives with his mother, Lisa Klein, usually goes out to dinner with family to remember Donny on the anniversary of his death. Since non-playoff qualifiers were able to schedule extra games on Wednesday this season, this year he put on the pads on the solemn day.
Former Manasquan star and Warriors assistant coach Donny Klein was a Hall of Fame athlete and beloved assistant coach.
“It’s never an easy day,” he said. “When it was over (against Brick), I thought a lot about him. My mom came over to me and she said, ‘He’s looking down, and he’s very proud.”
Donny Klein was inducted into the Manasquan Athletics Hall of Fame after a stellar football and lacrosse career with the Warriors and a college football career at Temple. He returned to his alma mater and was a coach at Manasquan in football and lacrosse. He then was the offensive line coach at The College of New Jersey at the time of his death.
He was a larger-than-life personality, known for his booming laugh and infectious smile.
Dax Klein was a fixture on the sidelines when his father, Donny Klein, was an assistant at Manasquan and The College of New Jersey.
“He always was there for me,” Dax said. “He would always take me to the games and stuff. I’d be on the sidelines with him, and it would always be fun to know the guys and be around the team. From just being there on the Manasquan sidelines when I was a young, I was like, ‘I really want to be there when I’m older.’”
Blazing his own trail
Donny was a star offensive lineman, whereas Dax is a running back and linebacker. Dax also plays lacrosse, just like his father.
The tiny kid who once ran through drills with the team in practice is now a 15-year-old who has become an important part of a young Manasquan squad.
“I’m hoping to build my own legacy, but I’m trying to follow in his footsteps, and it’s big shoes to fill,” Dax said. “I’m just hoping I can get there eventually along the way.”
“We’ve all known him since he was a tiny kid,” Price said. “To have that happen (against Brick), your heart just fills up for the kid.”
Dax Klein also plays for Manasquan’s boys lacrosse team – another sport his father loved. (Photo by Bob Badders | rpbphotography.com)
It was one of several subplots in the game for the Warriors. Manasquan standout junior tailback Ace Etienne ran for 148 yards and three touchdowns in a duel with his cousin, Brick’s Justice Morgan, who had a kickoff return for a touchdown in the loss. Morgan is the son of Manasquan Athletics Hall of Fame running back Troy Morgan.
Also, Manasquan sophomore defensive end Lucas Kubu, the grandson of late Hall of Fame Manasquan coach Vic Kubu, played against Brick, the program where Vic Kubu began his legendary coaching career as an assistant. The two programs had not played one another since 1962 until Wednesday night because Kubu and his mentor, legendary Brick coach Warren Wolf, had mutually agreed to never schedule each other.
The next generation of Warriors
The three of them are part of a promising young Manasquan group that hopes to finish the season strong in games against Asbury Park next week and Wall on Thanksgiving. The goal is to get the Warriors (4-5) back to their customary spot in the state playoffs after missing out on the postseason this fall.
Klein has 175 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 31 carries, plus 29 tackles in his first varsity action.
Klein is part of a promising young core that will return next season for Manasquan. (Photo by Sean Dettlinger)
“He started off the year a little timid like any sophomore, but once he caught up to the speed of the game, he came on like gangbusters,” Price said. “He’s becoming an integral part of what we’re doing.”
He will always savor Wednesday night’s performance, which really sunk in at the end of the day.
“I was lying in my bed thinking it was crazy that I had my best game on the anniversary,” Dax said. “I just wanted to play as hard as I could.”
Scott Stump is an award-winning reporter, newsletter writer and editor who first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999 and has covered basketball, baseball and seemingly every other Shore Conference sport at some point.
Email: [email protected]
