Middletown North is the Week 5 Jersey Mike’s Shore Conference Football Team of the Week
Shore Sports Insider is proud to partner with Jersey Mike’s this fall to present our weekly Football Team of the Week award that recognizes one school’s accomplishments during the prior week.
The Jersey Mike’s Shore Conference Football Team of the Week for Week 5 is Middletown North, which improved to 5-0 for the first time in at least 25 years with a resounding 41-22 non-divisional road victory over St. John Vianney in a matchup of top-10 teams. Shore Sports Insider stopped by practice on Tuesday to present the Lions and head coach Steve Bush with a special game ball and a $500 Jersey Mike’s gift card for a team meal.
Photo and artwork by Steve Meyer
Middletown North entered Week 5’s Friday night showdown at 4-0 and ranked No. 10 in the Shore Sports Insider Top 12, but had yet to face an opponent the caliber of No. 9 St. John Vianney, which features standout sophomore running back Abdul Turay, junior quarterback Zach LaBarca and a host of talented skill players. The Lancers entered the game tied for fifth in the Shore in scoring average at 32.4 points per game.
The Lions jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on touchdown runs by senior Brian O’Donnell and sophomore Matt Belenko. After St. John Vianney got on the board via a long touchdown run by LaBarca, Middletown North responded when O’Donnell took a quick screen pass from junior quarterback Owen Robson and zig-zagged his way through the SJV defense for a 32-yard touchdown.
St. John Vianney hung around with two more touchdowns and a field goal, but every time the Lancers would cut into Middletown North’s lead, the Lions would put together a time-consuming scoring drive to retain control. Brendan Allen’s 29-yard field goal in the second quarter was answered by Middletown North when Robson fired a 38-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Jack Viola late in the first half for a 28-9 lead.
The Lancers gave themselves a bit of momentum heading into halftime, however, when LaBarca heaved a 43-yard touchdown pass to senior wideout Jahmere James with just 11 seconds on the clock. St. John Vianney was set to receive the kickoff to begin the third quarter, as well, opening an opportunity for the Lancers to get right back in the game. Instead, Middletown North got a stop on defense and then drove 97 yards to take a 34-16 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by senior running back Shane Volante. Turay broke free for a 46-yard touchdown run to make it 34-22 but the Lions once again responded with a touchdown drive that concluded with Volante scoring on a 10-yard run.
Volante finished with 158 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 27 carries while Robson completed 14 of 18 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Viola caught five passes for 74 yards and a touchdown, Ryan Clark made some clutch catches and finished with three receptions for 52 yards and O’Donnell totaled 47 yards and two touchdowns. Middletown North’s offensive line of senior Andrew Klimovich at center, junior Shea Mora and senior Anthony Lubrano at guard, seniors Mike Dwyer and Matt Bumbalo at tackle and seniors Brody Tooker and Joe Grasso at tight end were dominant at the point of attack to pave the way for the Lions to rush for 234 yards and post 418 yards of offense.
Defensively, Middletown North was able to slow down a St. John Vianney offense that had scored at least 26 points in every game. The Lancers did rush for 214 yards but 111 of those came on two plays. Mostly, it was tough for SJV to find running room throughout the game. Tooker recorded 11 tackles, 1 sack and 3 tackles for loss and Grasso had 10 tackles, 2 sacks and 2 tackles for loss. O’Donnell had two tackles for loss plus a booming hit on Turay to break up a pass late in the game. Viola recovered a fumble and junior defensive back Jovanni Fernandez recorded an interception.
Middletown North jumped to No. 6 in the latest SSI Top 12 and has two massive division games remaining over the final three weeks of the regular season. The Lions are currently tied atop the Class B North standings with Freehold Township. The two teams will square off in Week 8, but first, Middletown North faces Red Bank this Thursday in a key division game. The Lions’ last division title came in 2021 when they wereco-champs in the Independence Division. Their last outright division title was in 1983 when Shore Conference legend Vic Kubu was Middletown North’s head coach.
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