The Special Unit That Has Middletown South on the Brink of a State Title

Middletown South head coach Marc Tomo was about to call timeout to ice the Roxbury kicker with two seconds remaining in the North 1 Group 4 semifinals last week when special teams coordinator Tim Heaney told him to hold off. 

Heaney had spotted Gaels senior kicker Josh DiPasquale frantically staring to find where Middletown South senior safety Ryan McCarthy was going to line up before a potentially game-winning, 43-yard field goal attempt. 

The seed for that moment had been planted on Oct. 17, when McCarthy blocked a potential game-winning field goal try by Marlboro that teammate Anthony Locascio scooped up and returned 80 yards for a walkoff score in a 13-7 Eagles win. 

“When that kid lined up to kick the field goal, our kids are like, ‘He’s not making it, we’re going to block it,” Tomo said. “I’m sure (Roxbury) watched the Marlboro game, and you see it happening. (DiPasquale) kept staring at McCarthy to see what side he was on all the time. (Heaney) said, ‘He’s nervous, just let him go,’ because I was going to call timeout, and we just let him kick it.” 

“A lot of teams, they don’t take kick block seriously, but we have a guy crack down on their end guy and send as many people as we can, which puts a lot of pressure on the kicker,” said McCarthy, who also has four interceptions at safety. “It’s pretty fun getting there.” 

On the final play of the Roxbury game, McCarthy came crashing in from the left side toward the kick, and the attempt ended up being a line drive that was not close, giving Middletown South a thrilling 23-21 road upset of the bracket’s No. 1 seed. McCarthy was credited with blocking the kick in multiple reports, but no one actually got a hand on the ball, according to Tomo. The Eagles were definitely concerned, considering DiPasquale is a talented kicker who was booming 55-yard field goals in pregame warmups and at halftime. 

“We might not have gotten that kick, but our special teams unit was responsible for it,” Heaney said. “We psyched him out.” 

“In that situation, it’s win or go home and we’re sending all our guys, so we wanted to just apply the pressure,” McCarthy said. 

Just the reputation of Middletown South’s stellar special teams unit was enough to help swing a huge game in the Eagles’ favor. Now they will travel to second-seeded Northern Highlands on Friday at 6:15 p.m. in a bid to win their first NJSIAA sectional title since 2015. 

A Special Unit

Heaney has presided over a special teams group that has been massively impactful in the Eagles’ 7-3 season and their underdog run to a sectional final as the No. 5 seed. 

“I’ve been coaching most of the kids since they’ve been 7 years old,” Heaney said. “I always thought this was going to be a special group. Plus, we have guys who want to be on special teams, which allows me to put them out there with confidence. You want kids you have the most confidence in being out there.” 

It hasn’t just been the field goal block unit, either. 

Senior Owen Maguire has three kickoff returns for touchdowns this season and has racked up 600 yards on 20 returns for an average of 30 yards per return. Maguire’s 79-yard kickoff return touchdown was the game-winner in a 21-17 comeback win over Manasquan on Sept. 28 that was huge as far as the Eagles clinching at least a tie for the Class B North title. 

“We joke all the time, ‘When are they going to stop kicking to him?’” Tomo said. 

“I’m not going to complain about it,” Maguire joked. “I really like returning all the kicks.” 

He returned a handful of punts last year, but this is his first year returning both kickoffs and punts. 

“It’s not just that he returned three of them (for touchdowns), he’s returned so many past the 50 and put us in great position,” Tomo said.

“It’s been a blast,” Maguire said. “We have a great kick return team. They put together a great wall for me to run behind, and once I find the hole, I’m able to hit it at full speed, so it’s working out pretty well.” 

Middletown South has also added a wrinkle in the playoffs by putting star senior Justin Rosato back there on kickoffs. Opponents have to choose between kicking to a returner who has taken three to the house and a Lehigh commit who is one of the Shore Conference’s top all-around players and an explosive runner. 

Maguire has been a clutch all-around performer for the Eagles, as he also has a team-high 36 catches for 568 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown catch in their first-round playoff win.

The effects of Middletown South’s high-level special teams play can also be subtle but hugely effective. In a 21-14 comeback win over fourth-seeded Ridge in the first round of the state playoffs, junior punter Jack DeLumeau dropped five punts inside the opposing 20-yard line, according to Tomo. That allowed Middletown South’s defense to get stops and then get a short field on offense. 

DeLumeau has also hit a pair of field goals this season as the team’s kicker and gone 24-for-26 on extra points. 

A Return to Glory

The overall rallying cry for Middletown South this season has been restoring the standard at a program that is second in Shore Conference history with 10 sectional titles. It’s been 11 years since the Eagles hoisted a state title trophy, and this is their first winning season and first trip to a sectional final since 2022. 

They hope to be the second Shore Conference team to beat Northern Highlands (7-3) on their home field this season after Toms River North did it in the season opener. 

“At South we expect to be here every year, and if we’re not, we’re going to be disappointed,” Heaney said. “We base our practice and plans on this being the goal.” 

“It’s very important to us,” McCarthy said. “Our whole senior class has been around South our whole lives. We know what it was like when we went to the games when we were younger, and we want to feel what they felt. I feel like a lot of people didn’t have us making it this far, but we have so much confidence in ourselves. We know that we can beat anyone.” 

The Eagles don’t need any additional motivation to chase a state sectional title, but there is a juicy possibility looming as an extra carrot. If Middletown South wins North 1 Group 4 and Middletown North wins North 2 Group 4, the two longtime Thanksgiving rivals would play each other in the Group 4 semifinals for the right to go to MetLife Stadium for the overall Group 4 championship game. 

“That would be an extremely fun game to play in, but we’ve got to make sure to get this one on Friday,” Maguire said. “But being able to play (North), that would be awesome.” 

One special teams play here or there could be the difference. 

“If it comes down to a single play, I think our team is going to get it done,” Maguire said. 

“I have all the confidence in the world,” Heaney said. 

Scott Stump is the football editor and a reporter for Shore Sports Insider. He first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999. 

Email: scottstump25@gmail.com