Nowhere to Go But Up: 2025 Monmouth Regional Football Preview

No team enters the season expecting the worst, but Monmouth Regional football coach Dan Wendel knew the 2024 season would come with growing pains. The Falcons authored a competitive 6-4 season in 2023, but graduated most of the impact talent that got the Falcons back to the NJSIAA Playoffs and a winning record.

Playing in a division that looked similar to its 2023 division, Monmouth had as rough a regular season as any team in the Shore Conference, salvaged only by beating Keyport, 28-21, in its final game of the season to finish 1-9.

If experience was the main problem in 2024, then 2025 should be a different story for the Falcons. In addition to bringing back eight starters on offense and 11 on defense, Monmouth is dropping to newly-formed Class D South division with Point Pleasant Beach, New Egypt, Keansburg and Keyport. Had Monmouth remained with last year’s collection of C North teams, the results would likely have been more palatable, but the gap the Falcons had to close likely would have been too large to close as it pertains to competing for a division title.

Under the current conditions, however, a division title is not out of the question and with enough opportunities against quality competition outside the division (Barnegat, Pinelands, Toms River East, Manchester, Shore Regional), neither is a postseason berth.

Ryan Corwin returns at quarterback after starting as a freshman last year and his progress will be a key in Monmouth’s attempt at a turnaround season. Corwin will work with an experienced skill group led by seniors Tyler Gustafson, Jaylin Reeves and Dymeire O’Neal. Gustafson was the team’s leading rusher and Reeves its leading receiver, while O’Neal worked his way into the formula. The Falcons lost two potential impact players for 2025 in senior Ahmir Wiggins and junior Ryan Crawford – both of whom moved out of state.

With a mix of talent that is both returning and gone, Monmouth will turn to another wave of young players to step up into key roles at receiver. Sophomore Liam Faulkner saw starter’s snaps as a freshman and classmate Donovan Hicks will be part of the wide receiving corps as well. Seniors Malik Thompson and Sam Jackson, meanwhile, will challenge for time and serve as promising targets for Corwin.

Senior Bryce Browne is back at tight end when Monmouth chooses to go to one in its spread-heavy offense. Browne could also help in aiding an inexperienced right side of the offensive line, where sophomore guard Kristian Lang and senior tackle Mauricio Salazar prepare to step in as new starters.

The rest of the offensive line has a chance to be a strength, with three-year starter Liam Rea back at left guard and senior Minas Zavolas returning as the starting tackle to form a dependable left side. Junior center R.J. Lettice has also proven himself at his position and is ready to take the next step as he starts the second half of his high school career.

If Wendel chooses, he could run out a defense with 11 players who return with starting experience. More than that, however, the competition for time will serve to improve a unit that led the Shore Conference in points allowed (394) in 2024.

Five defensive linemen return with experience, led by senior defensive tackle Ray Spencer and junior third-year starter Jaden Hall at defensive end. Sophomores Ryan Fleury and Donovan Hicks will play heavy snaps after starting as freshman, with Browne also in the mix for time at defensive end and fellow senior Rauf Melikov at defensive tackle.

The linebacker group is a collection of second-year starters that includes a pair of juniors in Jackson and Aiden Trocchia. Trocchia will man the middle, with Jackson and senior Troy Lewis on the outsides, giving the Falcons three potential defense-only players at the position if Jackson yields wide receiver snaps to one of Monmouth’s other options on offense. More likely, however, Jackson will play both ways and Gustafson will also see snaps at linebacker if he’s not required to carry too much of a load on offense.

Monmouth’s deepest position group is in the secondary. Reeves and O’Neal will play on the corners and Faulkner and junior Sal Bruno will handle the safety spots – Faulkner the strong safety and Bruno free safety. Juniors James Hicks and Tajir Fitch and sophomore Lucas Rac offer depth at cornerback, while sophomore Matt Baffige will back up the two returning starters at safety.

With so many players returning with experience on the defensive side of the ball, there is an opportunity to Wendel to cultivate a deep collection of contributors that allows him to keep his key ball-carriers, receivers and linemen fresh. That could be particularly valuable in a division that houses four Group I teams, which typically rely on two-way players throughout the season.

There is a lot of learning and improving still to be done for this Monmouth roster, but an improved record is a highly likely outcome and a chance to be competitive in a division race in Class D South should follow.

Monmouth at a Glance

Head coach: Dan Wendel

Career record: 17-39

2024 record: 1-9

Offense: Spread

Defense: 4-2-5

Coaching Staff

Running backs: Billy D. Williams

Wide Receivers: Phil White

Tight Ends: Anthony Guarino

Offensive line: Jeff Sfraga, Jonathan Ciavarra, Mario Fragale, Rob Merola

Defensive line: Jeff Sfraga, Jonathan Ciavarra, Mario Fragale, Rob Merola

Linebackers: Anthony Guarino, Billy D. Williams

Secondary: Phil White

Athletic trainer: Adam Elsieidy

Circle the Date: Sept. 19 vs. Point Beach, 6 p.m.

Not many teams come off a 1-9 season with division title aspirations the following year, but Monmouth has those ideas and has the team to make a run at it. The Falcons open with a pair of challenging games against Barnegat and Pinelands, followed by a home game vs. Point Beach to open divisional play within Class D South. Point Beach also brings back a good chunk of starting experience after going 6-4 in 2024, so that game will be an early indication of whether or not Monmouth’s experienced, win-starved lineup is set to make the leap from worst-to-first in 2025.

Rookie Watch: Logan Coleridge, Jr., WR/DB

On a team with eight returning starters on offense and 11 on defense, there is an incumbent at just about every spot to beat out for a hopeful newcomer. In the case of Coleridge, however, both he and his teammates are both grateful he is competing at all.

Coleridge is 13 months removed from surgery to address an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) – an abnormal tangle of blood vessels in the brain. He began his high school career at Red Bank Catholic and this fall will be his first action since suffering a concussion as a freshman that led to the series of tests that revealed the AVM.

Coleridge has the size and athleticism to make a difference in a deep group of receivers and defensive backs as a junior, he has a chance to carve out a role over the next two seasons. 

Stat to Know

There are few encouraging stats that come from a 1-9 season and this one is not one of them. In 2024, Monmouth had the dubious distinction of finishing last in the Shore Conference in points scored (9.1) and allowed (39.4) per game. The bright side is the team was exceedingly inexperienced and facing a difficult schedule for such a roster. This year, not only does the team return a more seasoned group of varsity players, but the schedule includes fewer of the teams that contributed to those forgettable numbers. 

SCHEDULE

Date                             Team                           Time

Thursday 8/28               Barnegat                       6 p.m.

Friday 9/5                      @Pinelands                   6 p.m.

Saturday 9/13                @Keyport                      Noon

Friday 9/19                    Pt. Beach                        6 p.m.

Friday 9/26                    Toms River East          6:30 p.m.

Friday 10/3                    Manchester                   6 p.m.

Friday 10/10                  Keansburg                    6 p.m.

Friday 10/17                  @Shore                         7 p.m.