Ready for the Charge: 2025 Brick Memorial Football Preview

Brick Memorial was up to the task in 2024 against a daunting schedule that included the likes of Toms River North, Donovan Catholic, Southern, Point Boro, and Jackson Memorial. The Mustangs finished with a 9-3 record ultimately falling in the Central Jersey Group 4 sectional final against South Jersey power Millville in a one-sided 48-7 affair. Brick Memorial will get no schedule relief this season as they are back in a loaded A-South division featuring many of the same opponents from last season. The good news for the Mustangs is that they return 17 starters from that sectional finalist team including numerous All-Shore talents that are more than capable competing against the high level competition on their schedule.

Head Coach Walt Currie is thrilled to be playing in a division that a handful of coaches are referring to as “The SEC of the Shore Conference.”

“If you play high school football in Ocean County and you don’t want to be in A South, then what are you even doing? This is where you want to be and if you’re a B South team it’s not a knock on you. We were essentially in that division a couple years ago and we had to earn our way out, and that’s what you have to do. You want to play a buzzsaw, you want to test everything you do as a program against everybody else who does it the best around. I don’t think there’s anybody in this division that would rather back out and have easy games. Easy games aren’t fun. Hard games are fun,” said Currie.

The hope is that the grueling schedule will have Brick Memorial prepared to compete with the likes of Millville and last year’s Group 4 state champion, Winslow, at the end of the road in the sectional final.

Offense

Brick Memorial will return one of the most accomplished quarterbacks within the Shore Conference in Jason Lajara (Sr., 5’10”, 180) who erupted for 2,009 yards passing and 18 touchdowns as well as a team-high 867 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in his first season as a starter after sitting behind the Mustangs’ record-setting Connor Dietz as a sophomore. While Lajara will lead the action as the primary playmaker, he has no shortage of weapons returning in the backfield and on the outside.

“It’s extremely exciting. We want to get everyone the ball as much as possible and want to show their abilities. I think we’re one of the most explosive offenses in the Shore and we want to use everyone. We all work hard,” said Lajara.

One of those weapons in the backfield will be Na’zeer Whittaker (Sr., 6’0″, 190) who rushed for 413 yards and 3 touchdowns as well as caught 15 receptions for 211 yards and a touchdown as a threat in both the run game and passing game last season.

The biggest weapon on the outside both figuratively and literally is Ny’zier Matthews (Sr., 6’3″, 190) who earned 1st Team All-Shore honors last season after catching 31 balls for 837 yards and 9 touchdowns. One of the most explosive players in the Shore Conference, Matthews averaged 27 yards per catch last season. He will be joined on the outside by Shawn Fowler (Jr., 5’10” 185) who had 16 receptions for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns last season and Ricky Dillon (Sr., 5’10”, 160) who chipped in with 8 receptions for 144 yards.

The Mustangs will have perhaps the most physically imposing player on the field in most of their games in Trey Tallmadge (Sr., 6’2″ 220) who is a four year starter that will line up at tight end on offense. Tallmadge is also an accomplished wrestler, but he is verbally committed to play football at Sacred Heart as a linebacker. Known to be a strong blocker, he is no slouch as a receiver where he caught 13 passes for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns last season.

The offensive line will return two starters in left guard Jaxon Ellis (Jr., 6’3″, 245) and right guard Ryan Mullahey (Sr., 5’11”, 200). Colin Barin (Sr., 5’11”, 210) will line up at right tackle while Logan Perry (Jr., 6’3″, 255) will anchor the blindside at left tackle. The new center will be Jaxon Pacheco (Jr., 6’2″, 260). If the Mustangs can get the new starters up to speed quickly, the offense could be one of the very best in the Shore Conference.

Jack Marotta (Jr., 5’10”, 175) returns as the kicker.

Defense

The Mustangs defense which pitched three shutouts a year ago should be setup to take another big step forward as they return nine starters in the unit.

Brick Memorial will be stout on the inside up front as both defensive tackles return in Pacheco and Elijah Webb (Sr., 6’3″, 220). The only new starters will be at both defensive end positions where Ellis and Joe Livio (Jr., 6’3″, 225) will assume the responsibilities on the edge.

Tallmadge returns at inside linebacker and is already the program’s all-time leading tackler, a record which he broke last season. He finished last season with 87 tackles including 8 for a loss which puts him at 316 career tackles. The 1st Team All-Shore linebacker will be flanked by returning starter Mike Pappas (Sr., 6’0″ 195).

Tallmadge is optimistic about the Mustangs defense heading into the 2025 campaign.

“We’re going to play tough defense, we’re going to be physical and we’re going to be violent. That’s our goal for this year. And the main thing is bend but don’t break. You can’t let up big plays. My freshman year we allowed big plays every other drive and now we’re making teams drive on us, getting three and outs, getting the ball back and we’re up 14-0 before you know it,” said Tallmadge.

Returning five starters in the secondary that are on the same page should go a long way towards fulfilling Tallmadge’s goal of not allowing big plays. Matthews and Fowler return as the starting cornerbacks where their receiving skills make what would usually be referred to as “50-50 balls” a dangerous proposition for the offense. Dillon returns as the free safety while Erik Pedres (Sr., 5’11”, 180) and Marotta will line up as the weak safety and strong safety respectively.

Lajara will handle the punting duties again while Tallmadge returns as the long snapper.

 

Brick Memorial at a glance 

Head coach: Walt Currie, 19th season 

Career record: 106-83

2024 record: 9-3

Offense: Spread Option

Defense: 4-2-5

 

Coaching Staff

Offensive Coordinator/QB: James Mahoney

Defensive Coordinator/DL: Ryan Graham

OL: Bill Brunner

OL: Paul Walski

WR: Keith Farr

TE: Peter Walski

Circle the Date: Sept. 12 vs. Point Boro

The Mustangs fell 27-24 against the Panthers last season in a game in which they could not quite corral the Flexbone triple option system run by former Mustangs’ star quarterback Brian Staub, the head coach of Point Boro. Every game on Brick Memorial’s schedule is expected to be a battle so it is important that they are able to turn one of last year’s losses into this year’s wins if they wish to take the next step forward as a program.

Newcomer to Watch: Logan Perry, Jr., OL

There are not many candidates for this role on a team that returns so many starters, but Perry is stepping into his first season as a varsity starter where he has been entrusted to protect the blindside for returning quarterback Jason Lajara. The Mustangs are depending on him to keep their star quarterback upright in the passing game so that the offense can make plays downfield.

Schedule 

 

08-29	@ Wall
09-05	Rumson
09-12	Point Boro
09-19	@ Toms River North
09-26	@ Donovan Catholic
10-03	@ Holmdel
10-10	Brick
10-17 10-24	@ Southern Jackson