2026 Shore Conference Flag Football Preview: Central Division
Shore Sports Insider is excited to announce that we have added coverage of Shore Conference girls flag football to our site this spring. We will have scores, recaps, game stories and features throughout the season for the fastest-growing girls sport in the Shore.
Here is a look at the Central Division, which a little more wide open this spring compared to the Shore’s two other divisions. A veteran Red Bank Catholic team, a Neptune squad featuring star Lana Ellington and a perennially competitive Trinity Hall team look to be the front-runners in a division that features five programs that are in their first year of existence. The most intriguing team may be Marlboro, a freshmen-dominated squad with good young talent looking to open some eyes in its first varsity season.
Here is a look at the teams, in alphabetical order.
COLTS NECK
Co-head coaches: Matt Ahearn and Dawn Fox, 1st season
Career record: 0-0
2025 record: N/A
Top returners: N/A
Key newcomers: Tea Flaten (Fr., QB/S); Ashley Tiedemann (Fr., QB/LB); Daryn Heal (Fr., QB/S); Olivia Brown (Jr., RB); Jayden Solon (Fr., RB); Victoria Beninato (Jr., RB); Halle Newman (Fr., RB); Georgi Robbins (Fr., WR/S); Elizabeth Buzzetta (Jr., WR/S); Amanda Garfield (Jr., WR); Piper Riso (Jr., WR/CB); Arianna Castiblanco (Fr., WR/CB); Caitlin Bain (Jr., WR/CB); Emma Duffy (Jr., WR/CB); Julianna Vacirca (Fr., WR/CB); Kate Harrison (So., WR/LB); Mattingly Pescatore (Jr., WR/LB); Amanda Bresnahan (Sr., C/LB); Charlotte McMahon (Fr., C/LB); Cailyn Sanchez (Fr., C/LB); Jordan Chan (Fr., C/LB); Lindsey Garfield (Jr., C/LB);
Season Outlook: This is the first season of Colts Neck football, so the Cougars will be debuting their program with a host of freshmen and some girls who have played at the sub-varsity level. They will be under co-coaches Dawn Fox and Matt Ahearn, the latter of whom is the Cougars’ boys varsity football coach in the fall.
FREEHOLD BORO
Head coach: Mike D’Antonio
Career record: 0-0
2025 record: N/A
Top returners: N/A
Key newcomers: Brielle Loize (Sr., WR/DB); Shea Patmore (Jr., RB/DB); Skylynn Chapman (Jr., RB/DB); Isabella Napolitano (Jr., RB/LB); Sabrina Winchman (Jr., WR/DB); Ashley Garcia (Jr., WR/DB); Gabby Baralus (Jr., WR/DB); Karly Burlew (Jr., QB/LB); Sofya Timura (Jr., RB/LB); Emely Hernandez (Jr., QB/LB); Margaret Villasenor (Jr., QB/DB); Eileen Castillo (Jr., WR/DB); Allison Espinoza (So., WR/DB); Julia Fata (So., WR/DB); A’Laysia Paulsen (So., WR/DB); Da’Nasia Kelly (So., WR/DB); Lea McGuire (So., C/LB); Mackenzie Sims (Fr., WR/DB); Madison Sims (Fr., WR/LB); Natali Cuazitl (Fr., C/LB); Lily Spero (Fr., WR/DB); Cheridan Huesser (Fr., QB/DB).
Season Outlook: The Colonials are playing their inaugural season in school history with a group of players with good athleticism from playing other sports at Freehold, including soccer, basketball and field hockey. The main challenge, like all new teams, will be grasping the game and the rules while facing other programs that have been around for a few years. Senior Brielle Loize will be counted on for leadership as the first team captain in program history, and junior Karly Burlew will run the spread offense at quarterback. They are coached by Mike D’Antonio, the former head boys football coach at Freehold Township.
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP
Head coach: Dave Patterson
Career record: 0-0
2025 record: N/A
Top returners: N/A
Key newcomers: Kaylie Fata (Sr., QB/CB); Shiloh Harris (So., RB/S); Skyler Rausch (So., WR/LB); Geovanna Pecoraro (Sr., WR/CB); Chloe Glickman (Sr., WR/S); Sihera Karce (Jr., WR); Holly Matthews (Sr., C); Joelle Ganon (Fr., Rusher); Antonella Moreano (So., LB); Rachael Marsella (So., WR/LB); Isabelle Hanna (So., WR/CB); Gabby Ramiz (Fr., RB/Rusher); Leila Perez (Jr., WR/LB); Lily Naik (Fr., WR/S); Maria Bulawa (So., WR/LB); Fiona Cellina (So., LB); Delila Martinez (So., S); Abby Valasa (Jr., LB); Katie Bulawa (Sr., C/CB); Julianna Viesta (Fr., C/LB).
Season Outlook: One of multiple new Freehold Regional District flag programs this season, the Patriots are looking to get up to speed in a short amount of time under coach Dave Patterson. Senior Kaylie Fata looks to be the team’s quarterback and will have a pair of seniors in the receiving corps in Geovanna Pecoraro and Chloe Glickman.
MANALAPAN
Head coaches: Dana Burlew and Richard Garretson, 1st season
Career record: 0-0
2025 record: N/A
Top returners: N/A
Key newcomers: Giuliana Alfano (Fr.); Kyra Greenberg (Jr.); Noelle D’Ambola (Fr.); Guilanna Naletilic (Sr.); Lyla Ottenheimer (Sr.); Emma Rose Peters (Jr.); Olivia Dominika Ziobro (Sr.); Isabella Calabrese (So.); Sophia Marie Como (Fr.); Amy Herrera (So.); Yanelis Perez Cazun (So.); Renee Robinson (Fr.); Angelina Valentin (Sr.); Kyla Rai Nieves (Fr.).
Season Outlook: The Freehold Regional District’s addition of new flag programs includes the Braves, who will make their debut under co-coaches Dana Burlew and Richard Garretson with a young team that has more freshmen than seniors.
MARLBORO
Head coach: Dan Cooper, 1st season
Career record: 0-0
2025 record: N/A
Top returners: N/A
Key newcomers: Madelyn Budveit (Fr., QB); Nakyla Cobb (Jr., QB); Mia Ortizio (Fr., RB/CB); Josie Gayle (Fr., RB/CB); Samanta Sela (Jr., RB/LB); Jenna Dunne (Fr., RB); Hayley Albert (Fr., WR/CB); Hailey Bitner (Fr., WR/S); Olivia DeAlmeida (Fr., WR/S); Madison Zeleznik (Fr., WR); Jada Peeples (So., WR/LB); Aria Bhatia (Jr., WR); Hayden Garland (Jr., C); Julianna Marcello (Fr., C); Ann Santiago (So., Rusher); Olivia Sheehan (Fr., LB); Madison Ruggieri (Jr., LB); Ella Chodkiewicz (Fr., LB); Jenna Raykin (Fr., CB); Isabella Venuto (So., S); Mia Bachmann (Fr., S).
Season Outlook: The freshmen-laden Mustangs are playing their first season as a program under coach Dan Cooper, and a big reason is because of freshmen Hayley Albert and Madelyn Budveit. They played at the youth level and presented flag football to the Freehold Regional District, pushing for the addition of the sport. They are crucial figures in why flag football has now been added at all of the district’s high schools for this season. Marlboro may be young, but it’s ready to win right now, as it showed by picking up the program’s first victory in its first game by beating Shore Regional.
Neptune’s Lana Ellington is one of the Shore Conference’s top returning players. (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
NEPTUNE
Head coach: Mike Seber, 1st season
Career record: 0-0
2025 record: 5-2-1
Top returners: Lana Ellington (Jr., RB/DB); Jacenia Furman (Jr., QB/DB).
Key newcomers: Vazai Nedab (Fr., WR/CB); Emoni Sanders (So., RB/LB); Marielda Medina (Jr., WR/LB); Nylah Sapp (Jr., RB/LB); Kassidy Graham (Fr., RB/CB).
Season Outlook: The explosive Lana Ellington, who is also a basketball standout, returns after earning Offensive Player of the Year honors in the Shore Conference last season. She is one of the top returning players in the state after a season in which she ran for 781 yards and 9 touchdowns, caught three touchdowns passes and had 14 total TDs, while also registering 31 flag pulls and 4 interceptions on defense. However, there will be a lot of new faces around Ellington and quarterback Jacenia Furman as the Scarlet Fliers only return two starters on offense and one on defense. If the young talent gets up to speed quickly, Neptune could be a threat as the season develops under first-year head coach Mike Seber, who also coaches the boys team in the fall.
RANNEY
RED BANK CATHOLIC
Head coach: Mike Lange, 3rd season
Career record: 7-2
2025 record: 2-3
Top returners: Lilia O’Neal (Jr., QB/S); Baily Baxter (Jr., LB); Lexi Sinatra (So., RB/S); Sophia Tzoulis (Jr., Rusher/S); Stella Tzoulis (Jr., Rusher/S); Isabelle Palumbo (Jr., C/Rusher); Paloma Caringi (So., RB/C); Caroline Kayton (Jr., RB/C).
Key newcomers: Cloe Hoffman (Fr., Rusher); Joi Lucas (Fr., C/Rusher); Callie Frye (Soph., Rusher/S); Ella Macaluso (Fr., Rusher/LB); Heidi Wierman (Jr., Rusher/S)
Season Outlook: The Caseys graduated All-Shore wide receiver Katherine Bauman but still return a strong offense led by quarterback Lilia O’Neal. They also have a defense that brings back four starters under coach Mike Lange, who leads RBC’s perennially state-ranked boys team in the fall. The Caseys showed their offensive potential with 30 points in a season-opening win over Colts Neck, which is a first-year program, so we’ll see if they can maintain it as the schedule gets tougher. RBC reached the Shore Conference quarterfinals last year before falling to New Egypt, so the Caseys are looking to make a deeper push toward a title this spring.
SHORE REGIONAL
Head coach: Julie Thornton, 3rd season
Career record: 7-8-1
2025 record: 2-5-1
Top returners: Grace Ascolese (Jr., QB/LB); Dixie Smith (Jr., RB/WR/S); Addison Vincelli (Jr., RB/WR/S); Mackenzie Lockwood (Sr., Rusher); Lauren Davis (Sr., WR); Haylee Townsend (Sr., C); Jemma Harris (Jr., LB/CB); Natalie Harris (Jr., LB/CB).
Key newcomers: Samantha Pasquariello (Fr., QB/RB/S); Sydney Tilton (Fr., WR/LB/CB); Clara Caetano (Sr., RB/S); Eve Kakiashvili (Sr., WR); Jaelyn Smith (Jr., WR)
Season Outlook: The Blue Devils return six starters on offense and five on defense, so they have the ingredients to bounce back from a losing season behind All-Shore talent and three-year starter Grace Ascolese at quarterback. She threw for 940 yards and 8 touchdowns and ran for two other scores last season. Junior Addison Vincelli also returns as a three-year starter at running back and on defense, and senior Haylee Townsend is back for her third season at center. Senior captain Mackenzie Lockwood anchors the defense in her third year as a starting rusher.
TRINITY HALL
Head coach: John Polivka, 5th season
Career record: 23-12
2025 record: 5-4
Top returners: Maddie Rigney (Sr., WR/CB); Sonia DeRosa (So., QB/S); Chloe Ciccone (Sr., WR/LB)
Key newcomers: Bridget Rigney (Sr., C); Niamh Stapleton (Sr., WR/LB), Maddie Dougherty (Fr., RB/LB); Hannah Siller (Jr., CB); CeCe Galinsky (WR); Bette Kane (WR/LB)
Season Outlook: With a good mix of top returners and key newcomers, Trinity Hall hopes to continue its four-year streak of winning seasons. The team will again be led by All-Shore performers Maddie Rigney and Sonia DeRosa, as well as four-year starter Chloe Ciccone. Sophomore quarterback Sonia DeRosa was also selected as one of the top 10 freshmen in the state last season by NJ Advance Media and looks to build on last year’s success.
Scott Stump is the football editor and a reporter for Shore Sports Insider. He first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999 and has covered basketball, baseball and seemingly every other Shore Conference sport at some point.
Email: scottstump25@gmail.com
