Embracing the Challenge: 2025 Shore Regional Football Preview

Shore Regional’s first season under head coach Don Klein was a 10-win success, and the Blue Devils’ reward is a tougher schedule against a host of bigger schools. 

Coming off a Class D North title and a trip to a sectional final, Shore was realigned into Class C North, where it will be the only Group I school in a field of Long Branch, Manasquan, Colts Neck, Matawan and Red Bank. 

“You look at those schools, it’s going to be really competitive for us,” Klein said. “We’re going to have to bring our ‘A’ game week in and week out.” 

The goal is to challenge for a division title and get back to a sectional final and finish the job after falling 31-0 to Woodstown in last season’s NJSIAA South Jersey Group I championship game.

Offense

The first year under Klein’s multiple attack after decades of running the Wing-T ended with Shore averaging an impressive 29.5 points per game. 

The Blue Devils aired it out more than any time in the program’s history, with quarterback Josh Moeller throwing for a single-season school record 1,237 yards and 14 touchdowns. 

While Moeller has graduated, the Blue Devils return eight starters on offense, led by junior running back Cole Torres. He burst into the spotlight as a sophomore, earning Shore Sports Insider second-team All-Shore honors and being named the Class D North Player of the Year by the coaches. He ran for a team-high 812 yards and 7 touchdowns on an average of 8 yards per carry. 

“He’s an impactful kid on both sides of the football,” Klein said. “He’s a complete back. He catches the ball well out of the backfield, he has the speed to get to the edge, and he’s good in pass protection. He had a really good offseason.” 

Junior Logan Clark and sophomore Jack Habeck are vying for the starting quarterback spot, with Clark appearing to have the edge. 

“There’s talent there, there’s just development that needs to happen,” Klein said. “I think Logan throws the football very well. It’s all a process. All the 7-on-7s we did, we’re hoping to have a really polished version by the time we open on Sept. 5.” 

Whomever wins the job will have a pair of experienced wideouts in returning starter Enzo Cagliastro, a senior who had a team-high 23 catches for 354 yards and 4 TDs last season, and senior Jack Madalone, who had 10 catches for 205 yards and a touchdown a year ago. Senior Vinny Sasso and senior Reid Spallone, a lacrosse player who has come out for football, are also part of the receiving group. 

Shore returns four starters on the offensive line, led by 6-foot-4, 260-pound senior Jayden Cox at right tackle. Senior Mike Russomanno (6-2, 295) is a returning All-Division performer at guard and center, senior Kelty Conners returns at guard and senior Ty Brenner returns after starting multiple games at left tackle last season. Juniors Brady MacRae and Prem Patel and sophomore Kyle Nagy are vying to be in the offensive line mix. 

Senior John Mazzacco is back as the placekicker after hitting five field goals and going 38-for-43 on PATs to earn All-Division honors last year. 

Defense

The Blue Devils led the Shore Conference with only 92 points allowed last year, an average of 8.4 per game, and posted five shutouts. 

They return five starters on defense, where Torres will also be a major factor. He had 16 tackles for a loss and 5 sacks as a defensive end last season. 

“We’re going to play him in a lot of different spots to keep offenses guessing about where Cole Torres will line up on every play,” Klein said. 

Senior Riley Smaltini also returns on the defensive line, where Conners will also play at tackle. Senior Abe Plancher, MacRae, Nagy, sophomore Brody Farmer and sophomore Kyle Stehnacs will also look to get time in the defensive line rotation. 

Shore graduated a pair of stellar linebackers in Tommy Schroeder and Brendan O’Brien, but brings back senior Mike Marotta, who had 73 tackles, eight for a loss, in earning All-Division honors. Mazzacco will also start at linebacker in Shore’s 4-3 scheme, with senior Jamal Abdullah and sophomore Anthony Pernice vying for time at the other linebacker spot. 

The Blue Devils will have a veteran secondary with Cagliastro back at free safety off a 4-interception season and Sasso at strong safety. Madalone and junior Mikael Fleming will be the corners. Spallone should also see time at cornerback. Torres will once again handle the punting after averaging 38 yards per boot last season. 

One of the biggest challenges against a beefed-up schedule will be depth. Shore has 14 seniors but only six juniors, so a group of 20 sophomores will have to help bolster them against a succession of bigger programs. 

“When you’re playing up and playing larger schools and playing that level of competition, you’d like that number (per class) to be about 15 to 18,” Klein said. “In those backup roles, you like to depend on juniors, so when you have to focus more on sophomores, that becomes a challenge.” 

 

Shore at a glance 

Head coach: Don Klein, 19th season 

Career record: 103-76-1

2024 record: 10-1

Offense: Multiple 

Defense: 4-3

 

Coaching Staff

Offensive coordinator: RJ Read

Defensive coordinator: Anthony Tedesco

OL: Rich Read

OL: Jon Remedios

RB: Joe Rankin

RB: Frank D’Alessio

WR: Marcque Ellington 

WR: John Vaccarelli 

DL: Phil Greene

DL: John Della Pesca

LB: Billy Walsh

DB: Erik Mammano

DB: Pete Vincelli

Athletic trainer: Joe Amicucci

Circle the Date: Sept. 12 vs. Long Branch 

Shore has a rumble with its next-door neighbor when the Green Wave visit for what looks to be an important Class C North game early in the race. The two teams haven’t played that frequently in recent decades because Shore was always in a small-school division. That’s no longer the case after the Blue Devils jumped up to Class C North this year. 

Newcomer to Watch: Reid Spallone, Sr., WR/DB

Spallone is a lacrosse player with good speed who should be a playmaker on both sides of the ball for the Blue Devils at corner and wide receiver. 

Schedule 

 

09-05	@ New Egypt
09-12	Long Branch
09-19	@ Manasquan
09-26	@ Red Bank
10-03	Pt. Pleasant Beach
10-11	@ Colts Neck
10-17	Monmouth
10-24	Matawan