SSI Football Report: Wall Set to Unveil New Stadium, Long Branch Ends Streak and More Notes

Wall survived a wild shootout in Week One to build some confidence on offense as it gets set to christen its new artificial turf field and renovated football stadium on Thursday night in a Top 12 showdown with Manalapan. 

The Crimson Knights pulled out a 42-41 overtime win against Freehold Township (1-1) last week after senior quarterback Franny Scaramellino found Jake Butkus on a two-point conversion pass for the victory. It was an important boost for an offense that was stifled in a 28-3 loss to Brick Memorial(opens in new tab) in the season opener. 

“It was huge,” head coach Ed Gurrieri said. “We needed to get it going. We also needed every bit of what we scored.” 

Junior running back Mike Boulard erupted for a career-high 215 yards rushing and three touchdowns to offset a 400-yard passing performance by Freehold Township senior quarterback Dakota Lasater. The running game produced 376 yards after getting bottled up by Brick Memorial. 

A big key was having junior center Henry Clarke back on the field after he missed the opener with an injury, which resulted in moving returning All-Division guard Nick Rogers to center against Brick Memorial and inserting a backup at guard. Rogers will be back at left guard and the offensive line will be at full strength for the Manalapan game, according to Gurrieri. 

Brick Memorial jumped on Wall so quickly that the Crimson Knights ultimately abandoned the run game until the game was out of reach. However, Boulard even hitting some nice runs during garbage time in the fourth quarter helped at least build some momentum for the Freehold Township game. 

“We felt at least we got something accomplished,” Gurrieri said. 

Wall also has weathered the loss of starting kicker Kai Smith. He injured his left ankle on the opening kickoff of the Brick Memorial game, yet still booted a first-quarter field goal and then later learned from the doctor that the ankle on his plant foot was broken, according to Gurrieri. He is now out about six weeks. Sophomore John Santiago is the team’s new kicker, and he hit a pair of extra points in the win over the Patriots. 

The Crimson Knights, ranked No. 12 in the Shore Sports Insider Top 12(opens in new tab), now face No. 7 Manalapan, the program that Gurrieri built into a public school powerhouse during his two stints with the Braves from 2004-06 and 2010-2019. Manalapan’s coach, Dom Lepore, is a former assistant and good friend of Gurrieri’s.

The teams have played four times since Gurrieri was hired at Wall in 2022, with the Crimson Knights going 3-1. The Braves (2-0) enter as the favorite behind senior RB/LB Nick Palmieri and senior quarterback Cameron Desfosse. 

“It’s not fun,” Gurrieri said. “(Lepore) is like my little brother. I talked to (former Wall head coach) Chris Barnes about the Manasquan Thanksgiving game, when he had to coach against (Vic) Kubu, who he played for at Middletown North. He hated it, and Kubu hated it. You’ve just got to do it and move on.” 

It comes on a night when Wall is unveiling its new artificial turf field and revamped complex, which includes an eight-lane track. 

“The stadium is beautiful,” Gurrieri said. “It looks like a first-class operation.” 

Wave Turn the Tide 

Long Branch ended a 14-game losing streak in emphatic fashion with a 51-0 win over Keansburg on Saturday in which six different players ran for a touchdown, while defensive backs Ja’Saan Woods-Farrar and Isaiah Rosario and defensive end Quadir Brown spearheaded the shutout. 

The victory also marked a massive turnaround in a week after Long Branch lost 47-0 to Hammonton in the season opener after going winless in 2025. 

“The kids were so excited,” head coach Ben Woolley said. “A lot of those kids have played for many years and deserved to celebrate. The vibe in school today was great.” 

 

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The new flexbone option offense led by former Holmdel head coach Andy Carlstrom exploded against the Titans for the most points Long Branch has scored in a game since 2021. Rosario, senior fullback Julian Otey, senior fullback Uzziah Puryear, sophomore quarterback Bryce Rhoden, senior slotback AJ Colon and junior slotback Steve Gaudious each had rushing touchdowns. 

“Our offense is new, so it takes time,” Woolley said. “Credit to Carlstrom, he has a great plan, and Bryce (Rhoden) played very well. We have an unselfish offense and it showed Saturday.” 

The Green Wave (1-1) now take on Colts Neck (0-2) in a Class D North game on Thursday night. 

“They are an old-school, smashmouth team,” Woolley said about Colt Neck. “We’ve got to be ready for that. They played two tough teams so far. This will be a test. I look at them as the team to beat in our division. Definitely a measuring stick game.” 

Stat of the Week: 29.3

That’s how many yards per completion that new Holmdel quarterback Tommy Fletcher is averaging through two games in stepping into the shoes of graduated superstar Jack Cannon. 

The sophomore hasn’t put it up a ton with only 11 attempts in two games, but he has attacked downfield when he does. He is 9-for-11 for 264 yards, 4 touchdowns and zero interceptions. His main targets have been wideouts Charles Murphy (4-98-2 TDs) and returning first-team All-Shore star Anthony Serini (4-99-1). The No. 6 Hornets face their biggest test thus far when they take on No. 4 Rumson-Fair Haven on Thursday night. Holmdel is trying to beat Rumson for a second straight season after picking up its first win since 1999 over the Bulldogs(opens in new tab) last year. 

Notes from around the Shore

—Two longtime rivals square off in Class A South in a matchup that has been nearly dead even over more than 50 years. Jackson (2-0) leads the all-time series 29-26-1 and will be the underdog when it welcomes No. 9 Southern (1-0) on Thursday night. While Jackson’s sophomore class has deservedly received attention early this season, junior safety Gavin Dill quietly has 17 tackles, 4 for a loss, and a pick-six in two games. 

—Monmouth entered the season having to replace graduated third-team All-Shore running back Tyler Gustafson, a 1,200-yard rusher. They turned to a freshman, and Conall Hicks has been up to the challenge with 201 yards and a touchdown on 42 carries in two games for the Falcons (2-0). 

–As if Donovan Catholic already didn’t have enough offensive weapons to worry about between quarterback Kahden Davis, running back Alex Staten(opens in new tab) and a deep receiving corps, senior kicker Sal Reynoso nailed a career-long, 47-yard field goal in a 45-13 win over St. John Vianney. It’s the longest field goal by any kicker in the Shore this season.

—Barnegat is in search of its first 3-0 start in five years when it travels to Asbury Park on Friday night. 

—Asbury Park (0-2) has not completed a full game yet this season. The Blue Bishops had their first game called at halftime after a lightning delay in a loss to Newton, and then their second game was called early in the third quarter against Neptune due to a medical emergency involving an Asbury Park player at halftime. 

—It’s hard to imagine there’s a bigger workhorse running back in the state than Red Bank Catholic sophomore star Gabe Kemp. Not only does he have 421 yards rushing in two games against strong nonconference opponents, he has a whopping 66 carries. “I feel like I’m just mentally tough, every quarter I feel like it builds me up, and I play better as the quarters go on,” Kemp told SSI’s Alec Crouthamel after a 62-41 win over St. Anthony’s(opens in new tab) (N.Y.). “At the end of the game, I’m just so tough that it doesn’t break me down after all those carries. I feel like I can just bounce back right after.” 

—Keyport (0-1) will try to snap a seven-game losing streak when it faces Lakewood (0-2) on Saturday. 

—Not many teams can match the trio of linebackers who lead Toms River North: Junior Kam Morse (18 tackles, 3 sacks, 5.5 TFL), sophomore Finn Boland (19 tackles, 6.5 TFL) and Duke-bound senior Jack Baker (15 tackles, 5 TFL) have dominated for a defense that has registered six straight scoreless quarters heading into Friday night’s game against Point Boro. 

—New Middletown North quarterback Derek Grasso had a strong debut in going 8-for-11 for 176 yards and two touchdowns, almost all of it in the first half of a 35-6 win over Lacey. Junior Anthony Christiani had a career night with 5 catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns as the Lions try to replace graduated All-Shore receiver Jack Viola. 

—Freehold Township senior quarterback Dakota Lasater is predictably putting up huge passing numbers in the Patriots’ Air Raid offense with a Shore Conference-leading 665 yards in two games, but it’s his running ability that has made the Patriots particularly difficult to stop. Head coach Cory Davies said in the preseason he wanted more designed runs for Lasater to give teams another thing to think about. In addition to throwing for a career-high 400 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-41 overtime loss to Wall, he also ran for 50 yards and 2 touchdowns. He leads the team with 119 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns in two games. 

—Senior wideout Jason Whittaker has become a playmaker for Neptune after transferring from Asbury Park. He has seven catches for 173 yards and a score through two games. 

—Rumson-Fair Haven senior defensive back Hunter Beattie is looking like the latest breakout star for the Bulldogs with 18 tackles and three interceptions in two games. 

—The Ocean defensive line tandem of junior defensive end Aamir Byrd and senior defensive tackle Taejon Nevins has been productive in the early going. Byrd has two sacks and 4.5 tackles for a loss in two games, while Nevins has a sack and five tackles for a loss for the Spartans (1-1). 

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