Timely scoring, lockdown defense lead Howell to key division win over Middletown South

FARMINGDALE — If the Howell boys lacrosse team is going to have a successful season it’s going to be because of contributions throughout the lineup and the ability to learn from past mistakes. The Rebels checked both of those boxes on Tuesday morning to deliver a pivotal division victory.

Senior attackman Jayden Devino scored a game-high four goals and senior goalie Adam Baker made 12 saves to backstop a strong defensive effort as the Rebels controlled the second half to earn a 9-6 Shore Conference Colonial Division victory over Middletown South.

With the game tied 5-5 in the early stages of the third quarter, Howell pulled ahead for good on goals by Devino and junior attackman Mike Kelly. Middletown South clawed within a goal early in the fourth quarter but the Rebels shut the door on goals by Devino and senior midfielder Nick Turturro to run their winning streak to five games.

Entering the day, Middletown South (4-3, 3-1) and Toms River East were tied atop the division standings with zero division losses. The Raiders now occupy that spot alone, but Howell’s victory thrust the Rebels (6-1, 3-1) back into the race should another team take down the Raiders in what has been a very competitive division.

“We came out the second game of the season and we weren’t ready for Toms River East and lost a close one (10-7),” said senior midfielder Vin Meehan. “We knew this was an important one. We knew we could run with these guys and I thought we matched up really well against them.”

“Our chant has been ‘We only need everybody’,” Howell head coach Anthony Bonjavanni said. “Everybody’s gotta do the job they need to do in the moment they need to do it. This is a good win for us. It’s a rivalry and we’ve played them close four of the last five games so you know there’s going to be ebbs and flows. We wanted to start fast and finish fast.”

The Rebels made good on that plan, scoring the first two goals of the game and bookending the morning with the contest’s final two tallies. Junior midfielder Cole Reinsdorf got the scoring started off an assist from Meehan at 10:15 before Devino scored an unassisted goal at 6:54. Middletown South answered on a goal by Ryan Colacichi, the first of three for the Eagles’ talented sophomore middie.

Howell increased its lead to 3-1 when senior defenseman Colin Finnegan finished a coast-to-coast run with his second goal in the last three games. The advantage grew to 4-1 when Devino took a pass from Meehan and quickly fired it home with 6:17 to go in the first half. Colacichi got one back for Middletown South less than a minute later, but Howell re-established its three-goal lead when Kelly buried a feed from junior attackman Mason Morgan with 4:22 on the clock.

Middletown South had a decided edge on face-offs with senior Ian McQuillan controlling the X, but Howell was winning the ground ball battle in the middle of the field and turning those extra possessions into goals.

“That’s getting guys to buy in and play hard,” Meehan said. “If you can control in between the 30s you’re going to control the game, and we saw that today. That and capitalizing on 6v6 possessions, that’s really our game and I think we played it well today.”

Just when it appeared Howell was going to break the game open, Middletown South responded with the next three goals to tie the game. Senior Joe Sarci took advantage of a failed clear by Howell to score at 2:17 of the second quarter and junior Luke Gaffney found pay dirt with 23 seconds on the clock to trim Howell’s lead to 5-4 at halftime.

Two and a half minutes into the third quarter, Sarci converted a pass from junior Jackson O’Keefe and beat Baker to knot the score at five. The Rebels were at a crossroad, and this time they responded to take back the lead for good. Morgan dodged a man from X and dished in front to a cutting Devino, who caught the pass and shot in one motion for his third goal of the game and a 6-5 Howell lead with 4:23 left in the third. Just under two minutes later, Kelly corralled a ground ball 10 yards out and moved in all alone where he beat Middletown South goalie Matt Mason to put Howell ahead 7-5 entering the fourth quarter.

“It shows resilience,” Bonjavanni said. “We talked at halftime about how we were making unforced errors that we shouldn’t be making and not making them earn the goals they’re scoring. We didn’t put our heads down. We talked about that after the East game, how we had to manage the highs and lows better.”

Middletown South was able to pull within a goal when Colacichi completed his hat trick at 10:45 of the fourth, but Devino’s fourth made it a two-goal game again and Turturro’s dodge and finish added some extra cushion with 3:10 to play.

It was another strong game for Howell’s defense, which has allowed just 29 goals in seven games for an average of 3.6 goals against per game. Finnegan leads a veteran group that includes fellow senior pole Tristan DeLucia, versatile senior Colin Spires, and sophomore Anthony Pesina in front of Baker. Meehan, who is committed to Lenoir-Rhyne, is also a strong presence in the defensive end. He and Finnegan were each credited with four caused turnovers on Tuesday.

“We’ve been seeing it all year,” Meehan said. “After the Toms River East loss we went up to Cranford and on that day we played incredible defense holding them to only two goals. It’s a great scheme and the players have really bought in.”

Meehan, who was also a standout football player for the Rebels, missed basically all of his junior season with a knee injury. He had two assists against Middletown South, but much of what he brings to the table isn’t found in the box score.

“It’s his energy. He makes all of the hard lacrosse plays that don’t show up on the stat sheet,” Bonjavanni said. “I also think he’s super resilient in that you can get on him, you can be honest with him, you can coach him hard and he doesn’t put his head down. He leads by example on and off the field. You can tell he’s been on a lot of sidelines since he was a little kid. He’s a little bit like a coach out there.”

“When I was a freshman we were really good. We went to the semifinals of states and we had a lot of good leaders,” Meehan said. “I was always waiting for my turn to play that role. Now it’s finally here and I’m just really happy to be here leading this team.”

Bonjavanni also made sure to single out three first-year assistant coaches – Kyle Harms, Logan Dennison, and Colin Fay – for their difference-making presence so far.

“Nick (Farrar) and I added three young assistants this year and those guys have contributed to getting these kids ready to play,” Bonjavanni said. “They bring a ton of youthful energy.”

After stumbling to a 6-12 record last spring without their best all-around player, the Rebels have come out of the gates hot in 2025. They’ll still need some help to get a piece of the division title, but it’s clear they have a formula for success. The wins will come as long as they execute like they did on Tuesday.

“We’re just trying to do it one game at a time,” Bonjavanni said.