Long Branch, Shore Regional Football in Action This Weekend

Shore Regional and Long Branch's football seasons are heading in two very different direction at the midway point of their schedules.

Shore Regional is 2-1 and is coming off a close on Sept. 30, and Long Branch lost a heartbreaker to Red Bank Catholic on Oct. 1 and is still looking for its first win of the year.

This weekend, Shore Regional will play at a 4-0 Manasquan team that is sitting near the top of the Class C Central Division. Long Branch will play Class A Central opponent Matawan who just loss to a talented Rumson team. Shore will play on Saturday at 1 p.m., and Long Branch will play on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Shore Regional has been led by its defense which has allowed only 43 points through three games this season and held Asbury Park, a team that has scored 102 points this year, to 14 points. The Blue Devils' running game has spectacular at times this season and is headed by senior halfback Stefanos Kousaris.

Long Branch has suffered some close losses to Red Bank Catholic, Neptune and Ocean Township over the last three weeks. The main culprit in the team's winless start to the season is a young offense that has scored only 26 points, the third lowest total in the Shore Conference.

Junior tail back Dwight Clark has been spectacular, but he has been the only consistent offensive weapon for the Green Wave.

The defense has played well enough to keep the team in games, but has had to too much of the burden this season.

Check back on Saturday for recaps of both games.