Sports Blog: Middletown Township Bragging Rights Up For Grabs In Thanksgiving Day Classic

MIDDLETOWN – Since its inaugural game in 1976, when Middletown Township split its school system into two high schools, the Middletown North – Middletown South Thanksgiving Day game has evolved into one of the more intense holiday rivalry games in the Shore Conference.

Voted the best Shore Conference Thanksgiving Day game rivalry in a 2012 Asbury Park Press poll, the game attracts thousands of fans and is played before a jam-packed, standing room only crowd year-after-year. Virtually the entire town shows up for this game and it is as much a social event as it is a football game.

Middletown South holds a commanding 26-11-1 lead in the series, including winning the last 13 straight games dating back to the 2001 season.

The Eagles (8-2) got back on track this season after experiencing its first non-winning season since 1984. With a win on Thanksgiving they’ll clinch second place in the tough Class A North division - a game behind Manalapan and based on power points, the Eagles were seeded No.1 in the tough NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV bracket.

Middletown South defeated No.8 seeded Burlington Township 25-0 in the first round of the state playoffs two weeks ago returning the favor after the Falcons eliminated them in last year’s first round in a 52-45 shootout.

Junior quarterback/kicker Matt Mosquera booted 36, 36 and 27 yard field goals, downed two punts inside the five-yard line and went 10-of-18 for 90 yards and a 30-yard touchdown pass to junior wideout Tom Coffey, who now has 381 yards receiving on 20 catches and three touchdowns. Junior running back Cole Rogers, who quietly has had a spectacular year for the Eagles, ran for 203 yards on 35 carries including a six-yard touchdown.

The defense posted its school-record fifth shutout of the season, holding the Falcons to minus four- yards rushing and did not allow a first down until midway through the third quarter. They forced four turnovers and recorded four sacks in another dominant showing.

In last week’s semifinal game, the Eagles completely shut down fourth-seeded Neptune 27-3 beating them for the second time this season - by a combined score of 68-3 - and for the 10th straight time. Neptune had come into the game riding a six-game winning streak with three shutouts while outscoring its opponents 151-28 and entered the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the shore.

The Eagles now advance to the 20th sectional final in program history – first since 2012 - and the 11th in the past 14 seasons. They’ll face third-seeded Jackson Memorial (10-1) in the state final Saturday, December 6, at Rutgers University in search of their first state title since 2006.The Jaguars defeated second- seeded Brick Township 44-0 in the semifinals to advance to their first state final since 2005 when they went undefeated (12-0) and won the Group IV title.

The Jaguars are ranked No.1 in the Shore Conference and moved up to No.3 in the state in the latest Star Ledger poll while the Eagles are fifth in the shore and are on the verge of breaking into the state top 20 at No.23.

In their semifinal win, Rogers had 149 yards on the ground and two touchdowns including scoring runs of one and 45 yards in the second half. The underrated Rogers is in the midst of a breakout season and now has 1,507 yards rushing on 193 carries with 24 touchdowns and is currently ranked fourth in the shore in rushing yards and tied for third in scoring with 144 total points.

Mosquera booted field goals of 25 and 30 yards adding to his single-season school record and now has 11 field goals, three shy of the single-season Shore Conference record of 14 set by Matawan’s Mike Creamer last year. Mosquera, who is flying under the radar while having a solid year behind center, was 7-of-15 for 77 yards as he went over 1000 yards passing (1,056) while going 91-of-163 with four touchdowns on the year.

Senior Joe Timmins returned a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown with under a minute left in the first half after Neptune had pulled to within four, 7-3.

Defensively, the Eagles held Neptune to 71 total yards, including minus four-yards rushing without a first down in the second half.

As a team they’ve only given up 81 points in 10 games for 8.1 points per game average with a school record five shutouts.

It starts up front with seniors Dan Servido, Corey Grant, Patrick Crowe and sophomore Will Gulick occupying offensive lineman and disrupting the backfield. The Eagles linebacking group are fast, and can take your head off with sophomore’s James McCarthy, Kevin Higgins, junior Dylan Rogers – a vicious hitter – and senior Sergio Gonzalez all having stellar seasons. Nolan Pereless heads up the defensive backfield and leads the team with three interceptions while providing tough run support. Junior Rob Hulse and sophomore Maxx Imsho also provide excellent cover skills and aren’t afraid to hit.

Cole Roger also sees time in the defensive back field and McCarthy – a bruising back that likes to run over people - has picked up 314 yards rushing with five scores on the ground.

Middletown North (6-3) recorded its best record since the 2000 season but is still looking for its first state title since 1996 after losing to Jackson Memorial, 45-7 in a Central Jersey Group IV first round game. The game marked the second consecutive playoff appearance for the Lions as they continue to make huge strides under second-year head coach Steve Bush in turning the program around and back to being a consistent winner and playoff participant.

Sophomore quarterback Donald Glenn is already the all-time career leader at North with 29 touchdown passes and 2,693 yards passing. So for this season he’s passed for 1,136 yards and 14 touchdowns running the Lions balanced offensive attack.

The Lions have the skill players to put points up on the board against any opponent averaging 28.5 points a game while scoring 257 points in nine games.

2013 All-Shore running back/linebacker Chad Freshnock is having another sensational year and is sixth in the Shore Conference with 1,222 yards rushing with 14 touchdowns. Out of the backfield he’s caught 20 balls for 195 yards and four touchdowns. Senior tight end/LB Troy Thompson leads the team in receiving touchdowns with seven and receiving yardage (429) on 25 catches, while senior Jordan Pitts leads in receptions with 41 for 397 yards and three scores. He’s also rushed for 222 yards and four touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, Thompson (76 tackles, 2 sacks) – a 2013 All-Division selection -Freshnock (38 tackles, 3 sacks) sophomore Nick Kish (88 tackles), junior Matt Dombrowski (20 tackles, 2 sacks) and senior Dylan Hallard (56 tackles) form a solid linebacking group that has been impressive all year. However, Hallard has missed the final two games of the season and his status for the Thanksgiving gamd is unknown. Seniors Anthony (47 tackles, 2 sacks) and Vincent Pianofrote (37 tackles, sack), Parker Anderson (34 tackles, 2 sacks), Joe Antonio and sophomore Jake Goldfarb have been tough in the trenches. Pitts leads in the secondary with three interceptions and 34 tackles while Aaron Borrero, Josh Gomez and safety Brendan Kube have all had solid years in the back.

This year’s game will played at Middletown North with the kickoff scheduled for 10:30 A.M.

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