Rogers, Mosquera Guide No.1 Middletown South to Rout of Neptune

Photo above: Eagle head coach Steve Antonucci gives post-game talk to team

MIDDLETOWN – The Middletown South football program is no stranger to being hailed as one of the top teams in the state. They’ve won nine state championships including a run of three straight title’s from 2004-2006 when they were voted New Jersey’s top team in both the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

They are currently ranked No.1 in the Shore Conference and third in the latest Star Ledger top 20 poll after a 2-0 start this season including Friday night’s 42-0 drubbing of perennial power Neptune, who has won four state championships counting the 2011 season when they won the NJSIAA CJGIII title.

So, if the Eagles are feeling any pressure to win their first state title since 2006 and return the program to the glory days of winning three straight championships, it sure didn’t show in Friday night’s blow out win at ‘The Swamp.’

“We hit on all cylinders early; we didn’t do it last week,” head coach Steve Antonucci said. “We emphasized during the week that we have to get off to a better start. Neptune’s a good football team; we just played really well tonight.”

“We know we have a target on our back and teams are going to give us all we can handle,” quarterback Matt Mosquera said. “We want the target, we want to be the team everyone gives their best shot at; we look forward to it every day. Our goal is to return the program to the days of winning those three straight championships.”

The underrated Mosquera again did everything asked of him while masterfully directing his team to six first-half touchdown drives, including their first five possessions for a 35-0 lead with 10:46 still remaining in the second quarter.

The senior leader finished 5-of-8 for 85 yards and two touchdown passes and ran a nifty 27-yard keeper around left end to set up James McCarthy’s two-yard plunge late in the first quarter to make it 28-0. He also boomed all but one kickoff into the end zone for touchbacks.

On the Eagles first seven plays from scrimmage they scored twice. Mosquera found junior Jeff Lewandowski on a post pattern for a 28-yard score less than two minutes into the game for a 7-0 lead before star running back Cole Rogers bolted eight yards up the middle virtually untouched for a 14-0 lead after Mosquera booted both extra points.

At that point the rout was on and there was no stopping this juggernaut of a team as they appeared to score at will and their swarming defense completely bottled up the over-matched Flier offense turning the ball back over to the offense time-and-time again.

The defense held Neptune to 38 yards of total offense and three first downs in the first half and 121 yards in the second half when Antonucci was substituting freely. Leading the charge were linemen Will Gulick, Jack Uhrig and sophomore rover defensive end Jake Krellin with linebackers Dylan Rogers and McCarthy supplying relentless pursuit.

“We have guys who run to the football and run to the football well,” Antonucci said. “They’re not afraid to go after people and if we can continue to do that and stay consistent doing that, we’re going to win a lot of games.”

Rogers second touchdown run of the game, this one for three yards, pushed the lead to 21-0 with 5:17 left in the first quarter. An 18-yard screen pass from Mosquera to junior wide out Samson Dube set up the Rogers score.

McCarthy’s touchdown run made it 28-0 for the Eagles fourth straight scoring drive before a Mosquera one-yard touchdown toss to Tom Coffey gave South a 35-0 lead and five straight scoring drives. Two long Rogers runs set up the score before a Neptune penalty put the ball on the one-yard line.

On the Eagles final scoring drive, Mosquera again found Dube, this time for a 30-yard gain on first down to the Neptune 40-yard line. Two Rogers runs set up a first-and-10 at the 20 and the shifty back went the final 20 yards on his final carry of the game for his third touchdown and a 42-0 lead.

Rogers ended his night with 135 yards on the ground on just 13 carries for a 10.4 yards per carry average and his first 100+ rushing game of the season.

“The target gets bigger every week,” Antonucci said. “There’s a lot of pressure associated with it but this is a good group. They’re a free, easy type group that loves playing the game; which makes it fun. Even in the preseason we had to throttle them back a little because they were so anxious to get going. It’s great we have veteran leadership and our quarterback has really become a leader for us.”

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