Point Beach Ready for Rematch with Asbury Park

In September, head coach John Wagner told his Point Beach football team that Asbury Park was the best team it would face all season.

And when the Garnet Gulls played Asbury Park in the second game, Wagner said, his team was definitely a little star-struck.

“They were definitely the fastest and strongest team we faced,” Wagner said.

Point Beach lost that game 24-8, but, Wagner noted, the Gulls were still learning a new system.

“We’d had some good scrimmages, but we still had some things to work out,” he said. “We’re in a better place now.”

A better place indeed. The Garnet Gulls (7-2) will travel to Asbury Park on Saturday for the semifinal round of the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group I playoffs. Beach defeated New Egypt, 32-14, last weekend, giving the team just its second playoff victory in school history.

The Gulls’ first trip to the sectional semifinals – and first playoff appearance since 2001 – is the result of the hard work the players have put in, Wagner said.

“The goal was you want to get better each practice and each week,” Wagner said. “We did that. Our schedule made us better.”

“We had some tough games,” he said. “We beat Keansburg (27-7). We beat Keyport (12-7), who usually beats us.”

After getting beaten by Dunellen 24-22 in Week 7, “we were in playoff mode,” he said.

And they have been ever since.

Saturday’s rematch with Asbury Park will be a challenge, he said. The first time around, the Blue Bishops (8-1) beat Beach with three big plays: a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown, a 65-yard run, and a 60-yard pass.

“They’re capable of scoring from anywhere on the field,” he said.

Twins Amir and Armond Conover have accounted for nearly 1,000 yards rushing and another 500 yards receiving, as well as 22 touchdowns. Armond also has three punt returns for scores. Quarterback Robert Barksdale has completed nearly 50 percent of his passes for nearly 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns.

At the same time, they pinned the Garnet Gulls inside their own 5-yard line to begin drives four times.

“It’s tough to go 95 yards against them,” Wagner said. “Their defense is outstanding. They held Rumson (the top seed in Central Jersey Group II) to 30 yards rushing.” Asbury Park has allowed just 193 yards rushing all season.

“Against Asbury when you have a chance to make a first down, you have to,” he said.

His plan is to try to control Asbury Park by going right at them.

“When you go against speed, you have to attack them,” he said.

Beach will try to do that with a trio of running backs who have complemented each other nicely. Kyle Samaritano has rushed for 638 yards and eight touchdowns; Cody Coleman has six touchdowns and 541 yards and Andre Cochran, who scored three times last weekend, has 428 yards and seven scores. Quarterback Christian Martino has thrown for 556 yards and seven touchdowns and four interceptions.

Defensively, Mark Jurkowski has excelled, with five interceptions, including three of the five times the Garnet Gulls intercepted Barksdale back in September. Barksdale has thrown just one more interception all year.

“We can’t count on that happening again,” Wagner said.

What he is counting on is another gritty effort from a group of players who’ve learned they can win.

“We really believe in what we are doing,” Wagner said.

And he hopes that belief will carry them past Asbury Park and into the school’s first sectional title game.

“When you win the first-round game, you want to win it all,” Wagner said.