FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – Original Story via Steven Falk (APP)
The 2024 team has created its own little niche in the rich history of the Middletown High School North football program after it won the outright Shore Conference Class B North championship with a 45-19 win over Freehold Township Friday night.
It is Middletown North’s first outright divisional title since 1983, when a team coached by the late, legendary Vic Kubu went 11-0 and won the NJSIAA Central Group 4 championship. The Lions are also 7-0 for the first time since 1983.
“It just feels great to be able to make our mark in the history books and keep this legacy going on,” said senior 5-1 1/2, 150-pound senior running back Shane Volante, who rushed for 162 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
‘We were hungry to get it. We were hungry to put a banner up and start our legacy,” said senior wide receiver/defensive back Brian O’Donnell, who had a 15-yard TD reception.
Middletown North has had its moments since that magical 1983 season. It won sectional championships in 1986 and 1996, advanced to a sectional final in 2016 and shared a divisional title with Lacey in 2021, but this year is different for several seasons.
For starters, the Lions – with the diminutive Volante, a veteran offense and accurate quarterback in junior Owen Robson and a solid receiver corps – have struck the right balance between run and pass on offense.
Defensively, under coordinator Jason Glezman, the former Keyport head coach, Middletown North has been one of the best in the Shore all season.
“It’s just been hard work, whether it’s in practice or in the weight room,” O’Donnell said. “We’re studying plays, going hard in film, going hard in practice and its translating to on the field.”
It has been a long steady climb for head coach Steve Bush during his 12 seasons at Middletown North. There have been some ups, like 2016 and 2021, and some downs.
“These are a great group of kids,” said Bush, who was the head coach at Manalapan for several seasons in the 1990s and was an assistant coach in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins. “They’ve worked hard and bought into everything that we wanted to do. I can’t say enough about them.”
Key series
Freehold Township (5-4, 4-1) and its Air Raid offense came out like a house on fire as it drove 61 yards in six plays, capped by a 24-yard TD pass from Nick Cardone to senior running back Justin Tamai.
Middletown North (7-0, 5-0) then muscled its way 80 yards in eight plays. Tight ends Brody Tooker and Joseph Grasso were a major presence in blocking for the run throughout the game.
Volante rushed for 72 yards on six carries on the drive including a 15-yard TD run. Middletown North scored TDs on its first five possessions in building a 35-7 lead in the third quarter and scored on its first six possessions overall.
Middletown North players celebrate one of the team’s touchdowns in its 45-19 Class B North championship clinching win over Freehold Township Friday night.
“We felt like we could run the ball on them,” Bush said. “We just wanted to run the ball, chew up clock and score because I knew that they could score, too.”
Volante, because of his size, brings unique characteristics to the run game.
“He’s quick. He see things and he’s hard to see, from behind the O-linemen,” Bush said. “He gets through there and he hits it. He’s a tough kid and doesn’t bat an eye. He breaks some tackles, too.”
Middletown North built its 28-point lead on Robson’s 15-yard TD passto O’Donnell, A Robson 69-yard TD pass on a post pattern down the middle to junior wide receiver Ryan Clark, an O’Donnell 2-yard TD run as a wildcat quarterback and a 1-yard TD run by sophomore Matt Belenko.
A Cardone 1-yard TD pass to Noah Cancela and a 1-yard QB sneak by Cardone following the recovery of an onside kick pulled Freehold Township within 35-19 before a 25-yard field goal by Seamus Montegue and a 58-yard fumble return by Braden Marcotte put the game away.
Up Next
Both teams will have NJSIAA playoff games this weekend. The unofficial pairings will be compiled by the USA TODAY New Jersey Network Saturday night.
Middletown North figures to have a home game in either the Central or South Group 4 playoffs. The Lions entered the weekend fourth in the power rankings in the South 4 super section.
BOX SCORE:
Middletown North 45, Freehold Township 19
Middletown North 7 21 7 10 – 45
Freehold Township 7 0 12 0 – 19
First Quarter
FT: Justin Tamai 24 pass from Nick Cardone (James Russo kick).
MN: Shane Volante 15 run (Seamus Montegue kick).
Second Quarter
MN: Brian O’Donnell 15 pass from Owen Robson (Montegue kick).
MN: Ryan Clark 69 pass from Robson (Montegue kick).
MN: O’Donnell 2 run (Montegue kick).
Third Quarter
MN: Matt Belenko 1 run (Montegue kick).
FT: Noah Cancela 1 pass from Cardone (kick failed).
FT: Cardone 1 run (pass failed).
Fourth Quarter
MN: Montegue 25 Field Goal.
MN: Braden Marcotte 58 fumble return (Montegue kick).
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: MN: Shane Volante 22-162, Matt Belenko 8-26, Owen Robson 2-11, Jack Viola 1-3. Brian O’Donnell 1-2. FT: Nick Cardone 10-33, Justin Tamai 4-12, Dennis Quattrache 1-7.
Passing: MN: Robson 9-14-0-162. FT: Cardone 14-28-0-173. Dakota Lasater 2-5-0-42.
Receiving: MN: Viola 4-40, O’Donnell 2-42, Ryan Clark 1-69, Joseph Grasso 1-13, Belenko 1-(-2). FT: Noah Cancela 9-70, Amarie Jimenez 3-80, Tami 2-23, Nicholas Schicchi 1-37, Hunter Ferretti 1-5.