FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — Expectations from the outside are one thing, but the standards from within a program are the ones that drive success. The day after Middletown North’s 2023 season concluded with a Thanksgiving Day loss, the current senior class gathered everyone in the weight room and began to build the foundation for a return to glory.

“This group of guys has been playing together since we were 7 years old,” senior tight end/defensive end Joe Grasso said. “We were in the weight room the day after Thanksgiving and we knew we were going to make a change in this program. This is everything we expected.”

Middletown North completed an undefeated regular season on Friday night and clinched the program’s first outright division championship in 41 years with a 45-19 Shore Conference Class B North victory over Freehold Township. The Lions, ranked No. 6 in the Shore Sports Insider Top 12, improved to 7-0 and claimed a division title all to themselves for the first time since the revered 1983 team that went 11-0 under legendary head coach Vic Kubu.

Senior running back Shane Volante ran for 169 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries to lead a 208-yard team rushing effort behind a ferocious offensive line and thunderous tight ends Grasso and senior Brody Tooker. Junior quarterback Owen Robson threw for 163 yards and two touchdowns, senior Brian O’Donnell had a touchdown catch and a touchdown run and junior kicker Seamus Montegue kicked a 26-yard field goal. Junior linebacker Braden Marcotte put the finishing touches on the victory with a 60-yard fumble return touchdown with 2:05 remaining.

“We’ve been working for this since last December,” O’Donnell said. “All the guys have been going at it. Sophomores, juniors, seniors; everyone was coming in and working their butts off. It feels great we were able to do this.”

“We have great senior leadership on this team and that’s been a big part of it,” Middletown North head coach Steve Bush said. “The kids come to work every day and the seniors set the tone for everything we do. They’re all in.”

Middletown North still has its Thanksgiving Day game vs. Middletown South left on the schedule, but the Lions’ full attention will now turn to the NJSIAA state playoffs where they are expected to receive a No. 2 seed in either the South or Central Jersey Group 4 playoffs. The preliminary seeds will be released on Sunday but won’t become official until Monday.

The ground game sets the tone

Middletown North started the game on defense for the first time all season and immediately found itself in a 7-0 hole. Led by senior quarterback Nick Cardone, the Patriots (5-3, 4-1) marched 61 yards in six plays and found the end zone when senior running back Justin Tamai took a quick pass and turned it into a 24-yard touchdown reception.

The Lions shrugged off the first series and responded with 35 straight points to put the game away in the third quarter. The game-tying drive spanned 80 yards across eight plays, seven of which were running plays. Volante had six carries for 72 yards on the drive and scored on a 15-yard run with 5:05 left in the first quarter. Middletown North was going to make Freehold Township prove they could stop the run.

“That was the plan going in,” Bush said. “We felt like we could run the ball on them and wanted to move the ball, chew up clock and score on each drive because we knew they could score, too.”

It was a consistent push from Middletown North in the running game from start to finish as the Lions averaged 6.1 yards per carry without any big plays. Their longest run was 23 yards.

“It can be demoralizing,” O’Donnell said. “Over and over, play after play we’re just coming at you.”

“I didn’t think there was a matchup on the line we couldn’t win, especially with me and Tooker the tight ends,” Grasso said. “There’s not many people we can’t block.”

Middletown North then forced a Freehold Township three-and-out to set the stage for the go-ahead scoring drive. Volante continued to find room on the ground and Robson made a pair of clutch third-down throws. He connected with junior wide receiver Jack Viola for nine yards on 3rd-and-7 from the Freehold Township 40 and concluded the drive by dropping in a perfect pass to O’Donnell for a 16-yard touchdown in the back-right corner of the end zone that gave the Lions a 14-7 lead with 10:39 left in the second quarter.

After another three-and-out by Freehold Township, Middletown North needed only one play to extend its lead to 21-7. Robson sold the play-action fake and junior wideout Ryan Clark got behind the defense to haul in a 69-yard touchdown reception with 8:38 left in the first half.

A sack by O’Donnell on Freehold Township’s next drive forced a punt and Middletown North got the ball back with great field position at the Patriots’ 45-yard line. Another clutch thrown by Robson to convert a 4th-and-6 with a 27-yard pass to Viola led to a 3-yard touchdown run by Viola, giving the Lions a 28-7 lead with 1:42 left in the half.

Freehold Township drove to the Middletown North 11-yard line late in the half after a 45-yard pass from Cardone to senior receiver Amarie Jimenez but a false start and an incomplete pass ended the half with no additional points.

Middletown North opened the second half with an 8-play, 58-yard scoring drive to take a commanding 35-7 lead. Freehold Township attempted an onside kick and the Lions recovered to begin their drive at their own 42-yard line. A 27-yard reception by O’Donnell and runs by Volante and sophomore running back Matt Belenko led to a 1-yard touchdown run by Belenko.

Freehold Township makes it interesting

The Patriots responded with two touchdowns sandwiched around a successful onside kick to make it a two-score game in the third quarter.

A pass interference penalty moved the ball into Middletown North territory and Cardone hit junior receiver Nick Schicchi for 35 yards down to the 3-yard line. Two plays later, Cardone rolled to his right and hit senior wideout Noah Cancela for a 1-yard touchdown, cutting the Middletown North lead to 35-13 after the extra point missed its mark.

Freehold Township recovered the ensuing onside kick at midfield and used a pair of big plays to find the end zone again. On 4th-and-12, Cardone scrambled for a 21-yard gain and two plays later, backup quarterback Dakota Lasater took a handoff before pulling up and firing a pass to Jimenez for a 30-yard gain down to the 1-yard line. Cardone ran for a 1-yard touchdown two plays later to pull Freehold Township within 35-19 after the 2-point conversion pass fell incomplete.

The Lions seal the deal

Freehold Township attempted a third straight onside kick but Middletown North’s T.J. Rey called a fair catch to secure the ball. A late-hit penalty on the Patriots gave the Lions the ball at the 41-yard line and led to a 26-yard field goal by Montegue for a 38-19 lead.

Middletown North went for it on fourth down on the drive and Robson once again came through with a 13-yard pass to Grasso on 4th-and-11. He was 4-for-4 for 55 yards and a touchdown on either third or fourth down.

“He got better and better last year just learning behind Luke Sheehan. He worked hard all summer and looked really good,” Bush said. “He has a strong arm, he’s accurate and is smart and athletic. He’s doing a great job for us.”

With just over two minutes left in the game, Marcotte scored his first career touchdown with a heads-up play. After a catch by Cancela, O’Donnell punched the ball free while Cancela was fighting for extra yards. Two Middletown North players were on the ground trying to recover the fumble when Marcotte swooped in to pick up the fumble and race untouched down the home sideline for a 60-yard touchdown.

It’s playoff time

Both Middletown North and Freehold Township will qualify for the NJSIAA playoffs.

Freehold Township entered the week No. 11 in the South Group 5 United Power Rankings and are unofficially 12th following Week 8.

Middletown North entered the Week fourth in UPR in South Group 4 and appears to be in the spot heading to the playoffs, which will give them a No. 2 seed in either the Central or South Jersey Group 4 section. They will enter the postseason undefeated for the first time since the program’s only undefeated season of the NJSIAA playoff era in 1983.

“It truly is surreal,” O’Donnell said. “We’re definitely confident and we love what we have going on. We’re just going to keep working hard and see what happens next.”

“You have to play confident,” Bush said. “You know what you can do. Just keep playing the way you’ve been playing going into these big games. You don’t have to do anything different. With success they’ve become more and more confident. That’s a big thing for a football team and in life, to have confidence in your abilities and then go out and do it.”

BOX SCORE

No. 6 Middletown North 45, Freehold Township 19

Scoring Summary

FT — Justin Tamai 24-yard pass from Nick Cardone (James Russo kick)

MN — Shane Volante 15-yard run (Seamus Montegue kick)

MN — Brian O’Donnell 16-yard pass from Owen Robson (Seamus Montegue kick)

MN — Ryan Clark 69-yard pass from Owen Robson (Seamus Montegue kick)

MN — Brian O’Donnell 3-yard run (Seamus Montegue kick)

MN — Matt Belenko 1-yard run (Seamus Montegue kick)

FT — Noah Cancela 1-yard pass from Nick Cardone (kick failed)

FT — Nick Cardone 1-yard run (pass failed)

MN — Seamus Montegue 26-yard field goal

MN — Braden Marcotte 60-yard fumble return (Seamus Montegue kick)

Individual Statistics

RUSHING — MN: Shane Volante 26-169, Matt Belenko 5-22, Owen Robson 1-11, Brian O’Donnell 1-3, Jack Viola 1-3. FT: Nick Cardone 11-37, Justin Tamai 4-12, Dennis Quattrache 1-3.

PASSING — MN: Owen Robson 9-14-0, 163. FT: Nick Cardone 14-28-0, 180; Dakota Lasater 2-5-0, 35.

RECEIVING — MN: Ryan Clark 1-69, Brian O’Donnell 2-43, Jack Viola 4-40, Joe Grasso, 1-13, Shane Volante 1-(-2); FT: Amarie Jimenez 3-83, Noah Cancela 8-57, Nick Schicchi 1-35, Justin Tamai 2-23, Hunter Ferretti 1-5.

Original Story: https://shoresportsinsider.com/king-of-the-north-middletown-north-completes-undefeated-regular-season-to-win-first-division-title-in-41-years/