Colts Neck High School Football Players
Chasing Division and State Titles
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24 OCTOBER 2020 | TheJournalNJ.com
BY TIM MORRIS
Preparing for a high school football season is always daunting, even in the
best of times. Throw in a pandemic, and football coaches are in uncharted
territory this fall. Since the shutdown of athletics in mid-March, coaches
have only had contact with their players through online virtual meetings. It
was not until August, when the NJSIAA announced its plans for a return to
“The good thing is that everyone is in the same boat,” said Colts Neck
High School Head Coach Matt Ahearn. He said that he was pleased with how
“It went pretty well,” he said. “The kids did a good job.”
The Cougars were one happy team when it was announced that there
would be a 2020 football season. Colts Neck was one of the big stories of the
second in their division. That hasn’t sat well with the returning Cougars.
“Last year left a bad taste in our mouths,” said the Cougars’ all-around
standout Matt Scully. “Our motivation is to take little steps, get 100 percent
better every day and hit the ground running. I have a good feeling about this
season. We have a lot of starters returning, a three-year starting quarterback,
and good captains who are vocal leaders and lead by actions.”
Ahearn also has a good feeling about the 2020 Cougars.
“They’re motivated to have a great season,” said the third-year
head coach. “These guys are hungry. They worked out on their own.
There’s not a reason we can’t play well.”
In these uncertain times, having a number of experienced starters
is helpful. Ahearn said the team is "lucky we have a lot of kids returning."
That experience has made it easier on the coaching staff to
handle the challenge of fewer workouts prior to the season. Having a
reliable quarterback is a luxury. Still a junior, Tommy Fallon is already
a three-year starter. He knows the offense inside and out. He’s a dual
threat with his passing and running. He accounted for 13 touchdowns
and more than 1,100 yards running and passing last year. Ahearn will
be calling on Fallon to do even more this season.
Colts Neck lost the 1,200 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns of
Romeo Thomas, who carried the offense last year. The Cougars will be
looking to make up for those lost yards by committee with returners
Joe Barsky and Jake Lupo, among a bevy of running backs.
Scully was Fallon’s favorite receiver last year and brings the down-
knife," saying, "He can play anywhere."
The offensive line is experienced and talented led by returners
Logan Lupo, Dan Volpe, Matt Jannucci and Ryan Whalen. This unit also
has size, led by Volpe at 290 pounds, Whalen at 280 and Jannucci at
270. Colts Neck will again challenge defenses with a balanced offense.
“We can make the big play, and we can grind it out,” said Ahearn.
Colts Neck will run the basic 4-3 defense. Delano Marcelus, who
wreaked havoc last year, pressuring quarterbacks as a defensive end,
leads a solid defensive line that includes Volpe and Jannucci. Linebackers
Barsky, John Manos and Anthony Bonanno were playmakers
last year, averaging 24 tackles a game between them. Scully and Fallon
head the secondary.
Tackling, Ahearn believes, will be an issue, at least early in the
season because teams haven’t been able to work at it much in practice,
and there was only one scrimmage before the season began on Oct. 3.
Limiting team travel is one of the keys to NJSIAA reopening
sports. The association is limiting travel throughout the state and reducing
its championships to just sectional competition. The regular
season will be six games, with the state sectionals accounting for two
games and an eight-game overall schedule. To accommodate the travel
restrictions, the Shore Conference realigned divisions to cut down
other Freehold Regional District schools (Freehold Borough, Freehold
Township, Howell, Manalapan and Marlboro). Its only non-division
opponent is nearby Monmouth Regional. Spectators are allowed to
attend outdoor games with a limit of 500. The spectators must wear
face coverings and practice social distance.
Although the division is different, the Cougars can still chase a
division title and a win at the state sectionals, Nov. 13 to 22. That’s a lot
for the hungry Cougars to chew on.
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