Midget football continues to roll in Brick
Mustangs score a close victory over Matawan to go 2-0
BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI Staff Writer
Brick Mustang Midgets scored their second straight victory in the Jersey Shore Pop Warner Football League, pulling out a 26-18 thriller over Matawan.

The Midgets continued their efficient scoring from the week earlier when they rolled to a 27-0 victory over Ocean after losing their opener to Asbury Park. In that previous game against Ocean, Kyle Matthews scored three touchdowns and quarterback Jarred Eccles tallied the other as Vincenzo Diadato blocked well and Rich Salerno threw a fine option pass to Chris Kasmansky to set up a touchdown. Ray Triano and John Rivera led the defense.

The team continued that fine play in its victory over the weekend.

"The boys all played great; our line has been doing an awesome job," said Mustang Midgets head coach Gerry Spanola, who got two long touchdowns from Rivera of more than 50 yards each and a 35-yard run on an off tackle play for a touchdown by Kyle Mathews. Triano scored his first career touchdown and had an interception on defense. "All of the defensive players, from starters to subs, played hard this week to contain Matawan's excellent run offense. Our special teams performed well throughout the whole game."

That was obvious in the fourth quarter when Eccles gained 25 yards off a fake punt to sustain a six-minute drive that helped run out the clock.

Linebackers Diadato, Kevin Kastner and Nick Spanola had several tackles, forced fumbles and kept up the pressure.

"We are very happy about the way the team is coming together and we look forward to another hard week of practice to prepare for Neptune," said Spanola.

The Junior Midgets got a great twoway effort from Shaquan Reid, who caught a 40-yard tochdown pass from Ryan Cieplinski and also tallied a conversion in a 27-0 victory over Howell. Matt Moore ran four yards for a touchdown and Zack Santos plunged two yards for another score while Cieplinski kicked a conversion.

Head coach Mike DiGuilmi and Mustangs program commissioner Ted DiGuilmi praised the entire defense that included linemen Reid, Jack Phair, Kevin McCrossan and Shanice Taylor, one of two girls on the team but the only one starting, linebackers Cody Pinho, Doug Chuck and Ray Contrucci, cornerbacks Ryan Cavello and Charlie Barrett and safety Justin Hockaday.

In other games, the Mustangs Pee Wee Gold lost to Long Branch, 7-0, and the Pee Wee Green lost to Lacey, 18-6, while the Junior Pee Wees lost, 7-2, to Long Branch.

Most of the Mustangs teams travel to Toms River this weekend.

In other youth action, Jersey Shore Pop Warner power Asbury Park beat the Brick Dragons teams on four levels. The Dragons Midgets suffered their first loss, 27-0, as Doug Cuccinello and Jesse Lyon ran the ball well and had some good hits at linebacker while Vincent Favia at linebacker, Victor Rivera at tackle and Zack Saggau at cornerback also had good plays on defense. Cuccinello also had a 65-yard run in the second quarter to set up a deep threat that was stopped.

The Junior Midgets lost, 32-0, to Asbury Park as Kevin Matthews excelled at quarterback and linebacker along with linebackers Vince Favia and Dan Wojtaszek, safety Joe Bench and cornerback Chris Parlow.

Despite the efforts of Drew Scott and John Fuino at linebacker and running back and David Kearns at middle linebacker, the Dragons Pee Wees lost, 26-0, to Asbury Park.

The Junior Pee Wee White team beat Manalapan, 13-0, as Brian Matthews ran five yards off left tackle for a touchdown in the first quarter and Kyle Wojtaszek rambled 25 yards for a fourth-quarter score, followed by Dan Berg's conversion pass to Joe Webb.

Web at nose tackle, Matthews at cornerback and Wojtaszek at outside linebacker were part of a defense that stuffed a Manalapan threat early in the second quarter and kept their opponent at bay from there. Also excelling on defense were middle linebacker Nick Tartaglione, outside linebacker Dean Sherry, tackle Craig Levine and end Christian Casselli.

The Dragons Junior Pee Wee Green lost, 32-0, to Asbury Park as lineman Vincent Dockx, linebackers Ray Fattarusso and Dan Finnelli and cornerbacks Tom Leech and Xavier Gibbs turned in top efforts.

The four Dragon Mighty Mite teams played competitively in their games, with one beating Berkeley but the others losing to teams from Toms River, Manasquan and Asbury Park.

The program plays host to Manchester this weekend and officials hope the newly resurfaced Drum Point Complex Field to be ready. Otherwise, games will be played at Brick Township High's fields, as in the past.