Twp. football drops opener to Howell after having big lead

At age 81 and with a vivid memory of the 50 seasons gone by as coach of Brick Township's football team, Warren Wolf could not remember the last time his Green Dragons team squandered a 21-point margin, particularly when it was the first 21 points of the game.

CHRIS KELLY staff Brick Township's Joe Spinella (No. 34) swallows up Howell's Chris Simmons (No. 29) during a 34-27 loss on Sept. 13. At one point, the Green Dragons held a 21-point advantage. "It's been a long time," said Wolf after he was denied his 356th victory as the state's all-time winning coach when Howell held on to a 34-27 victory on Saturday afternoon in the opening game for both teams at Brick. "I remember a comeback from 21-0 against Jackson, but we were on the losing end of those 21 points and came back to win."

Quarterback Jimmy Ryan, a spot starter last season, ignited Howell's surge as he completed 32 of 37 passes for 363 yards. It brought Howell back from a gaping deficit caused by Joe Goble's 17- yard touchdown run and a pair of scoring scampers from Brennan Candito of 15 and 10 yards.

"We give Howell a lot of credit. That's why they were state champions last season," said Wolf after his customary review of game films with his players at his home on Sunday night. "Undoubtedly, they were the better team. They executed, threw the ball very well. Their quarterback wasn't just good, he was outstanding. We have to improve on a lot of things offensively. We had a real slowdown of our offense in the middle quarters. The execution wasn't there. At least we came back on them at the end and showed we wouldn't give up."

Dylan McDonnell ran one yard for Brick Township's final score. And now Wolf said his team must prepare for "another outstanding passer" when the Green Dragons travel to Colts Neck for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. Junior Chris Chiarelli passed for 161 yards and two touchdowns as Colts Neck beat Manalapan, 35-10, in a nondivisional game on Saturday.

"We need to play a better all-around game," said Wolf. "They dominated the scrimmages and Manalapan when they beat them the other day."

Along with coming back at the end, the Green Dragons can be heartened by their coming out of their opening game with no injuries, said Wolf, which he was concerned about going into the Howell game.