Dragons Pee Wee football team ready for another big season
BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI Staff Writer
The Brick Dragons Pop Warner Pee Wee team continues the trend of last season with many players up from the Junior Pee Wee team that did not allow a touchdown during its Jersey Shore Junior League season.

With Kevin Matthews also moving up as coach, the Pee Wees shut out their first two opponents. Brian Matthews scored three touchdowns on runs of 75, 45 and five yards as the Pee Wees on Sunday blasted Southern, 26-0. Christian Casselli ran for the other touchdown, and Joe Di- Lauro kicked the conversion. Ray Fattaruso and Joe Webb blocked and tackled well as two-way linemen and Tom Leech made a big interception that snuffed a Southern threat to the Dragons' 35-yard line in the second quarter when they held a 14-0 lead.

Casselli a week earlier ran five yards for a touchdown and Dan Berg ran in the conversion as the Pee Wees opened their season with a 7-0 overtime victory over Wall. Although Matthews said the team squandered a number of scoring opportunities, it got good efforts from Fattaruso and Webb in the trenches as well as Craig Levine at linebacker and Chris Lopez at safety.

"We believe in defense. We picked up where we left off," said Matthews. "In fact the players who are back on the Junior Pee Wee team are keeping up that trend as well."

Matthews referred to the Junior Pee Wee White team that beat Southern, 25- 0, on Sunday and opened is season a week earlier with a 33-0 blitz of Wall. Against Southern, Kyle Wojtaszek, Joe Phillips, Mike Begovich and Matt Gerrity led the way. Begovich scored three touchdowns against Wall while Wojtaszek and Tom Costanza had the others. Gerrity and Costanza led the defensive charge.

The Midgets, coming off a 30-6 victory over Wall, dropped an 18-14 verdict to Red Bank on Sunday despite fine efforts by running back-linebacker Doug Cuccinello, quarterback-linebacker Bruce Webber and fullback-linebacker Vic Rivera. Cuccinello, Rivera and defensive end Dan Watson led the charge against Wall, which scored late in the game.

In other action, the Junior Midgets are looking to score their first points after losing their first two games to Jackson, 13-0, and Colts Neck, 19-0. Two-way end Tyler Samms, linebacker Drew Scott, defensive tackle Mike Muratore and running backlinebacker David Kearns played well against Colts Neck.

The Junior Pee Wee Green, off the first weekend, lost on Sunday to Wall, 19-6. Matt Schleifer scored and led the defense along with Ryan Hawkins and Andrew Lindenbaum.

The Dragons play this weekend at River Plaza.

As for the Brick Mustangs, the Midget team opened its season with a 14-0 victory over Red Bank as Shaquan Reid tallied both touchdowns on a 40-yard run with a fumble in the first quarter and a 20-yard sweep in the fourth quarter. Outside linebacker Cody Pinho and middle guard Anthony Miller bolstered the defense. Coach Jerry Spanola also praised his entire offensive line that included tackles Kevin McCrossan and Joe Ruocco and center Chase Hawks, who stepped in early for an injured starter.

Nick Costa turned in a workhorse effort and scored the deciding touchdown on a fourth down play in overtime as the Mustang Junior Midgets beat Southern, 13-6. Kyle Skoog also played well at quarterback.

In other games, the Pee Wees lost, 20- 0, and the Junior Pee Wees fell, 13-12, to Southern. All three Mighty Mite teams beat Southern, with the White team winning, 7-6, the Gold prevailing, 19-12, and the Green rolling, 21-6.