Keyport tops Rumson, sets sights on Freehold Middletown South wins Federal Division with win over Long Branch VERONICA YANKOWSKI Keyport’s J.J. Beedle makes a catch in front of Rumson’s Britt Melewski during the Red Raiders’ win in Rumson on Saturday. Freehold Borough High School served up a homecoming feast Saturday, as the Colonials remained perfect in 2001 with a 55-14 romp over Mater Dei High School, Middletown, to keep the Seraphs winless in the 2001 season. The Colonials (5-0) scored early and often in jumping out to a 34-0 at the half and then coasted, picking up 350 yards on the ground, with Rashawn Pitts doing most of the damage with 148 yards on just 14 carries. He scored on runs of 45 and 34 yards. Damian Wolcott added to the big plays turned in by the running backs with a 57-yard dash to the end zone. Josh James chipped in with a 21-yarder as Freehold’s TDs were all on plays of 17 yards or longer, as the Seraphs (0-5) were no match for the Colonials’ speed. The loss was yet another disappointing day for the young Seraphs, who will look to notch their first win on Saturday, when they host a good Shore Regional team. Game time is 1 p.m. VERONICA YANKOWSKI Keyport QB Steve Greggins avoids the tackle of Rumson’s Dan Manfra during their game in Rumson on Saturday. As for Freehold, the homecoming romp was a warm-up for what is the Colonials’ biggest game to date, Keyport. The Red Raiders are the defending division champions and after a slow start appear to be jelling. The Red Raiders improved to 3-2 with a 26-7 over Rumson-Fair Haven over the weekend. “Keyport is always dangerous,” noted Freehold head coach Larry Boice. “They’ve been doing what they do for quite a long time. We have to play the game at their place, and they will be ready. We have to match their enthusiasm. Beating an undefeated team will be a motivating factor for them.” Boice is very wary of the Colonials’ visit to Keyport. Two years ago, in a similar spot, his Colonials upset a Keyport team that was headed for the Central Jersey Group I state sectional championship. The win enabled the Colonials to share the division championship with the Red Raiders. Boice knows that Keyport would like to return the favor on Saturday. Freehold Borough is now the hunted. The Colonials are the only undefeated team in the Shore National Division with their 5-0 mark. They are followed by 4-1 Colts Neck and Shore and Point Beach, which are 4-2. Keyport is 3-2, and the only chance the Raiders have to retain their title is to beat Freehold Saturday and Colts Neck the following Saturday and hope someone else can knock off Freehold. FARRAH MAFFAI Mater Dei High School quarterback Mike Marshall looks for an open man during the Seraphs’ loss to Freehold Borough on Saturday in Freehold. Keyport has one of the Shore’s leading rushers in Kenny Cattouse, who scored three times against Rumson to bring his season total to 10. He has gained 554 yards in five games. The Red Raiders, though, are not one-dimensional. Quarterback Steve Greggins makes you respect the passing game, and Steve Cline can make plays from his tight end position. On Saturday, Keyport capitalized on four Rumson turnovers, and didn’t make too many mistakes in a game in which offense was hard to come by. Rumson’s vaunted defense did a solid job containing a Keyport offense which had been averaging 232 yards per game, holding the Red Raiders to just 133 yards. But Keyport made those yards count, getting the three scores from Cattouse, and capitalizing on all four RFH turnovers. This weekend, the Red Raiders will provide a good test for what has been an immovable object, the Freehold Borough defense. Freehold’s offense, especially with Jones passing the ball well, has become difficult to defend. It has big play makers in Pitts (559 yards) and Wolcott and a power runner in James. Add to that quarterback Bret Jones’ running and passing talents, and Freehold is undefeated for a reason. Kickoff is 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Elsewhere in the area, Middletown South kept its undefeated season intact with an impressive 42-7 win over rival Long Branch and secured a Shore Conference Federal Division title at the same time. Once again it was the Brendan Kennedy show, as the senior quarterback dashed for 122 yards and two TDs, while also throwing a pair of TD passes, in leading the Eagles to their fourth division title in five years under head coach Steve Antonucci. Kennedy took control of the game from the start, dashing 59 yards up the middle on the game’s second play, setting up the Eagles’ first score, a TD scamper from junior Anthony Macaluso. And the Eagles never looked back, as they continued to pile on the points, while their defense, which has not received the credit it deserves, shut down the Long Branch attack time and time again. The game was basically over at halftime with the Eagles ahead 35-7 and served as a bit of revenge for the Eagles, who suffered a loss to the Green Wave at this time last year. Now, with everything clicking for South, they can look ahead to their last two regular season games. The Eagles will be off this weekend, and will prepare for their Oct. 26 meeting with Pinelands and their Nov. 2 meeting with Toms River East. If they can get wins in those two contests, only cross-town rival Middletown North stands in the way of another undefeated regular season for Middletown South. The Lions saw their visions of an unbeaten year disappear on Friday, as the Lakewood Piners shocked the Lions 21-18 in Middletown. Lakewood pounced on the undefeated Lions right from the start, jumping out to a two touchdown lead in the opening minutes of the first quarter. But North, riding the heels of the unstoppable Billy Lyons, came back and managed to take the lead after scoring three straight TDs. Lyons, who finished with 215 yards, was finally slowed down in the fourth quarter, giving Lakewood a chance to pull off the upset. And that is exactly what they did, scoring a touchdown with 2:19 to play. The Lions had one last shot to pull out the win, but the Lakewood defense stepped up once again, thwarting the Lions, and handing them their first loss of the year. The Lions (4-1) will look to bounce back against a good Lacey team on Friday in Middletown, where they will need a win to stay in the hunt for a Constitution Division title. Kickoff is 7 p.m. As for the Raritan Rockets, they suffered their second loss in a row, dropping a 20-7 decision to Red Bank Regional on Friday. The Rockets were simply unable to stop the Red Bank rushing attack, allowing the Bucs to run for 200 yards, while struggling on offense all night. Raritan’s only score came in a nine-yard TD run by QB James Papcun late in the second quarter to tie the game at 7-7. But the Bucs answered right back, notching another score before the half, and never looked back en route to the win. Raritan needs a win this weekend at Ocean to keep their playoff hopes alive. Game time is 7 p.m. on Friday. The Matawan Huskies got another win on Saturday, knocking off Pinelands 38-21 to improve to 4-2. Once again it was tailback Kevin Davis leading the way, as the senior carried the ball 18 times for 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the offense. Junior Tom Corley also notched a pair of TDs, including a 74-yard dash near the end of the third. Pinelands tried to make the game interesting, scoring a pair of TDs to start the second half, but Matawan responded with a 32-yard TD pass to Louie Mitter to put the game out of reach. Matawan will look to continue its winning ways on Saturday, when it hosts a 6-0 Wall team that has yet to be tested. Game time is 1:30 p.m. Wall is currently tied atop the Liberty Division with Manasquan, a team that dominated St. John Vianney on Friday en route to a 35-6 win. Vianney was simply over-matched against the powerful Big Blue Warriors, and fell behind early, which you simply can not do against Manasquan. The loss dropped Vianney to 3-3, and was a tough blow to their playoff chances. They need to bounce back with a win next week against Asbury Park. They will have two weeks to prepare, as this is their bye week. As for the Holmdel Hornets, they suffered yet another close loss on Friday, falling to Point Beach 14-7. Holmdel played well, but couldn’t muster any more points following a four-yard Dan Principe’s scoring run with about three minutes left in the third quarter. Holmdel had difficulty moving the ball all game against the Garnet Gulls, and were unable to overcome their 14-0 halftime deficit. Holmdel (1-4) hopes to bounce back on Friday, but faces another very good team in Colts Neck. The Cougars are 4-1 and are in the hunt for the National Division title. The Cougars can not afford a loss to Holmdel, but the Hornets will likely be fired up in their role as the spoiler. Game time is 7 p.m. in Holmdel. With each passing week, the races for division titles are becoming clearer and clearer, with teams knocking each other out of contention every weekend. In the Shore American Division, Jackson (5-0), the state’s top-ranked team, sits alone at the top, but has a good Freehold Township (4-1) team coming off a shocking upset of Brick last weekend waiting for them this Friday night. Brick Memorial sits atop the Constitution Division at 5-1 but is being trailed by both Central and Middletown North (both 4-1), and still has to face Central this weekend, as well as top-ranked Jackson on Nov. 2. But don’t think that gives the nod to Middletown North either. They, of course, will face Middletown South on Thanksgiving Day in what could be a huge game for the Lions. The Eagles have wrapped up the Federal Division, while Manasquan and Wall are in the midst of a two-team battle for the Liberty Division title. Their Thanksgiving Day game will likely decide the division championship. In the National Division, Freehold Borough is in the driver’s seat at 5-0, but still must face Keyport, Manasquan, and Point Beach before hosting Colts Neck on Nov. 17. In other words, that division is still very much up in the air with five weeks to go. Staff Writer By doug mckenzie read more

Neptune’s Marcus Alston and Red Bank Catholic’s Alisa Kresge are the marquee names that will participate in tonight’s Shore Coaches North-South All-Star Game tonight at Wall High School. This annual event pits the best graduating seniors from the Shore’s North Divisions against those from the South. The girls game will tip off at 6 p.m. and the boys will follow at 8. Cody Chalmers and Mike Niesz, who led Middletown North to the A North crown, team up one more time on the North squad. Kyle Olesko and Sean Dunne of Shore Conference Tournament champion Christian Brothers Academy add their talents to the North team, as do Steve Plagianakos and Frank Emslie, Raritan, and Dave Lambert and Ron Werner, Mater Dei. Raritan’s Sean Devaney, Mater Dei’s Bob Klatt and Red Bank Regional’s Scott Martin are the North coaches. Shannon Coyle, SJV, Kelly Robinson Raritan, and Dana Hoffman, Holmdel, are on the girls team, as are Nicole Baldessari and Allison Oliver, Middletown South, Jessie Chalmers and Jackie Matthew, Middletown North, and Amy Gibbons, Matawan. Holmdel’s Dawn Karpell, Middletown South’s Tom Brennan and Asbury Park’s Barry Baity are the North coaches. read more

Joe Costine, Middletown, competed in the sixth annual Sea Bright Skim Bash on Sept. 13. Skimboarding enthusiasts came from near and far to compete in the Sea Bright Recreation Committee-sponsored event, which has become one of the premier skimboarding contests on the East Coast. Prizes were awarded for first, second and third place in all divisions, and new this year was an Open Pro division.

Above: Holmdel’s Caitlin Yip is surrounded by teammates after winning a match against Red Bank Catholic’s Rocine Moschella during the Shore Conference Tournament finals held at Shore Regional High School, West Long Branch, on Oct. 7. Left: Yip hits a forehand shot back to Red Bank Moschella.

All Cyprus football matches for this weekend have been postponed after referees told the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) that they would be abstaining from work after one of their members had his car blown up early on Friday.The vehicle of Leontios Trattos, a first division and international referee, was damaged while it was parked in the underground lot of an apartment block in Latsia.The device exploded at around 2.45am causing damage to the car’s windshield, hood and engine, police said.This weeks matches are expected to take place next weekend with the CFA now looking at when they can schedule next weeks matches. read more

By Mike CollettLiverpool striker Luis Suarez completed his redemption from outcast to hero when he was named England’s Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) on Monday.The prestigious honour completes an award double after he was named the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) player of the year last month.The 27-year-old Uruguayan finished ahead of team mate Steven Gerrard and Yaya Toure of Manchester City in the poll of England’s football writers and the honour follows an astonishing turnaround for Suarez who began this season serving the remainder of a 10-match ban imposed for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic last April.Although he missed the first five games of the season, the controversial striker, who will play against Gerrard and England in the World Cup in Brazil next month, is the Premier League’s top scorer this season with 30 goals with two matches remaining.His goals have sustained Liverpool’s Premier League title challenge – the Anfield Club are behind leaders Manchester City on goal difference with two matches remaining.Suarez polled 52 per cent of the vote of around 300 members. Last year he polled two votes.“He did only receive two votes last season,” FWA chairman Andy Dunn told Sky Sports, “although there was a groundswell of support for him last season, but our voting opened just 12 hours after the biting incident at Anfield, so that was taken into account.”The FWA award is not only based on a player’s achievements on the pitch, but also on their behaviour and example throughout the season and Dunn continued: “While nobody would say Suarez is whiter than white you have to say his behaviour throughout the season has been very good.“I think the football writers have taken that into account.“There is an element of redemption – allied with those 30 goals and the sensational talent he has displayed all season -and it has made him a very popular choice.”Suarez becomes the 10th Liverpool to win the award and one of their previous winners, Ian Rush, praised Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers for the way he handled a difficult period at the start of the season after Suarez tried to engineer a move in the off-season.“He was training by himself,” Rush told Sky Sports, “but once he apologised, the manager welcomed him back and said you are one of the players now.“The manager could have handled it differently, but he didn’t and Suarez has repaid him.”Rush, who was Footballer of the Year in 1984, also praised Suarez for his work-rate saying he had a huge influence on the Liverpool team attempting to win the title for the first time since 1990.“He has been absolutely incredible with the amount of goals he has got and the assists he has got,” said Rush.“But more importantly than that is the hard work he has put it. I think he has made a big difference to Liverpool’s players – not just himself.”The FWA award is the oldest of its kind in world football and was first awarded in 1948 with Stanley Matthews the first recipient. read more

HAVING combined seamlessly for England, the players of Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur will resume battle in the Premier League title race this weekend with the two main protagonists facing testing fixtures.Hostilities were put to one side as the likes of Leicester striker Jamie Vardy and Spurs counterpart Harry Kane both impressed as England won in Germany and lost at home to the Netherlands.Yet with the international break over, Kane, one of five Spurs players in the England squad, and Vardy, who played alongside England debutant and club mate Danny Drinkwater, are back in opposing camps.Kane, who scored against Germany, will be hoping that his team win at Liverpool on Saturday (7.30pm) and narrow the gap to leaders Leicester, who play Southampton at home on Sunday (3.30pm).Vardy, who scored his first two goals for England in Saturday’s game in Berlin and Tuesday’s match at Wembley, is hoping to get back on the scoresheet after five league games without a goal.“The England goals can only be good for my confidence and I will hopefully be scoring again at the weekend,” he said.With only seven matches remaining, Leicester, seeking a fourth straight win when they face Southampton, are top with 66 points, five ahead of Spurs on 61.Arsenal are a further six behind with a game in hand and on Saturday (5pm) have a quick opportunity for revenge against Watford, who ended the Gunners’ bid for a third successive FA Cup triumph when they beat them 2-1 at the Emirates three weeks ago.Fourth-placed Manchester City, whose title hopes virtually evaporated when they lost 1-0 at home to neighbours Manchester United, travel to Bournemouth (5pm), while fifth-placed West Ham United will be looking to continue their top-four push at home to Crystal Palace (5pm).Palace have tumbled from fifth on New Year’s Day to 16th and will be desperate to end a run of 13 league matches without a win that has dropped them far too close to the relegation zone for comfort.Bottom-placed Aston Villa, who sacked French manager Remi Garde on Tuesday, look to have very little chance of escaping and have caretaker Eric Black in charge for the visit of outgoing champions Chelsea on Saturday (2.45pm).Unless Palace’s nosedive continues, two from Norwich City, Sunderland and Newcastle United look set to go down with Villa.Norwich are at home to Newcastle (5pm), who now have 11 players sidelined with injuries after goalkeeper Rob Elliot was ruled out for the season after damaging knee ligaments in Ireland’s 2-2 draw with Slovakia read more

Angelique Kerber’s first grand slam match since winning the Australian Open in January ended in despair after she was beaten 6-2 3-6 6-3 by Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands in the French Open first round on Tuesday.The German third seed struggled with a shoulder injury in the third set and went off court for treatment when trailing 3-0.The break failed to revitalise her, however, and after saving two match points, Kerber surrendered her title hopes with an ill-judged drop shot that failed to clear the net.World number 58 Bertens will next play either French wildcard Alize Lim or Italian Camila Giorgi. read more

Tomas Berdych won a fifth-set shootout over Czech compatriot Jiri Vesely for a 4-6 6-3 7-6(8) 6-7(9) 6-3 victory on Tuesday, completing the Wimbledon men’s quarter-final line-up after their match was suspended overnight in fading light.They had left the contest level when the umpire called time, much to the frustration of 10th seed Berdych, who has suffered a string of delays at the tournament and tried to get the match moved to Centre Court to be finished under the floodlit roof.A pumped-up Vesely, 22, had the momentum on Monday, snatching a 71 minute fourth set on a tiebreak to force the decider. But it was 2010 finalist Berdych, 30, who seized the initiative in the fifth, breaking Vesely’s first service game.Berdych will play 22-year-old Frenchman Lucas Pouille, seeded 32, in the last eight. read more

A massive crowd has turned out to witness the second last game of the PNG Hunters.From the Eastern Stands, Western Stands and Southern Stands  all are filled to capacity.More andcmore people are still rolling in fast to witness this top of the Ladder clash.