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October 17, 2024By Walter J. O’Neill, Jr.
October 11, the Eagles of Middletown South were at Bressett Stadium to face the Green Wave of Long Branch in a Shore Conference A North football divisional match-up. Both schools have a great history of football dominance, however, the 2024 season has been challenging for each.
Middletown South arrived that night with a 2-4 overall record and were 1-2 in the division, while Long Branch started the game with a 1-4 overall record and were also 1-2 in A North game. It wasn’t the best first half of football for Long Branch as Middletown South dominated the scoring.
As the game started two things were noticeable for the Green Wave. Two of their big players, Aulander Daniels a senior wide receiver and linebacker, along with Joseph Corley also a senior who plays on the offensive line and linebacker were on the sidelines not dressed for the game. Both these young men are impact players and their presence was missed on the turf.
With 2:37 left in the first quarter, the Eagles scored on an eight-yard run. After the extra point. They had a 7-0 lead on the host Green Wave. And that is how the first quarter ended. Long Branch really didn’t have an offensive threat in that opening quarter.
In the second quarter, with 10:04 to play in the first half, Quentin Fisher, junior quarterback at Long Branch, attempted a 31-yard pass, which was intercepted by Middletown South. It took the Eagles just over four minutes to score on a 15-yard touchdown run. They now had a 14-0 lead over the Green Wave and that is how the first half ended.
Long Branch had a good third quarter, scoring twice. The first was a one-yard run by Fisher with 4:46 to play in the quarter. Their second touchdown occurred after Middletown South was called for a face mask penalty with 1:47 to play in the third. That gave the Green Wave a first and ten at the Eagles 14-yard line. Seventeen seconds later, Long Branch evened the score at 14 going into the final quarter of the game. Unfortunately for the Green Wave, Middletown South added one additional score with 6:21 to play. They took a 21-14 lead and stopped Long Branch from scoring again.
Middletown South improved to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the division. They completed 9 of 14 passes for 117 yards and had one picked off. On the ground, they had 40 rushes for a total of 177 yards and three touchdowns.
Long Branch drops to 1-5 overall and 1-3 in the A North division. Fisher was 8 of 13 passing for 71 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. On the ground, the Green Wave had only 57 rushing yards. Fisher had 30 yards on 13 carries, and Havier Gonzalez ran the ball seven times for 27. Nyron Snerling had five catches for the Wave totaling 58 yards and one touchdown.
With only two games remaining on the schedule, Long Branch is on the road for both. They travel to Red Bank Regional for an October 19, 1:00 p.m. kickoff. These two teams have played each other for nearly 100 years on Thanksgiving Day, but that tradition stops this year. Red Bank Regional is in the B North division and have a 3-3 overall record.
The last game of the regular season for Long Branch will be on October 26. They travel to Marlboro, who are divisional opponents. As of press time, Marlboro has a 3-3 overall record and are 2-2 in the A North.
This season both Long Branch and Marlboro have faced Red Bank Catholic and Rumson-Fair Haven. The Green Wave lost to RBC 41-7, while Marlboro lost 42-0. In the game against RFH, Long Branch lost 35-0 and Marlboro 35-6.
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