Tested and proven, Shore beats Neptune

By Walter J. O’Neill, Jr.

Brendan O’Brien (25) a senior at Shore Regional blasted through the Neptune defense for a 50-yard touchdown run. He also had a two-yard touchdown in the 27-21 victory.

Thursday night, the undefeated Blue Devils of Shore Regional High School traveled to Neptune High School to face the Scarlet Fliers in a Shore Conference D North football battle. Shore entered the game giving up the fewest points in five games in the entire Shore Conference, only allowing 7 and that was the very first game of the season in a 28-7 win over Pinelands.

Since that first game, Shore has recorded four consecutive shutouts. They beat Point Beach 34-0, 49-0 over Keyport, 41-0 win over Keansburg and then 32-0 over New Egypt. Going into Neptune the Blue Devils had outscored their opponents 184-7.

Neptune started the game with a 3-2 overall record and were 3-1 in the division. They were bigger and faster than the Blue Devils and that impact was quickly felt on the turf. After just five offensive plays, Neptune scored a touchdown on a Caleb Brown four-yard run. Four minutes later, William Holland scored on an 11-yard run. And within eight minutes, Neptune put more points on the board in the first quarter than Shore allowed in five games. The Fliers were up 14-0.

Don Klein, who is in his first season as head coach of the Blue Devils after spending 17 years as head coach of the Ocean Township Spartans, pulled his players together and told them to play their game. With 1:43 to play in the first quarter, sophomore Cole Torres had a strong 16-yard touchdown run. And just like that, Shore was back in the game down 14-7.

Neptune had their last touchdown of the first half, and eventually their last score of the game with 8:09 left to play in the opening half. It was a one-yard run by Jeremiah Montgomery. Neptune took a 21-7 lead into the halftime break.

Klein and his staff made some great adjustments during the break, and the third quarter was the best of the night for the Blue Devils. It started with a 50-yard touchdown run by Brendan O’Brien. Shore was now down 21-14.

On their next offensive possession, the Scarlet Fliers turned over the ball which the Devils recovered on the Neptune 38-yard line. Josh Moeller, the quarterback for the Blue Devils, made a perfect pass for a big gain as Shore reach the Neptune red zone.

With a fourth and one at the Neptune six-yard line, Moeller was able to get the Fliers to jump off sides giving Shore a first and goal at the Neptune one. That is when O’Brien scored his second touchdown of the third quarter and tied the game at 21.

In the final quarter of the game, Shore had a first and goal at the Neptune seven with 11:53 to play. Moeller handed the ball to Braeden Farmer who plowed in for the winning touchdown, giving Shore the 27-21 victory.

“Really proud of the team for the way they handled adversity early in the game. It’s a testament to our character as a program that we stayed the course and found a way to win,” said Klein. That was not only an important win for the Blue Devils, but it marked the 99th career win for Klein as a head coach.

Moeller was 7 of 11 in the air for 54 yards with one touchdown and one interception. On the ground, O’Brien had 12 carries for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Cole Torres had 16 rushing yards and one score. He also had three sacks as a linebacker on defense and six tackles with three for loss in yards.

Tommy Schroeder had 15 tackles and three forced fumbles. O’Brien also had nine tackles in the win. “We held Neptune scoreless in the second half. That’s what good teams do. These kids showed resiliency in a tough environment,” added Klein.

Up next for Shore are the 1-5 Spartans of Ocean Township. Klein will be brining his new team into the location where he coached for 17 years developing the winningest record of any Spartan football coach. He will also be going for his 100th-career win against his former team.

Shore Regional is 6-0 overall and 5-0 in the D North division. Ocean Township is 1-5 overall and 1-3 in the B North. Kickoff for the game is 7:00 p.m. on October 18.

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