Wolverines shutout Devils 31-0

By Walter J. O’Neill, Jr.

Making a big catch during the sectional final for the Blue Devils is junior Enzo Cagliostro (33).

November 15, the football season for the Blue Devils of Shore Regional came to a conclusion as they lost 31-0 to the Wolverines of Woodstown. The two teams were facing off in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 1 Sectional Final.

Woodstown were the number one seed in the tournament and the 2022 and 2023 sectional champions. “They are a very good team, with size and speed,” said Don Klein, head coach of the Blue Devils. As the number two seed, Shore had to make the two-hour bus ride to Woodstown.

Shore Regional entered the game with a perfect 10-0 record and were the D North champions of the Shore Conference with a 6-0 record. Going into the game, they had outscored their opponents 325-92 this season, with a solid mixture of passing, running, kicking and a hard nose, hard hitting defense.

“We did things that were uncharacteristic of Shore football. Playing a team as good as Woodstown, you can’t make those mistakes and recover,” said Klein. He also added that the Wolverines were a hard match-up for the Blue Devils. “They were big, fast and strong. Their running back, Bryce Belinfanti, ran for 1,800 yards last year as a junior. He was dealing with injuries this season, but played great against us.”

Belinfanti had 225 rushing yards on 25 touches and one touchdown. His longest run was 55 yards. “If he couldn’t find a hole, he made one and just ran past us,” added Klein.

It was the first time this season that Shore Regional was shutout offensively. During the game, they had opportunities, but dropped passes, and didn’t play as aggressively as they did in previous games.

Woodstown scored 17 points in the first quarter and 14 in the final quarter.

“The outcome was not what we were expecting. But I am very proud of these players, the coaches and the community that supported us from day one,” Klein said. He was appointed head coach in March by the Shore Regional Board of Education after spending 17 years as head coach at Ocean Township High School. “The word when I took over the program was that this was going to be an off season, or growing year as the team lost 16 players to graduation. Wow, was everyone wrong.”

Klein brought a few coaches from Ocean with him and kept a few from the previous staff. He also changed the entire game approach adding a passing game and mixing up the running. “One of the greatest accomplishments this season is that it was truly a team effort. We had many players getting touches offensively and rotating players on defense,” said Klein.

When the Blue Devils ended the 2024 regular season undefeated, it was only the sixth time in school history that they accomplished that. It was also the first time in nearly a decade that they advanced to a sectional championship.

Some think that Shore overachieved this season. That is so far from the truth. Klein and his staff hit the ground hard in March when they took over the program. They had the players in the weight room and classrooms going over strategies schemes. “They didn’t overachieve, they worked like champions and played like champions. Every week, every position increased in their skills and abilities,” Klein said.

Additional photos will be posted at www.Facebook.com/TheLinkSports