Sticking Together: Long Branch Football Preview

Sitting in a desultory locker room after their first loss to Thanksgiving rival Red Bank Regional in seven years last season, a concrete realization sunk in for the returning players on Long Branch's football team following a 4-6 season in which they missed the state playoffs.

Sometimes talent alone isn't enough.

"This year one of our main goals is unity,'' said senior linebacker Joscil Jackson. "Last year, we were fighting during games and the whole nine, but this year we're really coming together as a team and that's why I think we're going to shock everybody.''

"It hurt us bad because we had a talented team, and when we didn't make it to the playoffs, people shut down,'' said junior tailback Dwight Clark. "It made the team we have now realize that we have to work hard together or we're not going to make it to the playoffs.''

There is still plenty of individual talent at Long Branch, but the Green Wave literally are green this season as a host of inexperienced underclassmen will play a significant role in the team's fortunes competing in the relentless Class B North.

"This senior class finished with under 15 kids on the team as freshmen, so we knew this day was coming,'' said head coach Danny George. "Therefore, it's an opportunity for the underclassmen.''

In addition to new faces on the field, the coaching staff has also added John Amabile, a Shore Football Coaches Foundation Hall of Famer who won a combined five NJSIAA titles during stints as head coach at Wall and Neptune. Amabile, who was an assistant at Monmouth Regional last year, will serve as Long Branch's offensive coordinator as the Green Wave transition from the spread offense they employed around former quarterback Miles Shuler to the multiple-I running attack that characterized great Long Branch teams of the past.

"I just felt (Amabile) would be a huge plus for this program,'' George said. "If I'm going to ask him to come on, I'm going to ask him to do what he does best. He just has this unbelievable, 16-year-old passion for football. It's the first time in 22 years that I'm not calling the offense, but I felt it was best. We were ready for changes as a program and I think the kids have embraced the change. It fits our personnel.''

The Green Wave hope to achieve more offensive balance compared to last season, when Shuler, who is now a freshman at Rutgers, was a one-man gang.

"You don't replace Miles,'' George said. "You have to replace the plays that he made. We have a multitude of people who can make those plays.''

The primary threat in this year's offense looks to be Clark, who rushed for 1,000 yards as a sophomore and should play an even bigger role this season. He has received interest from Rutgers, Penn State and Syracuse and could be a breakout player in the Shore this season after operating in Shuler's shadow last year.

"We expect the same thing (from Clark) that we expected from Miles,'' said senior tackle Ryan Brodie, a major Division I-A prospect in his own right. "I think that 'Wight is going to have a very big year this year. He's going to get a lot of touches.''

"(Clark) is vastly improved, which you see a lot of times from sophomore to junior year,'' George said. "He has worked as hard or harder than anyone I've ever coached from December to August. I think he's a Division I running back. I really believe that. I think the one thing that was questioned last year was his speed. He has great vision, and he's always been a strong back who can run people over, but at that level you've got to be able to break them. He's 10 pounds of muscle heavier and he's two to three steps faster.''

Clark's presence will help take the heat off junior quarterback Avry Griffin, who has to replace Shuler. Griffin saw time in the loss to Red Bank when Shuler missed the second half with an injury. Jackson and senior Kadeem Williams will be at fullback to open holes for Clark.

Griffin's targets in the passing game will be a host of newcomers. Junior Curtis Gunther, sophomore Shabazz Shuler, who is Miles's cousin, junior Tre Smith and sophomore Kenny Barrows will all see time at wide receiver. Junior Dominic Mincieli is a returning starter at tight end, but may miss the first few games after having minor knee surgery during the preseason. Senior Terence Bowles also will play at tight end.

The main question mark is the offensive line, which consists of Brodie, a three-year starter, and a whole new group. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound Brodie has double-digit scholarship offers and said his most recent list of schools he is strongly considering includes Rutgers, Purdue, Cincinnati, Miami, and South Carolina. He just added offers from Maryland and West Virginia and said he will be looking into those programs as well. He is the clear leader on a unit that is adjusting to a new offense and getting acclimated with varsity play.

"We're running a lot more zone (blocking) stuff and going at a faster tempo,'' Brodie said.

"Brodie got a lot stronger and bigger,'' Clark said. "His footwork is better, and he's getting his teammates better next to him.''

Brodie will start at left tackle on a line that will only include one other senior, guard Gerard Carpenter. Sophomore Auturo Rios will be at center, junior Vinnie Roselli will be at the other guard spot, and junior Johnny Augustine will be the right tackle. Senior Brian Dougherty also should see time in the offensive line rotation.

Sophomore Dion Williams will be the kicker, and junior Asson Morris will do the punting.

Defensively, the Green Wave return five starters, including two up front in their 4-3 base defense. Brodie, who played both ways for the first time last season, is back at defensive end. Dougherty, who was well over 300 pounds last season but has dropped 40 pounds in the offseason, is a returning starter at defensive tackle. Junior Anthony Howard will be the other defensive tackle, and sophomore Myshon Pennington will be the other defensive end. Roselli also could see time in the defensive line rotation on a unit that will have to find a way to stop multiple physical, talented running attacks in Class B North.

"The way we go up front is the way we're going to go,'' George said. "The scary thing this year is that we're young, and the people we're playing are so big and physical that we could not see the ball. They could run 70 offensive plays.''

Mincieli is a returning starter at middle linebacker, and Jackson returns at outside linebacker. Williams will be the other outside linebacker. Clark returns at safety to anchor the secondary, which will feature Shuler and Morris at cornerback and Brett Roach as the other safety. Junior Corey Morris also could see time at cornerback.

"This year I think we're going to do a lot better against the run,'' Jackson said. "We have a lot more heart this year, too. Last year, we had a couple people that were scared to tackle and shouldn't have even been starting.''

The Green Wave uncharacteristically enter the season as an underdog in a loaded division.

"I think everybody is sleeping on us,'' Jackson said. "Even friends I have at other schools are talking about how terrible they think we're going to be, so we're just out to prove everybody wrong.''