Week in Sports: Manalapan, Matawan headed to Group Final

Cross Country

In the popular meet of champions, which was held this past weekend at Holdmel Park, Freehold Township was represented in the boys' region, with sophomore Dylan Tarpey finishing in 14th place, overall, running an average mile of 5:11 and a 16:05 final time.

For the girls, Holdmel junior Lennon Cooper finished 42nd overall, running a 6:21 mile on average and totaling a time of 19:42.

Playoff Football

The Manalapan Braves and Matawan Regional Huskies both advanced to their respective group finals. The Braves, behind a gutsy call from head coach Ed Gurrieri, will be looking for their first sectional title in school history, and will be playing in one for the first time since 2003.

In the second overtime of their semi-finals game against West Windsor Plainsboro South, Gurreri went for two in a case of making it for a win, or missing it for a loss. The move paid off as tailback John Sieczkowski ran the ball in from the three-yard line, giving the Braves their biggest win of the season, 21-20.

The Braves will take on Sayreville on Saturday, Dec. 3 at Rutgers Stadium at 1 p.m. for the Central Jersey Group IV sectional title.

Matawan was just as impressive as their Shore Conference counterpart in their Central Jersey Group II semi-final match-up against second-seeded Manasquan. The Huskies defense proved to be strong enough against the powerful Blue Warriors, sending Manasquan home with their first loss of the season.

The Huskies will take on top-seeded and undefeated Rumson-Fair Haven in the sectional title, which will take place at Rutgers Stadium.

Late this week, Matawan head football coach and athletic director Joe Martucci said that five Matawan Regional football players have been suspended for an incident that took place over the weekend. The names of the players were not mentioned, and it is not yet evident if they will miss the sectional title.

Thanksgiving Football

Thanksgiving Day football is a rich tradition in the Shore Conference. Below are a list of the games taking place in this region and their recent history:

Matawan Regional (8-2) at St. John Vianney (4-5)

Last year's result: Matawan wins, 42-7

Holmdel (1-8) vs Raritan (3-6)

Last year's result: Raritan wins, 37-7

Manalapan (9-1) vs Marlboro (0-9)

Last year's result: Manalapan wins, 47-20

Last night, Manalapan wins, 42-16

Freehold Boro (2-7) vs Freehold Township (2-7)

Last year's result: Freehold Boro wins, 27-7

Featured Athlete

Larry Alston III - Matawan Regional. Alston ran for 247 yards on the ground to help the sixth-seeded Huskies power past unbeaten Manasquan and find their way to the sectional title. He ran for two touchdowns and caught another one as Matawan took down Manasquan, 24-14.

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Do you want to nominate someone for next week's Featured Athlete? Email columnist Brian Deakyne at the top of this article. Be sure to send pictures of any Monmouth County players or teams for a chance to have your photos featured in the column.