Monmouth Falls to Ocean County in All-Shore Football Classic

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Long Branch– All star games are usually defensive battles and that was the case in Friday night’s 38th annual U.S. Army All-Shore Football Classic matching the top senior players from Monmouth County against Ocean County.
Unfortunately for Monmouth County, it was Ocean that had most of the defense in an impressive 27-7 victory over their Monmouth counterparts.
Ocean County’s defense was especially effective against Monmouth’s passing game, holding it to just one completion in eight attempts for 12 yards.
“We were using a Pro Set and a Winged T,” said Monmouth County quarterback Christian Palmer, who completed the lone pass to Rumson’s Charlie Volker
“At Mater Dei Prep, we ran a spread offense off a Shotgun,” he said. “We had only one week of practice.”
Nevertheless, it was a big game for Palmer, who will be playing football at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island this fall.
“I’ve been coming to this game ever since I was three years old,” said Palmer, who set the Shore combined one-season scoring record (passing and running) of 44 touchdowns last fall. “I always dreamed of playing in this game.”
Ocean County was in control from the star t after taking the opening kickoff and rolling 75 yards in 14 plays for its first touchdown, a one-yard pass from Brick quarterback Carmen Sclafani to Jackson Memorial’s Matt Castronuova.
Brick Memorial’s Karl Kumm kicked the first of three extra points and also kicked field goals of 23 and 45 yards in addition to catching a 45-yard touchdown pass from high school teammate quarterback Joe DeMaio.
“We were afraid that they would control the game up front,” said Monmouth coach Mark Costantino of Shore Regional. “We had a couple of fumbles in the first half, including one where we were driving for a touchdown. That hurt us.”
If there was a turning point in the game, it came in the second quarter when Ocean was punting from its own 35-yard line.
The snap from center was high and the ball rolled back to the 15-yard line. Punter Conor Davies picked up the ball, ran a couple of yards and kicked it.
Monmouth, however, was called for a roughing the kicker penalty, giving Ocean a first down at midfield. From there, it moved to the 10 from where Kumm kicked a 23-yard field goal to give Ocean a 10-0 halftime lead.
“I didn’t like that call,” said Costantino. “I thought that when the ball is snapped over the punter’s head and he picks it up, he becomes a runner and can be hit, but the refs said no.”
Castronuova and Kumm caught touchdown passes in the third quarter to break open the game, but Monmouth finally got its offense moving when Rumson’s Charlie Volker led a seven play, 65 yard drive and scored the lone Monmouth touchdown on a nine-yard run.
“The defense has the advantage in a game like this,” said Volker, who rushed for 84 yards in 14 carries and won the Monmouth County Offensive Player of The Game Award. Holmdel’s Frank Condito won the Monmouth County Defensive Player of the Game Award.
“We didn’t execute well, but it was a great experience and I had fun playing in this game,” said Volker.
Red Bank Catholic defensive back Mike Cordova, who helped RBC win the NJSIAA Group III championship last season, won the Leadership Award for Monmouth County.
“This award means a lot to me,” said Cordova, who will play football at Stonehill, Massachusetts this fall. “It means that you are a leader. It was a dream playing for RBC last fall. I was part of a great group of players.”
With the game over, Costantino is looking ahead to the upcoming football season. Shore was 11-1 last year and won the NJSIAA CJ I championship, He expects another good season this fall.
“We have 13 returning players, both offense and defense, coming back and I’m looking for ward to the season,” said Costantino.
Costantino, former football coach Chris Barnes and sportswriter Chris Christopher were inducted into the Shore Football Coaches Foundation Hall of Fame in halftime ceremonies.
Costantino, who has been head football coach at Shore since 1992, had a 153-85-1 record including three sectional titles. Barnes is the all-time leading rusher at Middletown Nor th, where he graduated in 1983. He later played at Syracuse and coached at Wall and Jackson Memorial. Christopher has been covering local sports for nearly 40 years.