Dynamic Trio Fuels Mater Dei’s Hot Start

845

By Jay Cook
Curious about the recipe for a 3-0 start in the Shore Conference? Take a drive to Church Street in Middletown and watch the Mater Dei Seraphs go to work.
Off to a red-hot beginning in the 2016 season, first-year head coach Dino Mangiero has found quite the groove, especially after a 35-7 trouncing on the road against Keyport High School on Sept. 24.
“I like him a lot,” said senior quarterback George “L.C.” Pearson of Mangiero. “A really great experience, a great coach; he’s been through it all basically from high school on up. He really knows what he’s talking about, so I just pay attention and focus in on what he’s saying.”
Pearson, who accounted for a four-touchdown performance last Saturday against the Red Raiders, utilized a plethora of skill position players to make that happen.
“I throw before I run, so I’m a pro-style quarterback but I can run if I need to,” said Pearson, who scored twice both on the ground and through the air. “If I gotta make a play, I’ll make the play, but I’m a pass first-run second.”
One of those was junior Kyle Devaney, who moved to wide receiver once Pearson transferred to Mater Dei Prep from St. Joseph Regional in Montvale.
Although Devaney had to change positions, he said the bond on the field between himself and Pearson is strong.
“I feel like it’s good, when the pocket collapses and he scrambles, I get back to him so he knows where I am,” Devaney said. “When I run my routes, he gets the ball in front of me pretty good.”
That connection was on showcase Saturday afternoon, when Pearson hit Devaney for a 20-yard touchdown in the first half of action.
“It was a good play at the right time, he made a good call,” Pearson said of Mangiero’s play-call. “The extra linebacker stepped up to blitz, and it was one-on-one coverage with the corner and Kyle, so we ran a fake run and a slant to him outside.”
Beyond Devaney, Mater Dei’s biggest sparkplug on offense and special teams is senior wide receiver Eddie Lewis, a sure-fire FBS-bound football player.
His role offensively has helped open up lanes for other players on the teams, such as Devaney.
“We knew Keyport was going to try to double me the whole week, so instead of giving them a look outside and doubling me, they would have to change what they’re doing and double me from the inside, and that’ll open it up for everybody else,” said Lewis.
Lewis, who had both a punt and kick return that moved the Seraphs into Keyport territory, believes special teams is paramount to his team’s current success.
“What our coaches preach to us is win there, because that’ll help you throughout the whole game,” Lewis said. “If you can dominate on special teams, it’ll give you better field position, better field position on defense to punt the ball deep and stop them.”
All three players, Pearson, Lewis and Devaney, played a part in a 55-yard trick-play touchdown in the third quarter. Devaney came in motion and caught a pitch from Pearson, then proceeded to look downfield and found Lewis open overtop the secondary.
“We made all the right moves, Kyle placed the ball where he was supposed to and I got in the endzone,” Lewis said of the play.
With a strong lead in the “B” Central division in the Shore Conference, the Seraphs believe this victory over Keyport was their next step to playing in early December.
“I think that was a great win,” said Devaney. “That’s a pretty good team that we played, they beat two good teams, Asbury and Point Beach, and we were just practicing really good that week.”