Unbeaten Mater Dei Prep Passes First Test With Win Over Keyport

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By Jim Hintelmann
KEYPORT – Last winter, Mater Dei Prep’s boys basketball team, boosted by some transfer players, swept to its first ever Shore Conference championship, and the same thing seems to be happening to the football team this fall.
With nine new football players joining the team, including standout quarterback George Pearson, the Seraphs have won their first three games, and passed their first test Saturday when it routed Keyport, 35-7, in a battle of unbeaten B Division Central teams.
The win puts the Seraphs in first place and makes them the team to beat as its other two challengers, defending champion Shore Regional and Asbury Park, have already been beaten once in division play.
Mater Dei’s new head coach, Dino Mangiero, who helped Brooklyn’s Poly Prep to successful seasons before taking over at Mater Dei this season, is playing it cautiously despite the good  start.

Russ Ferrisi had a 50 yard touchdown reception in the Seraphs 35-7 win against the Raiders. Photo by Jay Cook
Russ Ferrisi had a 50 yard touchdown reception in the Seraphs 35-7 win against the Raiders. Photo by Jay Cook

“The kids played very well today,” said Mangiero. “Keyport is a real good team but we are taking the games one at a time. We respect every team on our schedule and still have some work to do.”
Pearson, who played quarterback for Matawan the past two years, had a hand in four of the Seraphs touchdowns. He scored twice on runs of 15 and eight yards while completing 9 of 13 passes for 160 yards, including a 50-yard scoring toss to Russ Ferrisi.
“We have a lot of weapons and read options here,” said Pearson, who also attend St. Joseph’s (Montvale) for three months after leaving Matawan before moving to Mater Dei. “It’s a hard offense to learn, but we just listen to the coaches.”
“We looked at film this week and knew a lot about Keyport and the plays they use,” he said. “We executed well and did  what we had to do.”
‘We lost to Keyport last year and took this game personally,” said wide receiver Eddie Lewis. “We were focused and felt that we owed them one.”
Mater Dei scored on its first three possessions beginning with the opening kickoff  when it moved 68 yards in eight plays with Pearson racing the final 12 yards for the touchdown. Roan Maxwell kicked the first of five extra points.
On its next possession, Mater Dei needed only five plays to go 66 yards as Pearson threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Ferrisi for a 14-0 lead.
A 35-yard punt return to the Keyport 20 by Lewis set up the third Mater Dei touchdown, 20-yard scoring strike from Pearson  to Kyle Devaney, who was last years’ starting quarterback before moving to wide receiver this season when Pearson transferred in.
Keyport finally got its offense moving following the kickoff when, helped by runs of 13 and 19 yards by Shykim Treadwell along with a 15-yard Seraph penalty, went 70 yards in 11 plays to the Mater Dei 4, but a fourth down pass was picked off in the end zone by Ferrisi ended the threat.
Mater Dei scored again on its first series of the third quarter when Pearson lateraled to Devaney, who then threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Lewis for a 28-0 lead.
Keyport finally broke into the scoring column early in the fourth quarter when Hogrefe threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Zach Frick to cap a short 35-yard drive following a poor Seraph punt.
Mater Dei, however, quickly came back and scored its final touchdown on a 7-yard run by Pearson.
“We have a new coaching staff and feel that we’ve doing a good job adjusting”, said Pearson. “I think everything is coming together.”

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