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Blue Devils use strong ground attack to sink Seraphs
By JUSTIN SAUER - STAFF WRITER - October 2, 2009
WEST LONG BRANCH - There
would be no second-half meltdown for Shore on this night.
After relinquishing a two-touchdown lead in the second half of last weekend's
disappointing loss to Metuchen, an inspired Blue Devils squad made it a priority
to not let up on Friday.
Behind a punishing ground attack that recorded 253 yards in the first half
alone, Shore cruised past Mater Dei, 45-0,in a Shore Conference Patriot Division
game at Robert E. Feeney Field.
Four different senior Blue Devils running backs (Trey Cooper, 58 yards, P.J.
Ermides, 50 yards, Keith White, 56 yards and Nick Francisco, 49 yards) rushed
for first-half touchdowns of over 45 yards as Shore took a 39-0 lead into
halftime and never looked back.
Senior wide receiver Rich Vivian also added two catches for 26 yards, including
a 23-yard touchdown reception from backup quarterback Evan Ruane, to help Shore
(2-2, 1-1) defeat a Mater Dei team that has now lost 24 straight games. The
Seraphs (0-4, 0-3) have yet to score a point against a Shore Conference opponent
this season.
Following consecutive losses to Asbury Park and Metuchen, Shore coach Mark
Costantino was happy to see his team notch its first division victory on Friday.
But the 18th year coach is already preparing for next weekend's game against
division rival Rumson-Fair Haven. The Blue Devils will travel to Borden Stadium
to face the Bulldogs on Oct. 9.
"Last week hurt, we give it away," Costantino said. "It really put us in a hole
this year, but this win is a nice way to hopefully get things back on track.
"The next two weeks (at RFH and then home against Monsignor Donovan) are monster
games for us, they're really going to define our season."