Jackson Memorial football rolls past Jackson Liberty as D'Alessandro dominates
JACKSON – Albert D’Alessandro didn’t know much about Jackson Memorial High School’s football tradition or the Connor Cup when he moved into town from Staten Island as a seventh grader.
Now he’s part of the rivalry lore.
The junior scored three touchdowns, including a 90-yard pick six and a 58-yard reception, to spark the Jaguars past Jackson Liberty 34-0 Friday.
“This was crazy,” he said. “One of the best games I’ve ever played.”
Don’t let the measurables fool you. D’Alessandro is listed at 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds, but he’s got explosive speed, sure hands and a nose for the ball. All told, he hauled in three passes for 85 yards and nabbed two interceptions as Memorial improved to 4-1.
“One of the most athletic dudes in the state,” Jaguars coach Vin Mistretta said. “I know he’s a little undersized, but he’s going to continue to open eyes.”
The interception was case in point. Playing deep, D’Alessandro read the quarterback’s eyes, stepped in front of the receiver at the last second and then – even though a couple of Liberty players had an angle – rocketed away down the right sideline to give Memorial a 21-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter.
Jackson Liberty never recovered, falling to 2-3.
Afterward, D’Alessandro’s senior teammates handed him the Connor Cup – the crosstown rivalry trophy the Jaguars retained for the fourth straight autumn – in appreciation of his dominance.
“It means a lot,” he said. “I’m very proud to play for this program.”
'Shot out of a cannon'
The tone for this game was set on the very first play. Jackson Liberty squibbed the opening kickoff, and junior Ryan Jagodzinski scooped it up and raced 60 yards to the house along the right sideline.
“To start a game like that in a rivalry, that’s a big adrenaline rush,” Jagodzinski said.
“Huge momentum play,” D’Alessandro said. “As he’s running down the sideline, I’m like, ‘They’re done.’”
A week earlier, Jagodzinski took an interception back for a touchdown in a rout of Freehold Borough.
“He was like shot out of a cannon,” Mistretta said. “We put him in the middle line (of the return team) because we knew where they were trying to kick it. We’ve got two guys back deep who you don’t want to kick to. We didn’t have a real blocking scheme set up for him; it was take what you can get and go. He found a seam and nobody could catch him. It’s a great way to start a game.”
This was the first real kickoff return for Jagodzinski.
“I’ve had a couple of others, but none of them really went anywhere,” he said. “So for that to happen in a crosstown rivalry, it’s a big deal.”
Lineman answers the call
With the early lead in hand thanks to touchdowns on special teams and defense, Jackson Memorial’s offensive line took charge.
“They’re doing a good job, and because of injuries I’m not sure we’ve had the same five for any (two games) this year,” Mistretta said.
The coach praised junior Sean Green, who learned he would be stating at right guard at noon Friday.
“We said, ‘You ready to go?’” Mistretta said. “He said, ‘No problem.’ He stepped up, and you wouldn’t have known (he was a backup). He wasn’t even a JV player last year, but he worked hard in the offseason and you love to see guys stepping up like that.”
Are the Jaguars back?
With 18 playoff appearances and five sectional titles, Jackson Memorial sets the gridiron bar high. So last season’s 3-6 mark was out of character, and that was coming off a 4-4 campaign in the pandemic-riddled fall of 2020.
Now, with two runaway victories and two more wins over Brick Memorial and Howell, the Jaguars appear to be back --with a showdown at 3-1 Marlboro looming for Oct. 8.
“Last year was a rough year,” Mistretta said. “All these guys were on the field losing tough games. We said if you stay the course, we’re going to win these games. They did.”
Jackson Memorial 34, Jackson Liberty 0
Jackson Memorial (4-1) 14-7-7-6---34
Jackson Liberty (2-3) 0-0-0-0---0
JM: Ryan Jagodzinski 60 kickoff return (Alexy Tselichtev kick)
JM: Albert D’Alessandro 58 pass from Tai Mann (Alexy Tselichtev kick)
JM: Albert D’Alessandro 58 90 interception return (Alexy Tselichtev kick)
JM: Albert D’Alessandro 19 pass from Tai Mann (Alexy Tselichtev kick)
JM: Tai Mann 2 run (kick failed)
RUSHING: JM: Aidan Sweeney; Mann 7-40, Jonah Glenn 4-20, Frank Castellano 1-25; JL: Dennis Caswell 10-80, Zach Corrado 18-60.
PASSING: JM: Mann 3-6-0-85; JL: Dennis Caswell 2-7-2-30.
RECEIVING: JM: D’Alessandro 3-85; JL: Corzeek Palms 2-30.
INTERCEPTIONS: JM: D’Alessandro 2.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jackson Memorial football beats Jackson Liberty
