Jackson Memorial football shows new dimension in win over Brick Memorial
JACKSON - The Jackson Memorial High School football program has long had a reputation on offense of a ground and pound philosophy.
However, Thursday night, in their 35-21 season-opening win over Brick Memorial in a nondivisional game at Jack Munley Field, the Jaguars showed a dimension that will give opposing defenses a lot to think about.
"We have such dynamic athletes, and it showed,'' Jackson Memorial coach Vinnie Mistretta said.
The Jaguars had three touchdown plays of 25 yards or more.
Junior Albert D'Alessandro had a 40-yard TD reception from senior quarterback Tai Mann and a 90-yard punt return with 18.7 seconds left in the first half.
More:Shore Conference football scoreboard, highlights, Week 1
Mann ran for 121 yards, including a 39-yard TD with 3:14 remaining, and also threw for 126 yards and two TDs. The other TD pass was a 25-yard catch and run by junior Jaiden Hernandez.
There was also a little bit of the old Jackson Memorial mixed in as senior tailback Aidan Sweeney ran for 78 of his 83 yards in the second half, including a 2-yard TD run.
"It's a balancing act,'' Mistretta said. "Jaiden, Albert, Jagodzinski (junior Ryan Jagodzinski), Hubbard (junior Shaun Hubbard) and Castellano (sophomore Frank Castellano) are all dynamic playmakers. We've got find ways to get them the ball and get them in high performance situations where they can make things happen and it happened tonight. ''"And when, we want to go back to being 'Jaguar Football'' and pound the rock and get a downhill run game going, we can do that. The quarterback is a dynamic weapon also. ''
Key Play No. 1
D'Alessandro's punt return that enabled Jackson Memorial to lead 21-7 at halftime was the first turning point of the game.
Brick Memorial was forced to punt after it started a possession at the Jaguars' 38 following an interception and return by Mike Dayton.
D'Alessandro fielded a bouncing punt to his right and raced untouched down the home sideline for the TD.
"Coming into this game, I thought I wasn't going to get any kicks (returns),'' D'Alessandro said. "I was wrong. I saw an opportunity to make something happen, and I did.''
"Their offense was starting to get rolling,'' Mann said. "That punt return touchdown had our whole sideline going wild. We went into the locker room and the whole momentum had shifted.
"You put the football in his hands, and he'll score, I'm telling you. ''
Key Play No. 2
Brick Memorial had closed to within 28-21 on a 15-yard Connor Dietz to Nicco Maribo TD pass and a 5-yard TD run by Kevin Andrews - his second TD of the game - when Mann put the game away. Two plays after Mann and D'Alessandro teamed up for a 15-yard completion on a third-and-7 from the Jaguars' 40, Mann rolled to his right and sprinted 39 yards down the sideline for the TD that extended Jackson Memorial's lead to 35-21 with 3:14 remaining.
"People aren't talking about him (Mann) a lot, which is fine. We don't deserve to be talked about yet,'' Mistretta said. "I'm sure Tai is very humble. He would never say anything. A lot of people were talking about that other quarterback (Brick Memorial junior Connor Dietz, who ran for 102 yards and threw for 144 yards and a TD), and he's an unbelievable player. He's a great player, but Tai is every much the dynamic dual threat. ''
What it means
Jackson Memorial has won four straight games, dating back to when it started last season 0-6.
The win over a traditional rival could enable the Jaguars to continue the momentum they built up from the end of last season and be a major contender, along with Marlboro, which beat Brick 34-7 on Thursday night, for the Shore Conference Constitution Division championship.
"It's like a big release,'' Mann said. "It took us seven games last year (to get the first win). That was rough. Just to have that 1-0 record makes me feel very comfortable. We're going to keep going. We're not satisfied. ''
Up next
Jackson Memorial will play at Howell (1-0), its Thanksgiving Day rival in the 1970s, Sept. 9 in its first Constitution Division game. Brick Memorial will host Red Bank (0-0) on Sept. 9 in its first Freedom Division game. Red Bank opens its season Friday night at Monmouth.
Jackson Memorial 35, Brick Memorial 21
Brick Memorial 0 7 7 7 - 21.
Jackson Memorial 7 14 7 7 - 35
First Quarter
JM: Albert D'Alesandro 40 pass from Tai Mann (Alexey Tselichtev kick).
Second Quarter
JM: Jaiden Hernandez 25 pass from Mann (Tselichtev kick).
BM: Kevin Andrews 2 run (Connor Dietz kick).
JM: D'Alessandro 90 punt return (Tselichtev kick).
Third Quarter
JM: Aidan Sweeney 2 run (Tselichtev kick).
BM: Nicco Maribo 15 pass from Dietz (Dietz kick).
Fourth Quarter
BM: Andrews 5 run (Dietz kick).
JM: Mann 39 run (Joe Zundritch kick).
INDIVIDUAL STATISITCS
RUSHING: BM: Connor Dietz 18-102; Kevin Andrews: 5-20; Nicco Maribo 3-4. JM: Tai Mann 12-121; Aidan Sweeney 14-83; Brandon Bigelow 1-3; Albert D'Alessandro 1-2.
PASSING: BM: Dietz 12-24-0-144. JM: Mann 10-14-1-126.
RECEIVING: BM: Jeremiah Crispin 6-84, Elijah Benjam 2-28, Nicco Maribo 1-15, Jimmy Popp 1-11, Trey Tallmadge 1-5, Kevin Andrews 1-1. JM: D'Alessandro 4-62; Jaiden Hernandez 4-42; Shaun Hubbard 1-13, Frank Castellano 1-9.
INTERCEPTIONS: BM: Mike Dayton.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore Conference Football: Jackson Memorial wins opener on big plays
