ABERDEEN -- For the past three years, Wall was the black sheep of the Shore Conference football's toughest division. Now, the Crimson Knights are looking like a top dog.
For the first time since the pandemic-shortened season of 2020, Wall is 1-0 to start the season after it demolished a talented Matawan team 34-7 on the road Friday night. After Wall was essentially demoted into the Shore's C North division, below the Huskies in B North, the team's performance in the opening victory was meant to send a message.
"We wanted to make a statement," said Wall quarterback Franny Scaramellino. "We went out here to prove a point, get our respect. Tell everyone that Wall football is back, and we were ready for whatever came toward us."
The sophomore signal-caller threw for one touchdown and had several other sharp passes in his first career start, which exemplified how these new-look Knights could be even stronger this fall despite several key losses. The offensive line was superb as they paved the way for running back Mason Adam, who had three touchdowns including the 32-yard touchdown reception from Scaramellino.
"A lot of people were doubting our o-line this year," Adam said. "Everyone stepped up, and everyone did a great job. Made my job much easier."
More: Shore Conference football schedule, scoreboard, highlights: Week 0
Wall football seized on every Matawan mistake and capitalized
From the opening play, Wall seized on every Matawan mistake and capitalized. The opening kickoff was fumbled by the Huskies and the Knights recovered at the 20 to set up an easy score by Adam. It would be the first of five turnovers for Matawan, compared to zero for Wall. The Crimson Knights shot out to a 27-0 lead in the first half with three of those four touchdowns coming off Matawan turnovers. They never looked back.
But the Knights did look back on their experience against overwhelming opponents last year, and believe that has sharpened the team to a level that could make the current season a breeze.
"We were close in a lot of games last year," said Adam. "We could have won some of the games last year, so those teams are so much better than teams we're playing this year, so that lets us know that we can win any game this year."
Matawan football doomed by messy mistakes
It was difficult to tell what hurt Matawan more: the self-inflicted wounds or the wounds inflicted on them by its opponent.
The talent was evident for the Huskies, but the failure to properly utilize it permeated the entire group. The team had several big plays of 15 or more yards throughout the night even as the offense was perplexingly inconsistent. The team's first play was one such example, a 30-yard run by quarterback Amir Martinez, but it was followed by a fumble on a caught pass. Inconsistency was the only consistent part of Matawan's game.
The inefficiencies were wide-spread even in the manner in which the team formulated offense. Star junior Welman Crooms had a 35-yard kick return followed by a 23-yard catch in the first quarter, and then he received less than 10 touches in the rest of the game. In a polar opposite example, star lineman Jayden Elijah appeared to get dinged up in the final two minutes as Matawan left its starters in while trailing 34-7.
It was a death by a thousand self-imposed cuts, but the deepest was early in the fourth quarter when the Huskies were on the verge of sparking a fleeting comeback effort while the score was 27-7. On 4th-and-goal from the 7-yard line, Martinez eluded the pressure and delivered a soft pass to an open receiver that was dropped.
Colin Palumbo stands tall for Matawan
One bright spot was running back Colin Palumbo, who consistently broke tackles and delivered quality runs against the swarming Wall defense. It was Palumbo's work that eventually set up the team's lone score, a 2-yard touchdown run by Martinez. He was also the heart of the Matawan defense that showed plenty of fight in the second half, but his impressive moments only exasperated the disappointments of the team's setbacks.
Despite the abysmal showing, Matawan has the pieces to rebound from this opening home loss. But it will take plenty of internal reflection across the team and coaching staff as the Huskies prepare to host Central Regional next week.
Wall football wastes no opportunities in emphatic win over Matawan
For all of Matawan's errors, none of them should detract from how sharp Wall was in seizing on the chances. The Knights had two excellent interceptions on screen passes by Justin Davis in the first half and Jack Murphy in the second half, the latter setting up the team's final score by running back Dylan Cohen.
The poise and composure of Scaramellino at quarterback was astonishing for a sophomore in his first start. He found Derrick Boss and Maddox Mizelle on two precise sideline throws of 20+ yards that eventually set up Adam for another touchdown.
It's safe to say the team met the high expectations of its coach.
"We knew what we wanted to do versus certain looks, but (Matawan) did a great job of changing up the looks on us," said Wall head coach Ed Gurrieri. "We were still able to execute a little bit to kep our defense off the field, so I think that was the biggest key of the game."
Up next for Wall and Matawan
Wall will go on the road again next week to face Colts Neck on a Saturday morning game at 11 a.m. That game presents another opportunity for the Knights to make a statement against a team that received a spot in a higher division (A North) after Wall was relegated to C North.
Matawan has a golden opportunity to bounce back at home as they host Central Regional on Friday - but the Huskies will have to be sharper after Central got a 20-0 opening week win over Hightstown.
Wall 34, Matawan 7
Wall 13 14 0 7 -34
Matawan 0 7 0 0 - 7
1st Quarter
Wall: Mason Adam 11-yard touchdown run (Heath Reinhardt kick). Heath Reinhardt 31-yard touchdown run (kick blocked).
2nd Quarter
Wall: Mason Adam 1-yard touchdown run. (Heath Reinhardt kick). Franny Scaramellino 32-yard touchdown pass to Mason Adam. (Heath Reinhardt kick)
Matawan: Amir Martinez 2-yard touchdown run (kick good).
4th quarter
Wall: Dylan Cohen 12-yard touchdown run (Heath Reinhardt kick).
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore Conference football: Wall dismantles Matawan in season opener
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