HOWELL -- Exciting catches, jukes, lockdown defending and early looks at the matchups we'll be seeing during the upcoming Shore Conference football season were all on display Tuesday at the Freehold Regional Summer Football 7 on 7 Tournament.
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With no defensive linemen rushing the pocket, it's the time for the defensive backs and receivers to shine. As Freehold Township took the crown on the day, there were still some other impressive teams and players that deserve their praise. The other teams involved were Freehold Borough, Manalapan, Colts Neck, Howell, and Marlboro . Here are five takeaways:
Freehold Township has its 'Air Raid' offense down pat
The Patriots walked away with the best record in the entire competition as they dominated early in the day with a fast 2-0 start. In their second game, they won with a buzzer-beater catch from Nicholas Schicchi, thrown by Nick Cardone to the back corner. Schicchi fell out of bounds before getting a foot in to beat Howell, 13-7.
"Last catch of the game I just got on the ball, I just started running, I got open, I was working, saw the sideline I just caught it and I was going crazy. They've been talking trash since Christmas," said Schicchi.
The game before, sophomore Jake Schultzel also caught a back corner throw from Cardone in a winning effort over Marlboro. Last season Cardone finished with 2,327 passing yards on 157 completions to go with 24 TDs through the air as well. Expect the Patriots to continue this trend through the season.
Manalapan has strong receiving corps and QB
Though last year's leading receiver and senior Jackson Pfister was sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Braves still managed to pull together wins on Tuesday. When asked if the skilled guys are the strength of the offseason, he was quick with his answer.
"Yeah, and the run game as well," said Pfister. "We all-around can move the ball, me (as a) returning starter, and Justin (Rizzo)-Troxell has a lot of experience, we've been working hard this off-season."
Six-foot-one starting quarterback and senior Ryan Dougherty had a strong performance even without Pfister who put up 365 receiving yards last season. As a junior, Dougherty finished with 12 TDs and 1,362 passing yards. He has high hopes this season.
"State championship, senior let's go out with a bang," said Dougherty on this season's goal.
"He's a dog, perfect spiral, perfect placement, perfect reads, great in the pocket, good composure, and calm," Pfister said about Dougherty.
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Colts Neck more than a 'power' team
Colts Neck as always will have a solid ground game but the Cougars showcased a good-looking throwing game - especially on a touchdown connection from Brady Tormey to Aiden Bain against Manalapan. Colts Neck made it a point of emphasis to show that they have good guys at receiver, too, so that's a trend that should be watched in Colts Neck vs. Marlboro in Week 1.
"We're coming out showing that we have good skills cause that's really a knock on us that we've always been a power team. But we're showing that we can throw the ball and throw the ball down the field," said Bain.
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Howell plans on building from last year
After going 3-6 and losing in the playoff quarterfinals, the Rebels are trying to work on the small things. A playoff berth last year showed they have potential. They beat Freehold Borough in their first game of the morning 15-6 behind senior quarterback Vincent Meehan. He's been playing lacrosse over the summer but he's getting back on the gridiron ready for the season.
Howell developing multiple ways to attack
Meehan believes his team has expanded its offense. The Rebels will show they can score in multiple ways, he said.
"Offensive style I can honestly say we don't really have one, we can run it we can throw it," said Meehan. "I feel like we can go out there in Jumbo, punch you in the mouth. We can air it out, we got a lot of athletes."
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: 5 things we learned from the Freehold Regional summer high school football tournament
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