Class B South Preview

B South was a wide-open division going into last season, and Lakewood made the most of the opportunity by winning its first division title in five years. This year, most coaches around the Shore Conference have Monsignor Donovan at the top. The Griffins indeed return the most talented team in the division, but the next three teams are extremely close to one another. Here's how I (and in turn the entire Asbury Park Press) see the division shaking out.



1. Monsignor Donovan

Many of B South's best offensive players from 2006 are back this year, but no one in the division returns more of them than the Griffins do. Brian Thomsen is one of just two returning Shore Conference players to tally 40 points (16 goals and eight assists) last year, with George Quintano of Manalapan being the other. Derrek Thompson-Sevcik and Tim Hojnecki return in the middle, and Kyle Milana is a versatile defender who can contribute all over the field. The program is always deep and the pieces are in place for an improvement on last year's 11-6-1 campaign.

Big Three: Thomsen (Sr.), Thompson-Sevcik (Sr.), Milana (Sr.).

2. Lakewood

Much like Donovan, the Piners have a lot returing in the middle and up front, but unlike Donovan, that wasn't the strength of Lakewood's team last year. Matt Accisano is back in the middle and is one of the best playmakers in the division, but coach Gene Drumwright lost three senior defenders and a senior keeper from last year's B South championship team. Drumwright says he's likely going with junior Mike Oriundo in goal with sophomores Luis Rojas and Mario Martinez in the back with him. Oriundo has never played goalie at any level of the program, so inexperience could be a major factor for Lakewood. Luckily for the Piners, the talent on offense might actually be better than on last year's team, so if the defense can sort itself out, they'll be in the hunt.

Big Three: Accisano (Sr.), Kevin Bishop (Sr., Mid.), Kashawn Cotte (So., F).

3. Point Boro

Central and Boro were similar last year in that they had the striker that could finish (Kyle Hazard for Boro, Clay Gashlin for Central), but the Panther defense was a little younger, which resulted in a 7-9 record. The difference between the two will be the health of that striker and the cohesion of the defense at the start of the season. Brian Coeyman is a returning sweeper in front of Ian Rooney in goal. Hazard will look to build on the 12 goals he scored in 2006 and if he is more dangerous in 2007, the Panthers will be too.

Big Three: Hazard (Sr.), Coeyman (Sr.), Rooney (Sr.).

4. Central

Striker Clay Gashlin is out until, at least, the end of September, so descriptions of Central's team change from "talented" to "scrappy." That's not to say there isn't some talent in place beyond the team's top scorer from last year, but the way Rob Bechtloff coaches and the way his team tries to win games changes without Gashlin. Kyle Cronin is the playmaker in the center of the field and will simply have to get everyone else involved in the attack, while senior forward Bryan Davis will carry more of the scoring burden. If the defense and keeper Kazuki IO improve on last year's inconsistencies, the addition of Gashlin will propel this team up to Mon-Don's level.

Big Three: Cronin (Sr.), Davis (Sr.), Josh Morris (Sr., Def.).

5. Pinelands

The Wildcats had a season to remember in 2006, going 13-4-2 and reaching the South Group III finals before their run came to an end. This year could serve as a hangover of sorts with much of last year's cast graduating. Coach Joe Mahon isn't conceding the division by any stretch of the imagination, but needs to see what his team looks like on the field. He'll see what they are made of pretty early on, with Boro, Donovan, Lakewood, and Central in the first week of the season. If the Cats win just one of those games, another NJSIAA playoff appearance could be in store once the team gels.



Big Three: Chris Catalano (Sr., For.), Antonio Scotto Di Carlo (Sr., For.), Tyler Buono (Sr., Mid./Def.)



6. Barnegat

Anthony Morici loves his team this year and why wouldn't he? Everyone is back on a team that will sport seniors for the first time in program history. The problem for the Bengals is that they don't have a win from 2006 to build off of. Barnegat went 0-19 last year and while they grew more competitive the second time through the division, there is no substitute for experiencing winning. The Bengals feel they could be sleepers in 2007, but they'll need to open some eyes by winning games early, not just staying close.

Big Three: Sean Collins (Sr., Mid.), Matt Falk (Sr., For.), Sean Deering (Sr., GK).

7. Manchester

Brian Slota takes over for long-time coach John Musolf and will work with a young, inexperienced squad. In a division that all but one team brings a lot of talent back, Manchester has untested players who haven't been around winning as the Pinelands returners have. Slota's job will be to steal a few games in a tough, deep division and establish a model for his younger players to follow going forward. Anything more than that, would be a great season for the Hawks.

Big Three: Brian Word (Sr.), Chris Martisofsky (Sr.), Kevin Rembach (Jr.).

*Jackson Liberty*

The Lions aren't a Shore Conference team yet, but once they jump in next year, they will be ready. If you read my Jackson preview that comes out in Friday's paper, you'll see how much talent Liberty will have on a yearly basis. This year, most of their games are against the smaller schools in the area, but they have a date with their in-town rivals from Jackson Memorial on Sept. 29. That likely won't be pretty, but there may be some wins in this Lions team before any of its players get their drivers licenses.

Big Three: Joe Plaska (Jr.), Jordan Shilan (Jr.), Keenan Sayers (Jr.).

The Fab 5

1. Brian Thomsen - Monsignor Donovan

2. Kyle Hazard - Point Boro

3. Clay Gashlin - Central

4. Matt Accisano - Lakewood

5. Kyle Milana - Monsignor Donovan