A Child Shall Lead Them

If there was an overall theme to Saturday’s action, it was the impact of freshmen and sophomores on a few senior-heavy teams. Sure, there were plenty of teams that rode their seniors down the stretch of to win games, but the underclass impact in the first few days of the season suggests that this could be a really good crop of freshmen that we get to watch this year. I kind of got that sense coming into the season and so far, it’s playing out that way.

– We’ll start with Jackson’s Garrett Muzikowski, who scored two goals in his high school debut, a 4-1 win against Jackson Liberty. It’s pretty clear that Muzkowski is going to have a chance to score a lot of goals in his next four years and he’ll have a chance to score a bunch of them this year. To Jackson Liberty’s credit, they look a lot stronger than in year’s past, as Memorial head coach Steve Bado attested to and they played the Jags tough, even if the score suggests the Jags won easy.

– Colts Neck got a big spark from a couple of sophomores, with Alex Ramos finding Scott Halpern for the Cougars’ first goal. Not only are these guys young but they look it. Both are about 5-3 and slender, although Ramos looks like he added some strength since last year. He also got a haircut, so if you’re looking to identify Ramos as short kid with the golden locks, you won’t find him. Ramos later scored a goal of his own and Colts Neck also got solid work from freshman Brandon Tetro, who might be the best freshman in the Shore.

– Holmdel looks like a contender in Group III based on its senior talent, but a pair of sophomores – the only two in the varsity rotation – helped the Hornets knock off Manasquan 4-1 with Dan Metzger (Red Bulls commitment) and Chris Moskal (ACT test) out. Eric Bulvid and Zach Bond both headed in goals in the win, which is significant because one element the coach John Nacarlo wanted to see more of from his team was toughness and there is nothing tougher than sticking your head in a play.

– Wall has a whopping 15 seniors on its varsity roster, but the team’s lone sophomore got things started in a 4-1 win over Wall.

– Although his team lost the game, Asbury Park freshman Roubens Noel-Jeune had a strong debut, scoring a goal and picking up an assist within the first 10 minutes of the Bishops’ 5-4 loss to Manchester. Asbury Park always seems to move a position player to the goal midseason, like last year with Patrick Garius, but if they can score like this, hopefully they get enough out of sophomore Marc Exteland to leave its skill players out in the field.

There is a reason the youthful impact is a story, however: seniors and juniors are the ones who usually win games and we certainly saw that with Brick Memorial, Long Branch, Neptune, Raritan, Manchester and Shore.

I won’t get into every detail, cause it’s too late, but here are seven guys who deserve some love after today.

Kyle Wogan, Brick Mem. – Assisted first goal and scored with 17 seconds left in the second overtime period to help Brick Mem. beat Lakewood. Wogan is the best player on a Mustangs team that is still in rebuilding mode, especially in a loaded a South and if nothing else, he deserves to have a good season for himself. Nice start.

Luis DeSousa, Long Branch – DeSousa hit a 25-yard rocket 50 seconds into LB’s 2-0 win over RBC and chipped another in during the second half. Coach Joe Simon said the quick goal appeared to validate the hard work his team put in and it carried them the rest of the way.

Danny Oquendo, Neptune – Sophomore Bobby Crenshaw is the first name on the Neptune scouting report, but the Fliers have a couple other players who can beat you and Oquendo did that today with two goals in a 3-2 win.

Harold Hester and Shane Scott, Manchester – Shane Scott is one of three seniors on the team and his goal and assists against Asbury showed that the seniors can play a part in a rebuilding situation. Hester, a junior, scored three goals and he appears to be the go-to scoring option for the Hawks. He has good chemistry with sophomore Ali Yildirim, who assisted two of his goals.

Marc Latham and Rob Fortune, Raritan – the Rockets had a rocky preseason, but the season opener could not have gone any better thanks to its two senior attackers. With three goals and two assists, Latham matched the monster performance of Southern sophomore Ethan Decker who also had a hat trick and an assist in his teams opener on Thursday. Fortune assisted all three of Latham’s scores and finished his goal off a pass from Latham to open the scoring in the Rockets’ 5-0 win.

– CBA and Freehold Twp. square off on Monday and they are both the only A North teams to open their season this weekend. Freehold Township took care of a quality opponent in Southern, 2-0, while CBA put on a clinic in the midfield as usual, but problems in the back and finishing doomed them in a 3-1 loss to Delbarton. Nick Viallani assisted Brian Smith’s goal for the Colts, and I suggest everyone get used to those names. Chris Thorsheim is the big returning name for them, but Villani and Smith are aggressive players who are going to have a hand in a lot of CBA’s scoring. Should be a good one on Monday.

I would just like to thank Wall and St. Rose for playing at night and even starting late. If I wasn’t there, I might have had to watch Rutgers survive Florida freakin International 19-14. Then again, they’re freakin’ Rutgers.