Mayfieldâ€™s Five Touchdowns Help Manalapan Clinch Class A North Title

Senior running back Naim Mayfield rushed for 197 yards on just eight carries including four rushing touchdowns and added a 93-yard kickoff return for a score – all in the first half –

powering Manalapan to a division-clinching 48-7 win over outmatched Freehold Township.

“We play every team like they’re the best team in the state,” said Mayfield about looking ahead to the playoffs. “We come into every game with the same intensity that we have every week and it helps us to not look past teams and play our best.”

The win over the Patriots (7-2, 4-2) handed the Braves their second consecutive Shore Conference Class A North crown and seventh division title in eight years and guaranteed them a No. 1 seed in the Central Jersey Group V bracket in the upcoming state playoffs.

“It’s important,” Manalapan head coach Ed Gurrieri said of the division title. “Every year we set certain goals, and A North is the first one we want. After that, it’s to get to the states, and once we get to the states, we want to win a state championship.”

Manalapan (9-0, 6-0) has been ranked No. 1 in the Shore Conference since the preseason Top 10 was released and they’ll carry a No. 8 state ranking with them into the state playoffs.

“We never look past our opponent,” Gurrieri said. “We weren’t looking past anybody. We just wanted to play as hard as we had to for as long as we had to.”

On Mayfield’s first touch of the game – on the Braves first possession of the game – the Fordham University-bound stud running back broke a 52-yard run up the middle for a touchdown and the rout was on.

“That gave us a lot of momentum,” Mayfield said of his run. “It helped us realize this was going to be just another one of those games where we just had to work on technique and we had to focus on staying healthy and getting into the playoff mode.

“We just figured this was another game we had to get over (before the playoffs) and another game we had to focus on like we focus on every game,” he continued.

“He’s done that all year,” Gurrieri added. “He’s electric every time he touches the ball. He’s what we call a real true home run hitter.”

Following a three-and-out that included a 13-yard sack of Freehold Township quarterback Nick Reardon by junior defensive end Da’Shon Taylor, the Patriots were forced to punt from deep in their own territory.

Three plays after taking over at the Patriots 27-yard line following the punt, senior wide receiver Symir Blacknall ran it in from 10-yards out on a jet sweep around left end for a quick 14-0 lead after senior kicker David Gelb’s extra point kick.

The Braves took over at their own 37-yard line after another Patriots punt and went 63 yards in four plays. Senior quarterback Luke Corcione’s 10-yard pass to junior tight end Alan Presler on slant in the end zone made it 21-0 with just under four minutes still left in the first quarter.

On the drive, Corcione’s 36-yard bubble screen to Blacknall on first down set the Braves up with a first down at the 27-yard line. After a false start penalty, Corcione hit senior wide receiver Scott Scherzer for 20 yards over the middle setting up Presler’s score on the next play. Corcione was a perfect 5-of-5 for 89 yards and a touchdown in less than one half of work.

Mayfield then pushed the score to 28-0 on a 17-yard scamper off left tackle on second-and-2 from the 17 with 34 seconds still left in the first quarter.

On Freehold Township’s ensuing possession, a six-yard sack by senior defensive end Antonio Deieso and a nine-yard sack by Taylor led to another Patriots punt and Mayfield touchdown.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Taylor and the 6-foot-0, 240-pound Deieso continually harassed Reardon into ill-advised decisions and had him running for his life. Taylor and Deieso each recorded two sacks along with countless quarterback pressures and hits.

“They (Freehold Township) had a hard time blocking those two tonight,” Gurrieri said of his two bookend defensive ends. “They’re very athletic, they got high motors and they brought a lot of energy tonight and did a great job.”

On first-and-10 on their own 42 following the punt, Mayfield took it 58 yards to the house for a 34-0 lead after a missed extra point. On the play, he eclipsed 2,000 rushing yards for the season. He now has 2,114 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns for the season.

“He’s a once-in-a-generation type of kid,” Gurrieri said of his star halfback. “We’ve had a lot of great backs come through this program but right now I think he’s got every record that we’ve ever had here. He’s the leading rusher in the state and the best running back in the state.

“You take the offensive line and you add Chris Maksimik at fullback and the tight ends and it’s the whole package.”

The Patriots took over at their own 14 following the kickoff and a pass interference against the Braves on third down gave the Patriots a first down at the 29. They then drove 71 yards in seven plays for their only score of the game with Reardon hitting junior Gavin Ferraro for a six-yard touchdown.

However, Mayfield immediately answered with a captivating 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that swelled the lead to 41-7 with 7:31 remaining in the half.

Mayfield had a hard time fielding the bouncing kick but once he did he was gone.

“I couldn’t really see because of my visor,” Mayfield said. “So I dropped it. When I picked it up I saw a lane, planted my foot and ran up the lane.”

Junior outside linebacker Alex Claro then gave the ball right back to the Braves picking off Reardon at the 25-yard line on second-and-10 and returning it to the Freehold Township 16.

Three plays later Mayfield had his fourth rushing touchdown of the night running it in from seven-yards out for a 48-7 lead. Mayfield added a 21-yard run on the Braves next possession and his night was over.

The second half was mercifully played with a running clock with second and third teamers seeing extensive playing time as the starters sat the entire second half.

“It was a chance for some of the young guys to get in before the half and we continued that throughout the second half,” Gurrieri said of emptying his bench. “It was a chance for them to show us what they got and they all got an opportunity to play tonight.”

Manalapan lost to Piscataway in last year’s NJSIAA Central Jersey Group V final so that has been a point of focus all year for the undefeated Braves.

“We don’t dwell on it,” Gurrieri said of last year’s defeat in the final. “But the guys who are seniors now who played a lot last year as juniors know that feeling when we walked off that field.”