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ROMEO THOMAS HELPING COLTS NECK GET BACK TO WINNING WAYS
COLTS NECK – In 2013, the Cougars went 10-2 and advanced to the NJSIAA CJG IV final for the first time in program history before losing to No. 1 seed Brick Township, 26-15.
Following that season, however, the Colts Neck program fell on hard times, going 12-38 from 2014 to 2018.
After posting a 2-8 record in 2017, the Cougars decided to go in a different direction and hired long-time Red Bank Catholic assistant coach Matt Ahearn to orchestrate a rebuild and turn the struggling program around.
“It was an opportunity to step up and do something I hadn’t done and step out of my comfort zone,” said Ahearn, who coached at RBC for 17 years, the last two as the defensive coordinator after serving as the offensive coordinator the previous seven seasons. “I always knew that the community over here wanted a winning program and I thought it was the right time to take a chance on it. The community has been great over here; the school, the administration have all been great and we’re having a good time right now.”
The Cougars improved to 3-7 a year ago in Ahearn’s first year as head coach and although they only won three games, the Cougars showed increasing signs they were heading in the right direction and began to play with enthusiasm and a sense of purpose for the first time in years.
“Definitely,” said senior running back Romeo Thomas when asked if things were different under Ahearn’s leadership. “Practices are a lot more serious and our team is a lot more disciplined and we just execute way better.”
Thomas, a 5-foot-8, 185-pound running back, who missed all of his sophomore season with injuries, had a breakout year for the Cougars out of nowhere, giving them a real threat on offense that legitimized the team’s improvement.
“Not really, no,” said Ahearn when asked if he knew what he had in his future star. “Romeo, who runs a 4.48 40, was a track guy for a long time and was all over the place during the spring and summer competing. So we really didn’t know much about him football wise coming into the season last year, but he just took the reins and ran with it. We had a couple of other guys we were looking at to start but he was the guy that was better than everyone else and he really took over.”
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Even though he was relatively unknown entering his junior season, Thomas was confident in his ability to win the starting job. “I was pretty confident because I knew how I played,” said Thomas. “I knew I had a great freshman year and I just felt like that would translate to my junior year. There was good competition in summer camp and I worked really hard. All the running backs worked hard, but I guess I just won the job.”
It didn’t take long for Ahearn to realize he had a special player in Thomas. In his first varsity game, Thomas rushed for 130 yards on 16 carries and in his first three games combined, Thomas ran for a combined 435 yards and two touchdowns averaging 7.4 yards per attempt.
Thomas went on to rush for 960 yards and eight touchdowns on 137 carries for a 7.0 yards per carry average while missing two games with injuries.
Following the 2018 season, Thomas was a third-team All-Shore selection as well as a first-team All-Division pick.
“That was something I didn’t expect my junior year,” said Thomas of his postseason awards. “But It was my team and my line that helped me get those awards.”
First-team All-Division senior left tackle Tom Lidondici (6-foot-4, 275 pounds) and 6-foot-3, 245-pound senior right tackle Jackson Sparacio were instrumental in Thomas’ success opening tunnel-like holes for him on offensive while anchoring the Cougars defensive line as well.
“They’re really good at opening holes for me and teaching the younger guys on the line what to do,” said Thomas. “They’re great leaders and I credit all my success to them. Without them I wouldn’t have gained the yards and scored the touchdowns that I have.”
Thomas didn’t rest on his laurels, spending countless hours in the weight room last winter in an attempt to get bigger, stronger and faster.
“He was able to learn from last year that he needed to get into the weight room in the offseason and get stronger,” said Ahearn. “And that’s what he did knowing that lifting weights was not only going to help him get stronger but make him more athletic and more durable and that’s what we’ve seen so far this year. It helped him develop upper body strength but it especially helped him in his lower half; he’s got big, strong thighs. His biggest thing is his legs and how he keeps them churning and he’s hard to bring down; he’s like a little bowling ball.”
So far this season, Thomas has led the Cougars to a 6-1 overall record and a 3-1 record in the Freedom Division. Colts Neck’s only loss of the season was a four-point loss to division foe Toms River East (7-0, 6-0) in a game in which the Cougars were driving for the go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter before fumbling at the East 14-yard line and never getting the ball back. Toms River East clinched the Freedom Division with a win over Lakewood last week while the Cougars have two division games remaining on the schedule.
“The kids have a year under their belts under our coaching staff and coaching styles,” said Ahearn about his team turnaround. “And they’re understanding the offense and defense we’re running. The kids came in this year and were really receptive to what was going on and have really bought into the program. All our seniors have done a great job with our leadership.”
Thomas had career-highs in rushing yardage (223 yards) and carries (37) with three touchdowns in the Cougars’ 35-6 win over Toms River South, and ran for four touchdowns and 149 yards on just 10 attempts in their 42-0 shutout of Lakewood. Entering Saturday’s game with Neptune, Thomas has rushed for 828 yards and 14 touchdowns averaging 6.8 yards per carry.
Ahearn feels Thomas has grown into a more complete running back this season, “He’s a down-hill runner but he’s become much more patient this year reading his blocks; he’s not a guy that just goes anymore. He used to just hit a hole and go instead of reading his blocks. Now he’s being patient setting his blocks up and when he sees the hole then he’s really going for it. His patience has been the biggest key for him this season.”
“I realized that a lot of teams keyed on me on the outside last season and I had work on my patience to follow my blocks better,” said Thomas. “It’s turned out way better and I can see the field better if I’m patient in my approach.”
Thomas is not a vocal guy. Instead he’s the quiet type that leads by example.
“Romeo is very quiet,” said Ahearn. “The kids always joke that he doesn’t talk much but he just shows up and plays. He’s a military kid, his father’s in the military, so everything is ‘Yes coach, yes coach.’ He’s never disrespectful, always has a good attitude about what he’s doing and is a leader on the team.
“He’s been a captain for us every game – we do game-day captains and he’s been a captain since the beginning, so he’s a lead-by-example guy. He’ll be in the weight room working hard and on the practice field he’s always putting out 100 percent and obviously on the game field he’s presenting himself as a leader.”
With two divisional games left on the Cougars’ schedule, Thomas’ goal is to qualify for the state playoffs.
“That would be real big,” said Thomas. “None of the kids on the team, seniors, anyone, have made the playoffs and we want to change that. That would be huge.”
The road to the playoffs continues for the Cougars Saturday with an important home game against division rival Neptune (3-3, 3-1) with the game having major playoff implications for both teams.
UPDATE: Colts Neck lost, 21-17, to Neptune on Saturday in a thrilling game that went down to the final seconds. Thomas rushed for 155 yards on 23 carries, including a 54-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. The Cougars will attempt to rebound next Saturday in their final regular-season game of the season against division foe Jackson Liberty (1-6, 1-4) and secure a spot in the playoffs at the same time.
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