Worthy Leads Freehold Boro Into New Year By James Smith

 

The key to producing offense is getting the ball into the hands of your best playmaker and letting them go to work.

Four games into the 2016 season, Freehold Boro cut out the middle man and it proved to be a history-making decision.

Ashante Worthy was one of the most heralded forces in the state of New Jersey by year’s end, but his explosive play was not fully realized until the Colonials coaching staff moved the running back to a full-time quarterback role.

With Worthy stationed under center, defenses were forced to account for his throwing ability, which opened up the running game and transformed him into a true dual threat on offensive side of the ball, not to mention his defensive skill set and an ability to return kicks.

In total, Worthy delivered 41 touchdowns, and was named the Class A North Divisional Player of the Year by Coaches Association, while leading the Colonials to a 6-5 record and a playoff victory.

It was that Central Group IV sectional tournament game against Pennsauken in which Worthy played his way into the history books, when he recorded 10 touchdowns (including two through the air and eight on the ground) and rushed for a single-game state record 465 yards in a 69-56 victory over the Indians.

Despite the success, Worthy is looking ahead to 2017.

“I’m excited and everyone else is just excited to feed off of last season and what we were able to do as a team,” said Worthy, who ran for 2,066 yards and 30 touchdowns as a junior.

With a new season comes new expectations, both for Worthy and his Colonials program, and the signal caller is hoping for a better start to this year.

“We really had a rough start last year, but then things kind of picked up in the middle of the season,” said Worthy, who saw Freehold Boro open with four straight losses to start the 2016 season, before winning six consecutive, a streak that aligned with his move to quarterback.

“We can’t afford to have a slow start or a let down this time around,” Worthy added. “We’re hoping to pick up right where we left off last year. We want to hit the ground running and get off to a good start and carry that momentum through the whole season.”

Worthy credited the family atmosphere that surrounds his Freehold Boro program as a major contributor to his team’s success, and the senior believes it will go a long way for the Colonials this year as well.

“It plays into what we do so much,” Worthy said. “It’s a brotherhood. We’re family. We’re not out there playing for ourselves. You’re playing for the guy next to you. You’re playing for all your friends and family in the stands. There’s a trust between us. My teammates trust me to get the job done and I trust them to do their’s.”

Worthy will enter 2017 with five returners on his offensive line in Qua’Jon Everett, Kenny Tomkovich, Matt Bellatonte, Alex Verardi and Zach Wiles, all of whom are capable of playing both ways.

The quarterback will also have a proven commodity on the outside in junior Matt Krauss, a 6-3 target who hauled 19 catches for 356 yards and a touchdown, and will move into the top receiver slot vacated by the recently graduated Alone Hair.

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