Manalapan Braves   

2018 in Review:  

• 6-4 record
• Lost to Sayreville in Central Jersey Group 5 semi-finals
• Beat Hunterdon Central in first round
• Scored 254 points – 25.4 average
• Allowed 182 points – 18.2 average
• Wins Included: Freehold Township, Brick Memorial, Lacey, Central Regional
• Losses: Long Branch, Toms River North, Middletown South    

Departing Seniors:    

• RB/LB Dale Sieczkowski – Monmouth
• LB Tommy Pearce – LIU (moving to 1-AA) 
• TE/DE Alan Presler – LIU (moving up to 1-AA) 
• DE Da-Shon Taylor – Wesley 
• TE/LB Alex Claro – Salve Regina 
• WR Kyle Spilsbury – Salve Regina 
• OL Mike Holowach – Rowan
• K/P Jack DeMatteo – Rowan
• DB Nick Marzo – Rochester    

*The bold print below is a returning starter. This includes one who had playing time and one who started on the other side of the ball only in 2018, with explanation included after their name.    

Offense: 

Formation: Multiple-I
Returning Starters: 8   

Quarterback:  

• Sean Kehley, Senior, 6-1, 193 – returning starter
• Mike Mulea, Senior, 6-1, 200 – Msgr. Farrell transfer (Staten Island)  

Tailback:  

• Nico Santorelli, Senior, 5-11, 190 – returning starter – averaged 10 yards-per-carry, gaining 900 yards 
• Andre Johnson, Senior, 5-8, 170 – will spell Santorelli   

Fullback:  

• Jake Freedman, Senior, 5-9, 200 – will split duties 
• Andrew Gritsiuk, Senior, 5-9, 200 –  will split duties   

Wide Receiver:  

• Justin Reilly, Senior, 6-1, 195 – returning starter
• Anthony Matrone, Junior, 5-8, 180 – returning starter
• Chris Marzo, Junior, 6-0, 170 – third wide receiver      

Tight End:  

• Gavin Claro, Junior, 6-0, 190 – started on defense and is competing at tight end
• Matt Benedetti, Senior, 6-1, 195 – started on defense and competing at tight end 
• Justin Nyers, Junior, 6-0, 190 – competing  

Offensive Line:    

• LT – Mateusz Zielinski, Senior, 6-6, 275 – returning starter
• LG – Charlie Paulucci, Senior, 5-10, 220 – returning starter
• C – Nick Cavallaro, Senior, 6-0, 295 – returning starter
• RG/RT – Matt Kovacs, Senior, 5-11, 240 – returning starter at right guard and could move to right tackle, depending on two players competing below: 
• RG – Mike Maksimik, Junior, 6-0, 260 – competing at right guard
• RT – Victor Berrios, Junior, 6-2, 240 – competing at right tackle  

Defense:  

• Formation: 3-4
• Returning Starters: 6 

End:  

• Gavin Claro, Junior – returning starter  
• Robert Murray, Senior, 6-1, 225 – returning starter   

Nose Guard:  

• Joe Berry, Senior, 5-8, 250 – returning starter    

Outside Linebacker:  

• Matt Benedetti, Senior – returning starter
• Hayden Hess, Senior, 6-0, 180 – started three games  

Inside Linebacker:    

• Charlie Paulucci, Senior – moving from nose guard, where he played in nickel packages
• Jake Freedman, Senior – competing at other inside linebacker 
• Andrew Gritsiuk, Senior – competing at other inside linebacker
• Matt Sadler, Junior, 5-9, 190 – competing at other inside linebacker  

Cornerback: 

• Andre Johnson, Senior – will start at one corner
• Chris Marzo, Junior – battling at other corner 
• Nick DiGiora, Senior, 5-9, 170 – battling at other corner 
• Frantz Paulin, Senior, 6-1, 175 – battling at other corner   

Safety:  

• Justin Reilly, Senior – returning starter
• Anthony Matrone, Junior – returning starter   

Special Teams: 

• Vincent Rea, a junior, will do the kicking and punting
• Return men will be Santorelli, Reilly, Johnson, and junior Jorge Arriaga (5-7, 157)  

Schedule: 

• Friday, 9/6, at Middletown South  
• Friday, 9/13, Howell at home 
• Friday, 9/20, at Toms River North 
• Bye Week 
• Friday, 10/4, Rumson-Fair Haven at home 
• Friday, 10/11, Long Branch at home
• Friday, 10/18, Red Bank Catholic at home 
• Friday, 10/25, at Freehold Township 
• Saturday, 11/2, at Mater Dei   

Concerns:  

• The two most important needs on offense are replacing the fullback and tight end
• Defensively, getting a pass rush to replace Da-Shon Taylor’s production 

Recruiting:   

• Santorelli, Reilly, and Zielinski will go Ivy or Patriot League, each possessing a 4.0 GPA
• Johnson is receiving interest from the Northeast Conference
• Kehley is a 1-AA/D2 candidate, receiving interest from Bryant 
• Kovacs, Paulucci, Berry, Freedman, and Gritsiuk will be NESCAC-type candidates
• Other seniors would be D3 candidates
• Mulea is an interesting candidate who will play somewhere  

• Juniors: 
• Matrone, Marzo, Sadler, Claro, Maksimik, and Berrios are all good football players who will play in college
• There is also a very good sophomore class coming in that was undefeated as freshmen  

Coach’s Comments: 

“The kids have a great attitude. They are not satisfied with losing in the semi-finals, have a chip on their shoulders, and want to go further than they did last year. They are a good group to coach, both on and off the field; there are no absences, nobody shows up late, and they don’t have any excuses. This is also a good group, academically. They’re a fun group to be around.” – Head Coach Eddie Gurrieri