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Football
By George Muha | Sep 19, 2009 - 10:52 a.m. EDT
Constant pounding by senior runningback Frank Strumolo and strong defense were the theme in Jefferson’s 20-0 defeat of the Mendham Minutemen. The momentum started with the Falcons when Jefferson elected to receive the opening kickoff and immediately went to work. The Falcon’s mounted a fifteen play drive which was capped by Anthony Vasile’s three-yard touchdown run. The game plan to the endzone on the opening drive was a well executed drive with a heavy dose of Strumolo and Vasile. The highlight of the drive was on the fourth play of the drive when quarterback Colin McCarney faked a punt and passed to a slanting Chris Ondish for a first down. Mendham answered back on the ensuing drive with a 17-yard dash by runningback Johnny Kuhn. But a few plays later quarterback Crimmins fumbled a flubbed snap and recovered it, which cost the Minutemen a 19-yard loss. Jefferson came right back on the next drive when the sure-armed McCarney connected with Davante Maloney on a screen pass in which Maloney bobbed and weaved his way for a 65-yard touchdown run. In the second quarter it seemed it was Mendham’s turn when junior linebacker Anthony Desiderio picked off a McCarney pass at the Jefferson 30-yardline. Crimmins shifty legs got Mendham at the 4-yardline and a first down. A negative gain and a Falcon sack by Mike Palazzolo put the Minutemen in a 3rd and goal situation from the 12-yardline. That’s when Mendham junior Tyler Purdue made a ...Read More |
By George Muha | Aug 31, 2009 - 5:54 a.m. EDT
The 2009 Mendham Minuteman football team can be summed up in one word, strength. Coming off a year where they went 8-2 and lost in the first round of the playoffs, this year’s Minutemen team focused on conditioning in an effort to make it further into the post season. “The players really took the weight room very seriously this year. We actually broke some weight lifting records.” Coach Kirk said of his teams off season preparation. The Minutemen got hit hard by graduating many of last year’s starters. But Kirk feel’s this group is ready to show what they’ve got. “These guys have been basically waiting in the shadows of last year’s seniors for really two years. They have been patiently waiting their turn.” OFFENSE Leading this year’s offense will be quaterback Matt Crimmins. The 6’3”, 180lb senior is an extremely gifted athlete who mostly played wide receiver last season. Crimmins is one of the fastest players on the team and has a very high football IQ. Crimmins is patient enough to wait for his receiver to get open and gutsy enough to run it himself. Running the ball will be a mixture of thunder and lighting with the speedy junior Johnny Kuhn (5’8”, 170lbs) running the ball around the corners and the brawny junior Drayer Van Orden (6’, 230lbs) taking handoffs up the middle. Kuhn is a scat back type of runner but is extremely explosive and squatted over 500lbs this summer. Van Orden is a big back wit ...Read More |
