Eagles too much for Falcons in state semis
BY DOUG McKENZIE
Staff Writer

CHRIS KELLY staff Monmouth Regional's Tye Coleman tries to find a hole in the Middletown South defense during Friday night's Central Jersey Group III semifinal in Middletown.

The Monmouth Regional football team learned something about Middletown South on Friday that a lot of teams have discovered over the last four years - they are very tough to beat in November.

The three-time defending state champion Eagles were in every bit as good as advertised in routing the Golden Falcons, 55-19, on Friday, bringing an end to Monmouth's storybook run at their first state sectional title.

Monmouth, who beat defending Central Jersey Group III champion Ocean in the first round to earn their shot at Middletown South, were simply over-matched from the start in this one, as the Eagles came out firing on all cylinders, scoring on their first four possessions en route to the lopsided win.

After falling behind 14-0 on a pair of Dave Dosil rushing touchdowns, the Golden Falcons got on the board when senior quarterback Tom D'Ambrisi orchestrated a seven-play, 63-yard drive, highlighted by D'Ambrisi's 45-yard scamper. Monmouth's touchdown came on a two-yard pass from D'Ambrisi to tight end Kyle Fagan.

South then responded with a methodical 21-play, 69-yard drive that resulted in Dosil's third touchdown for a 21-7 lead, then jumped ahead 28-7 on their next possession when sophomore Matt Martinho caught a short Patrick Campbell pass and raced 75 yards to the Monmouth one-yard line, setting up Dosil's fourth TD of the night.

Monmouth kept it relatively close on their next possession when D'Ambrisi hit Kelly Fisher for a 74-yard touchdown pass to get within 28-13, which was the score at the break.

Once the second half started, however, it was all Eagles as they got two more TDs from Dosil (from 20 and two yards out) before Tye Coleman got the Falcons' final score in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run.

South added a couple of fourth-quarter touchdowns before the final whistle sounded, putting an emphatic stamp on what was one of their more dominant state playoff performances.

They may have graduated 19 starters from last year's championship team, but the cupboard was left far from bare. Middletown South will now take on eighth-seeded Moorestown on Dec. 3 in the sectional final at Rutgers Stadium. Moorestown advanced to the final with wins over top-seeded Lawrence, 19-14, and fourth-seeded Hamilton West, 24-14, over the last two weeks.

As for Monmouth, head coach Bobby Acosta's team will take to the field on Thursday against Thanksgiving Day rival Ocean Township, in a rematch of their state playoff opener two weeks ago, won by Monmouth, 32-14.

Game time is 10:30 a.m. in Ocean Township.