Long Branch cruises to a big victory over Monroe 39-7 blowout sets up state title game for Green Wave BY DOUG McKENZIE Correspondent It didn't take long for the Monroe Falcons to realize they were overmatched on Saturday. Facing Long Branch in the Central Jersey Group III semifinal in Matawan, the Falcons knew they would need to step up their defense to slow down one of the state's most versatile and dynamic offensive attacks. Needless to say, they were not successful, as the Green Wave ran the ball at will en route to a dominating 39-7 rout of the Falcons, earning them a shot at the sectional title on Dec. 2 against topseeded and undefeated Moorestown. Long Branch, who has not played a home game in four years as their field is being renovated, scored early and often in this one, as head coach Dan George's squad converted a pair of early turnovers into touchdowns, with Shawn Brown and Isaiah Hall finding the end zone from two and 12 yards out respectively. Long Branch made it 20-0 on a 53-yard run from Travis Patterson, and added to their lead when Hall found the end zone again (from 25 yards out) to make it 26- 0 in the second quarter. The Wave added another TD from Hall (from 36 yards) and a 43-yard scoring run from Brown to cap their scoring in the third, but the outcome was hardly in doubt at that point. Long Branch's rushing attack was simply too much for the Falcons to handle, as the Wave averaged over 11 yards per play on the ground led by the efforts of Hall (eight carries for 156 yards and three TDs), Patterson (14 carries for 127 yards and one TD) and Brown (six carries for 46 yards and two TDs). Meanwhile, the Long Branch defense was as stingy as ever, and they'll need to be just as tough against Moorestown on Dec. 2. Anyone who didn't think Moorestown was a legitimate No. 1 seed in the loaded CJ III bracket was likely convinced otherwise on Friday, when the Quakers (10- 0) routed Middletown South, 38-7, ending the Eagles' streak of four consecutive sectional titles. Moorestown, who fell to South in last year's CJ Group III final, 38-0, built up a 17-0 lead by the half, and continued to pour it on the second half against an Eagles team that simply could not get on track offensively, and struggled to contain Quaker QB Shane Collier. It was a dominating effort from a Moorestown team that effectively shut down the Middletown South offense, but has also not faced the likes of the offense they'll see from Long Branch. On paper, this match-up will pit a pair of prolific offenses against shutdown defenses. If the Green Wave is to capture its third sectional title, it will need to do something no one else has been able to do this year - beat the Quakers.