High School football summer snapshot: Neptune hopes to recapture past glory
It has been a revolving door when it comes to the head coaching position with the Neptune High School football program.
The program has had eight head coaches in the 22 seasons since the late John Amabile’s legendary 16-season tenure ended after the 2000 season.
Four of those head coaches have come in the last nine seasons.
Michael Seber will be the Scarlet Filers’ third head coach in the last four seasons and fourth in the last five.
Neptune, which won three NJSIAA championships in four-season span from 1995-1998 under Amabile and another sectional title in 2011 under Mark Ciccotelli, has had only two winning seasons and won one playoff game in the last 10 seasons.
The last three seasons have seen Neptune go 2-5, 4-5 and 2-8.
Seber, who had two different stints totaling 11 seasons as an assistant coach at Neptune under five different head coaches and has also been an assistant baseball coach at the school the last eight seasons, knows the challenge he faces.
“It’s getting the kids to believe that we can do it here,’’ said Seber, who played scholastic football at Marlboro High School, played collegiate football at St. Peter’s College and also spent time as an assistant coach at Freehold in 2007-2008 under Ciccotelli and Marlboro under current Mustangs’ head coach Jason Dagato for three seasons from 2018-2020. “My job is to make them believe and that it can be done.’’
Seber said he wants to build a program that will make Neptune kids stay at home, rather than look play at another school.
High school football summer snapshots: 2023 Shore season previews, players to watch
“The state of program is that in three years, we can be a really good team,’’ Seber said.
Seber said the Scarlet Fliers had just 23 players in the program when last season ended. He said there are currently 46 players in the program. He said Neptune will have a junior varsity team.
Attendance at summer workout sessions has been consistent, Seber said.
The Scarlet Fliers will be young. Several sophomores and freshman will be asked to play key roles. Who the quarterback will be is undecided. Senior Carl Christie and freshman Daron Lynch are competing for the job. Seber said Christie was a member of the baseball team.
There are always high expectations within the Neptune community, but there, will obviously, be some growing pains.
“To be successful with a young team, every play, they have to be full go,’’ Seber said. “My motto is going to be: Be enthusiastic every single play and be relentless. If that happens, we can be successful and learn something about life. The freshman class and sophomore class are very talented.''
The schedule is reasonable.
Neptune, a Group 4 school, will play in the Shore Conference Liberty Division with Group 4 Central, Group 3 Monmouth, Group 3 Pinelands, Group 4 Toms River East and Group 4 Toms River South.
Some of those programs have had major past moments of glory, like Neptune, but have also struggled at times in recent seasons.
The nondivisional games against Group 4 Lakewood, which has also struggled in recent seasons, Group 4 Freehold, which is coming off a winless season and rival Group 1 Asbury Park, which has defeated Neptune the last three seasons, is also manageable.
“We can compete with anybody on that schedule, but there isn’t a team on that schedule, that can’t beat us,’’ Seber said.
Shore Conference Liberty Division
NJSIAA South Group 3
2022 RECORD: 2-8
Coach: Michael Seber, 1st season (0-0)
Summer plans
The Scarlet Fliers will host Holmdel, Red Bank and Ewing in a scrimmage on Aug. 16, scrimmage at Manasquan on Aug. 19 and host Keansburg in a scrimmage on Aug. 22.
The final scrimmage will come 11 days before the season-opener at Lakewood.
Neptune High School football: Top performers
Daniel Laughlin, Sr., OL
Laughlin is a two-year starter.
Issac Thomas, Sr. OL/DL
Thomas is a two-year starter.
Maliki Matson, Soph, OL
The 6-foot-2, 270-pound Matson is a returning starter.
Cameron Stukes, Jr., WR/DB
Stukes is a returning starter.
Arron Lawson, Sr., WR/DB
Lawson is a returnee starter.
Jeremiah Montgomery, Soph., WR
Montgomery is a returning starter.
Seber said the offensive line, with three returning starters, is a strength.
Neptune High School football: Program players
Eddie Green, Sr., RB
Green will move to running back from wide receiver.
Koen Johnson, So., DL
Johnson is a returning starter.
Mike Maclennon, So. LB
Maclennon is a returning starter.
Jason Peavy, Jr., RB
Peavy, a 5-foot-10, 205 pounds, will be one of the running backs.
Neptune High School football: Names to know
Carl Christie, Sr., QB
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Christie could be the starting quarterback.
"He's coachable and listening to everything, I'm saying, it's awesome,'' Seber said.
Daron Lynch, Fr., QB
Lynch is competing for the starting quarterback.
"Lynch is gifted. We'll probably end up playing both Christie and Lynch,'' Seber said.
Caleb Brown-Mason, Fr., RB
Brown-Mason is competing for playing time at running back.
Jariya Jean, So., OL
Jean is competing for a starting spot on the offensive line.
Zeke DeMillo, So., WR
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound DeMillo is competing for a starting wide receiver spot.
Neptune High School football: Playoff history (20-15)
19 NJSIAA playoff appearances
Sectional championships: 1995, 1997, 1998, 2011.
Neptune High School football 2023 schedule
Sept. 2: At Lakewood, 1 p.m.
Sept. 8: Pinelands, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 15: Monmouth, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 22: At Toms River South, 6 p.m.
Oct. 6: At Central, 7 p.m.
Oct. 14: Freehold, 1 p.m.
Oct. 20: Toms River East, 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 18: At Asbury Park, 10 a.m.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore football: Neptune High School 2023 season preview
