High school football summer snapshot: Donovan Catholic ready for tough schedule
There may not be a football team in the Shore Conference that has a tougher schedule than Donovan Catholic.
In addition to the Shore Conference American Division gauntlet consisting of defending NJSIAA Group 5 champion Toms River North, 2022 NJSIAA Non-Public B runner-up Red Bank Catholic; 2022 NJSIAA Group 2 runner-up Rumson-Fair Haven; 2022 NJSIAA Central Group 4 runner-up Middletown South and Wall, the Griffins will play Long Branch, one of the favorites in the Shore Conference Colonial Division, always powerful St. Joseph (Montvale) and a always solid St. Augustine team.
Donovan Catholic head coach Dan Curcione formulated the nondivisional portion of the schedule with the NJSIAA Non-Public A playoffs in mind. The Non-Public A playoff bracket is always one of the toughest in the country, with the likes of North Jersey powers Bergen Catholic, Don Bosco Prep, St. Joseph (Montvale) and St. Peter's Prep.
"If we want to be ready for some of these other games (the playoffs), we've got to play other teams,'' Curcione said. "I think, it's imperative, and I've always said this, that we play some of those northern (North Jersey) teams during the year. I see Red Bank Catholic did the same thing. They scheduled Bergen (Bergen Catholic) this year.
"To me, it's going to breed success, as long as we stay healthy through it. My philosophy is that we are not wide-eyed when we hit the playoff. I think last year, when we played Bergen in the second round (a 41-7 defeat in the Non-Public A quarterfinal), we were a bit wide-eyed with the young group we had. The feel in the first half was they didn't feel like we belonged.''
Last season was somewhat of a transition season for the Griffins.
Curcione and his coaching staff were breaking in a new starting quarterback in then junior Todd Lambertson, a new starting running back in then freshman Najee Calhoun, an offensive line that had just one returning starter and a receiving corp that had just one returning starter in standout Michael Thomas III.
High school football summer snapshots: 2023 Shore season previews, players to watch
"I feel like it was a situation where guys were growing while playing the games,'' Curcione said.
The growing pains of last season should result in a more experienced and tested team this season.
"I do think we have a decent team,'' Curcione said.
Shore Conference American Division
NJSIAA Non-Public A
2022 RECORD: 6-4
Summer Plans
The Griffins tough schedule will actually begin during the scrimmage schedule when they scrimmage defending NJSIAA Non-Public B champion DePaul on Aug. 19.
That scrimmage is six days before the opener against St. Augustine. A win in the opener could be a statement the Griffins are back to the level they were in 2019 and 2021, when they went 9-2 and 2020, when they were 7-1 and came within inches of defeating unbeaten Wall in what was the unofficial Shore Conference championship game during that COVID-shortened season.
"I feel like we've gotten better in shorts and T-shirts, when we put the pads on, we'll find out a lot more,'' Curcione said.
Donovan Catholic football: Top performers
Michael Thomas III, Jr., WR
Thomas is a major NCAA Division 1 FBS recruit. He has offers from Rutgers, Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Maryland, Pitt, Syracuse, Boston College, West Virginia, Temple, the University of Connecticut and Charlotte, according to rivals.com.
He had 43 receptions for 544 yards and four touchdowns last season.
"He looks like a different player this year,'' Curcione said. "He's bigger. He's faster. He's stronger. We knew all along that would happen because of his work ethic. He's just a kid that loves football. He does everything a kid that has Division 1 offers has to do to get to the level he'll eventually play at. He gets it.
Najee Calhoun, So., RB
Calhoun made a name for himself as a freshman. He rushed for 944 yards and 13 TDs on 152 carries.
He had 195 yards, including an 83-yard TD run, against Bergen Catholic. He also rushed for 154 yards on 28 carries against Rumson-Fair Haven.
Zaeir Day, Sr., DL/TE/RB
Day lines up at several different positions on offense and will be a key player on defense after he recorded 101 tackles, 12 of which were for a loss last season.
Adam Yevchak, Sr., OL
Yevchak will be a key player on an offensive line that gained valuable experience last season.
Donovan Catholic football: Program players
Sam Rock, Sr. DL/RB
Rock had 69 tackles, five of which were for a loss, and three sacks last season. He was a state wrestling qualifier at heavyweight last season.
Hunter Johnson, Sr., TE/LB
Johnson has been a prominent player since he was a freshman. He had two TDs on five receptions and 85 tackles, six of which were for a loss, and three sacks last season.
J.J. Correa, Sr., LB
Correa had 53 tackles, two of which were for a loss last season.
Emanuel Gerena, So., WR/DB
Gerena was a significant contributor as a freshman. He had 14 receptions for 213 yards and two TDs and 34 tackles.
Louis DiBiase, Jr., OL/DL
DiBiase had 42 tackles, two of which were for a loss last season.
Donovan Catholic football: Names to Know
Todd Lambertson, Sr., QB
Curcione and his coaching staff feel Lambertson will take another step forward after he threw for 1,232 yards and 12 TDs in his first season as a starter.
"I think he's another kid that's coming back with a lot more confidence,'' Curcione said. "He's put in the work in the offseason to develop his arm. He's stronger.
Curcione said sophomore Zach LaBarca, the son of Donovan Catholic offensive coordinator Chip LaBarca Jr., could also see action in certain situations.
"I wouldn't be shocked if he helped us along the way,'' Curcione said.
Ronan Moyers, Sr., RB/LB
Moyers rushed for 161 yards on 13 carries and had 70 tackles, three of which were for a loss last season.
Chris Poskay, Sr. OL
Poskay will be a major part of a mature and experienced offensive line.
Joe Cerwinski, Jr., LB
Cerwinski, had 32 tackles in five games last season for an average of 6.4 a game.
Donovan Catholic football playoff history (4-16)
NJSIAA playoff appearances: 16
NJSIAA championships: 1 (1976)
Donovan Catholic football 2023 schedule
Aug. 25: St. Augustine, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 1: Long Branch, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 15: Toms River North, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 22: At Wall, 7 p.m.
Sept. 30: At St. Joseph (Montvale), 1 p.m.
Oct. 6: Rumson-Fair Haven, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 13: At Red Bank, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 20: At Middletown South, 7 p.m.
Oct. 27: At Red Bank Catholic, 7 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore football: Donovan Catholic 2023 season preview
