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High School football summer snapshot: 'No work, no reward' is lifting this Shore team

sarah bloom
·4 min read

It isn’t fun to lose. And for Manchester’s program, the majority of the starting team returns and is hungry for wins after getting a taste of what it feels like during a 2-0 start a year ago.

“We have the same staff, same offense and same defense. So this year we’re preaching consistency. A big thing for us was the weight room. We had a lot of kids get a lot stronger,” said coach Tommy Farrell.

Size and strength can win the day “because we’re a smashmouth football team,” Farrell said. “Winning up front is huge for us.”

Manchester after the fast start in 2022 dropped seven straight games and finished 3-7.

High school football summer snapshots: 2023 Shore season previews, players to watch

Now it’s time to stack wins, not losses, Farrell said.

The talent on paper is there, with nine returning starters.

“It is my job, as a head coach, to get this talent to now execute. I am going to judge myself on wins and losses, and right now I am a losing coach at 3-7,” the second-year coach said. “All of this means nothing if we don't win ball games.”

Shore Conference Patriot Division

  • NJSIAA South Group 3

  • 2022 RECORD: 3-7, 1-4

  • COACH: Tommy Farrell, 2nd season (3-7 career record)

Summer plans

Before Manchester put on any pads for the start of official practices this week, players had been doing burpees and pushups in Marines-like workouts, every morning, 7:05 a.m. sharp, since mid-June.

In the center of the workout circle was a shovel, stuck in the ground, standing upright.

No, not digging anyone’s grave. The shovel itself stands for D.I.G. – Discipline. Intellect. Grit.

“We really just want to win. We love all of these buzzwords and this culture but not more than we love wins. It is time Manchester wins,” Farrell said. “We have the pieces to do it, now it is just time to execute.”

Manchester High School NJ football: Top recruit

Josh Love, Sr., RB/FS

Love and Gavin Herr, who will be a three-year starter at right guard, are projected as Division II/III candidates.

Josh is a run threat that comes at you big in front with speed down the backside.

“Josh is a versatile and one-of-a-kind playmaker. His shiftiness and speed makes him one of the better running backs in the Shore Conference,” Farrell said.

Ready to do big things this season, Josh said he expects Manchester to have a winning campaign.

“Each player is special. We’re different. They are the reason why I show up,” Love said about his teammates. “Last year was new. But now, everyone has bought in. Because no work, no reward.”

Manchester High School NJ football: Program Players

Aidan Lunn, Jr., QB/FS

The junior says the team is starting to put the pieces together. Lunn as a sophomore threw for 992 yards and eight touchdowns and ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns.

“Aidan Lunn is a natural-born leader. He does everything right on and off the field that you would want in a quarterback. He’s also not afraid to run the football and lower his shoulders which speaks to his level as a fierce competitor,” Farrell said of his QB1.

“Last year was a growing year. I think this is going to be our year,” he said. “We can’t start 2-0 to start and lose seven in a row. We’re back to 0-0. Now we train and work hard for this season.

“We’ll run the football and go into the pass game. We’re a hard, scrappy football team.”

Dillon Colon, Sr., DT/C

A team captain, Colon is making the switch from tight end to center on the line in his senior year – meaning new responsibilities to learn.

“I have worked on pass-setting and run-blocking. But now I am at center, knowing the most important kid behind me…I have to protect (the quarterback,” he said.

Manny Swain, Sr., DE

6-2, 200 pounds, a three-year starter.

Manchester High School NJ football: Names to know

Dante Mortellite, Jr., RB/MLB

Dante had a domineering junior campaign defensively, leading the team in three sacks and 66 total tackles.

Kurtis Mayer, So., TE/DE

After a freshman campaign where he made a pair of sacks, Kurtis returns as a 6-2 sophomore and a threat down low.

Manchester High School NJ football: Playoff history (0-2)

  • 2 appearances (2004, 10)

Manchester High School NJ football 2023 schedule

  • Aug. 25: North Plainfield, 6 p.m.

  • Aug. 31: At Barnegat, 6:30 p.m.

  • Sept. 8: Point Pleasant Beach, 6 p.m.

  • Sept. 15: Keansburg, 6 p.m.

  • Sept. 23: At Keyport, noon

  • Sept. 29: At Shore Regional, 7 p.m.

  • Oct. 6: Jackson Liberty, 6 p.m.

  • Oct. 13: Asbury Park, 6 p.m.

  • Oct. 21: At Lakewood, 1 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore football: Manchester High School NJ 2023 season preview