Ryan Jagodzinski, Jackson Memorial hold off Manalapan in overtime football thriller
JACKSON - Jackson Memorial senior defensive back Ryan Jagodzinski had only one thought when a Manalapan ball carrier tried to reach the ball across the goal line for a touchdown in the second part of the first overtime Thursday night at Jack Munley Field.
"My reaction is I saw him on top of the pile and I was like, 'I'm going to get on that. We're not letting him in,' '' Jagodzinski said.
Jagodzinski knocked the ball loose and senior linebacker Ethan Kalinauskas recovered the fumble to give Jackson Memorial a wild 20-13 overtime win.
Kalinauskas said he was coming from the outside as the strong-side linebacker on the first-and-goal play from the 2.
"I was just flying off the edge and saw the ball come loose and just hopped on it,'' Kalinauskas said.
Jagodzinski is the definition of a program player - a player who does not get recognition as others on the team do - but is invaluable to the team.
"Ryan Jags was in my freshman phys ed class, never played a down of football in his life. But everything he did he was so smooth,'' Jackson Memorial coach Vin Mistretta said. "He was a basketball player, but at 5-6 or whatever he is (Jagodzinski is listed as 5-foot-8 on the Jackson Memorial roster), I didn't know what his career in basketball is, I just said, 'Ryan come out and try football.'"
"He was our MVP of the JV team as a sophomore. Got some time last year as a cornerback. Then, he makes a football IQ play of 200, where he sees the ball and punches it out. That's just an unbelievable play by a kid who isn't a football kid at heart.''
What it means
It was the second time in 10 months Jackson Memorial defeated Manalapan in dramatic fashion. Last year, it defeated Manalapan 10-7 in a NJSIAA South Group 4 first-round play on an interception return for a TD by, ironically, Kalinauskas.
“He’s talked a lot of junk about that interception (last year’s TD) to me because I tell him all the time, I beat him down the sideline,'' Mistretta said. "But in all seriousness, he’s just a kid who makes plays.''
The result also enabled Jackson Memorial to win its season-opener.
Manalapan, which had leads of 7-0 in the third quarter, 10-7 in the fourth quarter and sent the game into overtime on a 25-yard field goal by Jake Horowitz with 1:04 remaining in regulation, fell to 1-1.
Key play
In a game that was full of big plays, in the second half after a scoreless first half, Jackson Memorial took a 20-13 lead when junior quarterback Dennis Caswell hit senior wide receiver Frank Castellano with a 30-yard TD pass in the right corner of the end zone on a second-and-15 fade pattern on Jackson Memorial's possession in the first part of the first overtime.
"It was a perfect ball by Dennis,'' Castellano said.
Castellano, who is also a defensive back, had been beaten on a couple of big pass plays by Manalapan in the second half.
"I had to forget about that and refresh my mind,'' Castellano said. "I knew my team needed me. When they called the fade to me, I knew it was my opportunity to make a play.''
"Frank Castellano has made that play about five times in the preseason, so we expect stuff like that,'' Mistretta said.
It was only the third completion of the night for Caswell, who is a transfer from Jackson Liberty.
By the numbers
Jackson Memorial sophomore running back Jonah Glenn rushed for 164 yards with a 13-yard TD run on 20 carries.
Week 1: Shore Conference football schedule, scoreboard, highlights
He had 124 yards on 13 carries in the second half with six runs of 11 yards or longer.
Manalapan junior quarterback Ryan Dougherty, after not completing a pass in the first half, went 8-for-13 for 193 yards in the second half with four completions of 23 yards or longer.
The teams combined to score all the points in the game from 4:56 left in the third quarter to the end of the game.
The two teams combined for six completions of 23 yards or longer in the second half.
Up next
Jackson Memorial will begin its Shore Conference Freedom Division schedule at Lacey (0-2) on Sept. 8.
Manalapan will begin its Shore Conference Colonial Division schedule at home against Long Branch (1-0) on Sept. 8.
Jackson Memorial 20, Manalapan 13, OT
Manalapan (1-1) 0 0 7 6 0 - 13
Jackson Memorial (1-0) 0 0 7 6 7 - 20
Third Quarter
M: Jason Rodriguez 8 run (Jake Horowitz kick).
JM: Jonah Glenn 13 run (Joe Muzzillo kick).
Fourth Quarter
M: Horowitz 22 Field Goal.
JM: Brandon Bigelow 4 run (kick failed).
M: Horowitz 25 Field Goal.
Overtime
JM: Frank Castellano 30 pass from Dennis Caswell (Joe Muzzillo kick).
Individual Stats
Rushing: M: Jason Rodriguez 19-66, Ah'sere Woolfolk 13-50, Ryan Dougherty 5-(-11). JM: Jonah Glenn 20-164, Brandon Bigelo 3-9, Dennis Caswell 3-9, Albert D'Alessandro 1-0.
Passing: M: Dougherty. 8-18-0-193. JM: Caswell 3-7-41, Joe Zundritch 1-1-0-31.
Receiving: M: Joseph Melo 5-95, Anthony Macchio 2-70, Jackson Pfister 1-28. JM: Frank Castellano 2-38, Jaiden Hernandez 1-31, Sean Hubbard 1-3.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore NJ football: Jackson Memorial holds off Manalapan
