Jonath Glenn returned to action Friday night to help the Jackson Memorial football team record a playoff win over Central Regional.
BAYVILLE - Jackson Memorial had a point to prove Friday night in its NJSIAA Central Group 4 quarterfinal against Central Regional at Joseph J. Boyd Memorial Field.
"We came in here thinking it was personal. We came here with a chip on our shoulder,'' Jaguars' senior wide receiver/"Wildcat'' quarterback/defensive back Eric Zebrowski said after Jackson Memorial's emphatic 46-13 romp.
Jackson Memorial was 4-5 and the No. 6 seed in Central 4 entering the game. It went 0-5 in Shore Conference Class A South against a schedule that included unbeaten Toms River North, Point Pleasant Borough and Brick Memorial. Those are the No. 1, 3 and 6 ranked teams in the Asbury Park Press Super 25. Toms River North is the No. 3 ranked team in the New Jersey Super 25.
"We most definitely had one of the hardest schedules in the Shore Conference,'' said Zebrowski, who had TD runs of 34 and 35 yards out of the "Wildcat'' in the first quarter, had a 68-yard TD reception off a bubble screen from senior quarterback Dennis Caswell in the second quarter and also forced a fumble. "We just had to let all our anger out.''
"It's been a frustrating season at times,'' Jackson Memorial coach Vinnie Mistretta said. "As a staff (coaching staff), we know what we have in the tank. Now, listen A South, I think is 100 percent the best division in the Shore and one of the best top to bottom divisions in the state. Somebody's got to be on the bottom. We did not play well enough to compete in A South this year.
Mistretta said he was curious to see whether the schedule his team faced would help them against an 8-1 Central team that in Class B South did not have compete against the likes of Toms River North, Point Borough or Brick Memorial.
"Even though they (Central) had a lot of success, how was that going to match up against the A South schedule, we faced,'' Mistretta said. "We believed we would have success in the playoffs because of the teams we saw.''
The return of Jonah Glenn
The Jaguars also played most of the last six games of the season without standout junior running back Jonah Glenn due to a hamstring injury.
Glenn, who did not play the last two weeks, had missed three games and had just 27 carries since Sept. 13, raced for 161 yards on eight carries with TD runs of 6 and 84 yards.
"I definitely wanted to come back for the playoffs,'' said Glenn, who indicated the hamstring is about 90 percent healed.
When healthy, Glenn gives the Jaguars one of the most dynamic playmakers in the Shore.
An example came on the first play of the game, when Glenn took a play to the left, saw nothing there and then zig-zagged across the field for a 15-yard run. Four plays later, Zebrowski scored his first TD on the 34-yard run.
"He's (Glenn) so special,'' Mistretta said. "You saw on the first drive where he just makes something out of nothing. Then, when you really block well for him, that's when the big ones come.''
Mistretta said he and his assistant coaches made the decision to shut Glenn down and get him as healthy as possible. Glenn did not play in Jackson Memorial's 35-21 win over Brick on Oct. 18 and its 37-0 defeat to Brick Memorial on Oct. 25.
He is not playing his safety position in the secondary, Mistretta said. "
"Sometimes, that hamstring doesn't go away and you've just got to rest it,'' Mistretta said. Now, he's feeling good. He's damn near close to 100 (percent), if not 100.''
"I wanted to have a real break out season this year. I put in a lot of work in the offseason just to get hurt,'' Glenn said.
But, with Glenn back in the fold, Jackson Memorial, like it has shown at times in the past when it entered the playoffs as a low seed, is capable of making a run.
"We want to play physical and hard,'' Glenn said.
Zebrowski as a "Wildcat'' gives the Jaguars a new dimension.
Zebrowski, who may be Jackson Memorial's most athletic player, gives oppposing defenses something more to think about if they want to put all their resources into trying to stop Glenn.
It is a move that is similar to what Jackson Memorial did in 2015, when it moved receiver Kyle Johnson to "Wildcat'' QB in the playoffs to complement standout running back Mike Gawlik. Jackson Memorial went on to win the Central Group 4 championship after it was seeded seventh entering the playoffs.
"It (having Zebrowski as a "Wildcat'' QB) definitely opens up a lot,'' Glenn said. "If they focus on me, we can give it to him, and if they focus on him, they can give it to me.''
"We love the read game (the read option series),'' Mistretta said. "It adds another dynamic to our offense,'' Mistretta said. "We're going to need everything we can.''
Zebrowski, who ran for 86 yards on four carries and had 154 yards of total offense, said the "Wildcat'' package makes the Jaguars a "lot better team''
"I love it,'' Zebrowski said. "We've had our difficulties with our passing and our reads. Anything, where I have the ball in my hands, is just great.''
The defense got into the act
Central moved the ball throughout the game and ran 28 more plays than the Jaguars.
However, the Jaguars were able to come up with the stops when they needed to. They also came up two fumble recoveries and two interceptions in the first half.
A 59-yard return of a fumble by junior defensive back Nick Dos Santos set up Glenn's 6-yard TD run. Junior linebacker Gio Kabri had a 37-yard interception return for a TD that made it 26-7.
Up next
Jackson Memorial (5-5) will play at Brick Memorial (8-2) next Friday at 6 p.m. in a Central 4 semifinal.
"We've got a whole different attitude now,'' Glenn said.
Central (8-2) has concluded its season, unless it schedules an NJSIAA Regional Crossover game.
C: C.J. Yates 38 pass from Joe Vezzosi (Michael Nieves kick).
JM: Zebrowski 68 pass from Dennis Caswell (kick failed).
Rushing: JM: Jonah Glenn 8-161, Eric Zebrowski 4-86, Jio Kabri 8-23, Farrin Blake 3-3. C: Nick Ruggiero 28-147, Joe Vezzosi 11-32, Zy'Shun Carroll 3-7, Jacob Halpin 1-2. Austin Jarvis 1-0,
Passing: JM: Dennis Caswell 4-9-0-107. C: Vezzosi 9-16-2-116.
Receiving: JM: Glenn 2-19, Zebrowski 1-68, Jordan Jones 1-20. C: C.J. Yates 4-85, Sean Tunney 2-26, Royalty Riley 3-5.