LITTLE SILVER – The transition after a coaching icon leaves the stage can sometimes get messy
But, with the Long Branch High School football program, the first season under head coach Chad King after the legendary Dan George retired as the Green Wave’s head coach at the end of the 2021 season, went smoothly.
Long Branch concluded the first-season of the post-George era Thursday morning with a hard-fought 35-28 win over Red Bank Regional in the 99th renewal of the holiday rivalry. Long Branch extended its lead in the series to 64-32-3.
“There were some hiccups,” King said. “Not having Dan George, a lot changes. But, I’ve been around coach George (King was an assistant coach to George for 12 seasons and played for George when George was the head coach at Ocean Township). Those values he instilled in me about being accountable, being responsible, being a grinder and winning the day. Those things don’t change. ”
Long Branch (7-4) won six of its last seven games (five of six on the field) after a 1-3 start. It advanced to the NJSIAA Central Group 4 semifinal after it upended then unbeaten and state-ranked Pennsauken in a Central 4 semifinal.
Three of the Green Wave’s defeats were to 13-0 and Group 5 state finalist Toms River North, Central Group 4 champion Mainland (10-2) and Central Group 4 finalist Middletown South (9-2).
“It was an adjustment and learning experience,” King said. “I learned a lot as far as myself goes, the team goes, being a head coach and the things that go into it. “You learn something new every day, but on this job, you literally learn something new every day. It was a great experience. I wouldn’t give it back for anything. ””
“There wasn’t a big adjustment,” said senior wide receiver/defensive back Akeel Gaines, who scored the winning touchdown on a 32-yard run off a reverse with 7:02 left and also scored on a 62-yard reception from junior quarterback Earnest Reevey in the second quarter. “He (King) led all season. He’s a great coach.”
Long Branch relied on big plays.
The Green Wave, with the accuracy of Reevey throwing the ball and their bevy of play-makers that includes Gaines, senior wide receiver Shamar Williams and senior running back Sekou Kamar, are a big-play team.
All of Long Branch’s TDs came on plays of 24 yards or longer.
Williams scored on a 60-yard run and catch in the second quarter from Reevey after he avoided having his knees touch the ground on a slant pattern and raced in for the score. He also scored on a 24-yard reception from Reevey on a post pattern in the third quarter.
Gaines had a 62-yard TD on a deep post from Reevey in the second quarter, in addition his game-winner, and Kamau returned a kickoff 91 yards for a TD with five seconds left in the first half after Red Bank (7-4) had tied the game 14-14 on a Pierce Olsen to Liam Stack 11-yard TD pass with 19 seconds left in the first half.
“We’ve got athletes everywhere, speed, athleticism. We can score from everywhere,” Gaines said.
Long Branch’s big-play ability added up to a big headache for a Red Bank team, that offensively, controlled the line of scrimmage at times and scored on drives of 84, 43, 62 and 62 yards.
“Reevey made some outstanding throws. Gaines made some outstanding catches and 6 and 1 (Williams and Kamau) are matchup problems,” said Shane Fallon, who concluded his second season as Red Bank Regional’s head coach. “We were hoping to keep the ball out of their hands a little bit more.”
Perhaps the biggest play made came right before Gaines’ go-ahead TD when Reevey connected with senior Michael Hall for 43 yards to the Bucs’ 32 on a third-and-18. Hall made a diving catch on the play in front of the Long Branch sideline. Reevey threw a pass that only Hall could reach.
“Our coverage was outstanding,” Fallon said. “The pass was perfect and the catch was unbelievable.”
Reevey has a bright future.
Reevey was the catalyst behind Long Branch’s end of the season surge.
He threw for 1,149 yards and 12 TDs with just one interception over the Green Wave’s final five games after he went 14-for-21 for 296 yards with three TDs Thursday. He had four games of 275 yards or more during that stretch.
“Every day, you want to get better, but to see how Earnest literally got better every day was a testament to him and how hard he’s worked in the offseason,” King said.
The rivalry is still a strong one.
Next season, this rivalry will become the second one in the history of the Shore Conference to be played 100 times. The other one is Lakewood-Toms River South, which has been played 101 times. That rivalry has not been played since 2020 and not on Thanksgiving since 2019.
The two teams play for the Ty Lewis Trophy, named in honor of the late Red Bank player and Howell and Red Bank head coach, who died in 1990 at the age of 41 after a battle with leukemia.
The game and the Ty Lewis Trophy mean a lot to both teams.
“I told the guys: Tradition never get graduates,” King said.
“A lot of our kids know their kids and vice-versa and there’s alumni on both sides who have known each other for 30-40 years,” Fallon said. “It is a good rivalry and we’re both competitive. The rivalry extends itself off the field in a good way. We’re glad to be a part of it.”
The future is bright for both teams
Do not be surprised if next season, when the two meet on Thanksgiving Day at Long Branch, the game has a major say in who wins the Shore Conference Colonial Division championship.
Long Branch graduates Kamau, Williams, Gaines and Hall, but returns Reevey, junior running back Zaheem Brown, sophomore lineman Fernando Flores-Martinez and a sophomore class that King is very high on.
Red Bank, which won seven of its nine games, including the NJSIAA South Group 4 Regional Invitational Tournament championship, graduates Olsen, slotback Lamar Hicks and receiver KyYam Martin, but returns slotback Gunnar Eckerstrom running back Jah’Cire Jones, Stack and two-way lineman Griffin Egan. Eckerstrom had two TDs Thursday and Egan had four sacks.
LONG BRANCH 35, RED BANK 28
Long Branch 0 21 7 7 – 35
Red Bank 7 7 7 7 – 28
FIRST QUARTER
RBR: Gunnar Eckerstrom 4 run (GianCarlo Dautaj kick).
SECOND QUARTER
LB: Shamar Williams 60 pass from Earnest Reevey (Wesley Garcia kick).
LB: Akeel Gaines 62 pass from Reevey (Garcia kick).
RBR: Liam Stack 11 pass from Pierce Olsen (Dautaj kick).
LB: Sekou Kamau 91 kick return (Garcia kick).
THIRD QUARTER
LB: Williams 24 pass from Reevey (Garcia kick).
RBR: Eckerstrom 3 run (Dautaj kick).
FOURTH QUARTER
RBR: Lamar Hicks 5 pass from Olsen (Dautaj kick).
LB: Gaines 32 run (Garcia kick).
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: LB: Akeel Gaines 1-32. Sekou Kamau 6-17, Zaheem Brown 4-13, Earnest Reevey 8-(-16). RBR: Gunnar Eckerstrom 14-64, Jah’Cire Jones 11-58, Lamar Hicks 4-48, Pierce Olsen 11-41.
PASSSING: LB: Reevey 14-21-0-296. RBR: Olsen 13-23-1-120.
RECEIVING: LB: Michael Hall 5-70, Shamar Williams 3-101, Akeel Gaines 3-100, Brown 2-18, Miguel Maldonado 1-7. RBR: Ky’Yam Martin 7-62, Hicks 2-22, Eckerstrom 2-23, Liam Stack 1-11, Jermaine Rose 1-2.
INTERCEPTIONS: LB: Williams.
