FOOTBALL

Middletown South football coach Steve Antonucci gets career win No. 200

Steven Falk
Asbury Park Press

MIDDLETOWN -  There are many reasons why Steve Antonucci still loves coaching football. 

One of the major reasons occurs when the Middletown High School South football team runs onto the field at "The Swamp.'' 

"The Swamp is a great place,'' Antonucci, who is in his 24th season as Middletown South's head coach, said. "It's not The Swamp anymore (because of turf replacing the grass and mud over a decade ago), but I tell people all the time one of the great traditions we have is when we run down that hill and Hells Bells is playing. 

"I'm 51 and I get goose bumps when we do that (enter the field) every Friday night. It brings you back. There's something magical about it. It's what makes it (coaching) fun.''

Middletown South head coach Steve Antonucci celebrates his 200th career win during the Jackson Memorial vs. Middletown High School South game at Middletown High School South in Middletown, NJ Friday, September 17, 2021.

Antonucci added another memorable coaching night when the Eagles recorded a dominating 27-0 win over Jackson Memorial in a Shore Conference Colonial Division game, giving Antonucci career win No. 200. 

"There's been a lot of sacrifice, a lot of hard work, a lot of good times, bad times, ups and downs'' Antonucci said. 

There have been mostly ups during Antonucci's tenure. 

'Everybody said I was a baseball guy'

The Eagles have gone 200-59 under Antonucci with six NJSIAA sectional championship and five unbeaten seasons, including a Shore Conference-record 43-game winning streak from the beginning of the 2003 season through the first seven games of the 2006 season. 

Four of the sectional championships Middletown South has won under Antonucci came from 2003-2006. 

Middletown South head coach Steve Antonucci is photoed with his team after the Eagles' 27-0 win over Jackson Memorial Friday night gave him career win No. 200.

"It's (reaching 200 wins) quite an accomplishment in today's world of high school football,'' Antonucci said. "To be in a place for 24 years and get to a milestone like this is not something you see very often. It's the consistency and longevity. It says a lot about what we've been able to do.''

Related:Shore Conference football scores, highlights, Week 3

When he became Middletown South's fifth head coach, Antonucci, who was a scholastic football and baseball standout at Keyport in the late 1980's, had already carved out a successful career as the Eagles' head baseball coach. 

But, Antonucci said there were skeptics when he first became the school's head football coach. 

"When I got this job, everybody said I was a baseball guy,'' Antonucci said. "There were a lot of people that probably weren't too happy about it. That was a chip on my shoulder and something to put in my back pocket and just keep fighting. It was a challenge that I relished.'' 

"To be here for 24 years and be at a milestone like this, if you had told me that (24 years ago), I'd have probably said, 'you are out of your mind.' '' 

Many great players have worn Middletown South's dark blue and white uniform during Antonucci's tenure. 

The Knowshon Moreno era

But, the one player, Antonucci will always be associated with is standout running back Knowshon Moreno. 

Related:Former NFL star Knowshon Moreno says Steve Antonucci a 'father figure' as Antonucci goes for win 200

Moreno, who played for Middletown South from 2002-2005, had one of the great careers in the history of New Jersey scholastic football. He rushed for 6,268 yards, scored 128 touchdowns and 728 points. 

Moreno went on to have an outstanding two-year career at the University of Georgia in 2007 and 2008 and was a first round draft choice of the Denver Broncos in 2009. 

He played five seasons with the Broncos, including the 2013 season when Denver advanced to the Super Bowl against Seattle at MetLife Stadium. Moreno concluded his NFL career in 2014 with the Miami Dolphins. 

"He's one of the humblest, friendliest people you will ever meet. He brings a smile to my face when I hear the name,'' Antonucci, who is close to Moreno to this day, said. "I love him like he's my own son. He's everything you would want anybody to be.''

Middletown South's program was good before Moreno and has been good after Moreno. 

The season after Moreno graduated, the Eagles won their fourth consecutive sectional championships. They put together another unbeaten season in 2015, with a team led by running back Cole Rogers, linebacker Dylan Rogers, linebacker/running back James McCarthy and quarterback/placekicker Matt Mosquera. 

Head coaches Rich Mosca, Keith Comeforo, John Andl and Bob Generelli all had successful tenures at Middletown South, but the program has perhaps even gone to another level under Antonucci. 

"I wanted to make this program even better than it was,'' Antonucci said. "Those guys (Mosca, Comeforo, Andl and Generelli) all did a tremendous job and I wanted to take it to another level. Hopefully, we've been able to do that.''

Friday night's win was like so many Eagles' wins under all its head coaches. 

4 picks against Jackson Memorial 

They were suffocating on defense. Middletown South came up with four interceptions, including one junior Brandon Rahill returned 52 yards for the game's final touchdown with 4:55 remaining. 

Middletown South (3-0, 2-0) held Jackson Memorial (0-3, 0-2) to five first downs and 91 yards of offense. 

The Eagles were also effective on the ground as senior running back Dan Primiano ran for 181 yards with TD runs of 33 and 31 yards in the first half. 

Primiano's first TD was set up when the Eagles' Matt Yeserski recovered an onsides kick following quarterback Tom Schork's 13-yard TD pass Anthony Brasco. Brasco scored the TD off a deflection from teammate Jack Latore. 

"Middletown South football is something unlike anything else,'' Primiano said. "It's a tradition that goes back for years. I get the chills every time I run down that hill. Hearing Hells Bells is something you won't get anywhere else.'' 

Middletown South 27, Jackson Memorial 0

Jackson Memorial 0 0 0 0 - 0

Middletown South 7 14 0 6 - 27

First Quarter

Brasco 13 pass from Schork (Czwaikiel kick).

Second Quarter

Primiano 33 run (Czwaikiel kick). 

Primiano 31 run (Czwaikiel kick). 

Fourth Quarter

Rahill 52 interception return (kick failed). 

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: JM: Aiden Sweeney 7-35, Tai Mann 12-7, Albert D'Alessandro 1-7, Angel Nicosia 1-0. MS: Dan Primiano 20-181, Kyle Smith 1-59, Donovan Summey 9-11, Tom Schork 4-8, Beau Servidio 1-4, Shawn Goode 1-1.  

PASSING: JM: Mann 3-14-4-42. MS: Schork 5-12-0-46. 

RECEIVING: JM: Robert Paneque 1-19, D'Alessandro 1-17, Justin Hirch 1-6. MS: Brasco 2-13, Matt Yeserski 1-18, Ryan St. Clair 1-9, Austin Ruziecki 1-6. 

INTERCEPTIONS: MS: Matt Grab, Schork, Logan Colleran, Brandon Rahill.