BRICK – The Brick Township High School football team honored its fans.
Let’s go back to early December of 2013. The site was The College of New Jersey in Ewing Township. The game was the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Central Jersey Group IV final between the top-seeded Green Dragons and the third-seeded Colts Neck Cougars. Brick prevailed 26-15.
Soon after the victory, the Green Dragons celebrated at midfield, turned to their fans and hoisted their helmets. Their nearly 4,000 followers unleashed a standing ovation followed by a deafening roar that could be heard from the Mercer County campus to Brick Township. Brick coach Rob Dahl clutched the championship plaque and shouted, “This one’s for you guys.”
Brick battled the Cougars in 38-degree temperatures and rainy conditions. Hence Dahl’s idea to salute the fans.
“I was so overwhelmed to see those bleachers filled,” he said. “It was the least we could do as a team to thank our loyal fans who all stayed to the end in frigid conditions. One board of education member, a longtime Brick football follower, said he thought it was the most fans he had ever seen at a Brick game.”
The Green Dragons staged a 10-year anniversary celebration of their success with several activities, one of which was a gathering at the home of team member Logan Schmitz, his wife, Helen; 1 1/2 year-old daughter, Rosemary, and dog Charley, a five-year-old, 70-pound goldendoodle.
“I put this experience, the title, over everything that has happened to me other than having a child,” said Schmitz, a team captain, left offensive tackle and right defensive tackle. “We would not have been able to do this without the dedication of everyone on the team. Everyone played with their heart. Everyone counted us out. Nobody had us on their radar. This shows that as long as you put your heart into something you can get something done.
“That salute was a big thing. We had a tightly knit group and we felt the support of our fans. They brought us to practices and made sure we ate the proper food. Our student cheering section showed out and believed in us as much as we believed in ourselves.”
Brick’s buses arrived at The College of New Jersey and were greeted by support from fans.
“We pulled up and it was a sea of green and white,” Schmitz said. “Our fans were tailgating in the parking lot. They saw our buses, flocked to us, lined up and screamed for us. We made an interception in the second quarter and the crowd erupted. I felt it and felt it. I looked up in the stands and saw people wearing green and white helmets. More people saw us play than go to The College of New Jersey games.”
Jim Barber, then Brick’s athletic trainer, attended the reunion. He had taped Schmitz’s high left ankle sprain, enabling Schmitz to play.
“He taped me over and under the shoe and I didn’t feel a thing,” Schmitz said. “He treated me two days before the game. He used three rolls of tape.”
“We had many injuries to overcome,” Dahl said. “Some of those injuries were season-ending injuries. We went with the next man up philosophy.”
The green team also came out to a current game. Wearing championship rings, varsity title jackets and other forms of green, the Green Dragons walked the current team to Keller Memorial Field for its game against Freehold Township, a 27-26 winner. Current Brick coach Lenny Zdanowicz invited the champions to spend the game on his club’s sideline.
The Green Dragons were honored at halftime. Then there was a postgame gathering at Beacon 70 in Brick where management blocked off the back bar.
The Green Dragons’ 2014 Shore Conference Class A South championship team also was honored. One 2013 player wore a green and white shirt that said, “Comfort is the enemy of achievement. Embrace the grind.”
“A total of 40 persons turned out,” Dahl said. “We will talk about this celebration forever. It was a tremendous turnout and so many people said they could not believe how many persons turned out. Ray (Fattaruso, a key player) drove straight through from North Carolina and had to fly back there Saturday morning (the celebration took place Friday, Oct. 6). Tim Cardoso (a senior running back-linebacker) came in from Pennsylvania. It just shows you how important it was to those guys. The main reason for the celebration was to get as many members of the team together as we hit the 10-year mark.”
“Oh man,” Brick senior running back-captain Mike Muratore said. “This is great. I haven’t seen some of these guys in 10 years. This is crazy. This is big for us.”
“This night was about us getting together and celebrating our success,” Dahl said, “but most importantly it was about us catching up with our brothers and hanging and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. I will put out a save the date notice for another get together next summer at my house. There will be a Cornhole tournament, a live band and food.”
Brick (9-3) won its seventh sectional title and its first since 1994. The Green Dragons captured their previous titles under coach Warren Wolf, who retired in December of 2008 as the state’s career wins leader with a 361-122-11 record in 51 seasons as their first on-the-field coach. Wolf died in November of 2019 at 92.
At the age of 86, Wolf delivered an emotional speech to the Green Dragons in their locker room before they headed to the artificial turf field. The speech was the brainchild of Donovan Brown, who played and coached under Wolf, and then-Brick athletics director Rick Handchen. The latter starred in golf for the Green Dragons.
“When he walked in,” Muratore said, “everyone had that stare as we were in the presence of a legend. People were shocked to see coach Wolf. You could hear a pin drop. Everyone was focused. He kept it short and sweet. He said, ‘We are not the biggest. We are not the fastest, but we play hard and hit people and always have more heart. It’s either hit or be hit.’
“Everyone was fired up. It was big. There was motivation and history. We had been irrelevant and that win brought us back. It took us a while to get going and we did not play well at first. Even though coach Wolf was not at the game, we felt his presence. We knew he was there.”
Dahl said Wolf’s speech was effective.
“The team had already heard of coach Wolf as the legend and the man who built Brick football,” he said. “However, once the boys saw we coaches getting deeply emotional and some tears in our eyes and seeing how emotional and real this moment was they started instantly getting fired up and it hit them more and more how special this was and what exactly this meant to our program and our coaches. The boys were attentive and respectful to coach Wolf.
“He said, ‘You boys are well trained and coached. Do your jobs. Be tough and play like the green and white.’ ”
Schmitz noted that he and teammate Drew Scott, a team captain, were lifeguards at Brick Beach II.
“I told coach Brown we would win a state (sectional) title,” Schmitz said. “He shot us down. Everyone picked against us each week. We persevered and won.”
Brick nose tackle-right guard-captain Matthew Ulufanua traveled from Idaho to attend the celebration.
“I started in all 12 games for three years and it was the first game I was ever nervous and had jitters for,” he said. “There was a lot of pressure, so much pressure on us to win that game. We had to get it done. Coach Wolf attended our preseason workouts. The title was a dream that finally came true. It was less about what coach Wolf said when he spoke to us before the game. It was more about his presence among us.”
Ulufanua said he treasures his ring. He led the post game chant, “We are Brick, we are Brick …”
“It’s a reminder of the friends I made,” he said. “If we did not win the game, we would still be friends. The ring represents family. I love all of these guys.”
Wolf’s teams were best known for their punishing ground assaults and drives that devoured much of the clock. How fitting it was that the Green Dragons of Dahl, who played and coached under the legendary Silver Fox, unleashed the winning drive with a rushing attack.
Brick trailed by three points with 11:12 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Green Dragons overcame the Cougars with a 14-play, 76-yard drive that consumed nearly nine minutes. They swung ahead to stay on a 2-yard touchdown burst by junior running back Fattaruso with 2:59 to play. The score set off a decibel-shattering roar from the Green Dragons’ fans. Some were adorned in green and white. And former Brick players from the 1970s dusted off their varsity jackets.
An adult male wore a No. 130 practice jersey. During the 1960s and 1970s, Brick Township High School was nicknamed the University of Brick because the team dressed more than 100 players for games. Brick had just one high school during those days.
Brick junior quarterback Carmen Sclafani, a former Toms River North player who was to compete in baseball at Rutgers University, completed nine of 16 passes for 101 yards, rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns from Brick’s spread set directed by his uncle, offensive coordinator, former North coach and ex-Toms River South standout Chip LaBarca Jr. Sclafani picked off a pass late in the game while playing in the secondary in a prevent defense.
“Carmen had a cannon of an arm,” Dahl said, “but he was built like a linebacker. As a result, he used his explosive running ability to rip off big, long runs. He also had no problem running opposing players over if they stood in his way.”
On the go-ahead drive, Sclafani registered a key first down for the Green Dragons (9-3), running for 11 yards on third and seven. Fattaruso ran four yards on fourth and two from Colts Neck’s 12-yard line to set up his score on third and goal. His score and senior kicker Anthony Starego’s extra-point kick sent Brick in front 19-15. Fattaruso also starred at linebacker. Colts Neck took over on its 20. Fattaruso made a tackle for no gain on second down and sacked the Cougars’ quarterback for a 7-yard loss on third down. A fourth-down pass was incomplete and Brick regained possession of the ball at the Cougars’ 16-yard line with 2:07 to go in the fourth quarter.
Three plays later, Muratore scored on a 2-yard run and Starego kicked the extra point for a 26-15 lead with 1:12 remaining as the Green Dragons’ fans roared their approval.
Brick trailed for much of the game before breaking loose in the fourth quarter. Colts Neck junior quarterback Christian Sanchez gave the Cougars, who won a school single-season record 10 games and lost two, a 7-0 lead with a 48-yard dash on a draw play up the middle with 8:45 left in the first half. Brick replied with an 8-play, 59-yard drive kept alive when Sclafani hit Scott, a senior receiver, for a 14-yard gain on fourth and eight from the Cougars’ 22. Sclafani capped the march with a 5-yard run. The extra-point kick failed and Brick trailed 7-6 at halftime.
The Green Dragons blocked a 26-yard field goal attempt late in the first half. The winners fielded the opening kickoff of the second half and drove 69 yards on 14 plays, eating more than seven minutes to take a 12-7 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Sclafani with 5:18 left. Sclafani kept the drive alive, converting two third downs with his legs and tossing a 19-yard pass to Fattaruso on a wheel route on fourth and six to set up the score.
Colts Neck, playing in its first sectional championship game in program history, went ahead 15-12 with 2:16 left in the third quarter when Sanchez scored on an 8-yard run and tossed the two-point conversion pass to senior tight end Nick Volpe in the back of the end zone. Brick limited senior tailback Anthony Gargiulo, who entered the game with 1,617 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns, to a season-low 47 yards on 12 carries. The Green Dragons forced a three and out on Colts Neck’s next possession after Sanchez’s touchdown run. The stop set up the go-ahead touchdown drive.
“We displayed long staple-like traditional offensive drives in the second half along with mistake free and hard nosed Brick football defense,” Dahl said. “Entering the game, I felt we could win it. I thought our game plan in all three phases – offense, defense and special teams – was perfect, especially our game plan to stop Gargiulo.”
Fattaruso finished the game with 59 yards on 15 carries.
“Ray was an incredible two-way player,” Dahl said. “On defense, he was an intimidating edge rusher who most quarterbacks feared. On offense, he was a bruising, tough running back. He also was a great receiving back with athletic hands.”
Joining Ulufanua and Schmitz on the offensive line were sophomore center Alex Trapasso, senior right tackle Anthony Trapasso and sophomore right guard Tyler Colonno.
“Although some of our juniors were some of our key players at key spots on offense and defense, it was ultimately our senior captains and senior leadership that led us through adversity to get this team constantly re-focused who helped us keep chopping to get that ring,” Dahl said.
“Coach Dahl was there for his team and taught us life’s lessons,” Schmitz said. “It did not matter if you were either the best or the worst player on the team. He cared about you. We followed him to get there. We followed his teachings. He really cared.”
Muratore rushed for 36 yards on four carries. For Brick, running back-wide receiver Ja’Sir Taylor, who was to star for Wake Forest University and now plays defensive back for the Los Angeles Chargers, caught three passes for 36 yards and rushed for five yards on one carry. He was promoted halfway through the season from the freshman team to add speed.
“Ja’Sir was so young,” senior wide receiver-defensive back-captain Alfredo Flores said, “but we knew he was on another level. He was different. He knew he was good. He was very confident, very athletic. He was not afraid of the big moment. Whatever we asked him to do he got it done and that’s why we were at the ultimate level.”
Junior wide receiver-defensive back Ja’Quez Johnson caught two passes for 13 yards. Junior wide receiver Simon Bingelis caught one pass for 20 yards.
Brick made 18 first downs to the Cougars’ 12. It rushed for 200 yards on 46 carries. Colts Neck rushed for 151 yards on 28 attempts. Brick was penalized nine times for 70 yards. Colts Neck was penalized three times for 25 yards. Colts Neck (10-2) entered the contest allowing an average of 11 points per game and set its single-season wins record.
Another Brick captain was senior tight end-linebacker Steve Ferlisi. Dahl said the celebration was the idea of himself, Ulufanua, Scott, Ferlisi, Flores, Muratore and Schmitz. The players were named captains at the annual Bernie Cooke Father-Son Dinner and chosen by their teammates.
“We came in early for two-a-days (practice sessions),” Flores said. “We did not want to be there, but we knew we had to be there to reach our ultimate goal. It was a great 12 hours with a great group of guys. We became family due to all of the time we put in.”
“Our slogan, ‘Let’s go to work,’ always broke practice huddles,” Dahl said. “We broke down the team with, ‘Hard work.’ This was a very hard working group. We only had one late bus back then because of budget cuts. In the offseason, the boys would never make that bus because I would have them at practice until 4 or 4:30 p.m. every day and nobody complained. They had a crazy offseason that nobody heard about.”
Dahl said he enjoyed coaching the Green Dragons.
“They were a pleasure to coach because they were such well-rounded young men,” he said. “They had a great work ethic. They were respectful. They were high character young men and they truly loved and played for one another. To this day, what I will remember the most about this team was its willingness to do whatever it took. More importantly and very humbling was they truly trusted my plan to get it done. The trust they had in me as the head coach is really hard to put into words.”
Brick’s other assistant coaches in 2013 and 2014 were Brian McNamara (defensive coordinator), Paul Zambito (inside linebackers), Kevin Stockhoff (quarterbacks), Scott Davis (outside linebackers), Vinny Marra (inside linebackers), George Krauszer (defensive ends), Tim Bray (tight ends), Vin Spadavecchia (running backs), Kurt Weiboldt (kickers), Jason Groschel (freshmen), Don Marino (freshmen), Scott Karos (freshmen) and Scott Lloyd (strength and conditioning).
“Sometimes,” Dahl said, “it is great to have a bunch of coaches who played and coached at the same high school, but I went a different route and hired the best staff in the Shore Conference. It was a mix of coaches from Brick, Toms River, Point Pleasant and other towns. It did not matter where you were from. It was a matter of what can you do to help our boys become better and achieve the ultimate goal.”
It was an emotional season for the Green Dragons. During the summer of 2013, Dahl initially stepped down because of family issues and returned one day later after meeting with Brick’s administration and deciding he could make it work. Dahl coached the Green Dragons to a four-year 27-16 overall record. They tied Barnegat for the 2011 Class B South championship.
Dahl retired in April of 2015.
“I left because of family obligations and to be with my family more,” he said. “And we were moving farther south.”
Starego, who made national headlines with his accomplishments as an athlete with autism, was initially ruled ineligible. However, he was reinstated in a landmark NJSIAA decision that granted the 19-year-old a fifth season of eligibility. The seniors suffered two losing seasons in the previous three years, including 3-7 in 2012.
Brick tied South for second place in eight-team Class A South at 5-2 in 2013. The Green Dragons outscored their opponents 314-237.
The Green Dragons featured some of the conference’s top players. Sclafani ran for 16 touchdowns and one conversion and completed 86 of 146 passes for 705 yards and five touchdowns. Fattaruso scored 14 touchdowns and added one conversion. He rushed for 1,095 yards on 218 carries. Muratore caught 29 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns and scored eight overall touchdowns. Starego converted 23 of 27 extra points and two field goals. Junior James Juliano made 107 tackles and Fattaruso added 78 stops. Muratore made 73 tackles.
Junior Thomas Leech added 71 tackles. Junior Jacob Layton made 59 tackles and registered five sacks. Scott and sophomore Dan Finelli made 53 tackles apiece. Fattaruso added 10 sacks. Johnson picked off three passes.
Superstorm Sandy ravaged the Jersey Shore in October of 2012. Brick was hit hard and the Green Dragons swung into action.
“We cleaned nearly 42 homes for six months after Sandy,” Dahl said. “We have high character kids. We worked in Drum Point, the Mantoloking area, Normandy Beach and Brick Beach. It humbled the boys. People they did not even know cried on their shoulders. Our guys did not mind giving back and serving their community. It was a blue collar team performing blue collar services to help its community. We couldn’t play football for two weeks so that’s what we did
“While the boys were cleaning houses, I looked at the kids and looked up at the sky and said, ‘Hopefully, some good fortune will come these guy’s way.’ I didn’t know that God would bless us with a sectional title. The guys wholeheartedly deserve it due to everything they did in the community.
Dahl said he and Shawn Scott, an avid Brick fan and a former Brick player, came up with the idea of aiding the community.
“The home of coach Wolf and his wife (Peggy) lost power and heat,” Dahl said. “With the aid of a generator, we got their heat going and refilled the gas generator each day.”
Chris Christopher’s article in the Asbury Park Press and the Shore Sports Network contributed to this report.
