CHRIS KELLY Monmouth Regional’s Andrew Datre gets swarmed upon by the Long Branch defense during their game in Tinton Falls on Saturday.

Depending who you ask, this game could have gone either way. In a battle of scrappy teams, Long Branch High School’s football team came out on top, defeating Monmouth Regional 21-6.

The win improved the Green Wave to a 4-3 slate, and kept their hopes alive for a possible bid to the state tournament.

"This was anyone’s ball game," said Long Branch head coach Dan George. "We were concerned going into this game. This is a much better Monmouth team than [it was] three weeks ago. This was a good ballgame for us. We needed to win, and we got that win.

"I thought Monmouth played with a lot of heart and emotion, something that we didn’t see in our last game. The kids were inspired today. We were playing a team who believed they could have beaten us. They could have, but we came out and played hard," George said.

Both teams tested each other during a scoreless first quarter, forcing a total of three punts and a fumble recovery for both teams.

Long Branch opened up the game’s scoring at the top of the second quarter with Mike Toffel finding Maurice Covin for a 46-yard touchdown pass.

Nine minutes later, Raheim Frye added another touchdown to the visitors’ score, capping off a four-play 73-yard drive with a six-yard run.

The Green Wave was able to pad their lead one last time in the third quarter, this time with Frye darting in from one yard out.

Chris Callano converted one of his two PAT kicks, while Mike Huff converted a two-point PAT play when he caught a short pass from Toffel in the third quarter.

After three scoreless quarters, the Golden Falcons got on the board in the waning minutes of the game. Monmouth strung together a 12-play drive, using its timeouts to travel 61 yards to prevent the shutout.

"Scoring the touchdown was a big confidence booster for us," said Monmouth head coach Bob Merola. "These kids have been working hard all year and believe they can win every game. They deserve a lot of credit for coming out and playing the way they do."

Andrew Datre carried the ball over the goal line for the Falcons, scoring from two yards out. The ensuing PAT kick attempt was block by Long Branch’s Michael Bland.

The Green Wave will host Lacey next Saturday at 2 p.m. Monmouth has a bye this week.

Elsewhere in local action, Red Bank Catholic fell to 3-4 with a 27-6 loss to Point Pleasant Boro. The Caseys will look to bounce back when they host Holmdel on Friday. Game time is 7 p.m.

The Red Bank Regional Bucs gave top-ranked Jackson a tough time in the first half before falling to the Jaguars 42-14. The 4-3 Bucs will take on Lakewood on Saturday. Game time is 2 p.m. in Lakewood.

Shore Regional topped Metuchen 28-7 behind Dan Carhart’s four touchdowns. The 6-2 Blue Devils will host Rumson-Fair Haven on Friday at 7 p.m. The 4-3 Bulldogs are coming off a 13-0 defeat at the hands of Point Beach.