BY DOUG McKENZIE
Staff Writer

There's a buzz coming out of Tinton Falls, and it's surrounding the Monmouth Regional football team.

It's widely accepted that the Falcons are a talented team, with gifted athletes scattered on both sides of the ball. But Monmouth Regional has had the athletes before only to fall short of becoming a legitimate postseason threat.

This year, with a new coaching staff headed by Bobby Acosta, the Falcons are looking to take advantage of their talent and depth, and ride it all the way to a possible division championship and postseason berth.

"We have about 22 seniors who have all played together and been successful," said Acosta prior to the season. "The pressure is on to do well with this team."

Thus far, Monmouth Regional has done just that, sprinting out to a 2-0 start, including Saturday's spirited win over Red Bank Catholic - the biggest win for the Monmouth program in years.

Monmouth's win served as a coming out party of sorts, as teams throughout the Shore now have no choice but to take notice - this may indeed be the year the Falcons emerge as a legitimate playoff team.

Often times, when teams take the step up to join the ranks of the Shore Conference's elite teams, there seems to be a play or two along the way that goes beyond execution; the kind of play that, with a little bit of luck (or perhaps destiny) at work, can change the direction of the season.

The Falcons got one such play on Saturday against RBC, and it changed the complexion of the game.

Down 14-13 with 3:46 left in the third quarter, Monmouth was whistled for an illegal substitution, putting them in a fourth-and-16 predicament on the RBC 22-yard line. Acosta decided the field goal attempt was a bit out of reach, and kept his offense on the field, placing his confidence in senior quarterback Tom D'Ambrisi to make a play.

D'Ambrisi did just that, lofting a ball in to the end zone where sophomore Anthony Francilla was tangled up with a pair of Casey defenders. However, in what may turn out to be the play of the season for Monmouth, Francilla managed to reach out and make a brilliant catch while on his back to secure the touchdown, and give Monmouth the lead, 19-13.

It was Francilla's first varsity play - the type of debut players dream about - and it turned out to be the deciding score, as Monmouth went on to win 20-14.

For D'Ambrisi, it was the kind of win he's been waiting for for four years now, as he's had to endure some trying seasons with the Falcons (1-9 as a freshman, 2-8 as a sophomore and 5-5 last year, as a junior). The veteran signal-caller was the leader Acosta expected him to be on Saturday, tossing three touchdown passes on the day, and leading the Falcons back from a 14-6 deficit late in the first half.

The Falcons' emergence has taken an already competitive Shore Liberty Division and made it quite possibly the toughest division in the Shore. Along with RBC, the Liberty Division also includes a very good Long Branch team, perennial power Wall Township team, and another resurgent squad from Matawan, which also posted a statement win over the weekend, beating Wall, 34-24.

The schedule won't be doing Monmouth Regional any favors this fall, as the Falcons will certainly be tested the rest of the way.

"Any team, in any game can step up in our league," said Acosta. "We can't look past anyone, we have to look at each game as a championship game. We have to bring our A game every week."

Tomorrow afternoon, the Falcons will host a Wall team looking to play its way back into the division race. Then, following a game at Manchester on Sept. 30, Monmouth will host Long Branch in a game that may go a long way towards deciding the division title.

While it may indeed be a little early to start talking about the Falcons, and division titles and playoff berths, there is a sense that this is the year Monmouth sees its potential finally translate into victory on the field.

If Saturday's win over RBC is a precursor of things to come (and Francilla's miracle catch certainly adds credence to that notion), the Falcons will have plenty more to celebrate this fall.

The Monmouth Regional program has been through a lot over the last few years, and is long overdue for some good fortune.

It's beginning to look like their time has come.

Bulldogs, Blue Devils post wins

Over the years, Rumson-Fair Haven and Keyport have staged some classic gridiron battles.

Saturday's latest clash between the two Patriot Division teams did not follow suit.

The Bulldogs cruised to a 32-0 win on their home field on Saturday, as quarterback Matt Wessell threw for four touchdowns, including three to Ryan Kirchner.

RFH jumped out to a 6-0 in the first quarter on a 68-yard TD from Wessell to Brian Sharkey, before the Rumson defense began to assert itself, with two interceptions late in the first half. Following a pair of TD passes to Kirchner (from 34 and nine yards), Wes Germain broke free for a 43-yard scoring run, giving Rumson the insurmountable 26-0 lead at the break.

Now 2-0 on the young season, the Bulldogs hope to keep it going against a good Keansburg team tomorrow in Keansburg. The Titans are 2-0, coming off their 13-7 win over Point Boro last weekend.

Game time is 2 p.m.

The Shore Blue Devils evened their record at 1-1 on Saturday, surviving a strong comeback effort from Asbury Park to emerge victorious, 14-8. Shore senior Ryan Dwyer (15 carries, 138 yards) got the Blue Devils on the board with a 64-yard scoring run on the first play from scrimmage, before Dwyer scored for a second time (from four yards out) just before the end of the fourth quarter.

Asbury Park got within eight early in the fourth quarter, before the Shore defense stiffened late to protect the lead, and give the Blue Devils their first victory of the season. Next up for Shore is Mater Dei, tonight at 6:30 p.m. in West Long Branch.

Defending CJ Group III champion Ocean Township suffered its first loss of the year at the hands of Toms River East, 21-7, on Saturday, as the Raiders avenged their loss to the Spartans in last year's contest.

The third-ranked Raiders jumped ahead in the first quarter before Ocean responded with a three-yard touchdown run from Alex Levy to tie the game at 7-7. However, TRE regained the lead on their next possession and never looked back, as the Spartans, who moved the ball well all night, struggled to get points on the board once in the red zone.

Ocean will look to get back on the winning track later today when they host a Freehold Borough team looking to build on its win over Lakewood last weekend. Game time is 7 p.m.

Long Branch, coming off its bye week, will look to recapture the momentum it gained with its opening night upset of Brick Memorial when the Green Wave travels to Lacey tomorrow for a 2 p.m. kick-off.

Red Bank Regional will host Matawan tomorrow at 2 p.m., as the Bucs look to get their first win under head coach Jeff Mauro.