BY DOUG McKENZIE
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Above, Monmouth Regional quarterback Tom D'Ambrisi fires a pass downfield during the Golden Falcons' 27-7 win over Central in Tinton Falls on Saturday.Below, Rumson-Fair Haven's Wes Germain finds some running room during the Bulldogs' big win over Raritan in Hazlet on Friday. This weekend, high school football begins its second season - the postseason.

And with the arrival of the postseason, there are five local teams that are hoping to take their play to the next level and launch their pursuit of a state championship.

Ocean Township, Monmouth Regional, Rumson-Fair Haven, Shore Regional and Red Bank Catholic are the five local teams that enter the first round of the playoffs this weekend, and all five will have their work cut out for them.

While Ocean, who followed up their upset of Middletown South with an impressive 44-20 win over Long Branch this past weekend, is still the Central Jersey Group III champion until someone beats them, they have a tough challenge this Saturday when they play host to Monmouth Regional.

The Falcons, who improved to 7-1 with a 27-7 win over Central this weekend, are a dangerous team with an experienced quarterback in Tom D'Ambrisi, who has been waiting for three years to get a shot at a state playoff win.

Both teams have emerged as serious threats in this loaded bracket, so this one should be a battle, with the winner expecting to see Middletown South waiting for them in the second round.

The Eagles, who are hoping to capture their fourth consecutive state title this season, are the second seed in the bracket, with unbeaten Lawrence getting the top seed. Head coach Steve Antonucci's team, who used this past weekend's bye to get healthy, will play host to seventh-seeded Hightstown on Friday night at the Swamp.

Unlike the past three seasons, the Eagles don't necessarily enter this year's postseason as the favorite - a role they obviously handled quite well in the past. Instead, the Eagles are a bit of a mystery to some, having looked like the same old dominating Middletown South team all year, right up until Ocean found a way to beat them (and end their 43-game winning streak) a couple of weeks ago.

That loss has led to some people questioning whether the Eagles can make it four in a row playing in a loaded section. While Lawrence is the prohibitive favorite going in (and rightfully so, given the manner in which they've cruised through their regular season schedule), there are a number of teams in this section who are legitimate threats to capture the title, including the two squads squaring off on Saturday in Ocean Township.

Another dangerous team in this bracket is the Monroe Falcons (8-1), who are enjoying their finest season ever, which has resulted in the program's first playoff appearance. Monroe has beaten some good teams in the Greater Middlesex Conference, and could be a sleeper here if they can get by Hamilton West in the first round.

The Central Jersey Group II bracket is also loaded with some solid teams. While A.L. Johnson and Weequahic are the top two seeds, respectively, the Matawan Huskies make a triumphant return to the postseason as the third seed, and as such, will host Rahway this Saturday night.

The Huskies come into this game having survived a scare against a surprisingly gutsy Freehold Borough team over the weekend. Matawan got the important win when senior Tre Walden caught a 50-yard TD pass from Julian Sonnenfeld with 1:44 left in the game. With the 27-21 win over the Colonials, the Huskies wrapped up the three seed and gave themselves a home game this Saturday.

However, they know they'll need a better effort against a Rahway team that comes into the game at 6-2, and is ranked seventh in the GMC.

For most of the year, the Raritan Rockets looked like they were well on their way to being one of the top seeds in the CJ II bracket. However, following Saturday's loss to Rumson-Fair Haven, head coach Bob Generelli's squad finds itself traveling to Clark this Saturday to take on top-seeded A.L. Johnson in the first round.

While Raritan entered the game against Rumson-Fair Haven assured of a playoff berth, they certainly would have benefited greatly from a win over the Bulldogs. If nothing else, it would have meant a higher seed and possibly a home game. Instead, the Bulldogs got a huge performance from wideout Ryan Kirchner (10 catches, 149 yards and two touchdowns) to beat the Rockets, 15-13, and improve to 7-1 on the year.

Rumson is a team that has kind of sneaked up on people this year. In fact, prior to the win over Raritan, the

Bulldogs weren't even ranked in the Shore's top 10. However, head coach Shane Fallon's team appears to be peaking at the right time, making them a legitimate threat in another tough bracket. RFH, a possible sleeper, is the seventh seed in CJ II and will travel to Weequahic on Friday.

Of all the local teams in state playoff action this weekend, the squad with arguably the toughest first-round matchup is the Shore Regional Blue Devils.

Shore, who suffered a tough 41-0 loss to the fifth-ranked team in the state from Manasquan this past weekend, has another challenge waiting for them this weekend in the first round of the Central Jersey Group I tournament. Head coach Mark Constantino's team will head down to Florence to take on the three-time defending sectional champions on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Not only are the Blue Devils facing an experienced Flashes team on Saturday, they're also facing an angry Flashes team, with Florence coming into the game off a stunning loss this past weekend - their first loss in 43 games.

While the Blue Devils are certainly the underdog here, they are capable of springing the upset. When playing at its best, Shore is a dynamic offensive team, led by

QB Gary Knoeppel, that can beat a good defense with its balance, while defensively, the Blue Devils are well prepared for the state tournament, having played against some of the Shore Conference's better offensive teams all year.

It won't be easy on Saturday in Florence, but anything's possible.

That leaves the Red Bank Catholic Caseys, who every year of late have put together strong regular seasons, only to run into some of the state's best programs in the state tournament.

That appears to be the case once again this year.

The Caseys, who put together an inspiring comeback on Friday night, scoring five second-half touchdowns to beat Neptune, 40-34, will enter the Non-Public Group IV tournament on Saturday. This is arguably the toughest bracket in the state every year, and this year it includes three of the top 20 teams in the state, led by No. 1 St. Peter's Prep and No. 2 Don Bosco Prep (both 8-0).

The bracket also includes 13th-ranked Paramus Catholic and a Seton Hall Prep team that has spent most of the season in the top 20. Seton Hall Prep (8-1) will be RBC's opponent on Saturday.

Head coach Frank Edgerly's Caseys (6-2) showed some fire in overcoming a lackluster first-half performance against Neptune, led by running back Don Porzio, who ran for 217 yards and four TDs in the win. And while the win helped the Caseys avoid playing either St. Peter's Prep or Don Bosco in the first round, getting matched up against the Pirates isn't much of a reward.

RBC will need to play a full four quarters of its best football on Saturday in order to advance in this bracket.

Game time is 1 p.m. in West Orange