'Tale of Two Football Seasons' in Brick As Mustangs Head to Playoffs

Oh, what a season it has been.

With monstrous hype surrounding the Brick Memorial and Brick Township football programs preceding 2011, both teams played up to the potentional that many expected of them, although for different reasons.

Brick Memorial (4-5), in an effort to reach the Central Jersey Group IV sectional title for the fourth consecutive year, did just that, qualifying for the seventh seed in their fifth year under head coach Walt Currie.

After missing the playoffs in his first year under the headset, Currie has lead Brick Memorial to three consecutive sectional finals.

The Dragons (5-4), who finally had their guy under the headset, had a remarkable run, coming just plays away from winning the Shore Conference Class 'B' South title under first-year coach Rob Dahl, but came up just short of wins against Barnegat and Middletown South late in the season, just missing out on the Central Jersey Group III playoffs.

The 'Stangs traded wins and loses for the first seven weeks, with their first four losses coming by a total of 11 points, well aware that a few more plays on both sides of the ball could have turned their seeding around towards the top of the bracket.

After an opening-week come-from-behind win, 17-10, over the rival Dragons, Brick fell to Jackson Memorial, 19-14, with junior quarterback Ryan Cieplenski's pass in the back of the endzone being knocked away as time expired.

The following week, the Mustangs' defense stood their ground, winning a defensive battle against Toms River East, 7-3, at home. Brick Memorial made a bid for their first consecutive wins of the 2011 season the week after their win against East, but Cieplenski's missed extra point in the final minute cost the Mustangs, 21-20, against Southern.

Brick Memorial romped Toms River South, 42-0, and later fell to Middletown South, 17-14 in overtime, before a thrilling 27-21 win over Toms River North and back-to-back losses to Manalapan and Howell to end their season.

Their offense was lead by Cieplenski who was 50 of 102, for 958 yards, hurling 7 toucdowns and 7 interceptions. The junior quarterback also ran the ball 100 times for 460 yards and added 8 touchdowns on the ground.

Also featured in the offense, junior tailback Anthony Miller, the dive-back in the veer-based offense. He ran the ball 86 times in the regular season, totaling 404 yards and scored four touchdowns.

Cieplenski missed the Mustangs final regular season game, a 23-7 loss against Howell, due to a slightly fractured knee cap, although he is expected to play in Brick Memorial's first-round game at Manalapan, Friday night.

Senior cornerback Zack Santos anchored a Brick Memorial defense that was rated as one of the best in the Shore Conference Class 'A' South in 2011, recording six interceptions over a four-game stretch. 

After their opening-week loss to Brick Memorial, the Dragons, under Dahl, went 4-1 in their next five games, including wins over Lacey, 17-7, Manchester Township, 41-26, Pinelands, 35-0, and Ocean Township 10-6.

Still, with a chance for a Shore Conference Class 'B' South title on the line, Brick fell just short on the road, falling to Barnegat, 27-21 in overtime. The following week, with their playoff hopes on the line, Dahl's Dragons fell in heart-breaking fashion once again, 17-14 to playoff-bound Middletown South.

Brick Township ended their regular season a high note, traveling to Iselin to beat JFK, 26-13, finishing over .500 for the first time since 2008, when Warren Wolf was in his final year as the Dragons' head coach.

Under Dahl's spread offense, quarterback Brandon Kieslor was the dominant factor. Kieslor was 43-78 passing on the year for 565 yards, tossing two touchdowns and two interceptions, but was much more effective on the ground, carrying the ball 90 times for 370 yards and 5 touchdowns for the Dragons.

Doug Cuccinello also played a lead role, offensivley, for Brick, carrying the ball 109 times for 564 yards and 7 touchdowns, leading the Dragons in that category.

While the Dragons missed out on the playoffs for the fourth straight year, there is hope that Dahl has certainly changed the way Brick football has performed, and the Dragons, soon enough, will indeed be back.

The Mustangs will be looking for revenge. Two weeks ago, the Braves beat Brick Memorial, 23-21, by virtue of a last-second field goal. Now, the 'Stangs have a chance to get back at Manalapan, and advance to the semi-finals of the Central Jersey Group IV sectional playoffs.