Mistakes cost Blue Devils in 20-16 loss to Colts Neck Shore’s dominant offense not enough to take lead in division

Mistakes cost Blue Devils
in 20-16 loss to Colts Neck
Shore’s dominant offense not enough to take
lead in division

CHRIS KELLY Shore Regional’s Ben Grandinetti breaks upfield on a quarterback keeper during the Blue Devils’ game against Colts Neck on Monday.

Despite 260 yards of total offense from the Shore Regional High School football team, Colts Neck was able to steal a game from the Blue Devils on Monday, 20-16.

Both teams knew, entering the contest, that the winner would be put into a three-way tie for first place in the Shore Conference National Division. This was an important early-season battle.

Shore started the game by opening the scoring on their second possession. Joe Toccacelli capped off a four-play drive by muscling his way through the Cougars’ defensive line for a 51-yard run into the end zone.

Even though the Cougars responded on their ensuing trip downfield, which saw the visitors travel 66 yards to score on a five-yard run, Shore regained its lead before the end of the first half when Ben Grandinetti found Jesse Leonard wide open downfield.

With only seconds on the clock, Shore turned the reception into a footrace as Leonard broke loose from his would-be defender, catching a 35-yard touchdown pass.

Despite the momentum Shore enjoyed going into the locker room, the second half became a nightmare for the home team. After forcing the Cougars to punt away their first possession of the third quarter, the blue-and-white found themselves in the same situation.

The only difference is that Colts Neck ran their punt return back for an 81-yard touchdown.

The Cougars would also score the last touchdown of the game, which was a 65-yard run by Chris Stoop.

Shore’s last points came from a safety, which was awarded them after a punt snap traveled out of bounds through the end zone.

Along with the two big scoring plays by the Cougars, the visiting team was inadvertently assisted by Shore, who lost a pair of fumbles and was intercepted once.

Leading Shore’s ground efforts was Toccacelli, who ran 12 times for 98 yards. Grandinetti trailed with 13 carries for 56 yards, while Dan Carhart (16-26) and Vin Santorelli (2-1) contributed.

Shore surpassed their guest in the air as Grandinetti completed five of 11 passes for 83 yards.

His main receiver was Leonard, who caught a pair of passes for 49 yards. Other receivers for Shore were Mike Amodio (2-18) and Carhart (1-16).

Shore now stands 1-1 overall in the National Division and will face 2-0 Point Beach on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

The Gulls have been the surprise of the Shore Conference thus far but will likely face a Shore team bent on redemption after Monday’s disappointing loss.