Hockey The Patriots were busy on the ice this week, playing in three divisional games. Freehold Township, who is in last place in the Shore 'B', went 1-2 in the games, beating Jackson Memorial, 8-2, but losing to Toms River South, 3-2, and St. John Vianney, 2-1. The Colonials struggles continued this week, as they dropped two of the three games they played. After beating Manasquan, 3-1, Freehold Boro lost tight games to Red Bank Regional, 4-2, and Marlboro, 4-3. The Braves earned their second win of the season this week, topping Jackson Liberty, 3-1. Earlier in the week, they dropped a 3-1 …

Hockey After another loss to divisional rival St. John Vianney, 7-4, last Saturday, the Patriots rebounded well, getting their second win of the season in a 5-2 win over Manalapan. They are now 2-6 and are in last place in the Shore B. The Colonials fell even further below .500 this week, falling to Southern Regional in their only game, 5-3. Freehold Boro has a record of 3-5 and faces a difficult divisional road to finish the season. The Braves continued to struggle this week, dropping two more games to add to their current four-game losing streak. Manalapan fell to Manasquan, 4-2 on Saturday…

Hockey The Patriots, playing for the first time in two and a half weeks, dropped their road game to divisional opponent Wall, 5-3, falling to 1-5 on the season. The Colonials, who were also playing for the first time after an extended break, struggled in their 8-1 loss to the high-flying Purple Roses. Freehold Boro is now 3-4 on the season. The Braves lost their second straight game after earning their first win of the season, this time falling to the Shore Conference's only undefeated team, Rumson-Fair Haven, 9-2. Manalapan now sits at 1-8 in Brad Gardner's first season as the head coach. …

Hockey The Colonials downed their only opponent this week, St. John Hammonton, by a score of 5-2, to pull even in their record to 3-3. Marlboro earned their second win of the season -- their biggest so far -- in a 4-3 win over St. Rose, who has spent much of December in first place in the Shore 'D'. They are now 2-5 on the season. Boys Basketball After falling to Middletown North, 76-40, for their first loss of the season, the Patriots rebounded with a 77-52 win over Mater Dei in the first round of the Matawan Huskies Holiday Tournament. They went on to top Raritan Wednesday, 75-55, in the …

Hockey Freehold Township earned their first win this week, topping cross-town rival, Freehold Boro, 3-1, to sit at 1-4 on the season. They don't play again until after 2011 has ended. Subsequently, the Colonials lost their only game of the week, to Freehold Township, 3-1. They have had an up-and-down season so far, now holding a 2-3 record throughout the first month of the season. Brad Gardner got his first win as the Manalapan head hockey coach this week when the Braves topped the first half of a home-and-home with Toms River East, 8-7. They later lost to the Raiders, 8-6, and lost earlier …

Hockey The Patriots dropped two more games this week, falling to Toms River North, 9-1, and were shut out by Middletown North, 3-0. Freehold Township stands at 0-4 in what appears to be a rebuilding year for fourth-year head coach Mike Celano. After their 5-2 loss Saturday night to Point Pleasant Borough, the Colonials rebounded impressively, with a 6-3 win over divisional rival, Manalapan on Tuesday. Through two weeks, they are 2-2. Manalapan's youth continued to struggle this week, as they dropped all three games they played, falling to 0-5 on the season. On Thursday, the Braves fell in a …

Football Finals The Matawan Regional football team capped off an illustrious season that has been filled with high scores by, somewhat fittingly, topping top-seeded Rumson-Fair Haven, 3-0, in the Central Jersey Group II state playoffs at Rutgers University. With five starters suspsended, Huskies' place-kicker Mike Creamer blasted a 32-yard field goal in the first quarter, and it stood tall throughout the game as Matawan's defense propelled them to their fifth state title in their eigth appearance. The Braves were unable to bring their first ever sectional title home, as they fell to …

Thanksgiving Day Football With a number of their starters not playing due to their sectional title game this weekend, and five having been suspended for an activity that happened over the previous weekend, Matawan Regional (8-3) lost its third game of the season, 35-8, at St. John Vianney. Holmdel concluded their struggling season, falling to Raritan, 28-0, at home on Thanksgiving Day. The Hornets won their season opener, 7-0, against Lakewood, but dropped their final nine games, falling to a 1-9 record. Manalapan showed no signs of slowing down as they head to the Central Jersey Group IV …

Cross Country In the popular meet of champions, which was held this past weekend at Holdmel Park, Freehold Township was represented in the boys' region, with sophomore Dylan Tarpey finishing in 14th place, overall, running an average mile of 5:11 and a 16:05 final time. For the girls, Holdmel junior Lennon Cooper finished 42nd overall, running a 6:21 mile on average and totaling a time of 19:42. Playoff Football The Manalapan Braves and Matawan Regional Huskies both advanced to their respective group finals. The Braves, behind a gutsy call from head coach Ed Gurrieri, will be looking for …

Boys Soccer After falling short in the Shore Conference final last week, the Holdmel Hornets boys soccer' team is making their mark once again, this time in the Central Jersey Group II state tournament. The Hornets topped Red Bank Regional, 1-0 in the quarterfinals, and later, took down Delaware Valley, 2-1 in the semi-finals, cementing themselves in the group final, where they will take on top-seeded Governor Livingston on Friday. Freehold Boro advanced to the Central Jersey Group III finals, after a win over Long Branch in penalty kicks last Friday, but they fell to Allentown, 5-1. The …

Boys' Soccer After an improbable run, the sixth-seeded Holmdel Hornets fell, 4-0, to Christian Brothers Academy in the Shore Conference Tournament final Sunday afternoon. The loss lead way to a busy week in the opening round of state tournaments across Monmouth County. Holmdel fired back, toppling 14th-ranked Ewing, 2-1, in the first round of the Central Jersey Group II tournament. They advanced to the second round, where they will take on Red Bank Regional on Friday. Second-seeded Freehold Boro beat (15) Lawrence in their first round game of the Central Jersey Group III state tournament, 2-1…

Soccer As the end of October nears, the Holmdel boys' soccer team certainly decided to hit its peak at the right time. After rallying to upset the third-seeded Rebels in penalty kicks on Tuesday afternoon, the Hornets were right back at it, toppling Lacey, 2-0 through the rain, Thursday night, advancing to the Shore Conference finals, where they will take on Toms River North. After trailing the entire game, the Hornets tied Howell with a goal with 38.4 seconds remaining in the second half. After two scoreless extra sessions, Holmdel was able to out-shoot the Rebels in penalty kicks, 5-3. …