With a 63-22 victory over fourth-seeded Freehold Township, the top-seeded Manalapan Braves will have a chance to do something they did not do a season ago: finish the season 12-0 and win a state championship.
“We’ve been working to be a state champion all year,” Manalapan head coach Ed Gurrieri said. “Our goal this year was to get back there and win it.”
Since they walked off the field at High Point Solutions Stadium on Dec. 3, 2016 after a 34-13 loss to second-seeded Piscataway, Manalapan has been preparing for another chance. It has been a one-game-at-a-time mentality that was instilled by Gurrieri and his coaching staff. He noticed right away his players were buying in.
“That’s what we keep enforcing and we talk about,” Gurrieri said. “We can tell from how our kids prepare each week in practice that they’re buying into it. From the moment we lost in the championship last year, the kids that came back want to win it and they’ve been going at it from Day One when we came in after Christmas vacation in January and they haven’t stopped.”
While senior running back Naim Mayfield gets most of the attention, and deservedly so, there are other talented players on what has proved to be a stacked Manalapan team. Luke Corcionne is a senior at quarterback, a three-year varsity starter, and a team captain. Gurrieri called him “one of the best kids I’ve ever been around, a great leader and a high-character young man.” He emphasized they have many players with those traits.
Manalapan is now just one win away from accomplishing their ultimate goal. It would be a fitting way for this senior class to go out – as champions.
“The leadership has been unbelievable,” Gurrieri said. “This is one of the best groups I’ve ever had. A lot of these guys have been starters for three years and it’s just a great group. They lead by example on and off the field. They’ve bought into everything we’ve wanted them to do and it’s been a pleasure to coach them. This group is as good as anybody we’ve ever had.
“(Winning a championship) would validate all their hard work and dedication. When we left that championship game last year, they left it with a purpose,” Gurrieri continued. They’ve been working towards this goal since last year. I love the fact they set a high standard and the way they’ve gone about their business with their work ethic and their commitment it’s been great to watch.”
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