It's been quite a ride.
Inthe past month I've tried to conjure up some ghosts from the glorious past of Shore area football, while seeking to sparksome fond memories from Friday nights and Saturday afternoons over the decades.
And when it comes to high school football, it's the running backs who leave the most lasting impression of all.
From scat backs darting through openings in an instant, to burners distancingthemselves from defenders with each stride, to fullbacks burying would-be tacklers, their unique styles are ultimately measured by yards gained and championships won.
In the finalinstallment in our five-part series, I'll chronicle some of those backs who carved a place for themselves in Jersey Shore gridiron history.
I am, however, planning to come back with one last story next week (Nov. 17), whenI'll try to tie up loose ends by putting together some of the other great players who have been brought up along the way. There have been so many through the years that even one extra story won't cover them all, but I'm going to try anyway.
As always, you can provide feedback in the comment section of this story, or contact me: via email atsedelson@gannettnj.com; follow me onTwitterand send me a direct message; or go to myFacebook pageand comment.
Now check out our latest list, in alphabetical order:
Chris Barnes, Middletown North— A three-year starter for the Lions under legendary coach Vic Kubu, Barnes ended up rushing for 3,123 yards during his career, highlighted by a 274-yard performance against New Providence. He was also the Lions top receiver in his final two seasons, leading them to division crowns in 1981 and 1982.
Barnes went on to play at Syracuse, competing in the 1987 Sugar Bowl. He eventually returned to the Shore Conference as a coach, helping rebuild Jackson Memorial before guiding Wall to the Central Jersey Group III title in 2002.
Donald Brown, RBC —With a sprinter's speed and good power, Brown first caught the eyes of college recruiters as a junior for the Caseys, before stamping himself as a top prospect as a senior in 2005 when he rushed for 2,032 yards, while scoring 27 touchdowns.
It would not be his last 2,000-yard season, as Brown ran for 2,121 yards in 2009 for the Connecticut Huskies.He was selected in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, where he played five seasons before signing with San Diego in 2014.
Ken "The Moose" Cattouse, Keyport — On Oct. 18, 2003, Cattouse eclipsed South River’s Zack Earvin as the most prolific rusher in state history at the time. And by season's end, he had amassed 6,676 yards during his career, leading the Red Raiders to a state sectional championship as a junior. The Red Raiders'22-game winning streak was snapped by Florence in the final game of his career in the Central Jersey Group I final.
Cattouse finished with 2,166 yards in 2003, his second straight 2,000-yard campaign. He went on to play at Troy, where he ran for 1,956 yards overfour seasons.
Greatest quarterbacks ever at the Jersey Shore
Glen Covin, Long Branch — In what grew into a Golden Era for Shore area football, Covin was one of the early stars in the late 1960s. An All-Shore running back three straight years, he ran for 1,003 yards, averaging 6.5 yards, with 11 TDs, while catching 33 passes for 439 yards and six TDs as a senior in 1969, scoring 110 points. While he struggled with injuries as a junior, he still had over 1,000 yards from scrimmage, scoring 12 TDs.
Covin, who played on the Green Wave’s unbeaten basketball team as a senior and was a top sprinter, attended Delaware, where a knee injury ended his career.
Greatest linemen ever at the Jersey Shore
Kevin Davis, Matawan —No area program has produced as many top-flight tailbacks, butDavis put up the most prolific numbers of all.
Davis stamped himself as a star in the Huskies’ backfield as a sophom*ore in 1999 when he ran for 1,100 yards and 21 TDs. A year later he produced 1,650 yards, scoring 20 TDs, before closing out his career in 2001 with 1,808 yards on just 202 carries, scoring 20 TDs.
The Huskies went to the Central Jersey Group II playoffs each of his three seasons, as Davis finished with a school-record 4,586 yards, with 65 career touchdowns.
Greatest receivers, tight ends ever at Jersey Shore
Aamir Dew, Toms River North —In short, Dew did it all for the Mariners. As a senior in 1995, he rushed for 1,388 yards and scored 21 TDs in 10 games. Healsowas their leading receiver, catching 25 passes for five more TDs, while returning a punt and an interception for scores.He finished as the Shore’s leading scorer.
He led the Mariners to the South Jersey Group IV title as a junior in 1994, producing 1,489 yards from scrimmage, including 1,199 yards on the ground, giving him 2,877 rushing yards for his career.
Dew went to Pittsburgh, where his career was derailed by knee injuries.
Keith Elias, Lacey — In leading the Lions to back-to-back South Jersey Group III sectional state championships, Elias closed out his career in 1989 by rushing for 2,178 yards and 31 TDs as the team went undefeated. He set a then-state record with 391 yards in a game against Freehold Township, scoring five times.
Elias went on to star at Princeton, where he remains the only Ivy League player to rush for over 1,500 yards twice.Heset 21 school records, including rushing yards (4,208), rushing TDs (49) and all-purpose yards (4,739). He played five seasons in the NFL, including three with the Giants and two with Indianapolis.
Who were the Shore's best linebackers, defensive backs?
Scott Harley, Neptune — By the time Harley’s career with the Scarlet Fliers was over, the Shore Conference record books would be rewritten. In his final game as a senior in 1993, Harley ran for 384 yards and six TDs in a win over Bayonne, giving him a then-record 4,884 yards, surpassing Middletown South’s Stephen Michael Pitts on the all-time list.
Harley also led the Shore Conference in rushing as a junior with 1,525 yards, including a 287-yard effort against Raritan. He went on to star at East Carolina, rushing for 1,745 yards and 14 TDs as a sophom*ore in 1996.
Joe "The Jet" Henderson, Freehold — With a dazzling combination of speed and quickness, Henderson set a then-single game record at the Shore with a 332-yard performance as a senior in 1985. He rushed for 1,867 yards and 23 touchdowns as the Colonials made it to the CJ Group II final. He rushed for 3,278 yards inhis last two seasons, averaging 8.2 yards-per-carry, scoring 52 touchdowns.
Henderson, 5-10, 170, attended Clemson, where he ran for 1,752 yards for the Tigers during his career, averaging 4.9 yards.
Bob "The Flea" Hermanni, Toms River — Adazzling punt and kickoff returner at what is now Toms River South in 1968 and 1969, the 5-7, 160-pound Hermanni was also an electrifying ball carrier on offense. He also played in "The Game" —the 1969 showdown between the Indians, ranked No. 1 in the state, and Middletown, ranked No. 2.
He went on to become the first player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season at Montclair State, before playing several season as a returner and receiver for the New York Stars of the World Football League.
Bill Hill, Howell — Hill was a talented two-sport athlete for the Rebels. Starting as a sophom*ore in 1974, he rushed for more than 1,000 yards for three straight seasons, finishing his career with 3,147 yards, scoring 228 points. He also averaged 41.3 yards as a punter.
He attended Virginia to play football, but left the Cavaliers after an injury to playbaseball at Brookdale, getting drafted by the Mets in 1979. After a season in the New York-Penn League, he returned to the sport he loved, walking on at Rutgers in 1980 and starting at cornerback. He went on to play with the Ottawa Rough Riders (1981), the Cleveland Browns (1982-83), the New Jersey Generals (1985) and Dallas Cowboys (1987).
Eric McCoo, Red Bank — Few backs were as versatile as McCoo, a speedster who was a threat to score every time he touched the ball. As a junior in 1996, he was an All-State utility player, returning three punts for touchdowns, while rushing for 1,109 yards and 16 TDs for coach Barry Sullivan’s Bucs. As a senior he rushed for 1,783 yards and scored 23 TDs.
At Penn State, McCoo ran for 2,518 yards on 497 carries during his career, while catching 70 passes for another 726 yards, scoring 27 touchdowns. He played for the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL, played three years for Berlin in NFL Europe and was the MVP of the World Bowl.
Knowshon Moreno, Middletown South — His high school career was, in short, legendary, as Moreno became the thirdplayer in state history to top the 6,000-yard mark, rushing for 6,264 yards, scoring a state record 128 touchdowns and 782 points. He ran for 420 yards and seven TDs in a 2004 game against Neptune as a junior. Along the way, the Eagles went 36-0, winning three consecutivestate sectional titles.
He ran for 2,732 yards and scored 30 TDs in two seasons at Georgia, before the Denver Broncos drafted him in the first round (12th pick overall) in 2009.He played in Super Bowl XLVIIIwith the Broncos at MetLife Stadium two seasons ago. Moreno suffered a knee injury playing for Miami last season, which he is still recovering from.
Pete Panuska, Brick — It was Panuska who helped usher in a great period in Green Dragons’ history, as they won the first of three straight South Jersey Group IV crowns during his senior season in 1981, beating Toms River East at the Meadowlands in the final.Panuska rushed for 2,536 yards during his career, leading the state in scoring as a senior.
He went on to play four seasons at Tennessee, where he rushed for 489 yards, averaging 4.9 yards during his career.
Stephen Michael Pitts, Middletown South — As Middletown South emerged as a state powerhouse in the late 1980s,Pitts was itsfirst big-time star.The Eagles won back-to-back CJ Group IV crowns during his junior and senior campaigns, going 30-2-1 during his three seasons. Pitts rushed for 4,586 yards and scored 70 touchdowns during his career, including 1,926 yards and 25 TDs as a senior in 1990.
At Penn State, Pitts rushed for 1,156 yards on 215 carries, including a 118-yard performance for the Nittany Lions in the 1996 Outback Bowl. He spent time with several NFL teams, although he never saw game action.
Charlie Rogers, Matawan — As a senior in 1994, Rogers averaged nearly nine yards-per-carry, rushing for 1,861 yards, scoring 17 TDs for the Huskies. Rogers suffered a torn knee ligament during a preseason scrimmage as a junior and missed the first five games of the season, but still managed to gain 855 yards on just 80 carries.
It was at Georgia Tech that Rogers flashed his all-purpose ability to the nation. He still ranks fifth in school history with 3,693 total yards, including 1,287 rushing, 657 receiving and 1,749 as a returner. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 1999, leading the NFL in punt return yardage as a rookie, while returning a kickoff 85 yards for a TD in a playoff game against Miami. He went on to play with Houston, Buffalo and Miami.
Sam Riello, Brick — Considered the foundation player of the program that put Ocean County football on the map, Riello was a freshman on legendary coach Warren Wolf’s first team in 1958, the year the school opened.
During the next four years, Riello would score 52 touchdowns and produce 313 points.He led the Green Dragons to their first undefeated season in 1960, going 9-0 as part of a 20-game winning streak. He earned All-State honors in 1960 and 1961.
Riello went on to play Hofstra and Glassboro State.
Pat Toland, Middletown North— Fullbacks aren’t the flashiest guys in the backfield, but they deserve some recognition as well. And at 6-2, 225, the Lions’ fullbackwas a handful whether he was throwing a block, running a defender over or using his speed and athleticism to elude them, as he did many times in leading the Lions to the 1983 Central Jersey Group IV championship.
In addition to playing football at Virginia, Toland was a talented thrower in track and field, which he continues to be to this day.He wasnamed the Shore Athletic Club Athlete of the Year in 2014.
Tyhquan Walker, Manasquan — It was the start of an unprecedented run of success for coach VicKubu’s Warriors, and Walker was right in the middle of it. The talentedtailback helped Big Blue win back-to-back Central Jersey Group II titles in his final two seasons, culminating with 1,991 yards rushing as a senior in 1999. During their three-game playoff run that year, Walker amassed nearly 800 yards on the ground, including a school-record 368-yard performance against Carteret in the sectional semifinal, and a 264-yard, three-TD effort in the final against Somerville.
Walker ended his career with more than3,200 yards on the ground, as the Warriors went on to win five straight state sectional crowns. He went on to play two seasons at Monmouth.
Gary Weber, Matawan — Another fullback with a reputation as a punishing blocker and a powerful runner who was very difficult to bring down once he got a head of steam. As a senior in 1975, Weber, 6-2, 215, was a key component in the Huskies vaunted Group IV championship team that went unbeaten and was considered the best team in the state that year, earning All-State honors at fullback. He scored 197 points inhis final two seasons for the Huskies.
Weber went on to play football at Michigan, where he was converted to a defensive tackle.
Staff writer Stephen Edelson is an Asbury Park Press columnist: sedelson@gannettnj.com
STARS OF TODAY
While this has been a great stroll down Memory Lane, you can find the best coverage of the current-day stars on the Shore gridiron right here at APP.com. For example, check out one of this season's episodes of our new video series that takes you inside the locker room. We call it "The Battle Room."
