Santa Gets an Early Start

Random notes and thoughts on a Monday.

I was in the Ocean County Mall yesterday and while walking through center court I could not help but notice that Santa Claus has already arrived from the North Pole. He must have heard about all the road construction in the area and allowed extra time for his trip. I was told he actually arrived on Election Day which may or may not have some special meaning. After all even the Republicans and Democrats can agree on the big guy in the red suit.

While I may think it’s almost absurd that Santa is already talking with little boys and girls about their wish lists they were several waiting in line to see him yesterday. I guess it’s never too early to lobby for what you want.

So how big was Jackson Memorial’s 33-27 overtime upset of Red Bank Catholic over the weekend? The Casey's had outscored their previous 8 opponents by some 40 points per game and their closest game until Friday was a 28 point victory over Manalapan. RBC had only allowed 43 points in eight games before the Jaguars put 33 on the board against them and shocked the shore.

Now the big question is who should be ranked #1 going into the state playoffs and I’ll make the case that it should be Jackson Memorial but it won’t matter all that much. I would rank Jackson and Brick 1-2 and since they will likely meet in the sectional semifinals on November 21st the battle for #1 will be settled on the field.

Of course Manalapan and RBC could still enter the picture depending on what takes place over the next few weeks. You can vote for who should be #1 at ShoreSprotsNetwork.com

Most football fans are aware that the Cleveland Browns' Miles Austin is a graduate of Monmouth University and clearly is the best known football player the Hawks have produced thanks to a successful NFL career. However not to be overlooked is Buffalo Bills receiver Chris Hogan who caught 5 passes Sunday, including his second touchdown of the season in a loss to Kansas City.

Hogan played only one season at Monmouth in 2010, arriving in West Long Branch after four seasons of playing lacrosse at Penn State. He was an undrafted free agent and the Bills are the fourth team he’s been with in four seasons but he’s making the most of this opportunity.