With one of the most explosive offenses in the Shore Conference, Brick Memorial has multiple weapons it can deploy to make life miserable for opposing defenses.
The go-to option in Week 7 was a player nobody saw coming.
Junior tight end Joe Livio put together a career night on Friday when he caught eight passes for 141 yards and a touchdown to help lead Brick Memorial to a 19-14 win over previously-undefeated Southern Regional at Ron Emmert Field in Manahawkin.
Livio eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the first time in his career and more than doubled his previous career-high for receptions. He put the Mustangs (6-2) ahead with a one-handed touchdown grab in the first quarter and made timely catches all night to help Brick Memorial grind out a victory over one of its longtime Ocean County rivals.
“It wasn’t necessarily something we planned for,” Brick Memorial head coach Walt Currie said. “The way we do a lot of things, going back forever, is we take what the defense gives us. We have various options we can go to, and Joe was a great option tonight. He made some fantastic caches in some really big spots. He was crucial for our offense.”
When standout senior linebacker/tight end Trey Tallmadge suffered an injury in a Week 1 loss to Rumson-Fair Haven, it thrust Livio, who also plays defensive end, into a more prominent role. As the season has progressed, he’s become an important two-way player for a Brick Memorial team aiming to win the program’s third sectional championship.
“At the beginning of the season, I wasn’t sure if I was going to get in that much,” Livio said. “It’s next man up. I had to step up and play my role. When you have a team like us with players like Naz Matthews, Naz Whittaker, Ricky Dillon, everybody, it really spreads out a defense. Everybody did their job, and we got a great team win.”
“People don’t really notice him because of the names we have on offense, but Liv has been having a phenomenal season,” Brick Memorial senior quarterback Jason Lajara said. “He always gets a pop here or there, but he was making phenomenal plays tonight. That’s what they were giving us, and we were going to take it every single play.”
Lajara had another big game with 304 yards passing and two touchdowns, plus 48 yards rushing and a score to lead Brick Memorial to its third straight win. He tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Livio, ran for a 2-yard score, and connected with Dillon, a senior wide receiver, for a 25-yard touchdown.
Southern was down 19-0 after Dillon’s touchdown catch on the final play of the third quarter, but staged a fourth-quarter rally that nearly saw the Rams (7-1) pull out an improbable comeback. Junior Luke Iorio returned the ensuing kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, and junior quarterback Carson Abbato flipped a shovel pass to senior tight end Colton Oravets for the 2-point conversion to cut Brick Memorial’s lead to 19-8.
After a stop on defense, Southern drove for another touchdown to make it a one-score game on senior running back Aidan Covell’s 6-yard touchdown run with 4:18 left in the game.
Brick Memorial became the first team to crack Southern’s defense this season. The Rams were coming off two straight shutouts, and no team had scored more than 13 points against them through the season’s first seven weeks.
The Mustangs are also the first team to hold Southern under 100 yards rushing. Getting Tallmadge, a two-time all-conference linebacker who is committed to Sacred Heart, back after he missed the last five games, provided a massive boost.
“First, just the lift to our whole team knowing he was back,” Currie said. “And Trey’s a really good player. In the run game, he’s invaluable because not only will he fill his gap and do his responsibility, but if someone else messes up, he’ll make them right and account for that. Having Trey back tonight was really awesome for our defense.”
Brick Memorial opened the game with a six-play, 65-yard scoring drive that culminated with Lajara finding Livio for a 15-yard touchdown. The extra point missed its mark to leave the Mustangs with an early 6-0 lead.
Southern gained only one first down in the first half, and that drive ended when Brick Memorial senior linebacker Mike Pappas intercepted a pass inside the Rams’ 40-yard line. Brick Memorial extended its lead to 12-0 in the final minute of the first half when Lajara dropped a 44-yard dime to junior wideout Shawn Fowler and then ran for a 2-yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked.
Brick Memorial delivered the eventual game-winning touchdown on the final play of the third quarter. Southern had recovered a Brick Memorial fumble at the Mustangs’ 43-yard line midway through the quarter, but the Rams turned it over on downs at the Brick Memorial 13. The Mustangs then drove 66 yards in five plays to take a three-score lead. Lajara threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Matthews, but it was nullified by a penalty for an ineligible man downfield. On the next play, Lajara arced a pass for Fowler that he caught between two defenders for a 25-yard touchdown reception. Jack Marotta added the extra point for a 19-0 cushion.
Southern scored twice and got the ball back with 2:23 left trailing by five points, but Brick Memorial’s defense came up with a critical stand to force a turnover on downs with 1:11 remaining. An 18-yard run by Lajara on first down allowed Brick Memorial to take a knee and clinch a gritty road victory.
“Any road win against a top team in the Shore Conference is going to be a grind and a battle,” Currie said. “Coach Donohue’s (Southern head coach Chuck Donohue Sr.) teams are always well-coached and play hard, and you saw that tonight. It’s always special to go on the road and play a really good football team and come away with a win.”
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