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Reggie's Jackson wins
Published in the Asbury Park Press 10/21/00
By STEVEN FALK
STAFF WRITER
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP -- The Jackson postgame huddle had just broken up,
but Nick Castellano wanted to convene another huddle.
"What did we get today?" Castellano asked his teammates.
"Goose egg" all the players shouted back at him in unison.
The Jackson defense declawed another offense last night as the No. 1
Jaguars clinched a tie for the Shore Conference American Division title
with a 31-0 victory Freehold Township.
In recording what is believed to be a school record third straight
shutout, the Jaguars defense scored once when Castellano returned an
interception 45 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, had four
interceptions and also produced a fumble recovery. They held the
Patriots to 75 yards of offense and four first downs and never allowed
Freehold Township to penetrate beyond the Jackson 36-yard line.
"When we play as 11, nobody is going to score on us," said
Castellano, whose hand was being iced after the game. "I just don't
like people scoring on us. I feel we have the best D in the Shore. I
think it's an insult when somebody scores on us."
"They want to be No. 1 in the Shore in every defensive
category," Jackson coach Reggie Lawrence said. "They don't
want to give up any yards and any first downs. They are just
relentless."
"We wanted to get that record. That's why coach didn't pull us
in the fourth quarter," senior outside linebacker Marcus Clayton
said.
After the first of Mark Rodriguez's two interceptions set up Mike
Cortese's 27-yard field goal and Castellano made it 10-0 with an 8-yard
run (the first of his three scores), Clayton and Castellano teamed up
for the signature play of the night. Clayton roared in untouched on a
blitz and hit quarterback Paul Lepore just as he threw the ball. The
ball fluttered in the air and Castellano picked it off and raced
untouched down the right sideline for the TD.
"I thought it was going to drop before I got there. Once I got
it, I knew there was nobody there," said Castellano, who also
rushed for 129 yards on just 10 carries.
Touchdown runs of 3 yards by Castellano and 4 yards by quarterback
Gary Edwards in the third quarter closed it out.
That one Freehold Township penetration to the Jackson 36 ended when
Castellano sacked Lepore for an 8-yard loss.
"I don't know how they found out (about the shutout record), but
they've been preparing to get it for two weeks," Lawrence said.
from the Asbury Park Press
Published on October 21, 2000
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