By Bob Badders – Senior Writer
E-mail: badders@digitalsports.com

    With five teams ranked in the DigitalSports Boys Soccer Top 10, including the defending Shore Conference Tournament champions, the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV co-champs and a finalist from the Non-Public A title game, it is pretty obvious that the Class A North division of the Shore Conference is the best our area has to offer.
    Those factors make it very easy to get excited about early-season matchups between these teams, not just for fans but also for players and coaches alike. And in the first month of the season that is where the challenge lies for Howell, Marlboro, Freehold Township, Manalapan and Christian Brothers Academy. We have it easy. We just watch the games and formulate our opinions. The coaches and players have to stay grounded no matter what kind of start they get off to, because as we learned last season, the first month of the season is overrated.
    “It’s a day-by-day thing,” said Freehold Township head coach Todd Briggs, whose No. 3 Patriots are off to a 2-0 start after wins over No. 2 Marlboro and No. 1 Howell. “Starting hot doesn’t mean you’re going to be playing in November.”
    The Patriots were in a similar position a year ago when they started the season strong only to fizzle in the second half and finish as just another .500 team. They need only look at each other and listen to their coach to understand that September success does not define a team.
    “We have two really good models to learn from, not only in what we did, but also what Marlboro did last year,” Briggs said. “Since we got together in August our motto has been ‘One pass, one run, one goal, one game at a time’.”
    The example Briggs speaks of involving Marlboro also illustrates how the first five or so games of the season can quickly become a distant memory. The Mustangs were a forgotten team during the first month of last season and were still 5-9 in mid October. They went from just another team battling for a playoff spot to a team that made a run in the SCT and nearly ousted the top seed in the Central Jersey Group IV tournament. They showed that a bad start doesn’t end all hope for a successful season just as a solid beginning doesn’t always carry until the end.
    “That’s what we told our kids, it’s not how we start but how we finish,” said Howell head coach Rich Yuro.
    The Rebels, the defending A North champions, are 0-1-1 after having to rally to tie No. 4 Manalapan and losing to Freehold Township.
    “You can’t get too excited or too discouraged with these early games,” Yuro continued. “You don’t want to overreact.”
    This does apply to every division in the Shore Conference since there looks to be plenty of balance this season. A North, however, is different. There are five very good teams, yet only one can win the division. The record a team may have in a couple months probably won’t tell the whole story.
    “In the last couple years it’s probably been harder to make it out of our division than to win a state title,” Yuro said.
    So as much fun as it is to go over each game with a fine-tooth comb, the reality is that it’s going to be a while before everything gets sorted out.
    And, by the way, that’s a good thing.

Monster Mariners
    There was a good amount of buzz surrounding Toms River North heading into the season, and now it’s easy to see why the Mariners were lauded as a team that could make great strides in 2008.
    North opened its season in impressive fashion by topping No. 5 Brick, another team that looked poised for big things this season, 3-1 on the road. The No. 6 Mariners then dispatched rival Toms River South, also 3-1, to take an early lead atop Class A South with Toms River East (2-0).
    “We knew this was a talented group but we didn’t know what kind of start we would have,” said Mariners head coach Dave Mitchell. “I thought we would get better as the season goes on and I still feel that way.”
    Toms River North is a very young team – defender Justin Kohler is the only senior starter – but the experience they got last season when injuries really took their toll and forced those younger players into more prominent roles seems to be shining through. The Mariners are strong in the back and have two solid goalkeepers in junior Anthony Tamburro and sophomore Kevin Meinert. They also have plenty of speed and skill up top. One of those players, sophomore Jeff Sheck, has made a huge impact so far. He has three goals in two games and looks ready to have a fantastic season.
    “He is leaps and bounds ahead of where he was last year,” Mitchell said. “He has a big strong body and he’s really learning how to play the game. He has size and strength and is the fastest player on the field most of the time. When you add those things together it creates problems for teams.”
    It’s still early, but the Mariners look ready for a breakout season.

Novoa back at it again
    Shore Regional senior midfielder Roberto Novoa, who is the Shore Conference’s leading returning scorer from a season ago, has picked up right where he left off. In three games, Novoa leads the conference in scoring with five goals and two assists as the No. 10 Blue Devils have jumped out to a 3-0 record. Shore has outscored its opponents 17-1 and has also received stellar offensive contributions from Max Kornek (2g, 2a), Joe Keszler (2g, 1a) and Connor McKenzie (2g, 1a)

DaSilva is DaMan
    Another player off to a fast start is Long Branch junior forward Wesley DaSilva. He has helped the Green Wave to a 2-1 record with five goals and two assists, including a hat trick in a 4-0 win over Matawan. DaSilva had six goals all of last season.

Gas up the car
    There is never a shortage of compelling games to choose from, but if you’re having trouble deciding which matchups to check out take a look at what I think will be some interesting games in the coming week.
    Thursday – No. 6 Toms River North at Toms River East; No. 7 CBA at No. 1 Howell
    Friday – Long Branch at Ocean; Lakewood at Central
    Saturday – No. 2 Marlboro at No. 4 Manalapan; No. 5 Brick at Toms River South
    Monday – Manasquan at No. 8 Wall
    Tuesday – Brick at Toms River East; Manalapan at No. 3 Freehold Township; CBA at Marlboro; Point Boro at Lakewood
    Wednesday – Manasquan at St. John Vianney; No. 9 Holmdel at Raritan