By Chris Ippolito, Digital Sports Correspondent

     MIDDLETOWN – Middletown North’s 21-14 Constitution Division win over Toms River South at Middletown South on Saturday night was not as impressive or emotional as last week’s upset victory over Toms River North, but every bit as effective.
     If the Lions are going to continue to make noise in 2008, they’re going to have to grind out games when they aren’t hitting on all cylinders. That’s what winning teams do and that’s what North did on Saturday before exhaling when linebacker Joe Ciccone forced a fumble and Ed Doll fell on it to erase an Indians' threat deep in Lions territory with just 1:58 left in the game.
     The only dominant unit on either team in the first half was the Lions’ special teams, and their performance led to a 21-7 halftime lead and Middletown North's first 2-0 start since 2001, when it finished 5-5 for its last non-losing season.
     On the first series of the game, South’s drive ended near midfield and the Lions, who are ranked No. 4 in the DigitalSports Top 10, nearly blocked the ensuing punt. The teams exchanged three-and-outs, and the Indians focused on protecting punter Tim Lawlor. But the Lions’ Uly Gibson took a punt at the North 22-yard line, ran behind a textbook right-return wall, and after a nifty cut, scampered 73 yards before being forced out of bounds on the left sideline at the Toms River South 5. Three plays later, North senior quarterback Joe Dickey snuck in from inside the 1-yard line for a 7-0 lead.
     “The first punt we nearly blocked, and so they kind of held back a little bit to protect (the punter) better, which gave him (Gibson) some time to move around,'' said Lions head coach Joe Trezza. "The design was set up perfectly, he read it perfectly and made a great cutback.''
     Early in the second quarter, North’s punt return unit forced a 16-yard South punt and took over at the Indians' 30-yard line, setting up junior running back Sean McKee’s 21-yard scoring jaunt and stretching the Lions' lead to 14-0.
     South responded with a 72-yard drive to cut the deficit to 14-7 on Tyler Verga’s two-yard run. It was an impressive drive and the first touchdown North’s defense has allowed in 2008. Verga (7 rushes, 32 yards) and Rob Whitfield (11 rushes, 80 yards) were beginning to see some holes, and South began to steal some momentum. But once again, North’s special teams made a big play before the half to stretch the margin back to 14.
     With 1:24 remaining, the Indians were forced to punt. Several North players broke through the line, and senior Scott Zabe got his hand on the ball. It was recovered by senior Dave Switay, who advanced it to the Toms River South 16-yard line. Dickey (4 of 6 passing for 99 yards, 12-34 rushing) hit Connor Delepine at the 3-yard line and then Gibson dove into the end zone on the next play to provide Middletown North with a 21-7 lead at the half.
     “After the long punt return, it was the flip side,'' Trezza said. "They were concerned about getting down the field and we worked on right block all week. We saw a couple things in film sessions that we thought we could exploit and Coach (Mike) D’Alessio and the special teams worked really hard. They did a nice job blocking the punt.”
     Refusing to quit, the Indians battled throughout the second half and began to carry play. Toms River South began playing more physical football and knocked Middletown North on its heels.
     “We were flat at the start of the second half and they punched us in our mouths. We were lucky we could hold out,” Gibson said.
     On South’s first possession of the second half, Whitfield had a 17-yard run and Indians’ quarteback Kevin Gilmore (10 for 20, 107 yards passing) hit Anthony Terry for 18 yards. From the 21, Whitfield found a hole and burst through the middle for a touchdown at the mid-point of the third quarter, making the score 21-14.
      After watching Middletown North dominate on special teams all day, Toms River South’s punt return unit had a huge play of its own late in the fourth. There was not a clean exchange on a snap, and the Indians took over on the Lions’ 29 with 3:08 to play.
      On third down, Whitfield’s 8-yard run gave South a first down on the Middletown North 14. On the next play, South senior running back Darius Banks took a handoff and was hit behind the line by linebackers Ryan Wagner and Ciccone. Ciccone stripped the ball, and Doll fell on it at the 16 with 1:58 to go. Gibson’s 12-yard run two plays later allowed the Lions to drain the remainder of the clock and move to 2-0.
     The second half was a struggle at times for North, who Trezza admitted made some mistakes, but he attributes it more to the quality of competition.
    “Toms River South played great defense,'' Trezza said. "We had trouble moving the ball today and that’s going to happen. When you play in the Constitution Division, every team is very good so you can’t stop, you have to keep pushing forward. We held on today and that’s all that counts.''
    Middletown North will have some time to reflect on its two home-away-from-home wins against two Toms River schools, as the Lions have a bye this coming week. They will be back in action on Oct. 3, hosting division foe Marlboro at Middletown South.
    The Indians will stay in the Constitution Division and stay in town in Week Three as they play Toms River East on Friday at home.


Box score
Middletown North 21, Toms River South 14


                    
TRS (1-1, 0-1)    0    7    7    0  -  14
MN  (2-0, 1-0)   7    14    0    0 -   21


Team Stats    TRS        MN
First Downs    12        7
Rushes/Yards    28-146        32-119
Passing        10-20        4-6
Passing Yards    107        99
Penalties    4-40        8-74
Fumbles/Lost    1-1        3-1

Scoring summary

1st Quarter
MN – Joe Dickey 1 yd run (Dylan Maresca Kick) 4:51

2nd Quarter
MN – Sean McKee 21 yd run (Maresca Kick) 11:19
TRS – Tyler Verga 2 yd run (Pflugi Christian Kick) 6:54
MN – Uly Gibson 3 yd run (Maresca Kick) 0:52

3rd Quarter
TRS -- Rob Whitfield 21 yd run (Christian kick) 6:27

Passing
TRS – Kevin Gilmore 10 for 20, 107 yards
MN – Dickey 4 for 6, 99 yards

Rushing
TRS – Whitfield 11-80, Tyler Verga 7-32, Darius Banks 8-26, Gilmore 2-8
MN – Gibson 14-48, Dickey 12-34, McKee 6-37

Receiving
TRS – Aaron Terry 2-38, Anthony Terry 3-31, Whitfield 1-18, Banks 3-17. Victor Abreu 1-3
MN – Nick Zinner 2-65, Connor Delpine 2-34