By Scott Stump - Senior Editor
E-mail: stump@digitalsports.com
Posted on 8/17/08, 8 p.m.

     When I went to the mailbox a few days ago and fished out my latest copy of ESPN: The Magazine that features former Middletown South legend and Georgia Heisman Trophy candidate Knowshon Moreno on the cover, the message was clear: It's time for football. Time to stop watching my DVDs of Friday Night Lights and episodes of Burn Notice in between soaking up the great sunny weather in Spring Lake and get to work on seeing the next generation of Shore Conference stars.
      With preseason camps kicking off in earnest around the Shore on Monday, we will be all over the place as usual, working on previews and plenty of other features to get you guys ready for another great season of Shore Conference football. We've been working hard in the writing room all summer and have much better chemistry than last year, and we think this is our year.
      We'll begin on Monday and won't stop until the smoke clears in December at Rutgers Stadium, so make sure you check back every day for something new. To begin, the preview schedule for the teams in each division is as follows:

     Aug. 25 - Patriot Division - *Monsignor Donovan preview will be posted on Tuesday, Aug. 26, because the Griffins are out of the area at a football camp this week.
     Aug. 28 - National Division
     Sept. 2 - Liberty Division and Federal Division
     Sept. 7 - Constitution Division and American Division

     In the midst of all that, we also will have plenty of other stories and tidbits from the camps.
     As for that Moreno story, if you missed it, you can read it here. Not a ton of new stuff to anyone who followed him when he was obliterating the Shore, but he certainly sounds like he hasn't changed. I used to joke that the Middletown South coaching staff knew he was going to be so good when he was young that they took him into a dark room, shined a blinding light in his face and made sure he would say all the right things in interviews. I saw an interview with him on ESPN: First Take a few days ago and he gave the same answers he always has.
     People forget that in addition to being a naturally gifted athlete, he is a maniacal worker. He came back to Middletown for a few days during this past school year and the coaches were swapping stories of some of the ridiculously hard workouts he was doing in the Middletown South weight room while he was home. He has earned what he has gotten, and he has had the spotlight on him nearly his entire career and excelled, so even thought it is burning more brightly than ever, he is equipped to handle it. He isn't a big fan of attention, but he knows how to deal with it without rubbing people the wrong way.
     He certainly will be part of our coverage this year along with all the other Shore Conference alumni, from Division III to Moreno and the others playing in the BCS conferences.
     I'll end with a few other things and be back soon with more thoughts/links/tidbits.

  • On a quick somber note, our condolences go out to the family of Joseph J. DeVirgilio, who passed away at 82 years old on Aug. 14. A passionate supporter of high school football, DeVirgilio, known as "Joe D.,'' is the man whom the field at Raritan is named after. He founded the Rockets booster club more than 40 years ago and was a Hazlet fixture, a regular presence at Rockets football games throughout the years and a member of the school's Hall of Fame.
  • Neptune senior defensive end/linebacker Roderick Tillery has received a scholarship offer from Akron, according to Scarlet Fliers coach John Fiore. Tillery is the linchpin of a Neptune defense that is looking to help power a big season for a team that returns nearly its entire offense. Tillery is the latest Shore player on the Akron radar, as the Zips have also offered Asbury Park wide receiver Derrell Bell. Former Freehold Township linebacker Brian Brikowski played at Akron last year as a freshman, but has since transferred to play at Monmouth University.
  • Wall running back Blaze Caponegro has received an offer from Red Bank Catholic graduate and former Penn State star Al Golden at Temple, as the Owls are looking at him as a fullback. Caponegro is expected to be the centerpiece of the Crimson Knights' offense this season at tailback. Temple has already received a verbal commitment from Toms River North lineman Evan Regas and has offered Freehold Township linebacker Matt Faiella, the younger brother of former Patriots star and current Maryland lineman Joe Faiella.