Point Borough Football Drops Season Opener to Manasquan 46-28

The Point Pleasant Borough football squad scratched and clawed its way back into their opening contest against Manasquan High School.

Despite being thoroughly outplayed in the first half, the Panthers found themselves down only five points with a full fourth quarter to play.

However, sloppy special teams and defense allowed Manasquan to score 15 unanswered fourth quarter points, and was the difference in the 46-28 contest at Point Borough High School Friday night.

On a beautiful picture perfect early September evening, nothing seemed to go the way of the Point Borough Panthers in the first half of their opening contest against Manasquan High School.

After a John Dunbar 35-yard touchdown pass to wide-out Kyle McGary gave Point Borough an early 7-6 first quarter lead, the Panthers were dominated from that point forward in the first half by Manasquan.

The Panthers’ defense had no answer for Manasquan’s offensive aerial attack led by quarterback Tyler Saito, who threw for 142 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.

The second quarter ineptitude on the defense side of the ball was capped on a third and 28 hook-up from Saito to wide receiver Connor Grogan, for a 30-yard touchdown pass.

The deep strike gave Manasquan a commanding 26-7 halftime lead.

“Their quarterback pretty much had his way with us in the first half, so we knew going into the locker room we were going to have to make some adjustments,” said Point Borough head coach Sean Henry. “Our defensive guys made some great moves, we started flying to the football and it allowed us to get back into the game.”

The Point Borough defense was finally able to slow down Saito and the Manasquan offensive attack, which allowed the offense, which was held to only five total yards in the second quarter, to find its rhythm in the second half.

After each team traded touchdowns to start the third quarter, Point Borough was able to strike on a one-yard touchdown run by Dunbar, which was set up by a 59-yard deep strike to McGarry, which cut the Manasquan lead to 33-21. 

Following the score, a quick defensive stop gave Point Borough the ball back with good field position late in the 3rd quarter. On the first play of the 4th quarter, Dunbar broke away for a 40-yard touchdown run, which electrified the home crowd and cut the deficit to only 5 points.

“John Dunbar played his butt off for us today,” said Henry. “He was able to make plays for us, and that helped us really make a game of this.”

Unfortunately for the Panthers, the momentum of the touchdown run did not last long. Manasquan’s Josh Armando took the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, which stretched the lead to 33-21 and turned out to be one of the backbreaking plays for the Panthers.

“Special teams is a lot of effort and execution,” said Henry. “If one guy doesn’t do his job in a big play situation, something like that big return can happen, and unfortunately that did us in today.”

Following the big return, each team traded 3 and out possessions. But the final nail in the Panthers’ coffin came on yet another special teams blunder, when a botched punt allowed Manasquan to take over at the Point Borough 45-yard line.

Saito and the Manasquan offense responded with a 6-play, 45-yard drive capped by a Kodie McNamara 2 yard touchdown run, which stretched their lead to a commanding 18 points.

Manasquan’s senior quarterback finished with 227 yards in the air with three touchdowns.

“Their offense really had it going on all cylinders tonight,” said Henry. “I was proud of the way we battled back, but we’ll take this as a learning experience here in game 1 and we’ll learn from it and get better.”