Skip to content
Rally High School Sports
Link copied to clipboard

Brooks-Irvine banquet Monday

The Brooks-Irvine Memorial Football Club will announce its coach of the year as the highlight of Monday night's annual banquet.

The Brooks-Irvine Memorial Football Club will announce its coach of the year as the highlight of Monday night's annual banquet.

The Inquirer's all-South Jersey team as well as four standout college players will be honored at the gathering at 6:30 p.m. at the Westin Hotel in Mount Laurel.

Two of the college players are all-purpose back Matt Szczur (Lower Cape May) and offensive lineman Ben Ijalana (Rancocas Valley) of defending FCS champion Villanova, which advanced to the semifinals of the national tournament with a 42-24 victory over top-seeded Appalachian State on Saturday.

Szczur rushed for three touchdowns, passed for one, and caught another in the victory.

The other two college players are Alex Silvestro (Paulsboro) of Rutgers and Charles Curcio (St. Joseph of Hammonton) of Gettysburg.

Among the leading candidates for the club's coach of the year award is Cherokee's P.J. Mehigan, who led his team to a 12-0 record, the South Jersey Group 4 title, and the No. 1 ranking in The Inquirer final Top 10.

Another top candidate is Holy Spirit's Chalie Roman, who led his team to a 12-0 mark, the state Non-Public 3 title, and the No. 2 spot in the final ranking.

Haddonfield's Frank DeLano is another strong candidate. His team went 11-1 and won the South Jersey Group 2 title, the program's first sectional crown since the start of the playoff system in 1974.

Other top candidates include Willingboro's Reggie Lawrence, Paul VI's John Doherty, Delsea's Sal Marchese, West Deptford's Clyde Folsom, Oakcrest's Chuck Smith, Glassboro's Herb Neilio, and St. Joseph of Hammonton's Paul Sacco.