TINTON FALLS – It was a moment 48 years in the making. But three years ago it really became real.

For the first time since Manchester High opened its doors in 1976, a championship celebration was held on a football field as the Hawks clinched the Shore Conference C South title, the first league crown in school history.

And it comes in year 3 under head coach Tommy Farrell, whose teams have made history the past two seasons and are looking for more.

The result was never in doubt on Friday night, when Manchester secured the title with a 42-12 win over winless Monmouth.

“I knew these kids wanted to be coached and were hungry to win. It’s time,” Farrell said. “This championship is not about one particular person, it is about all the over 2,000 former Manchester players who have played here since 1976.

“This is a community hungry to be champions on the football field and it’s easy to support these kids. They do this the right way both on and off the field. “They are good students, good people, servants of the community, and it is an honor to be their head coach.”

family ties

It now officially ranks as one of the best Coastal Conference rebuilds in recent memory. There were many emotional hugs as Friday night ended.

Farrell, who turns 30 on Sunday, is married to his father, Tom Sr., who coaches at Monmouth University. and grew up on the sidelines of Shore football with Donovan Catholic, where Tommy Farrell continued to play football. Tom Sr. He was on the sidelines Friday night. As the hugs continued, Farrell moved toward the fence near the stands where his wife, Sophie, and 1-year-old daughter, Keira, were soaking wet at the ceremony.

Then came players including senior point guard Aidan Lunn, whose older brother Alex is on the coaching staff, and senior Marquis Goins Jr., whose father was a star at Manchester. Lunn had a 73-yard run against Monmouth and a 47-yard TD pass to Ny’Zyr Battle on the game’s opening play, while Goins returned a punt 50 yards for a score and had a 35-yard TD run and an interception. .

“This is amazing,” Lunn said. “I’ve been coming to see this team since I was 7 years old, watching my brother play, and to be able to experience that, to be able to win football matches and win the league championship is a great thing. Unbelievable. I knew we had something special sophomore year. We struggled that year, but we started a lot of sophomores and juniors and seniors, I knew we could do it.

“We’ve been moving towards that since the new coaching staff got here,” Goins said. “And we’re not done yet.”

The comeback began in earnest last season; The Hawks went 8-3 and finished second in the Patriot division behind Keyport in Farrell’s second season.

“The work isn’t over yet. That was our motto last year when we saw Keyport raise that banner, lose a heartbreak, and we kept that hunger going,” Farrell said.

What does this mean?

Manchester is currently 7-2 overall and 5-0 in the Shore Conference C South division. Their only loss was to Rumson-Fair Haven, an undefeated Southern team that entered the weekend with a 15-3 record.

The Hawks sit fifth in NJSIAA power points in Group 2 South, behind Rumson, Camden, Wall and Point Pleasant Boro; It regressed after being the smallest school in Group 3 last year and failed to earn a postseason invitation despite an 8-3 record. And those eight wins were two more than the previous program’s record for wins in a season.

The Hawks are expected to take a home game and get to know their opponent by Saturday night. It could be West Deptford, whom they beat in the season opener.

Monmouth finished the season 0-9 after finishing 6-4 last year.

Important moments from Manchester’s historic win

There was never any doubt about that as the Hawks showed off their offensive firepower from the start.

On the opening play of the game, Lunn found a wide open Battle deep down the field to put the Hawks on top just 15 seconds into the game.

The defense then stepped in, causing Monmouth to fumble on its second play of the game, and the recovery allowed Malik Pharmes to hit a 19-yard touchdown run with less than two minutes left in the first quarter.

Goins’ 35-yard TD run late in the first quarter gave the Hawks a 21-0 lead. Avery Phillips scored on a seven-yard TD run in the second quarter to make it 28-0.

Monmouth had a few throws in the first half but were never able to cash in, being intercepted on fourth down and scoring a touchdown at the 5-yard line in the second quarter.

Manchester 42, Monmouth 12

Manchester 21 21 0 0 – 42

monmouth 0 0 6 6 – 12

SCORING

first quarter

Manch – Ny’Zyr Battle 47 yard pass from Aidan Lunn (good kick)

Manch – Malik Pharmes 19 yard run (good kick)

Manch – Marquis Goins Jr. 35 yard dash (good shot)

second quarter

Manch – Avery Phillips 7 yard run (good kick)

Manch – Goes for a 50-yard punt return (good kick)

Manch – Pharmes 30 yard dash (good kick)

third quarter

Monday – Tyler Gustafson 33-yard run (kick failed)

fourth quarter

Monday – Gustafson 6-yard run (run fails)

STATISTICS

rush – Manch: Malik Pharmes 3-47, Lunn 1-73, Marquis Goins Jr. 2-55, Avery Phillips 1-7, Trevor Freyer 4-8; Monday: Alex Castillo 10-33, Gustafson 15-131, Ryan Corwin 5-13, Bryce Browne 2-0.

Last – Manch: Lunn 3-3 92 yards; Monday: Corwin 9-17 78 yards.

Taking – Manch: 1-6, Ny’Zyr Battle 1-47, Tyheem Jackson 1-29.; Monday: Jaylin Reeves 7-69, Frank Colvin 1-4, Castillo 1-5.

Interventions – Manch: Goins, Pharmes.

This article was first published in the Asbury Park Press: NJ Shore football: Manchester wins first league title in 48 years