Monday Musings

A little of this and a little of that as we start a Thanksgiving week like none other in our history:

It certainly seems like everything is heading in the wrong direction when it comes to COVID-19 and the surge in positive tests since the beginning of the month.  With college students now returning home for not only Thanksgiving but for many an extended winter break I fully expect Governor Murphy to tighten restrictions in New Jersey.

Those restrictions could very well include a ban on indoor dining as many restaurants have had to close for brief periods in the past couple of weeks due to positive tests among employees.  You can be sure the governor has been monitoring that.

I have broadcast and witnessed many high school football games over the past 40-plus years and I will put Friday’s Wall-Donovan Catholic game at the top of that list.  The titanic matchup between the shore’s top two teams in such a unique setting lived up to all the hype and much more and it’s a shame only 500 or so people got to view it live in person.

Among the late great football coach Vince Lombardi’s many famous quotes is “football is a game of inches and inches make the champion.”  That was never truer on Friday night when Donovan came within inches of scoring the winning touchdown only to be denied by the Crimson Knights.  It was epic and a perfect way to end what has been a very challenging season.

Meanwhile there was a fitting conclusion to the soccer coaching career of John Crowley.  His Toms River South girls team sent him sailing into retirement with a 1-0 win over rival Toms River East on Sunday in the Central East C Group 3 Regional final.

Rylee Spakowski scored the game’s only goal in the second half and Holly Applegate secured the shutout with six saves as the Indians gave Crowley and longtime assistant Tom Brown the perfect gift in their final game on the sidelines.

The two have been together since Crowley took over the program in 2006. Before that he was the head boys coach at High School East for 20 years.