Football on the New Jersey coast: Asbury Park
Asbury Park Football prepares for the season
ASBURY PARK – It’s the best time for the Asbury Park High School football team since the NJSIAA playoffs began in 1974, when the Blue Bishops won four Central Group 1 titles in five seasons from 2007-11.
And one of the players who started it all was Will Johnson, a star quarterback and defensive back on the championship teams of 2007 and 2008, who threw eight touchdowns, ran for eight more and intercepted five passes in his senior year.
Now Johnson returns to the sidelines of his alma mater as head coach, trying to bring long-term stability to a team that is already under its fifth head coach in as many seasons while rebuilding a program suffering from declining enrollment.
So is it possible for the Blue Bishops to return to their former glory?
“It can definitely happen again. That’s the goal,” said Johnson, who has worked in the city’s youth soccer program for the past decade.
More: Shore High School Football Summer Coverage: Player/Team Rankings, Previews, Must-See Games
“A lot of teams have been close. It’s just about getting over that hurdle. Discipline, self-respect and things like that will be the reason we can get over that hurdle. Stick to the script and make sure you do the little things right.”
But the last few seasons have highlighted some of the realities that come with being a small Group 1 school.
Asbury Park had only 17 players when practice began last summer and lost seven straight games to start the season, ending the season at 2-7. But the players showed courage in the face of superior numbers, taking St. John Vianney, a Non-Public A program, to overtime while putting pressure on Shore and Manchester before losing.
The 2022 season began with Asbury Park dropping a game to Weequahic because they didn’t have enough players, but the Blue Bishops fought their way to a 6-3 record, including an NJSIAA playoff win.
Keeping talent in the country
Johnson says participation numbers have increased this summer and that he now has “about 30 players I could use in a game, which is nice.”
“We have to keep the kids in the building,” Johnson said. “A lot of our talent goes elsewhere because of a lack of stability. People tell them it’s better to be somewhere else than at home, which isn’t always true.”
“Almost every team that won a championship last year had a kid from Asbury on it. We’re trying to keep all the talent at home. We want them to understand that they can make it, no matter where they come from.”
The goals are set high.
In Johnson’s final season, the Blue Bishops went 11-1, with their only loss coming on Thanksgiving Day against Neptune. They finished 5th on the Shore and were top 6 offensively and defensively.
Outlook for the football season in Asbury Park
The Shore Conference made a mistake last season, Asbury Park moved up to the Constitution Division and struggled with teams like Holmdel, who went 9-1, Manasquan, St. John Vianney, Ocean and Shore. This season, the Blue Bishops are more traditionally placed in the D North Division with Keyport, Keansburg, Monmouth, Neptune and Shore.
When you factor in non-league games against Lakewood, New Egypt and Point Pleasant Beach, you have a schedule that Asbury Park can compete with.
“Growing up, I was never a big fan of groups,” Johnson said. “I think we could have beaten anybody in my years. We even ended up as a Group 1 school in the state, which is almost unheard of. To me, football is football. The size of the school doesn’t matter. It’s what’s in your heart that matters. The will to win. How much you want to win. You have to want to be great.”
And then there’s the small matter of winning an NJSIAA title. The last of the program’s nine state titles came in 2016, when they went 8-4 and defeated Keyport in the Central Group 1 final.
Top returnees
Jason Whittaker (So., QB/DB) – Moves from receiver to quarterback this season.
A’meire Massie (Jr., RB/DB) – Injured last season against Ocean, now healthy and ready to be a main player again.
Lorenzo Castellon (Jr., OL/DL); Keion Franks (Jr., OL/DL); Kingston Dunkley (So., WR/DB_.
Potential breakout players
Tomiere Parker (Sr., WR/OLB) – Impact player returns after several seasons focusing on basketball.
Ziamir Robinson (Jr., RB/DB); Quinton Roberts (Fr.); Eniya Johnson (Fr., OL/DL); Elani Johnson (Fr. OL/DL).
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Johnson said he has spoken to a Rutgers coach about Jason Whittaker, a versatile 6-foot-1 athlete, and expects there will be some interest in Tomiere Parker when he returns to the field.
Johnson said of Massie: “He was injured last year, but not often, but Massie is a star and I don’t like to use that word.”
Asbury Park Football at a Glance
Classification: NJSIAA South Group 1
Record 2023: 2–7.
Playoff history: 26-18, 25 playoff appearances, nine sectional finals, seven sectional titles.
Trainer: Will Johnson (first season).
Offensive style: Several.
Asbury Park Football Schedule 2024
September 6: against Lakewood, 6 p.m.
September 13: against New Egypt, 6 p.m.
September 27: at Point Beach, 7 p.m.
Oct. 4: vs. Keyport, 6 p.m.
October 12: in Keansburg, 11 a.m.
Oct. 18: at Toms River East, 6 p.m.
25 Oct: at Shore, 7pm
23 Nov.: at Neptune, 10am
