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Sports

Gridiron Classic: SJV Grad Playing for Two on Thursday Night

St. John Vianney linebacker Nick Dragonetti looks to honor his late brother in the final game of his football career as part of the Monmouth County all-stars when they face Ocean County in Thursday night's U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic.

When St. John Vianney’s Nick Dragonetti takes the football field as a player for the last time in his life on Thursday night, he will be thinking of the person who was a big reason he stepped on the field for the first time all those years ago in Pop Warner.

Dragonetti will play linebacker for the Monmouth County senior all-stars in their annual battle with their Ocean County counterparts in Thursday’s U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic at 7 p.m. at Toms River North. He is one of two players with Holmdel ties in the game as Holmdel High School’s Mike Cantelli, who will play some wide receiver and defensive back, also is part of the Monmouth County team.

Dragonetti is not playing football in college, so this marks the final game of his career – a career that has been dedicated to a player who inspired him since the first time he put a helmet on.

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“I played every game for him,’’ Dragonetti said.

On Jan. 10, 2007, Dragonetti’s older brother, Michael, 17, was killed in a head-on collision at 2 p.m. when his Cadillac CTS collided head-on with another car in Freehold Township. The elder Dragonetti was a beloved captain of the football team at Freehold Boro, and he died in the crash along with two other Freehold students.

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“He was the type of kid you wanted your son to be like,’’ former Freehold head coach Mark Ciccotelli said at the time. “He was an incredible kid.’’

Michael Dragonetti was an undersized, 185-pound lineman who maximized his ability. His death shook the community, but it also galvanized Freehold’s football team.

“He had sound technique, and he was so strong for his size,’’ Nick said. “He was really something.’’

Playing in his memory, the Colonials went from a team that had been stuck near the bottom of the standings early in Ciccotelli’s tenure to one that has captured two NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III titles in the last three seasons after not having won any since the inception of the current state playoff system in 1974.

Dragonetti’s name adorned T-shirts worn by the team and was invoked by Ciccotelli, who is now the head coach at Neptune, after every victory.

“They really honored my family and my brother well,’’ Nick said. “They made us feel like we were a part of it.’’

While Nick decided to attend St. John Vianney, he still wore his brother’s No. 68 on his jersey. He will also wear No. 68 in the gold and black of Monmouth County on Thursday night.

Just like Michael, Nick was an undersized lineman and linebacker who played with heart and determination for a Lancers team that had two different head coaches during his tenure while failing to reach the postseason. Dragonetti was still recognized for his achievements, as he was selected as the team’s recipient of the prestigious Lombardi Award as the Lancers’ top lineman.

Meanwhile, he attended both of Freehold’s state championship games at Rutgers Stadium in 2008 and 2010, and admits that he sometimes wonders what it might have been like had he gone to the same school as his brother.

“Watching kids I played with play for (Michael) and win championships, it was bittersweet because I wasn't a part of it, but I'm so happy for them,’’ he said. “A lot of people ask me, if you could go back and go to Vianney or Freehold, would you do it differently? I would have loved to play with the kids I played with since Pop Warner and win championships, but I really have had the time of my life at Vianney.’’

The Lancers went a combined 11-19 in the last three seasons, one under Shore Football Coaches Foundation Hall of Famer John Amabile and two under former coach Skip Edwards. Andy Carlstrom is now the new head coach heading into 2011, making him the Lancers’ third coach in four years.

“I loved playing for Amabile, I loved playing for coach Skip, and it was a great ride,’’ Nick said. “I met some really cool kids and great players, and unfortunately we were never able to put it together and make the playoffs. If I had to do it all over, I would go back to Vianney.’’

Despite the struggles of the Lancers, Dragonetti now has a chance to make a final positive memory in Thursday night’s game. He is part of a linebacking group that includes standouts like Wall’s Connor Caponegro and Neptune’s Matt Gannon. He also has had the experience of becoming teammates with players who were once his Class A Central rivals.

“Coming in here I knew it was going to be awkward with guys like Cantelli and (Raritan’s Kevin) Furlong – guys you've been watching tape on for three years and that you don't like,’’ he said before smiling. “But it's been great. I was really honored and happy to be picked for this game, and I thought it was a great chance to play my last football game with the best guys around.’’

He will also play his last football game with one other guy in mind, and hopefully enjoy a few more special moments before the pads and helmet get put into a locker for good.

“He’s played such a big part in my life,’’ he said about his brother. “I know he would have loved to see me play in this game, and I will make him proud.’’ 

 

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