As a member of the FTHS community and the FTHS Marching Patriots, my main goal on Friday evenings is to perform good music as a member of the drum line. However, I do get to see high school football on the side. It never ceases to thrill, and I never could have expected that I would witness such a historic season as this one.
On October 27, 2023, a day that will live in Patriot lore, the Township football team came back from a 13-point deficit to knock off previously undefeated North Brunswick 21-20. After going down 20-7, the offense turned on the jets thanks to big plays from GianPaul Cortes and Jaylen-Gill Anderson. We scored two touchdowns, the defense held firm, and the run game led by the two Nicks (Cardone and Whisten) ran out the clock to finish the game. Not only was it an upset, it was also just the second playoff victory in Freehold Township history (the previous win was in 2017, coincidentally also against North Brunswick). It is safe to say the most recent affair is the most notable of the two.
Cardone passed for 204 yards in Friday’s game, which was enough to set a new all-time school record for career passing yards (2,177 and counting). Add on his five-touchdown performance against Barnegat (which tied a single-game school record) and his 22 touchdowns during the regular season (a new single-season school record) and you have the best individual season by a Freehold Township High School quarterback ever. It is thanks in large part to a strong offensive line and supporting cast, featuring lead receivers Cortes and Gill-Anderson, the running back tandem of Sebastian Andujar and Whisten, and a stout defense starring Andujar and ball hawk safety Nick Carnevale.
On November 3, our boys took a tough loss against Toms River North, dropping their final record to 7-4. However, they can still be proud of their season, which will go down as the greatest in Freehold Township football history.