Gridiron Classic A Family Tradition For Wall Linebacker

In an all-star football game that has roots in Wall, linebacker Connor Caponegro is living proof of how much the U.S. Army All-Shore Gridiron Classic has become a Jersey Shore institution.

The 34th edition of the oldest all-star high school football game in New Jersey will kick off at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Toms River High School North. Caponegro, a 2011 Wall graduate, will then get to experience the feeling his father once had when he runs out on the field to a roaring crowd. It will be his turn to play in a game featuring the top seniors in Monmouth County taking on their Ocean County counterparts, and he will also be joined by Wall teammate Kyle Janeczek, a wide receiver.

What was then known as the All-Shore Classic began in 1978 at Wall Stadium before a record crowd of 8,112 fans. In the second edition of the game in 1979, which was also at Wall Stadium, Marc Caponegro represented St. John Vianney in Monmouth County’s 7-6 win over Ocean County. It was Monmouth’s first victory in the series, which Monmouth currently leads 18-14-1.

Marc’s older son, Blaze Caponegro, is a former star running back at Wall but he was not able to play in the Gridiron Classic after his senior year in 2009. He had already left to embark on his career at Temple University, where he is currently a linebacker. That allowed Connor to have the designation of becoming the second member of his family to play in the all-star game.  

“It’s great to be able to follow in the tradition and be able to play in this game,’’ Connor Caponegro said. “It’s been fun playing with people you played against during the season.’’

Caponegro is part of a linebacking corps that will try to slow down Ocean County stars like Pinelands running back Matt McLain, who ran for a Shore Conference-record 2,503 yards in the fall, and Lacey star running back Jarrod Molzon. Caponegro led the Crimson Knights with 103 tackles during a 7-4 season in the fall and looks to finish with one last win.

They will have to suppress some of their instincts, as linebackers are not allowed to blitz according to the rules of the all-star game.

“It is kind of weird,’’ he said.  “You have to kind of hold back, but it's not a huge deal.’’

Caponegro will then head to do a post-graduate season at Cheshire Academy, a prep school in Cheshire, Conn. One of his teammates at Cheshire this fall will be Rumson-Fair Haven quarterback Mike Villapiano, who will be one of Monmouth County’s two quarterbacks on Thursday night.

“He’s going to be my quarterback, too, next year, so it’s been fun to get to know him,’’ Caponegro said.

During his career at Wall, the Crimson Knights recovered from a two-year state playoff drought to make a run to the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III semifinals in 2010 before falling to eventual champion Freehold.

“I did the best that I could and left nothing unaccomplished,’’ he said. “This year was an awesome feeling because my freshman and sophomore year we won about two games combined (at the sub-varsity level), so it was good to get the program back in the playoffs.’’

Another player who certainly helped them get there was Janeczek, a basketball player who came out for the football team as a senior. He erupted for 898 yards on 32 catches (28.1 yards per catch) in his first and only year. He also had 11 touchdown catches, and will next play basketball and football at The College of New Jersey.