Lucky Number 12…

In the “Know”

by Matt Shanley

Not many people make their way out of Central Jersey.

The list is short and prestigious. It’s one that includes Jack Nicholson, Bruce Springsteen, and Kirsten Dunst. Saturday, New Jersey sports fans had a reason to celebrate: Knowshon Moreno of Middletown had become the first round draft pick of the Denver Broncos.

Though the professional football hadn’t heard of the running back until recently, Moreno has been a household name in Monmouth and Ocean County for several years. His agile, yet forceful, style of play has been recognized throughout the state since he was merely a teen.

“I first heard about him when he was in middle school playing basketball at a summer camp at Monmouth University,” said Fred Sprengel, former head football coach at Brick Memorial High School. “A friend of mine told me to watch out for an unbelievable athlete who played Pop Warner football in the Atlantic Highlands. We scrimmaged him four times throughout his high school career. There was no doubt he was a stud.”

The University of Georgia clearly heard about this unbelievable athlete as well, as Moreno was recruited by them during his junior and senior seasons at Middletown South High School. Other football schools such as Michigan, Virginia Tech, and Florida also kept close tabs on the elusive half back; however, it was the Bulldogs who ultimately came away with the prized young man.

It wasn’t long until the people of Athens, Georgia came to love Moreno as much as those from his hometown. Sasha Williams, a junior at the University of Georgia, goes against the will of her boyfriend with her love for the running back. “He used to be my favorite,” said Williams. “My boyfriend Taylor is a huge (Florida) Gators fan, but Knowshon is still my number one.”

Though those who watch Moreno know him well, those who know played against him know him even better. Former Brick Memorial defensive end Steve Avon has had his fair share of experiences with the first round pick.

“I tried to treat it like any other game,” said Avon, “but you can’t help but get the jitters when you play against an athlete of that caliber. His versatility and intelligence are what separated him from everyone else. Not only could he beat you around the edge, but he can also go up the middle and simply run you over.”

Moreno is so hard to compete against because of said versatility. He has so many strengths and so few faults. For now, it seems as though there’s only one way coaches can game plan when number twenty-four is on the other side of the ball.

Coach Sprengel may have come up with the best strategy to date:

“To game plan against him,” he said, “I would pray each day leading up to the game that Knowshon would miss the bus.”