BEST PLAYER ON A SUB-.500 TEAM - STUMPY AWARDS

Best Player on an under-.500 team:
The nominees:

Ryan Spadola, Freehold Township: The junior wideout had 34 catches for 610 yards and six touchdowns for the Patriots, including a 7-catch, 160-yard explosion against state champion Howell and 145 yards and a touchdown against Colts Neck. He also returned to football after the loss of his father, so it shows what kind of player and person he is. His teammate, linebacker Matt Faiella, also deserves a plug here.

Steve Hoverson, Middletown North: A linebacker with more than 85 tackles for a much-improved Lions team that is poised to make noise next year, Hoverson can take pride in the fact that he helped rebuild the program. Lions' kicker Dylan Maresca also deserves mention here.

Jimmy Weisz, Pinelands: Ran for 600 yards and eight touchdowns and had 11 catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns despite teams focusing on stopping him on a team beset with injuries and depth issues.

Anthony D'Elia, Brick Memorial: As an offensive lineman learning a new flexbone running offense, D'Elia helped the Mustangs' attack improve as the weeks went along, culminating in an upset win over Brick in their annual meeting.

Will Sanborn, Red Bank: His sensational, two-touchdown, 190-yard receiving performance against Freehold was a highlight of the season, as the senior wide receiver was the main offensive threat for the Bucs.

D'Andre McFadden, Manchester: The junior running back piled up 850 yards and 12 touchdowns on 6.8 yards per carry, including a pair of 200-yard rushing games and two touchdown runs of 90 yards or more.

Jon Curtin, Monsignor Donovan: The Griffins' quarterback had over 1,000 yards combined between passing and rushing in their flexbone offense, and he tossed 11 touchdown passes.

Rich Esdaile, St. John Vianney: The senior running back/linebacker crossed the 1,000-yard rushing mark and was one of the leaders on defense.

Erik Chiarella, Shore: The Blue Devils senior running back went over the 1,000-yard mark.

Bryan Thomson, Keyport: The sophomore lineman helped the Red Raiders rally from an 0-4 start to a 4-6 finish and should be one to watch in the Patriot Division in the next two years.

And the Stumpy goes to....This is a rugged category because these performances all deserve credit. I'm going to go with Esdaile, who really came on in the end of the season as the Lancers made their final surge. My only reservation is that in a majority of the Lancers' games against winning teams, he didn't run for more than 60 yards. Still, he is a good all-around player. It's tough to overlook Spadola, however. Great season for him.