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A look at the teams from Monmouth and Ocean counties that have distinguished themselves as the best of the best over the years

There’s nothing like the sight of players spilling from a dugout and meeting on the diamond in a joyous celebration, with a dogpile near the pitcher’s mound a sure sign that something great has just happened.

There have been more than a few of them at the Jersey Shore over the years. The area has a storied baseball history, having produced teams that have ranked among the best in the state, and the nation, led by players who have gone on to leave their mark at the highest levels.

With that said, even the best baseball teams lose. The 1927 Yankees did it 44 times.

In high school baseball, as the season grinds on the top teams find themselves juggling multiple tournaments at the same time, often left having to prioritize one over another. And there are more tournaments than there used to be, with innings limits making it even more difficult for coaches to manage their resources.

It’s difficult for anyone to survive a hot pitcher on any given day.

That’s why winning multiple championships is so difficult, and in some cases what separates very good teams from great ones.

When we asked for reader input on the greatest teams ever from Monmouth and Ocean counties, there was no shortage of input and suggestions on who to include. So thank you, because a project like this would not be possible without your help.

As always, it’s all very subjective, and this is by no means a complete list. But these are clearly teams that did something special and are deserving of mention:

Wall (2004)

The first team to ever complete the so-called “Quadruple Crown,’’ winning division, county, Shore Conference and NJSIAA titles under coach Todd Schmitt.

The Crimson Knights finished the season on a 14-game winning streak, all in tournament play, to go 28-7. They capped off the year with a dramatic 4-2 win over Raritan in the Group III final, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. Brett Burke improved to 12-1 on the season, and went 6-0 in the NJSIAA Tournament.

Wall beat CBA, 5-2, in the Monmouth County Tournament final, and Ocean, 7-6, in the Shore Conference Tournament final.

CBA (2015)

The second team to complete the Quadruple Crown, finishing with a 27-5 and a 14-game winning streak, including 11 tournament games. The only difference from Wall’s season 11 years earlier is that CBA shared the A North title with Middletown South.

The Colts ended their historic campaign in style for coach Marty Kenney, knocking off previously unbeaten Don Bosco Prep, ranked No. 9 in the MaxPreps national poll, in the Non-Public A final. In that game, Luca Dalatri tossed a 4-hit shutout to improve to 9-0 on the season.

The Colts topped Red Bank Catholic in the SCT final, 4-0, and Wall in the MCT title game, 5-4.

Toms River South (1998)

This edition of coach Ken Frank’s Indians is one of only four teams ever to win the Shore Conference Tournament and a state championship in the same season.

In the Group III final at Toms River East’s Raider Ravine, the Indians’ Tom Wheeler tossed a 3-hitter in a 4-0 win over Millburn for their 18th straight victory, finishing with a 26-5 record. Wheeler finished the season 12-2, going 27-4 for his career with 1.25 ERA.

In their win over Brick in the SCT final, Charlie Frazier’s two-run triple in the top of the seventh gave them a 7-4 lead, providing the winning runs in a 7-6 victory. The Indians lost the Ocean County Tournament final to Toms River East, 1-0 in eight innings.

Middletown South (1996)

The only other team to win an SCT and NJSIAA crown in the same season, coach Steve Antonucci’s Eagles knocked off Bloomfield, 2-1, in the Group IV championship game for their 12th straight win, and  22nd in last 23 games, to finish with a 26-3 record.

In winning the school’s first state championship, right-hander John Cooke won his eighth game of the season without a loss. Cooke and Nick Maddalena were a combined 16-0 that season.

Trailing 3-1 in the seventh inning of the SCT final against Toms River South, the Eagles produced a two-out rally en route to a 4-3 win in eight innings.

Manasquan (1969)

Back before the Shore Conference Tournament, played for the first time in 1980, teams attempted to win the “Triple Crown.’’  And Manasquan went 22-4 and nearly pulled it off for coach Jack Hawkins.

After winning the Shore Conference B Division crown, the Warriors defeat South River for the Central Jersey Group III crown, two years before the NJSIAA began playing out to overall group champions. In that game, Hawkins pitched his ace, junior Chip Hirst, who had a career record of 20-1 after that season.

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Manasquan still had to play Ocean in the Monmouth College Interscholastic Tournament, the predecessor to the Monmouth County Tournament, and lost to pitcher John Villapiano in the championship game, 5-2.

Brick (1976)

The Green Dragons were something of a ground-breaking Ocean County program in the mid-1970s under coach Jim Rochford. They went up and won the MCIT in 1974, lost in the final in 1975 and then won it again in 1976.

Pitcher Tony Roselli led the way in 1976, beating a good Freehold Township team in the MCIT final to earn the MVP award as part of a 10-1 season on the mound.

But while the Green Dragons went 25-6, it was in South Jersey Group IV play that they ran up against Cherry Hill East and a senior right-hander named Orel Herchiser, who beat Roselli and went on to a World Series MVP and Cy Young Award winner with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

CBA (2001)

The Colts were putting together a great season with a lineup that pounded the ball from top-to-bottom led by Lou Santangelo, with nine homers and 42 RBI, and a strong pitching staff led by Mike Melissinos, who won nine of his 10 decisions.

After getting upset by St. John Vianney in the MCT, the beat a Toms River East team that would go on to win the Group IV title, 6-5, in the SCT final.

They rolled into the Non-Public A final with a 29-2 record, taking on a 28-3 Seton Hall Prep team as the Colts returned to the state final for the first time since beating Seton Hall Prep, 2-1, some 24 years earlier. But the Colts had bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the seventh and couldn’t get a run home, falling 4-3.

Toms River East (2001)

The Raiders, led by the battery of pitcher Ryan Doherty and catcher Colin Gaynor, went 29-2, with their only losses coming to Toms River South in the OCT final and a 6-5 loss in the SCT final to CBA, as the Colts, who would reach the Non-Public A final, scoring the winning run in the top of the seventh inning.

But there was no stopping coach Bill Frank’s Raiders in the NJSIAA tournament. And in the Group IV final it was the 7-1 Doherty getting the win in their 4-3 victory over North Bergen. Doherty finished the season with a 10-0 record, while Gaynor hit .490 and drove in 46 runs.

Toms River South (1991)

No matter how good you are, every so often you run into a team for the ages. And that’s exactly what happened to the Indians this season.

Coming off a Group III state championship in 1990, the Indians, who would finish the season with a 25-4 record, rolled over Lakewood, 5-0, in the OCT final, before getting past Toms River North, 3-2, in the SCT final.

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But in the South Jersey Group III final they came up against a Cherry Hill West team that had won back-to-back Group IV crowns, and would win another in 1992, but had dropped down to Group III in 1991. Ranked No. 5 in the nation, Cherry Hill West handed pitcher Rod Velardi his only loss of the season.

Lakewood (1980)

It was the “Boys of Summer’’ revisited, as many of the same players who helped Lakewood win the Little League World Series national championship in 1975 played key roles for coach Stan Liptzin’s Piners.

Bobby DelConte threw a one-hitter against Tampa, Fla. in Williamsport, Pa. in the championship game, and he gave up just two unearned runs in the Piners victory over Newark East Side in the Group III final. It was Lakewood’s 16th straight win, and they would end the season with a 24-8-1 mark, with Dion Lowe hitting .404 and driving in 33 runs.

They still had the Ocean County Tournament to finish up,and ended up losing to Central, 4-3, in the final.

Middletown North (1982)

The Lions swept a trio of local titles by winning the A North crown, along with the MCT and OCT titles, as part of a 23-4 campaign.

They hammered CBA, 15-4, to win the MCIT title. Pitcher Jim Hunter went 9-2 on the season, and was the winning pitcher in their 4-0 triumph over Toms River South in the SCT final.

Their dream of winning a state championship ended with a loss to Edison in the Central Jersey Group IV semifinals.

Toms River South (2003)

Winning state championships is hard. And when you’re the first from the Shore to do it in back-to-back seasons, that means something. And that’s what this Indians’ team was able to do, building on the Group III title they won in 2002 and putting together a 24-4 campaign.

In their 9-4 win in the Group III final against Cranford, it was junior Todd Frazier belting his 12th home run of the season, a three-run shot, to key the victory. They lost to Toms River East, 1-0, in the OCT final.

Toms River South (1983)

It started building a year earlier. And in 1983 the Indians won A South as well as the OCT and SCT crowns, with the team going 52-6 over a two-year period.

The Indians went 25-2 in 1983, with pitcher Pat Hanley going 13-1, which improved his career record to 24-3. Pitcher Jon Miele also went 8-1. They beat Middletown South, 13-7, in the SCT final, avenging a semifinal loss to the Eagles a year earlier, and topped Southern, 2-1, for the OCT title.

St. Rose (2008)

Not only was this edition of the Purple Roses 27-2, they rank as the only team from the area, aside from the two Quadruple Crown winners, to capture a county title and then go on to win a state championship.

Not only did they pound Manalapan in the MCT final, 14-9, they had a pair of victories over Wall, which reached the Group III final that year. Behind pitcher Connor Smith, they set a school record for wins. Smith closed out a 10-1 season by beating St. Mary’s (Rutherford) in the Non-Public B final.

St. Rose would go on to become only the second Shore area team to win back-to-back state championships a year later.

Middletown South (1981)

The Shore Conference Tournament was in its infancy. And the Eagles were the first team to capture the MCIT and SCT in the same season, going on to finish the season with a 24-4 record as the A North champions.

Led by Johnny Johnson, who hit .381, with seven homers and 30 RBI, and Dave Lynch, who hit .340, pounded eight homers and drove in 27 runs, they beat Marlboro to win their second straight MCIT crown, and topped Toms River South, 5-3, for the SCT title.

Staff writer Stephen Edelson is an Asbury Park Press columnist: sedelson@gannettnj.com