Middletown High School South

Middletown High School South
Location
900 Nut Swamp Road Middletown Township, NJ, 07748 United States
Information
Type	Public high school
Established	1976
School district	Middletown Township Public School District
Principal	Patrick Rinella
Vice principal	Victor Bayers Mark Gotthelf James Homiak Andrea Saladino
Faculty	92 (on FTE basis)[1]
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	1,445 (as of 2009-10)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	15.71[1]
Color(s)	Navy Blue and Silver Grey
Athletics conference	Shore Conference
Team name	Eagles
Accreditation(s)	Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Newspaper	'The Eagle Eye'
Yearbook	'Aquiline'
Website	School website

Middletown High School South is a four-year comprehensive public high school located within Middletown Township, New Jersey, operating part of the Middletown Township Public School District. The school is one of two in the district serving students from Middletown Township, the other being Middletown High School North.

As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,445 students and 92 classroom teachers (on a FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.71.^[1]

The school was the 95th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 92nd in 2008 out of 316 schools.^[2]

Athletics

The Middletown High School South Eagles compete in the Shore Conference, an athletic conference made up of private and public high schools centered at the Northern Jersey Shore.^[3] All schools in this conference are located within Monmouth County and Ocean County. The league operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).

Middletown South is well known for its football program, which is regarded as one of the top programs in the state of New Jersey. The program holds nine State sectional championships, 15 Shore Conference Division Championships, 8 undefeated seasons, and 17 State playoff berths. The football program holds the Shore Conference record for longest winning streak with 43 straight wins from 2003 to 2006, which was broken with a 19-14 loss in October 2006 to Ocean Township High School.^[4] In 2004, The Eagles were ranked #1 in the state of New Jersey unanimously by Gannett New Jersey, The Star-Ledger, and News 12 New Jersey polls.^[5][6] The team was selected again in 2005 as the winner of the Star-Ledger Trophy, recognizing the best team in the state.^[7] Middletown South's head coach is Steve Antonucci who had a career record of 125-21 as of November 2010. Middletown South was the high school of Knowshon Moreno, who was the 12th pick of the 2009 NFL Draft and is currently a member of the Denver Broncos.^[8]

The Middletown South baseball program has also been recognized for their success in the 1990s. During Head Coach Steve Antonucci's tenure which started in 1996, the Eagles won two Central Jersey State Titles (1996 and 1999 and completed the first undefeated season in Shore Conference A-North history with a 14-0 record. The Eagles were led in 1996 by future Rutgers University and Kansas City Royals All-American Darren Fenster to a 25-3 record. The Eagles also featured All-Shore selections Jimmy and Tommy Lopusznick.

In 1999, the Eagles won the A-North, Monmouth County and Central Jersey State Championships. The 1999 squad featured many talented players including Asbury Park Press Player of the Year Jarrett Sues, who set a school record with 21 home runs and earned ten victories on the hill.^[9] The Eagles offense was the most potent in the state including the single season home run record as a team. The Eagles were also led by All-State pitcher John Scala (10-1), and All-Shore selections Jon Klopacs (C) and Mark Fitzgerald (SS). Antonucci would continue to lead the Eagles until the conclusion of the 2008 season. The 2011 baseball team won the Monmouth County Tournament and the Central Jersey, Group III title, the program's first since 1999.^[10]

The Middletown South Girls Cross Country team won the New Jersey All Group Meet of Champions in 1998.

The boys basketball team did not win a single game in the 2004-05 season.^{[citation needed]} Three years later, during the 2007-08 season, second-year head coach Kevin Cullen led the team to the Central Jersey Group III Sectional Championship with a win over Neptune High School 45-33.^[11][12]

Teacher strike

Middletown South and the Middletown School District received national attention in the fall of 2001 when its teachers, members of the Middletown Township Education Association, went on strike for the second time in three years. The strike disrupted classes for several days, and hundreds of teachers were jailed. 228 teachers and other school workers were sent to jail in December 2001, marking that largest such action against school staff in over two decades, though they were released after agreeing to submit their differences with the school district to non-binding arbitration.^[13] After the strike, many members of the union leadership stepped down. There has not been a strike since 2001.

Drug testing

In October 2006, the Board of Education of the Middletown Township Public School District voted on a random drug testing procedure that would require all students in extracurricular activities or with a parking space at the high school to submit their name to a pool for random selection.^[14]

Administration

Core members of the school's administration include:^[15]

• Patrick Rinella - Acting Principal
• Victor Bayers - Vice Principal
• Mark Gotthelf - Vice Principal
• James Homiak - Vice Principal

Notable alumni

• Jeff Kunkel (born 1962), former MLB shortstop who played for the Texas Rangers '83 - '91 and Chicago Cubs '92; 1983 1st Round MLB Draft pick (3rd selection overall).^[16]
• Anna Campbell Little, former member of the Monmouth County, New Jersey Board of Chosen Freeholders and current mayor of Highlands, New Jersey.^[17]
• Brian Lynch (born 1973), writer and director of films including Big Helium Dog.^{[citation needed]}
• Knowshon Moreno (born 1987), running back for the Denver Broncos.^[8][18]
• Christian Peter (born 1972), former NFL defensive tackle.^[19]
• Jason Peter (born 1974), former NFL football player.^[20]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Middletown High School South, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed July 21, 2011.
2. ^ Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed May 12, 2011.
3. ^ School Info, Shore Conference. Accessed March 9, 2008.
4. ^ Badders, Bob. "Streak busters", Asbury Park Press, October 28, 2006. Accessed July 21, 2011. "Behind a punishing ground attack and a defense that was swallowing ball carriers left and right, the Spartans pulled off the upset of all upsets by defeating Middletown South, 19-14, to end the Eagles' Shore Conference record 43-game winning streak Friday night at The Swamp."
5. ^ Quick, Mike. "Final Top-10 Football Poll of 2005", MSG.com, December 6, 2005. Accessed July 21, 2011. "South is a terrific football team. And what Steve Antonucci has done down at the Shore Conference school is mind-boggling. A Shore-best 36-consecutive game win streak, three consecutive state titles, and No. 1 finishes in this and last year's Star Ledger, Gannett, and News 12 State Polls. Not everybody sees it the same way."
6. ^ Staff. "Editorial", Asbury Park Press, December 10, 2004. Accessed July 21, 2011. "And one of those teams, Middletown South, ranked first in the state in the final Gannett New Jersey and Star Ledger polls. Middletown South shut out another Shore team Wall 14-0 to claim its second consecutive NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III crown and 24th straight win."
7. ^ Kinney, Mike. "NJ FOOTBALL: Middletown South rejoins Top 20, West Deptford debuts", The Star-Ledger, November 22, 2010. Accessed July 21, 2011. "Middletown South (8-2) advanced to its ninth sectional final since 2001 with a 21-13 win over Hamilton in the Central Jersey, Group 3 semifinals.... Middletown South will seek its sixth title since ’01 and 10th overall when it battles Freehold Borough in two weeks.... The Eagles scooped up consecutive Star-Ledger trophies in 2004 and ’05 as the state’s No. 1 team."
8. ^ ^{a b} van Esselstyn, Drew. "Middletown South's Knowshon Moreno selected No. 12 overall by Denver Broncos", The Star-Ledger, April 25, 2009. Accessed July 21, 2011. "This time it was former Middletown South star running back, Knowshon Moreno. Moreno, who garnered national attention while at Georgia, was expected to go much lower in the first round. But the Denver Broncos snatched him up with the 12th pick in the first round."
9. ^ Staff. "Where Have You Gone, Jarrett Sues?", Minor League Baseball, November 15, 2008. Accessed July 21, 2011. "Sues' road to professional baseball started right where he is back at today: on the New Jersey shores. He was as good at the bat as he was on the mound in high school at Middletown (NJ) High School South, where his senior year in 1999 saw him belt 21 homers at the plate in addition to his ten wins on the mound. He was named by the Asbury Park Press newspaper as its '1999 High School Baseball Player of the Year.'"
10. ^ Lerner, Gregg. "Middletown South (7) at Brick (1), NJSIAA Tournament, Final Round, Central Jersey, Group 3 - Baseball", The Star-Ledger, June 3, 2011. Accessed July 21, 2011. "By working batters away, then challenging them on the inner half of the plate, he neutralized Brick’s collection of dangerous hitters while reaping the benefits of a balanced Middletown South offense on the way to a 7-1 triumph in the NJSIAA/Star-Ledger Central Jersey, Group 3 final yesterday in Brick. The victory gave Middletown South (19-8) its first sectional title since 1999 and second championship in less than 24 hours. It scored an 8-5 decision over No. 3 Red Bank Catholic on Thursday night in the Monmouth County Tournament title game."
11. ^ 2008 Boys Basketball - Central, Group III, NJSIAA. Accessed March 12, 2008.
12. ^ Rosenfeld, Josh. "Dougher helps Scotch Plains capture crown" (substory: "Middletown South prevails behind Callori"), The Star-Ledger, March 5, 2008. Accessed March 12, 2008.
13. ^ Staff. "Middletown NJ Teachers, Secretaries Released From Jail", Wisconsin Education Association Council, December 6, 2001. Accessed May 12, 2011. "During the week, 228 teachers and secretaries had been sent to jail for violating a judge's order that they return to work. It was the nation's biggest mass jailing of striking teachers in 23 years."
14. ^ Herget, Alison. "School board approves random drug-testing policy", Asbury Park Press, October 24, 2006. Accessed May 12, 2011. "The random drug-testing program in Middletown comes roughly a year after then- acting Gov. Richard J. Codey signed a bill test for drugs 9th- through 12th-graders involved in extracurricular activities."
15. ^ Administration page, Middletown High School South. Accessed May 12, 2011.
16. ^ Jeff Kunkel, The Baseball Cube. Accessed February 3, 2008.
17. ^ Staff. "Little joins freeholders", Holmdel Independent, March 15, 2006. Accessed May 12, 2011. "Born in Red Bank, Freeholder Little was raised in Middletown, graduating in 1985 from Middletown High School South."
18. ^ Wilno, Don. "Jump gets jump on Wesley College; Sanderson helps bowl over Temple", Asbury Park Press, September 29, 2007. Accessed October 17, 2007. "Redshirt freshman Knowshon Moreno, a graduate of Middletown High School South, tied senior starting tailback Thomas Brown with 74 yards rushing in the University of Georgia's 26-23 overtime victory over Alabama at Bryan-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala."
19. ^ Christian Peter profile, database Football. Accessed August 1, 2007.
20. ^ Ginley, Bill. "When the Cheers Aren't Enough", The New York Times, February 12, 2006. Accessed August 1, 2007. "Peter, who grew up in the Locust section of Middletown and played at Middletown South before moving on to the University of Nebraska and then to the Carolina Panthers, saw his life crumble."

External links

• Middletown High School South website
• Middletown Township School District website
• Middletown Township Public School District's 2009–10 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• Data for the Middletown Township Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics
• DigitalSports Middletown South Homepage
• Middletown South Eagles Football

Coordinates: 40°21′47″N 74°06′49″W / 40.363183°N 74.113567°W / 40.363183; -74.113567