Joe Hofmann Notes Column: Running Backs Headed in Different Directions

Time after time, Clement Hofbauer’s number was called Friday night. Montville was moving the ball on the ground against River Dell, so why change?

His night: 41 carries, 229 yards, two touchdowns.

And a sore arm.

“My arm hurts,” he said, “but I feel good.”

Hofbauer felt good last weekend, and so did Morris Knolls’ Ryan McDonald, West Morris’ Brody Mansolino, and Mendham’s Owen Lieberwirth.

All four senior backs had mammoth games and helped lead their teams to victory.

Hofbauer may well be the only one carrying a football at this time next year. Football is not on the agenda of the others.

Hofbauer is a footballer, through and through. He is interested in playing Division 3 football and would love to bring his ability to pound the rock to Hartwick College (Oneonta, NY).
“I’d like to play running back, but I’m open to other positions,” Hofbauer said. 

But first, there is a sectional semifinal game at West Essex, which beat Montville in an early-season game.

“We’ll be more prepared for them this time,” he said. “We have established our offense and we’re more ready now with a lot of preparation during the season.”

McDonald, Mansolino and Lieberwirth are winding down their football careers. 

McDonald runs Morris Knolls’ intricate Spread Option/Flex Bone and had one of the best games of his life during a 42-21 Knolls victory over Summit. He rushed 13 times for 174 yards and touchdown runs of 59 (on Knolls’ first offensive play of the night), 70, 1 and 1 yards.

McDonald’s job is to scan the defense, read it, keep, pitch, and lead the charge – all at one time. 

He is one of the best to have ever done it at Knolls.

But his time wearing a helmet and shoulder pads is short.

Baseball is his calling.

If you are familiar with his family, you’ll know why. The McDonald’s are Morris County’s first family when it comes to baseball. His dad (Kevin) was an All-State player at Morristown-Beard and made it to Single-A with the Detroit Tigers. His uncle (Dan) was All-State and made it to Double-AA with the Mets. His grandfather, John, once roomed with Buck Showalter at Mississippi State.

So now you know why it would be no surprise if a baseball glove accompanied Ryan McDonald in his crib – and why he will attend Salisbury State (Maryland) to play catcher.

“I played all my life,” he said. “I had great role models for baseball. All my life, they all taught me how to be a better man and a better ballplayer as well.”

McDonald is looking forward to continuing his baseball career but that doesn’t mean he wants football to end. He has played with many of his Knolls teammates since kindergarten and that is a tough thing to let go of.

That is why they are looking forward to the trip at powerful Northern Highlands. 

“The seniors have done a great job this year,” McDonald said. “The seniors have been great role models to everyone for next year and years after. They have set the bar really high. We all talked about leaving it all out there with no regrets. We have nothing to lose. We want to have the best week of practice and play our butts off. We have full confidence that we’ll come out with a win.

“I’m grateful for the memories with my teammates and coaches in football. It’ll be sad once the season is over, but no one is thinking about that. I just want to play as hard as possible for all my teammates and come out with a win on Friday.”

Mansolino, meanwhile, will take his lacrosse skills to Roanoke College in Virginia. He is a vital cog for West Morris, which is gunning for its second straight sectional championship and fifth in the last six years.

The team opened the postseason with a 49-21 win over Morris Hills. Mansolino, who missed much of the season with a dislocated elbow, rushed for a career-high 211 yards and scored two touchdowns.

“The team played great,” he said. “For our seniors, it was a bigger game than usual because it was our last time ever playing at home and it meant a lot to all of us. The line opened up holes left and right. Morris Hills couldn’t bring down me or Deacon (West Morris teammate Deacon Frayne rushed for 189 yards and two TDs).

The injury to his elbow was frightening but Mansolino managed to come back in time for Senior Night three weeks ago against Immaculata. The injury happened in Week 2 against Morristown.

“I was at fullback, and the play was belly left and I cut to my right,” he recalled. “I put my hand down for balance and as soon as I put my arm down I heard and felt it pop. My teammate, Andrew Dominguez, came over to help me up but I told him to call the trainer. 

Mansolino went to a nearby hospital, relieved that he hadn’t broken anything. Now he is back in midseason form. 

“It feels phenomenal to be back, especially the last few weeks,” he said. “I’ll never play again, so I wanna go all out, make my teammates better in practice and make myself better. I want to go out swinging.”

Mansolino tried the baseball route when he was in kindergarten.

“My mom had me play tee-ball, but I was bored,” he said. “She said, ‘Do you want to try lacrosse? I did and fell in love with it.”

By the sixth grade, Mansolino joined a club team and currently plays on  Building Blocks Lacrosse (Florham Park), which is ranked No. 1 in the country.”

Lieberwirth, meanwhile, likely saw his football career come to an end in Mendham’s 45-22 consolation game victory over Gov. Livingston. He rushed 11 times for 253 yards and scored two touchdown runs of 64 yards and another one for 55 yards.

Ever since he was a little boy, he has wanted to work with his father Brian, who is the funeral director of Bermingham Funeral Home in Wharton.

“I haven’t changed my plan since kindergarten,” he said. “I always knew I wanted to work for him. 

“I have always known what I wanted to do. If there is an opportunity to play in college, maybe I’ll look into that.But at the same time, I have been planning this my whole life. I help my dad with everything. I help pick up the bodies. I help with the embalming. Help set up the funerals. I open the doors and greet people. I like caring for people and making sure that everything is good. 

“I see it as helping others. That is my favorite thing. People are going through their saddest days, so what I do is super important. I love helping people who are sad and maybe make them feel better.” 

STATE PLAYOFF PREVIEW

Mount Olive at Chatham – This game is one of the most fascinating in all of New Jersey. The Marauders won the first meeting on Sept. 28, 21-14, and that was without Brayden Longo, one of the best backs in the entire area. Longo is back and the Marauders are rounding into peak form after having built up a 27-0 first-quarter lead on the way to annihilating Rahway in the first round of the state playoffs, 44-14. Chatham has gone on a roll lately, beating Roxbury (7-3), Mendham (34-17), Weequahic (28-0), Morris Knolls (28-21), and Montgomery in the first round of the playoffs (41-20 after leading at the half, 35-0). QB Ryan Hogan and WR Nick Lagunowich is a deadly combination as they are each arguably the best at their position in Morris County.

Morris Knolls at Northern Highlands – Knolls rushed for 342 yards but lost three fumbles in a 42-28 setback at Northern Highlands last year. NH can move the ball, but if Bryan Gallagher’s team can hold onto the football it is right in the thick of things here. QB Ryan McDonald is running the offense beautifully and Highlands will have its hands full with him, Lucas Zuravnsky, Gavin Toland and Nick Wong.

Middletown South at Roxbury – The Gaels defensive front has been imposing, and the Monmouth school must account for such Roxbury defenders as Matthew Donnelly (17 tackles for loss), Ian McMahon (12 TFL), Christian Tummino (10 TFL), and Vin Zanni (9 TFL) or it’ll be a long night. Roxbury’s ground game has accumulated almost 2,500 yards with QB Frankie Falco and RB Roy Alvarado leading the way.

West Morris at Old Tappan – There is a little recent history here. OT crushed West Morris in the state Group III semifinals last year, 35-0 The Wolfpack have won four of the last five sectional titles, including a 21-17 shocker at Old Tappan to win the 2023 crown. That was the season when coach Kevin Hennelly’s team won its third straight sectional championship and shocked the world because that year, the team was 1-4 in their league – good for fifth in the six-team Liberty White.

Montville at West Essex – The Knights beat the Mustangs in Week 1, 27-14. Montville struggled running the ball that night, accumulating just 84 yards rushing. How much did West Essex have to do with that? Was Montville working out the cobwebs that night? Which team has made the most strides since then?

Kinnelon at Newton – The Braves just might be the best Group I team in the state, led by RB Evan Cotter (1,778 yards, 29 TDs). Cotter has been so incredible this year that the work of QB Cole Young (50 for 81, 1,070 yards, 12 TDs, just 1 INT) and Hunter Wolfe (25 for 677, 7 TDs) sometimes gets overlooked. If you’re into the subtle intricacies of the running game, this game is for you. No one runs the Wing-T better than Newton. Kinnelon? The Colts run what is referred to as the Slot T, a form of the Wing T. Kinnelon coach Dustin Grande brought the Power T to Kinnelon.

Butler at Hasbrouck Heights – Congrats to Bulldogs coach Jason Luciani, who notched the 100th win of his career with a 46-13 victory over Dayton. If Luciani is to reach 101 this year, the Bulldogs will have to reverse a 30-27 setback suffered against Heights earlier this year. Butler was the two-time defending NJIC champion but were bumped out of the playoffs that night. The Bulldogs are the two-time defending North 1, Group I champ and, historically, one of the top programs in Morris County. They are not to be counted out because of the likes of RB Ethan Diaz (184 for 1,318, 22 TDs) and QB Evan Croker (68 for 101, 1,174 yards, 13 TDs, 1 INT, 70 for 453 rushing, 8 TDs). 

Delbarton at St. Joe-Montvale – The Green Wave surrendered a late touchdown and lost a 24-17 decision to Joe’s in mid-September. QB Jayden Schmalz threw just one pass that afternoon because he was the backup to Gavin Gillardi, but Gillardi transferred to Immaculata and Schmalz now has the starting role. Delbarton needs backs Koby Irby-Mason (755 yards, 7 TDs) and D.J. Benfatti (383, 8 TDs) to lend Schmalz a hand.

Notre Dame at Pope John – The Lions come in with a 3-6 record and have had a tough time competing against a brutal schedule that has included the likes of Washington Twp., Bosco, Paramus Catholic, DePaul, and Delbarton. But there is hope: Two years ago, the Lions were 2-7 heading into the playoffs in Non-Public B and beat Camden Catholic, Paramus Catholic, and St. John Vianney before losing to DePaul in the B championship game. Pope doesn’t have the talent of a Tylik Hill (who went nuts in the playoffs, garnering him Big State Player of the Year) but I wouldn’t count Pope John out. Watch out for Sparta transfer Christian Brevig (17 catches, 245 yards), who busted loose for eight catches and 100 yards (2 TDs) against Delbarton recently.