When North defensive line coach Bryan Gallagher demonstrated down-and-distance situations during practices leading up to the Phil Simms North-South game late last week, he used his Morris Knolls cap as the ball.

The Golden Eagles coach was taking a bit of a risk: North lineman Dean Mangiocavallo hails from bitter archrival Randolph.

“I know he was tempted,” Gallagher quipped, “to stomp on my cap.”

Mangiocavallo didn’t. 

Fortunately for Gallagher – and the cap – Mangiocavallo saved his aggression for the game.

And that almost resulted in a North victory.

The North fell, 19-18, but Mangiocavallo made his presence felt all game long in the trenches – and almost helped win the game late for the North.

The Georgetown-bound lineman was in on three straight stops of South ballcarriers near the goal line in the closing minutes before the South scored the go-ahead touchdown when Rumson QB Owen O’Toole broke into the end zone for a rushing TD with 1:39 left.

The North almost staged a wild comeback – keyed by Butler’s P.J. Coffey making a circus-like 35-yard reception – but the South held the North off to tie the series in the 44–year-old game at 21-21-2. 

Mangiocavallo’s brute force inside almost turned the tide late in the game.

“I did my job when it came to a few plays on the goal line,” Mangiocavallo said. I stopped them three times. Down near the goal line is something I’ve always excelled at,  stopping the run. Especially the interior, goal line situations, I am good there.”

Gallagher knows great defensive linemen when he sees them – and he saw one over a three-day stretch in Mangiocavallo.

Gallagher knew the 6-3, 300-pound behemoth well because of the time-honored Knolls-Randolph rivalry that is as revered as any other in Morris County. When the two schools met during Gallagher’s first year at Knolls last fall, he knew stopping Mangiocavallo was imperative. The Golden Eagles were able to capture a 36-18 win on the way to winning the SFC-Liberty White. 

But Mangiocavallo went above and beyond what Gallagher previously thought coming into the game. He wowed the coach with his performance not only in the game, but the two days of two-a-day practices leading up to Sunday. 

“Dean had a great week and showed he could go toe-to-toe with those guys,” Gallagher said. “Physically, he has the size and strength and quickness necessary to play on the next level. Mentally, he is very coachable and has a positive attitude. I was impressed with him. I had the D-Line and we were together all weekend so I watched him a lot.

“He was in the mix when he was out there. Statistically I don’t know how many tackles he was in on but he was in on a few. They weren’t able to run the ball a ton against us. The passing game is where they made their yards.”

Mangiocavallo left a lasting impression on Gallagher.

“I’m really impressed,” the coach said. “If that kid is going to Georgetown … and he’s awesome … then what do the ones going to Michigan look like?”

Off the field, Mangiocavallo’s positive, upbeat attitude was another plus for the North. He was honored with the Ken Trimmer Award, which is named after the longtime Caldwell coach and one of the game’s executives. The award honors the player who demonstrates energy, excitement, enthusiasm, strong work ethic, and leadership qualities over the three-day stretch at Kean.

The team-oriented Mangiocavallo saw some of those traits in his teammates.

“We had one practice in the morning and one at night for two days,” he said. “The energy was amazing throughout the team. We had a lot of chemistry with everyone. It was fun getting coached by really good coaches. We did competitions with the South like a tug of war. We went D-Line vs. D-Line and we won.”

The North-South game served as the perfect bridge for Mangiocavallo, who will begin practicing at Georgetown in late July.

“The North-South game gets you ready competition-wise,” he said. “There are better players than in a regular practice. Everyone had the same passion for football and built trust and that makes you better as a team.”

In addition, some of the D-Line cues he recognized from his Randolph days.

“It was stuff that I was familiar with,” Mangiocavallo said. “Our D-Coordinator was the Union City coach (Wilber Valdez). A lot of what he taught was what (Former Randolph coach Will) Nahan taught. Seeing that was nice and I felt more advanced for college because of it.”

Another North standout on defense was Pope John’s Joe Pappa, who got a chance to get warmed up to the Kean environment. He will report to the Union-based school for practice in August.

“He missed the first day of practice but he had a good game,” Gallagher said. “He pressured their quarterback a few times. He was another good kid.”

Gallagher was impressed with the way the North’s defensive linemen in the game were able to mesh their ability and get along with one another – which is not to be taken for granted at an all-star game. Sometimes, egos of star athletes get in the way and brand new teammates do not always get along. 

But they sure did this time.

“That D-Line group had kids from all over,” Gallagher said, referring to such D-Linemen as Irvington’s Jordan Ogbewele, Montgomery’s Landon Dikker, Pope John’s Pappa, Lincoln’s Ahma Dominick, Newton’s Neheimiah Vazquez, Rahways’s Kevin Taylor, Union City’s Reynaldo Merceds, and Cranford’s Michael Scotti. “They meshed very well.”

They also shared one common trait – incredible appetites.

“Another thing,” Gallagher said. “At the beefsteak dinner, they may have broken the record for the amount of food they consumed. It’s incredible what those kids can eat. That, and the way the kids all came together. Watching that was a very neat experience.”

Morris Knolls standout Bobby Brickner, Big State 2024 Sports Player of the Year, was unable to play due to a broken foot suffered while playing lacrosse.

Chatham quarterback Will Allen was originally slated to play quarterback for the North, is playing for the Cougars in a state lacrosse game today.