Middletown High School South
Encyclopedia
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.
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.
, an athletic conference made up of private and public high schools centered at the Northern Jersey Shore
. 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
. 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. The team was selected again in 2005 as the winner of the Star-Ledger Trophy, recognizing the best team in the state. 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
.
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. 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.
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. 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.
, 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. After the strike, many members of the union leadership stepped down. There has not been a strike since 2001.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located within Middletown Township
Middletown Township, New Jersey
Middletown Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 66,522...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, operating part of the Middletown Township Public School District
Middletown Township Public School District
The Middletown Township Public School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students from kindergarten through twelfth grade from Middletown Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States....
. The school is one of two in the district serving students from Middletown Township, the other being Middletown High School North
Middletown High School North
Middletown High School North, home of the Lions, is a four-year comprehensive public high school located within Middletown Township, New Jersey, and is part of the Middletown Township Public School District. The school serves students from parts of Middletown Township. Other students from...
.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,445 students and 92 classroom teachers (on a FTE
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.71.
The school was the 95th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly
New Jersey Monthly
New Jersey Monthly is a monthly glossy publication featuring issues of possible interest to residents of the United States state of New Jersey...
magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 92nd in 2008 out of 316 schools.
Athletics
The Middletown High School South Eagles compete in the Shore ConferenceShore Conference
The Shore Conference is an athletic conference of private and public high schools in the U.S. state of New Jersey, centered at the Northern Jersey Shore. All schools in this conference are located within Monmouth County and Ocean County. The Shore Conference is broken up into six classes based on...
, an athletic conference made up of private and public high schools centered at the Northern Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore
The Jersey Shore is a term used to refer to both the Atlantic coast of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the adjacent resort and residential communities. . The New Jersey State Department of Tourism considers the Shore Region, Greater Atlantic City, and the Southern Shore to be distinct, each having...
. All schools in this conference are located within Monmouth County
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...
and Ocean County
Ocean County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 510,916 people, 200,402 households, and 137,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 803 people per square mile . There were 248,711 housing units at an average density of 151/km²...
. The league operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.-State championships:...
(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
Ocean Township High School
Ocean Township High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Ocean Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Ocean Township School District...
. In 2004, The Eagles were ranked #1 in the state of New Jersey unanimously by Gannett New Jersey, The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
, and News 12 New Jersey
News 12 New Jersey
News 12 New Jersey is a 24-hour cable news television channel reaching more than 1.8 million television homes within the New York City metropolitan area. The channel operates as an independent unit of News 12 Networks, the first, largest and most watched regional news network in United States...
polls. The team was selected again in 2005 as the winner of the Star-Ledger Trophy, recognizing the best team in the state. 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
Knowshon Moreno
Knowshon Rockwell Moreno is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was selected 12th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Broncos. He played college football at the University of Georgia.-Early years:Moreno grew up in Belford, a neighborhood in...
, who was the 12th pick of the 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
and is currently a member of the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
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
Asbury Park Press
The Asbury Park Press is a daily newspaper in Monmouth and Ocean counties of New Jersey and has the third largest circulation in the state...
Player of the Year Jarrett Sues, who set a school record with 21 home runs and earned ten victories on the hill. 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.
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. 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
Neptune High School
Neptune High School is a comprehensive, four-year community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Neptune Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Neptune Township Schools. Neptune Township Schools is one of New Jersey's...
45-33.
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 AssociationMiddletown Township Education Association
The Middletown Township Education Association is the Middletown Township Teachers Union. The organization is Middletown's local NEA, NJEA MCEA office.- Teacher strike:...
, 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. 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.Administration
Core members of the school's administration include:- Patrick Rinella - Acting Principal
- Victor Bayers - Vice Principal
- Mark Gotthelf - Vice Principal
- James Homiak - Vice Principal
Notable alumni
- Jeff KunkelJeff KunkelJeffrey William Kunkel is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball with the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs. The son of American League umpire Bill Kunkel, after receiving All-American honors as a shortstop, he was chosen in the first round of the 1983 Major League Baseball Draft out of Rider...
(born 1962), former MLB shortstop who played for the Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
'83 - '91 and Chicago CubsChicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
'92; 1983 1st Round MLB Draft pick (3rd selection overall). - Anna Campbell LittleAnna C. LittleAnna Campbell Little is an American Republican Party politician who served as mayor of Highlands, New Jersey from 2008 through 2010, and who has previously served on the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders. She ran for congress in New Jersey's 6th congressional district, conceding to...
, former member of the Monmouth County, New JerseyMonmouth County, New JerseyMonmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...
Board of Chosen FreeholdersBoard of Chosen FreeholdersIn New Jersey, the Boards of Chosen Freeholders are the county legislatures in each of that state's 21 counties.- Origin :New Jersey's system of naming county legislators "freeholders" is unique in the United States...
and current mayorMayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Highlands, New JerseyHighlands, New JerseyHighlands is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,005. It is the home town of film maker, director, and comic book writer Kevin Smith. The eastern part of the town is built on a high bluff that overlooks Sandy...
. - Brian Lynch (born 1973), writer and director of films including Big Helium DogBig Helium DogBig Helium Dog is a 1999 comedy film. It is produced by Kevin Smith's View Askew production company and also features the Broken Lizard comedy troupe in starring and supporting roles....
. - Knowshon MorenoKnowshon MorenoKnowshon Rockwell Moreno is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was selected 12th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Broncos. He played college football at the University of Georgia.-Early years:Moreno grew up in Belford, a neighborhood in...
(born 1987), running backRunning backA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
for the Denver BroncosDenver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. - Christian PeterChristian PeterChristian Peter is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. Peter's younger brother, Jason, also played in the NFL....
(born 1972), former NFL defensive tackle. - Jason PeterJason PeterJason Michael Peter is a retired American football player. Peter was an All-American defensive tackle his senior year at the University of Nebraska and was taken in the first round by the Carolina Panthers in the 1998 NFL Draft. His career was shortened by a recurring and chronic neck stinger...
(born 1974), former NFL football player.
External links
- Middletown High School South website
- Middletown Township School District website
- Data for the Middletown Township Public School District, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
- DigitalSports Middletown South Homepage
- Middletown South Eagles Football