It has been impressive when you look at what the Shore Regional football team has been able to do in the NJSIAA regular season in New Jersey over the years.

But the Blue Devils have come up just short in the playoffs: last year, Shore made its deepest foray into the Group 1 bracket in years, losing 24-19 to Woodstown. That Woodstown team fell 8-6 to Woodbury in the South Jersey, Group 1 final, which means Shore was pretty close.

Rising senior defensive end and tight end Michael Furlong wants to change that.

First, Furlong wants to help the Blue Devils win a Shore Conference division title, which they missed out on by a game in 2021. Then, he wants to hang a sectional title banner.

Furlong has taken a leadership role in the offseason, getting everyone involved in workouts ahead of the summer training, which picks up in the coming weeks. At 6-3, Furlong has been hard at work adding some muscle onto his frame and should be a force on both sides of the ball for the Blue Devils.

As expected, he has a 4.0 GPA off the field, which will rise in the next few weeks as his junior year grades post.

Here is what one Shore Conference coach said about the player:

“He is one of those kids who you know is going to put on a bunch of muscle in the offseason and come back as a dramatically different player in the fall. He was outstanding in his junior year for Shore but could be a big-time player in that tough Patriot Division race.

“I would expect him to be disruptive in both the running and passing game on defense, and he should be pivotal blocking in the running game. He might catch a few touchdowns as well, as Shore tries to use his size as a mismatch.”