Pros take on Heroes on the Seaside Heights Beach

The Grant Avenue Beach just south of Casino Pier in Seaside Heights will be the setting for Saturday’s Pros versus Heroes flag football game to benefit the Toms River Police Foundation.

Presented by the Jay & Linda Grunin Foundation this annual football showdown matches a team made up of many former NFL players and special guests against members of the Toms River Police Department and I will have the pleasure once again to serve as the game announcer.

Super Bowl champion Darian Barnes, a former Toms River North standout and current Colts Neck High School coach will captain the Pros team again which includes MMA fighter Frankie Edgar who less than a week ago was a big winner at UFC 211 and is closing in on another title shot.

The Toms River native has been a big supporter of community events and the local police department and also possesses some nimble feet in the sand.  Among the group of ex-NFL’ers expected to play are Super Bowl MVP Otis “OJ” Anderson and former Giants Sean Landetta, Stephen Baker and Odessa Turner.  The roster also includes Brick Memorial football coach Walt Currie and Andy Chase of 105.7 The Hawk.

Not to be overlooked is the Heroes team captained by Ron Sermarini, who was a standout quarterback at Toms River North and later McDaniel College (then Western Maryland) where he still holds school records.  He’ll have a deep and talented roster of football-playing cops including Matthew Broderick, Scott Moeller, Vincent Pedalino, Jason Stallworth and Ryan Cummings.

The game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and is the featured part of an afternoon of football-related events on the beach.  It starts at 2pm when the PROS host an NFL Play60 Clinic for children and following that there will be a Beach Cheer Clinic…after the game there will be an autograph signing.  Tickets are just $5.00 for adults and children under the age of 16 are free.  For more information visit tomsriverpolicefoundation.org.