Atlantic Physical Therapy Shore Conference Football Top 12, 9/30/25
The top five in the Atlantic Physical Therapy Shore Sports Insider Top 12 rankings seems fairly solidified, and then after that it’s a free-for-all.
The story of this past week was the showdown between No. 1 Red Bank Catholic and No. 2 Holmdel, which lived up to its billing. The Caseys pulled out a 29-28 win over the Hornets, showing how razor-thin the margin is between the Shore’s best teams this season.
Meanwhile, Southern is off to its best start since 1974 after dispatching of nemesis Toms River North, and the teams in Class A South are cannibalizing each other to the point where four teams are now tied for first place in the loss column.
All the games this week are nondivisional, so the Shore will be taking a breather from the division races before getting back to it in Week Six.
Here’s the latest attempt to make sense of it all.
1 Red Bank Catholic (5-0). Last week: No. 1.
Gabe Kemp and RBC stay at No. 1 after a one-point thriller against No. 2 Holmdel. (Photo by Doug Phillips/FrameGrabs LLC)
The young Caseys showed some grit in their first big test of the season, pulling out a 29-28 win over Holmdel in a back-and-forth battle. Freshman quarterback Rahmir Rivera threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score, freshman running back Gabe Kemp had 185 yards rushing and a touchdown, senior wideout Daniel Zabora had five catches for 104 yards and a touchdown, and sophomore wideout Jason Berecsky had seven catches for 109 yards and a score. Next up is a nondivisional game against the non-public rival that beat them in the state playoffs last season. RBC is pushing for its first 6-0 start since 2021. Next game: Friday at St. John Vianney (2-3).
2 Holmdel (3-1). Last week: No. 2.
The Hornets stay put after taking RBC to the edge before falling in a 29-28 thriller that showed Holmdel can compete with anyone. Senior quarterback Jack Cannon continues to dazzle, as he ran for three touchdowns and threw for 215 yards and a touchdown in the loss. It doesn’t get any easier this week as Holmdel welcomes another ranked opponent in a nondivisional game. Next game: Friday vs. No. 7 Brick Memorial (3-2).
3 Rumson-Fair Haven (4-1). Last week: No. 3.
Junior Ryder Izzo had a historic performance in Rumson’s win over Middletown North. (Photo credit: Bob Badders | rpbphotography.com)
The Bulldogs’ offense has now scored 86 points in the last two games after a 48-21 win over Middletown North in Class A North. Junior running back Ryder Izzo erupted for a single-game school-record 344 yards rushing along with two touchdowns in the victory. Izzo, who is also a standout linebacker, has been the team’s starting tailback while star senior Kellen Murray has been out with an injury. Junior quarterback Casey Moore added a pair of touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown. The Bulldogs have a bye this week, which means two weeks to prepare for their annual rivalry game with No. 1 Red Bank Catholic in a crucial Class A North matchup. Next game: Oct. 10 vs. No. 1 Red Bank Catholic.
4 Southern (5-0). Last week: No. 5.
The Rams move up a spot after Brick Memorial’s loss and Southern’s 24-13 win over last week’ No. 11 team, Toms River North. Southern beat the Mariners for just the third time in their last 12 meetings to improve to 5-0 for the first time in 51 years. Defense continues to be the backbone of the team, as the Rams have only allowed 35 points all season, the lowest total of any team in the Shore Conference. Junior quarterback Carson Abbato tossed a pair of touchdown passes to help power the win over Toms River North. Southern will look to keep things rolling against an old southern Ocean County foe this week. Next game: Friday at Lacey (2-3).
5 Manalapan (4-1). Last week: No. 6.
The Braves move up a spot as they remain unbeaten against Shore Conference competition this season following a wild 38-35 win over St. John Vianney in a crucial Class B North game. Manalapan led by as many as 24 points before withstanding the Lancers’ furious comeback. Senior running back Ah’sere Woolfolk ran for 116 yards and three touchdowns to highlight the win. Manalapan is now seeking to win five straight games for the first time since going 11-1 in 2017. Next game: Friday vs. Brick (3-2).
6 Donovan Catholic (2-3). Last week: No. 10.
Donovan Catholic’s Alex Staten had a touchdown on a kickoff return and the game-winning two-point conversion catch against Brick Memorial. (Photo by Tom Smith/tspimages.com)
One of the scarier teams to face this season is a Griffins squad coming off a loss. For the second time this fall, Donovan Catholic rebounded from a tough game to pick up an impressive win. This time it was upsetting last week’s No. 4 team, Brick Memorial, in a 15-14 thriller to upend the Class A South race. It came a week after losing 28-0 to Jackson. The Griffins went for two and the win after a touchdown run by Ethan Nicolas, and they hit a conversion pass from freshman Chris McClaren to junior Alex Staten late in the game. Staten also had a 94-yard kickoff return touchdown to start the game in his return from injury. The win put the Griffins right back in the thick of the race for the division title. Next game: Friday vs. Toms River East (3-2).
7 Brick Memorial (3-2). Last week: No. 4.
The Mustangs fall after losing 15-14 to Donovan Catholic in Class A South, as the Griffins bottled up their offense. Senior quarterback Jason Lajara threw a pair of touchdown passes to running back Nazeer Whittaker in the loss. They are hoping to return star tight end/linebacker Trey Tallmadge from a hamstring injury this week, but either way, it’s going to be a tall task against one of the Shore’s best teams. Next game: Friday at No. 2 Holmdel (3-1).
8 Manasquan (4-1). Last week: No. 12.
The Warriors’ win over Point Boro is looking better by the week after the Panthers went out and beat last week’s No. 8 team, Jackson. Manasquan took care of business against winless Long Branch with a 35-0 win in Class C North in the debut of junior quarterback Kyle Dow, a Donovan Catholic transfer. Senior running back Ace Etienne continued his strong season with a pair of rushing touchdowns, Dow threw for one score and ran for another in the win, and senior Frank Tackett caught a touchdown pass and ran for a touchdown. The bye hits at a good time for a team that still has some key players dealing with injuries, and it gives them two weeks to prepare for a game that will be huge in deciding the Class C North title. Next game: Oct. 11 vs. No. 12 Red Bank (3-1).
9 Point Boro (2-3). Last week: Unranked.
Point Boro’s Calvin Videon-Perino had a pair of touchdowns to help knock off Jackson. (Photo credit: Bob Badders | rpbphotography.com)
The Panthers return to the rankings for the first time since the preseason thanks to a 28-7 win over Jackson in Class A South. They now have won two straight and continue to persevere despite an avalanche of injuries to key players. They lost standout junior quarterback Jake Clayton to an injury early in the game against Jackson, and sophomore Jax Corino stepped in and led three scoring drives. He threw a 75-yard touchdown to fullback Calvin Videon-Perino, who also had a pair of rushing touchdowns. They are a banged-up team getting to their bye week at the right time before another huge Class A South game. Next game: Oct. 10 vs. No. 6 Donovan Catholic (2-3).
10 Jackson (2-3). Last week: No. 8.
It’s been a whiplash kind of season for the Jaguars. They go out and dominate Donovan Catholic in a 28-0 win, and then they lose 28-7 to an undermanned Point Boro team last week. This is one of the more Jekyll-and-Hyde teams in the Shore Conference, but Jackson is still tied for first place in the melee in Class A South. This week is an interesting comparison game between the relative strength of Class A South and Class A North. Next game: Friday at Middletown South (1-4).
11 Wall (3-2). Last week: No. 9.
Wall and quarterback Brian McKenna have won three straight. (Photo by Tom Smith/tspimages.com)
The Crimson Knights drop mainly due to the logjam in Class A South pushing them down. They fought off Raritan in a 21-14 win thanks to a 30-yard pick six in the fourth quarter by junior Franny Scaramellino, who was making his season debut after having to sit due to the NJSIAA transfer rule. Wall has now won three straight heading into its bye week. The Crimson Knights will return with a big game that marks their chance for a signature win to shake up the rankings. It’s also a huge divisional game that looks to go a long way toward deciding the Class B North title. Next game: Oct. 10 vs. No. 5 Manalapan (4-1).
12 Red Bank (3-1). Last week: Unranked.
We’ll give the Bucs a shot after they won their third straight by holding off Shore Regional, 14-13, on a blocked extra point to remain alone in first place in Class C North. Junior quarterback Brett Laude threw a pair of touchdowns, senior Matt Huss had his third straight 100-yard rushing game, and the Bucs had six sacks in the win. Red Bank now welcomes an old rival. Next game: Friday vs. Ocean (3-2).
Dropped out:
Middletown North (2-2). The Lions have lost two straight lop-sided games to No. 1 RBC and No. 3 Rumson-Fair Haven after falling 48-21 to the Bulldogs this past week in Class A North. They face a four-win team from Ocean County this week, and a victory there sets up a meeting with Matawan, which is a common opponent with Red Bank that should help evaluate the strength of those two teams. Next game: Friday vs. Central (4-1).
Toms River North (1-4). The Mariners fell 24-13 to No. 4 Southern for their third straight loss. They are struggling to find consistent offense against a difficult schedule, but can get back on track this week in the “Civil War” against an old rival. Next game: Friday at Toms River South (1-4).
Knocking on the door: Neptune, Matawan, Central.
Scott Stump is the football editor and a reporter for Shore Sports Insider. He first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999 and has covered basketball, baseball and seemingly every other Shore Conference sport at some point.
Email: scottstump25@gmail.com
