Shore Sports Insider Football Top 12, Week 2

The Shore Conference football season is ready to kick into gear. 

After two weeks of nondivisional and nonconference matchups, the division races will begin this week with a host of juicy matchups. 

There are no changes from last week’s rankings, as Wall clung to its spot by fending off Freehold Township in a 42-41 overtime thriller, and the top 10 teams all handled their business. No. 2 Donovan Catholic looked impressive in a 45-13 win over No. 11 St. John Vianney in the only ranked matchup of Week One. 

Week Two brings five Top 12 showdowns, so we’ll see how the rankings hold up with so many teams looking to make a statement. The highest-ranked matchup is No. 4 Rumson-Fair Haven at No. 6 Holmdel in Class A North on Thursday night, with the winner stamping itself as a primary challenger to defending division champion Red Bank Catholic. 

1. Red Bank Catholic (1-1) – Last week’s ranking: No. 1. 

The Caseys’ offense erupted behind sophomore running back Gabe Kemp, who rolled up 214 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 30 carries in a wild 62-41 win over New York’s St. Anthony’s. Kemp now has 421 yards rushing in two games on a workhorse-level 66 carries. Sophomore quarterback Rahmir Rivera had 200 yards passing and two touchdowns in the win. The Caseys’ defense has allowed 30-plus points in each of its first two games, so it will look to shore up that unit as divisional play gets going. Next game: Friday at No. 11 St. John Vianney (1-1). 

2. Donovan Catholic (2-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 2. 

The Griffins continue to dominate after rolling to a 45-13 win over St. John Vianney behind three touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown from senior quarterback Kahden Davis. Senior Alex Staten added 121 yards rushing and a touchdown in the win. The defense finished with 7.5 sacks and an interception by Kam McBride in an impressive performance of its own. Davis nearly has as many touchdown passes (5) as incompletions (9) this season for a team that has scored 97 points in two games. Now the Griffins face a team they shared last year’s Class A South title with in their biggest test of the season thus far. Next game: Friday at No. 5 Brick Memorial (2-0). 

3. Toms River North (2-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 3.  

The Mariners’ mastery of rival Toms River East continued with a 42-0 win for their 14th straight victory over the Raiders. The offense ran for 257 yards in the win, including a pair of touchdowns by senior Lucas Elias, and the defense has not allowed any points in the last six quarters and piled up 20.5 tackles for a loss in the win. The Mariners now welcome a team that has played some all-out slugfests with Toms River North in recent years. Next game: Thursday vs. No. 10 Point Boro (2-0). 

4. Rumson-Fair Haven (2-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 4. 

The Bulldogs topped Middletown South 32-13 behind 277 total yards and four total touchdowns from junior quarterback Brady Williams and six catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns from Michael Capra. Harvard-bound senior Ben Gredell led the defense with 9 tackles, 2 sacks and 3 tackles for a loss. Rumson now looks to avenge one of its losses from last season in a crucial Class A North showdown. Next game: Thursday at No. 6 Holmdel (2-0). 

5. Brick Memorial (2-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 5. 

The Mustangs were locked into a tie game at halftime with rival Brick before pulling away for a 27-14 victory. Senior quarterback Tyler Pierce threw for 204 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for 53 yards and two touchdowns. Senior TE/DE Joe Livio had a big game with a touchdown catch on offense and 7 tackles, 2 sacks, and 5 tackles for a loss on defense. Brick Memorial can make a major statement this week in its first Class A South game of the season. Next game: Friday vs. No. 2 Donovan Catholic (2-0). 

6. Holmdel (2-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 6. 

The Hornets lit up the scoreboard once again with a 48-7 win over Red Bank in which junior WR/DB Anthony Serini put on a show. He ran for a 15-yard touchdown, caught 3 passes for 54 yards, recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown and had two interceptions, including one he took 90 yards to the house. Holmdel is out to show that its win over Rumson-Fair Haven last season was not a one-time thing and that the Hornets remain the prime contender to RBC in Class A North. Next game: Thursday vs. No. 4 Rumson-Fair Haven (2-0). 

7. Manalapan (2-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 7. 

The Braves cruised to a 36-0 win over Marlboro and have now cracked 35-plus points in each of their first two games. Senior quarterback Cameron Desfosse threw a touchdown pass and also ran for 74 yards and a touchdown on 74 carries, and senior Nick Palmieri added 70 yards rushing and a touchdown. Chase Osmun helped power the shutout with 17 tackles, including two for a loss, and Palmieri added 10 tackles and a sack. The Braves now begin Class A North play with their annual game against a Wall squad coached by former Braves head coach Ed Gurrieri. Next game: Thursday at No. 12 Wall (1-1). 

8. Middletown North (1-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 8. 

The Lions opened their season by blowing out Lacey with a 35-point halftime lead on their way to a 35-6 win. New quarterback Derek Grasso threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns in his debut, while senior running back Matt Belenko put up 103 yards and a score on just 11 carries. Wide receiver Anthony Christiani had a career night with five catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Middletown North kicks off its Class B North schedule this week. Next game: Thursday vs. Shore Regional (1-1). 

9. Southern (1-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 9. 

The Rams’ game against Pennsylvania’s Belmont Charter ended up being canceled, so they essentially had a bye week. They open their Class A South schedule against a young and hungry team off to a good start. Next game: Thursday at Jackson (2-0). 

10. Point Boro (2-0). Last week’s ranking: No. 10. 

The Panthers grinded out a 20-6 win over rival Manasquan, with 136 yards rushing and two touchdowns by senior quarterback Jake Clayton. Jax Corino and DJ Albanese led the defense with nine tackles apiece. They can dramatically shake up the rankings with a victory this week. Next game: Friday at No. 3 Toms River North (2-0). 

11. St. John Vianney (1-1). Last week’s ranking: No. 11.

The Lancers were on the wrong end of a 45-13 loss to No. 2 Donovan Catholic, but they stick around for another week, considering they lost to a team ranked way ahead of them. However, it doesn’t get any easier this week. Next game: Friday vs. No. 1 Red Bank Catholic (1-1). 

12. Wall (1-1). Last week’s ranking: No. 12.

The most heart-pounding win of the week belonged to the Crimson Knights, who held on to their spot with a 42-41 overtime win over Freehold Township on a two-point conversion pass from Franny Scaramellino to Jake Butkus. Running back Mike Boulard exploded for a career-high 215 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 28 carries in the win. Donovan Buist added three sacks in the victory. The Crimson Knights can make their case to move up in the rankings this week as they begin their Class A North schedule. Next game: Thursday vs. No. 7 Manalapan (2-0). 

Fell out:

None

Keep an eye on:

Jackson (2-0): The Jaguars picked up a 21-10 win over Toms River South and are now only one victory shy of tying their entire win total from last season. Gavin Dill had 10 tackles, 3 for a loss, for a team that has only allowed 10 points in two games. Jackson can really open some eyes this week when it welcomes No. 9 Southern. 

Freehold Township (1-1): The Patriots took No. 12 Wall to the absolute brink before dropping a 42-41 heartbreaker in overtime. Senior quarterback Dakota Lasater went off for a career-high 400 yards passing and four touchdowns, to go with 50 yards rushing and two touchdowns. All-Shore wide receiver Jake Schultzel also had a career night with 219 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns on 10 catches, and George Burdge IV had 5 catches for 107 yards and two scores. The Patriots can clearly score, it’s just a question of whether their defense can stop top-tier teams. They face a Middletown South squad hungry for its first win this week.

Manasquan (1-1): The Warriors fell 20-6 to Point Boro while playing without injured senior quarterback Kyle Dow and running the wildcat with senior Dax Klein the whole game. Their status as a contender for a spot may depend on Dow’s return. They have a chance to add a solid win this week when they try to avenge a loss to Matawan from last year. 

Matawan (1-1): Speaking of the Huskies, they grinded out an 18-12 win over Raritan in a week in which they lost legendary former coach Barry Rizzo, who died at 94. Sean Euell had two touchdown runs to help power the win. Their game this week on the road against Manasquan may especially loom large when it comes time to qualify for the state playoffs. 

Howell (1-0): The Rebels fought their way to a 13-7 comeback victory over Central to open their season behind a pair of touchdown passes by senior quarterback Connor Acker. They now have an early separation game in the Class C North race this week against Raritan (1-1). 

Scott Stump is the football editor and a reporter for Shore Sports Insider. He first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999. 

Email: scottstump25@gmail.com