SSI Football Report: Wesley Tanner Emerges for TRN, Matawan Junior’s Tribute to Late Father
Toms River North needed someone to fill the offensive void when senior quarterback Cole Garrison went down with an injury if the Mariners were going to keep their promising season from derailing.
It turned out to be a senior who had all of six carries in two games the entire season up to that point.
Wesley Tanner had primarily been a wide receiver when the coaching staff moved him to the backfield against Jackson Township on Sept. 25. He responded by exploding for a career-high 202 yards rushing and all three of the team’s touchdowns in a 21-17 victory. Tanner followed that up with a new career high of 208 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 18 carries in a 29-23 win over Manalapan last week.
Tanner’s emergence also came after he was benched for games against Point Boro and Brick Memorial due to a violation of team rules.
“Since I had a two-game suspension, I’ve had something to prove. It really changed. I had to turn it around and do it for my team,” Tanner said. “Then Cole went down, and I was the next guy up. I had to make a big jump.”
Tanner showed some explosiveness with six carries for 93 yards and a touchdown in Toms River North’s first two games this season, but he was primarily a wide receiver. That changed after Garrison went down with a shoulder injury in the first half against Jackson.
“I did want to switch to running back,” Tanner said. “I know what I can do with the ball in my hands and really help my team out.”
Now he’s rolled up 410 yards rushing and five touchdowns on 38 carries (10.8 ypc) in two wins that have helped Toms River North improve to 5-1.
“The O-line has really stepped it up,” Tanner said. “The holes are way bigger than they were last year.”
Tanner has also created a formidable 1-2 punch with senior tailback Lucas Elias, who had back-to-back 100-yard rushing games of his own in the wins over Jackson and Manalapan. He leads the team with 529 yards rushing for the season.
“He’s a speed guy, and I’m more of a shifty guy,” Tanner said. “When Lucas gets the ball, he doesn’t need a lot of room to get loose.”
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Tanner also is still a threat in the receiving game, as he hauled in a 65-yard touchdown pass from impeccably named sophomore quarterback Frank Slaughter in the win over Manalapan.
Now comes the most formidable test of Toms River North’s new-look offense. The No. 5 Mariners face No. 7 Southern (5-1) in a huge Class A South game this week with major state playoff seeding implications. With Garrison and superstar linebacker Jack Baker still out with injuries, they will try to continue to find a way without two of the Shore Conference’s best players.
“Everyone said when Cole and Jack went down that we were going to go on a losing streak, so we just have to really pick it up,” Tanner said.
Matawan’s Zachary Johnson Pays Tribute to Late Father in Win
Not only did Matawan’s 20-13 win over Marlboro snap a three-game losing streak and boost the Huskies’ potential playoff seed, it also marked a night to remember for junior Zachary Johnson.
Johnson caught two passes for 60 yards and a touchdown while also making 10 tackles, one for a loss, and recovering a fumble in a nondivisional win over a team on track to win the Class C North title. His performance came in his second game since his father, Craig Johnson, died suddenly at 49 years old on Sept. 21, which was first reported by the Asbury Park Press(opens in new tab).
Matawan’s Zachary Johnson had a touchdown and a big game on defense in a win over Marlboro, two weeks after the sudden death of his father. (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
“It was definitely a healing moment for him and his mother,” Matawan head coach Matt Walsh said.
On the Monday before the Huskies’ previous game against Middletown North, the Matawan football team attended his father’s wake, and then a day later the family had Craig Johnson’s funeral.
“It was definitely a roller coaster of emotions to say the least,” Walsh said. “He handled it as well as any 16-year-old kid can handle a situation of losing their father. He’s got a very good support system on the team, and they really rallied around him. The kids were going to his house on a nightly basis.”
Craig Johnson was a first-team All-State defensive lineman at North Bergen in 1994 and went on to play at Boston University and then Villanova. He was a passionate Matawan supporter who was a beloved figure to more than just his son.
“He was very big not just in Zach’s life, but a lot of the kids’ lives,” Walsh said.
Matawan (2-4) is now playing the season in his memory as the Huskies seek to finish the regular season strong and make a postseason run.
Stat of the Week: 18.6
That’s how many yards Middletown North junior quarterback Derek Grasso averages per completion.
Middletown North quarterback Derek Grasso (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
The first-year starter has been an explosive downfield thrower for the Lions, compiling 931 yards passing and seven touchdowns on 50 completions. He is coming off a 232-yard, two-touchdown game on 14 completions in a 27-6 win over St. John Vianney.
Notes From Around the Shore
—Howell held Jackson to 65 total yards in its 38-7 win for its best defensive effort of the season. Senior defensive end Aiden Mendes had two tackles for a loss and a sack in the win. Senior running back Tim O’Rourke also had a career-high 103 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
—Sophomore Gabe Kemp is now only 80 yards shy of his second 1,000-yard rushing season after finishing with 182 yards rushing and three touchdowns in Red Bank Catholic’s loss to Winslow Township. He is averaging 184 yards rushing per game.
—Manchester has played its best when its back is against the wall. In both of the Hawks’ victories this season, including a 29-26 win over Keansburg last week, they have had a goal-line stand to seal it. They got a stop at their own 4-yard-line with seven seconds left to thwart the Titans. In a 7-3 win over New Egypt earlier in the season, the Hawks had multiple goal-line stands in the second half to pull out the victory.
—Whenever standout Freehold Township quarterback Dakota Lasater is unable to play due to injury or illness, there is a Kokotis ready to step in and help the Patriots. Sophomore Anthony Kokotis threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns in his first varsity start in a 35-8 win over rival Freehold Boro with Lasater out of the lineup with an injury. Last year, Lasater missed three games with illness, and Kokotis’ older brother, the now-graduated Johnathan Kokotis, stepped in and threw for 559 yards and nine touchdowns in three starts.
—Toms River South (4-2) surpassed its win total from last year with a 34-6 victory over Colts Neck thanks to two touchdowns apiece from senior running back Mason DeFalco and sophomore wide receiver Gabe Villamizar.
—Ocean has averaged 33.2 points per game since getting shut out by Jackson in the season opener.
Alumni of the week
Cole Skinner, Sr., OL, Auburn
The former Point Boro star saw time on the offensive line for the Tigers in a 24-14 loss last week to Tennessee. The 6-foot-5, 322-pound senior was at the University of Central Florida and transferred to Auburn when UCF coach Alex Golesh got the job with the Tigers.
Kai Pritchard, Fr., OL, Illinois
The former Donovan Catholic star(opens in new tab) is already seeing time in the rotation on the offensive line as a freshman at Illinois, which lost 24-17 to Purdue last week. Pritchard was the top-rated recruit among the Class of 2026 in the Shore Conference.
Shamar Williams, Sr., DB, Wagner
The former Long Branch star had 10 solo tackles and a pass breakup for Wagner in a 45-14 loss to Central Connecticut State. He leads the team with 30 tackles this season, 22 of them solo tackles, and also has an interception and two pass breakups.
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
