SSI Football Report: Cole Torres Becomes Shore Regional’s All-Time Leading Rusher
At a program that has been known for its running game throughout the majority of its history, Cole Torres now stands alone.
The Shore Regional senior has become the Blue Devils’ all-time leading rusher with 3,460 yards and counting after exploding for 258 yards rushing and three touchdowns in Shore’s 42-14 win over Keyport last week.
He passed 1983 graduate Tim Britton, who had 3,196 yards during his varsity career from 1980-82.
“It means a lot,” Torres said. “To know that it was a record that had stood for more than 40 years and I’m the new holder is special.”
“For decades now, Shore Regional has been known for running the football and had some really talented running backs, so for Cole to put himself at the top of the list is a huge accomplishment,” said head coach Don Klein, who is a former quarterback at Shore. “It’s a tribute to his work ethic and his ability.”
Senior Cole Torres has become Shore Regional’s all-time leading rusher with at least two more games still to play. (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
Torres set the single-season school rushing record with 1,651 yards as a junior to earn Shore Sports Insider first-team All-Shore honors. His game against Keyport was the fifth game of 200 or more yards rushing in Torres’ career. He set his career high last season with 284 yards rushing in a win over Colts Neck.
Most impressively, Torres has done it against one of Shore’s toughest schedules in decades. The Blue Devils went from primarily playing fellow Group 1 schools in Class D North when Torres was a sophomore to playing up in Class C North last season and then becoming the only Group I school in the Shore Conference in a B division this year in Class B North.
Torres has 956 yards rushing and nine touchdowns this season on an average of 6.3 yards per carry against one of the toughest schedules Shore (3-4) has played in decades.
“In most of Shore history, they have gone against schools of the same size, but the last two years we’ve been playing Group 3, Group 4 and Group 5 teams,” Torres said.
The Blue Devils made a piece of Shore Conference history on Sept. 25 when they became the first Group I team from the Shore to ever beat a Group 5 squad by taking down Freehold Township, 27-7, in a B North game. Torres erupted for 271 yards and two touchdowns on 40 carries in the victory.
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“That was crazy,” Torres said. “I was so stoked for our team.”
“When you look back on his career, there’s been some really impressive single-game performances, but to do that in the rain in a game when everybody in the stadium knew we were running the football, to go for 270 and lead us to a monumental victory for our program, that was absolutely huge,” Klein said.
Shore is now hoping that battling much bigger schools in Class B North and holding its own will bode well when it faces fellow Group I programs in the upcoming state playoffs. The Blue Devils have only been playing Torres, who is also a talented defensive end, on offense in order to preserve him for the postseason.
“It definitely helps keep me fresh and allows me to stay running the football,” Torres said.
His performance will go a long way toward determining if the Blue Devils can win their first sectional title since 2015. They have reached sectional finals in each of the past two seasons before coming up short.
“Having Cole as the centerpiece of everything we do offensively with all of his experience and production, we feel like that’s going to be a really good starting point,” Klein said.
“I take it as a compliment (that teams will focus on him), and it opens everything up for other guys to step up and make big plays,” Torres said.
Orange Clutch
Middletown North has had the knack for closing out tight games in the past two seasons, with the most recent evidence being a 21-20 overtime win over Southern for its biggest win of the year.
The Lions are 5-1 in the last two seasons in games decided by a touchdown or less. They came up clutch in a Top-10 showdown with Southern by getting a stop when the Rams went for a two-point conversion and the win in overtime.
Matt Belenko and Middletown North have played some of their best football in tight games this season. (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
They are 6-0 for the second time in the past three seasons, and they will be shooting for the program’s 500th win when they take on Freehold Township this week, according to team historian Ray Veth.
Middletown North’s defensive front was crucial in the win over Southern as defensive lineman Logan Grenham had his best game of the season with 9 tackles, a sack and a tackle for a loss, and senior Evan Koch had two sacks and two tackles for a loss.
The Lions are at the front of the pack in the race for a No. 1 seed in a North Jersey Group 4 bracket in search of their first sectional title since 1996.
Six Teams Can Clinch Outright Division Titles This Week
All but one division in the Shore Conference will know its final champion(s) by the end of this week’s action.
No. 1 Red Bank Catholic can wrap up its second straight outright Class A South title by beating No. 8 Wall. The Caseys have a 12-game winning streak against Shore Conference competition. If Wall stunned RBC, Rumson-Fair Haven could tie the Caseys for the title with a win over St. John Vianney.
No. 2 Donovan Catholic can claim the outright Class A South title with a win over No. 7 Toms River North. If the Mariners upset the Griffins, the winner of the Brick Memorial-Southern game would share the title with Donovan Catholic.
Undefeated Pinelands needs to beat Toms River South to win its first outright division title in school history in Class B South. If the Indians pull off the upset, it could potentially be a tri-championship between Pinelands, Toms River South and Brick. Toms River South would clinch a share of the title with a win, and Brick could also get a piece with a victory over Lacey.
Marlboro needs a win over Red Bank to lock down the outright Class C North title. If the Mustangs stumble and Ocean beats Howell, the Spartans would share the title with Marlboro. In Class C South, Point Beach is a heavy favorite to wrap up the outright crown with a victory over winless Lakewood.
Monmouth Regional can set a school record with its ninth win and claim the outright Class D North title on Saturday with a victory over Colts Neck. If the Cougars pull the upset, it could be a three-way tie for the championship between Colts Neck, Monmouth and Barnegat. Colts Neck would clinch a share of the title with a win, and Barnegat could get a piece of the title with a victory over Long Branch.
In Class B North, Middletown South and Middletown North are tied for first. The Eagles play Matawan, while the Lions host Freehold Township. If one team loses and the other wins, the winner clinches at least a tie for the division title. If they both win or both lose, then their Thanksgiving game against each other will be for the outright title.
Stat of the week: 5
Monmouth quarterback Ryan Corwin. (Photo by Tom Smith/tspsportsimages.com)
That’s how many touchdown passes Monmouth junior quarterback Ryan Corwin threw in a 42-7 win over Keansburg. Corwin tied a 28-year-old school record for touchdown passes in a game set by Mike Mesi against Red Bank Catholic in 1998, according to coach Dan Wendel.
Alumni of the Week
Micah Ford, Jr., RB, Stanford
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The former Toms River North star and two-time, N.J. Gatorade Player of the Year had a record-setting day in Stanford’s 34-7 win over Elon. He tied the single-game school record with four rushing touchdowns while rolling up 179 yards rushing and 231 all-purpose yards. He also ran for an 81-yard touchdown in the win.
Jordan Angstreich, So., WR, Middlebury
The record-setting Rumson receiver had a career-high 14 catches for 141 yards in Middlebury’s 20-10 loss to Williams. His 14 grabs are the most by a Middlebury receiver in 14 years and tied for the most in the NESCAC this season. He is second in the conference in receiving yards (449) and yards per game (89.8).
Notes From Around the Shore
—Neptune senior quarterback Caleb Brown-Mason is 360 yards shy of becoming the Scarlet Fliers’ all-time leading passer. He has 2,941 passing yards in his three-year varsity career. The school record is 3,300 set by former program great Justin Cella, who quarterbacked Neptune’s undefeated 1995 state championship team. Neptune hosts Raritan on Thursday night.
Neptune quarterback Caleb Brown-Mason is in striking distance of the school’s all-time passing yards record. (Photo by Tom Smith/tspimages.com)
—It looks like Raritan has to beat Neptune in their Class C North game on Thursday night to solidify a spot in the state playoffs. The Rockets are looking to make a return to the postseason for the first time in three years.
—Great interview featuring legendary Ocean coach George Conti about how he built the Big Red into a powerhouse in the 1990s. He talks with former Monmouth University women’s basketball coach and former Shore Conference boys and girls head basketball coach James Young about his philosophies of building a program. Nicknamed “The Rock,” Conti is being honored at Ocean’s game on Friday night.
—Monmouth has tied the school record for wins in a season in its 8-0 start. The Falcons can set a new record by beating Colts Neck on Saturday.
—Pinelands set the school single-season wins record by improving to 8-0 with a 12-6 win over Barnegat.
–Red Bank Catholic’s 6-foot-6, 280-pound sophomore lineman Justin Mingo, a Keyport transfer, went on a visit to Syracuse last weekend and has picked up an offer from East Carolina.
—Brick Memorial senior Shawn Fowler was everywhere in the Mustangs’ 48-41 win over Rumson. He had a career-high 101 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 12 carries, caught two passes for 39 yards and a touchdown and had an interception on defense.
—Ryder Izzo’s 96-yard touchdown run for Rumson-Fair Haven in a 48-41 loss to No. 3 Brick Memorial is the longest touchdown run of the season by any player in the Shore Conference. Izzo finished with 212 yards rushing and three touchdowns on just seven carries. Izzo also has the single-game school record for rushing yards in a game with 344, which he set last year against Middletown North.
—Point Boro senior quarterback Jake Clayton turned in his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season and the ninth of his career with 173 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 14 carries in a 35-7 win over Ocean.
—Toms River North has beaten cross-town rivals Toms River South and Toms River East a combined 12 straight times and 16 out of 17 after a 42-0 win over Toms River South last week. The last one to beat the Mariners was Toms River South in 2020.
—Point Boro defensive end Mason Morris has quietly put together a stellar season with 5 sacks, 12 tackles for a loss and 61 tackles while playing in the loaded Class A South. He had three sacks in a 35-7 win over Ocean last week.
—If there’s any team that shows the importance of special teams this year, it’s Middletown South. The Eagles beat Manasquan 21-17 earlier in the season on a 79-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Owen Maguire, and they just beat Marlboro 13-7 with more special teams heroics. Senior defensive back Ryan McCarthy blocked a field goal attempt by Marlboro, and sophomore Anthony Locasio scooped it up and returned it 80 yards for the winning touchdown on the final play of the game.
—Colts Neck sophomore tailback Trevor Baum has run for a combined 280 yards and four touchdowns on 31 carries in the Cougars’ last two games, a pair of wins over Manchester and Freehold.
—Freehold Township senior quarterback Dakota Lasater made his return from injury in a 35-20 win over Howell after missing two games. He threw for 237 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 81 yards and a touchdown in the win.
—Matawan junior quarterback BlairCarter Gagneron has thrown eight touchdowns and ran for another over the Huskies’ last three games, averaging 12.8 yards per completion to help get them back to .500 at 4-4.
—Red Bank running back Joe Henry had never had a 100-yard rushing game when he exploded for a career-high 233 yards rushing and a touchdown on 14 carries in a 31-7 win over rival Long Branch. The two teams have been playing each other since 1923, and Long Branch leads the all-time series 65-35-3. The Bucs have won three straight against the Green Wave since the game was moved from Thanksgiving to earlier in the regular season in 2024.
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
