Atlantic Physical Therapy Shore Conference Football Top 12, 11/11/25
And then there were eight.
Eight Shore Conference teams are still alive in the state playoffs, and five of them will play for sectional championships this week.
The Shore will be represented in the championship games in Central Jersey Groups 4, 3, 2 and 1, while the three non-public Shore teams (Donovan Catholic, Red Bank Catholic, St. John Vianney) will play quarterfinal games in the Non-Public B bracket.
The conference is guaranteed at least one champion, as Middletown North will take on Brick Memorial in the Central Jersey Group 4 final. Holmdel can make history with its first state sectional title when it hosts Seneca in the Central Jersey Group 3 championship game.
Wall will try to topple state-ranked Camden for its first title since 2019 in Central Jersey Group 2, while Shore Regional goes on the road to face top-seeded Burlington City in Central Jersey Group 1 in search of its first title since 2015.
Teams are ready to make their final statements for higher rankings as we get into the final weeks of the New Jersey high school football season.
1 Red Bank Catholic (10-1). Last week: No. 1.
The Caseys breezed into the Non-Public B quarterfinals with a 41-0 win over Hudson Catholic. Freshman quarterback Rahmir Rivera was 7-for-8 for 134 yards and two touchdowns, freshman running back Gabe Kemp ran for 77 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries, and Dan Zabora and Chris Gibson each caught touchdown passes in the win. Sophomore RJ Banks picked up a pair of sacks as the defense posted its fourth shutout and second in a row. Next game: Friday vs. Paul VI (5-4) in the Non-Public B quarterfinals.
2 Brick Memorial (9-2). Last week: No. 2.
The Mustangs reached their second straight sectional final after dispatching of Steinert 40-7 in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals. Senior running back Nazeer Whittaker erupted for a career-high 237 yards rushing on 19 carries and scored twice, including a 93-yard touchdown run on Brick Memorial’s first play from scrimmage. Senior quarterback Jason Lajara ran for three touchdowns and also went over 2,000 yards passing for the season. Linebackers Mike Pappas and Trey Tallmadge combined for 15 tackles to lead the defense. Lajara now has 4,311 yards passing for his career, which is a school record and passes the mark of the quarterback who preceded him, Connor Dietz, who had 4,269. The Mustangs, who have won six straight, will now face a Shore Conference opponent in search of Brick Memorial’s first state sectional title since 2008. Next game: Friday vs. No. 12 Middletown North (5-4) in the Central Jersey Group 4 championship game.
3 Holmdel (8-2). Last week: No. 3.
Holmdel senior quarterback Jack Cannon totaled a school-record nine touchdowns between rushing and passing in a Central Jersey Group 3 semifinal win over Neptune. (Photo by Tom Smith/tspimages.com)
Senior quarterback Jack Cannon continues to rewrite the Holmdel record book as he had a school-record nine total touchdowns in a 65-42 win over Neptune in the Central Jersey Group 3 semifinals. The Hornets set a single-game school record for points and advanced to their first state final since 1991 and second in history as Cannon threw six touchdown passes and ran for three more scores while racking up 430 total yards. Senior wide receiver James Murphy had three touchdown catches and tight end Carmine Aliperti had two in the win. Holmdel will now try to win its first state sectional title in the program’s 53-year history. Next game: Friday vs. Seneca (9-2) in the Central Jersey Group 3 championship game.
4 Donovan Catholic (8-3). Last week: No. 4.
The Griffins took care of business with a 49-21 victory over Notre Dame in Non-Public B for their seventh straight win to advance to the quarterfinals. Junior running back Ethan Nicolas led the way with 133 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 15 carries, and quarterback Kahden Davis threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for 46 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Tyler Hunter and freshman Justin Roberts each caught touchdown passes. The Griffins’ stout defense will face a test this week against the aerial attack of Holy Spirit. Next game: Friday vs. Holy Spirit (6-3) in the Non-Public B quarterfinals.
5 Southern (9-2). Last week: No. 5.
The Rams’ season came to an end at the hands of state-ranked Kingsway in a 28-7 loss in the South Jersey Group 5 semifinals. They finished the season as Class B South champs and one win shy of tying the school single-season record. Their only two losses were to No. 2 Brick Memorial and Kingsway, and they had wins over two ranked teams in Toms River North and Central. The future is bright with the Iliescu brothers returning at linebacker and in the backfield, along with quarterback Carson Abbato and more. Next game: Season complete.
6 Wall (8-2). Last week: No. 7.
Wall senior running back Dylan Cohen ran for 92 yards and a touchdown in 17-13 win over Rumson-Fair Haven in the Central Jersey Group 2 semifinals. (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
The Crimson Knights move up a spot after ending the Group 2 reign of last week’s No. 6 team, Rumson-Fair Haven, with a 17-13 win in the Central Jersey Group 2 semifinals. Wall ended a streak of 11 consecutive sectional final appearances by the Bulldogs. The defense limited Rumson to 116 total yards, while senior Dylan Cohen ran for 92 yards and a touchdown for a clock-eating offense. Cohen also had seven tackles and a sack at linebacker, and senior Justin Davis had six tackles, two for a loss, and a sack. Wall will now go on the road as an underdog in search of its first state title since 2019. The Crimson Knights enter the final on an eight-game winning streak. Next game: Friday at Camden (8-2) in the Central Jersey Group 2 championship game.
7 Rumson-Fair Haven (6-4). Last week: No. 6.
This is the earliest a Rumson season has ended in 13 years after the Bulldogs’ Shore Conference-record streak of 11 straight sectional final appearances was snapped in a 17-13 loss to Wall in the Central Jersey Group 2 semifinals. Sophomore quarterback Brady Williams threw a pair of touchdown passes in the loss. The Bulldogs finished with a win over No. 2 Brick Memorial, two wins over No. 9 Point Boro and a win over No. 12 Middletown North. The future is bright with Williams, junior RB/LB Ryder Izzo, defensive lineman Ben Gredell and more standouts all returning. Next game: Season complete.
8 Manasquan (8-2). Last week: No. 8.
The Warriors ran into the buzzsaw in a 46-6 loss to top-seeded Camden in the Central Jersey Group 2 semifinals. They still have one last chance for a statement win as they face No. 6 Wall in their annual Thanksgiving game in a few weeks. Next game: Nov. 27 at Wall (8-2).
9 Point Boro (4-5). Last week: No. 9.
The Panthers stay at No. 9 after their season ended two weeks ago. Their win over Toms River North is their marquee victory of the season. Next game: Season complete.
10 Toms River North (5-6). Last week: No. 10.
The Mariners’ reign as the three-time defending Group 5 champions came to an end with a 42-0 loss to top-seeded Atlantic City in the South Jersey Group 5 semifinals. Toms River North had won a Shore Conference-record 16 straight state playoff games before running into the Vikings. They had a win over No. 7 Rumson-Fair Haven and a playoff win over previously undefeated Cherry Hill East this season. The Mariners should be a top team in the Shore again next season with a host of young stars returning on both sides of the ball, including junior RB/S Cole Garrison, freshman DE Finn Boland, sophomore DE Kam Morse, junior LB Jack Baker, junior QB Logan Brill, junior RB Lucas Elias and more. Next game: Season complete.
11 Central (8-2). Last week: No. 12.
The Golden Eagles’ season ended two weeks ago, but their win over Middletown North looks better and better after the Lions reached the Central Jersey Group 4 final. Central’s two losses are to No. 5 Southern and a playoff loss to Northern Burlington. They also have a win over the Steinert team that beat Red Bank and reached the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals. Next game: Season complete.
12 Middletown North (5-4). Last week: Unranked.
Middletown North running back Matthew Belenko had a pair of touchdowns to help the Lions knock off Manalapan in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals. (Photo by Benjamin Weiss)
The Lions are back in the rankings after becoming one of the stories of the state playoffs in the Shore. They took down last week’s No. 11 team, second-seeded Manalapan, with a 20-14 win in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals. That victory came a week after their first win over rival Middletown South in nine years in the first round of the playoffs. They can send a shockwave across the state and win their first state title since 1996 with a victory this week. Next game: Friday at No. 2 Brick Memorial (9-2) in the Central Jersey Group 4 championship game.
Dropped out: Manalapan (7-4). The Braves just couldn’t quite get over the hump in close games, as their season came to an end with a 20-14 loss to Middletown North in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals. They also went to the wire with No. 4 Donovan Catholic and No. 6 Wall but came up short earlier in the season. They ultimately did not have a win over a ranked opponent all season. They return a host of talent in junior quarterback Cameron Desfosse, junior RB/LB Nick Palmieri, junior LB/TE Ethan Fogelstrom and more, so they should be right in the Top 12 mix again next season.
Knocking on the door: Shore.
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
