NJSIAA football Group 2 playoff preview: Rumson-FH, Pt. Boro lead the way

Shore Sports Insider is breaking down the NJSIAA public school playoffs with previews on each bracket involving Shore Conference teams. A total of 22 Shore teams have qualified for the playoffs across all five groups and nine different sections. Here is what to watch for beginning this Friday night when the battle for a state championship begins across New Jersey.

 

GROUP 2

Defending Overall Champion: Westwood

 

Central Jersey Group 2

8-Spotswood at 1-Rumson-Fair Haven

5-Delaware Valley at 4-Delran

6-Hillside at 3-Haddonfield

7-Haddon Heights at 2-Wall

 

The Favorite: Rumson-Fair Haven.

The Bulldogs are on an epic run, having made 10 straight sectional finals and winning eight sectional titles in 13 years, including two straight. This might be their best team of them all, as they enter at 8-0 in search of their first unbeaten season since 1959. They have been to two straight Group 2 finals.

Rumson, ranked No. 2 in the Shore Sports Insider Top 12, is led by its all-time leading passer, senior Owen O’Toole (1,910 yards, 19 TDs), plus receivers Jordan Angstreich (44-839-10) and Nick Thomas (28-511-7) and running back Kellen Murray (898, 19 TDs). Red Bank Catholic is the only team to hold Rumson under 30 points this season. Rumson fumbled near the goal line in that game and could have easily put up 30, so this offense has not really been stopped by anyone.

Senior linebackers Jacob Tobias (78.5 tackles, 12 TFL) and Austin Kiernan (79 tackles, 7 TFL, 4 sacks) lead the Rumson defense along with defensive backs Evan Ridgway (44 tackles, 2 INT) and Carson Memmott (3 INT) and defensive linemen Frank Argilagos (3.5 sacks) and Ben Gredell (4.5 sacks).

Contenders: Wall, Delran and Haddonfield.

Rumson-Fair Haven faced Haddonfield in last year’s South Jersey Group 2 final and held off the Bulldawgs in a 14-7 thriller. They should once again be a factor along with a Wall team that is 6-1 and having its best season since going 7-0 during the Covid-shortened year in 2020. There’s a good chance it’s an all-Shore final between Wall and Rumson, where Rumson would be the home team and a strong favorite.

The question would be whether a Wall offense that averages 26.3 points per game has enough to stay with a Rumson unit that averages 39.8 per game.

Defense is Wall’s calling card behind linebackers Justin Davis (53 tackles, 8 sacks, 5 TFL), Dylan Cohen (65 tackles, 4 TFL), Joe Vaccaro (37 tackles, 1 INT) and Thomas Plisky (49 tackles, 3 sacks). The Crimson Knights allowed 14.4 points per game during the regular season in a division with some high-scoring offenses.

Sophomore Franny Scaramellino leads the offense with 792 yards passing and 9 touchdowns along with 196 yards and three touchdowns rushing. Senior Mason Adam (455, 5 TDs) is the primary rushing threat, with Tony Credle (15-199-2), Heath Reinhardt (13-137-1) and Davis (8-110-2) as the top receivers.

Haddonfield traditionally is a balanced offense that does what needs to be done to get the win. This year is no different, as the Bulldawgs have 956 yards passing and 953 yards rushing, led by three different rushers with 200-plus yards and quarterback Van Lefakis (947, 10 TDs, 9 INT). Senior linebacker Alex Grimes (84 tackles) and defensive lineman Logan Rhea (7.5 sacks) lead a defense that gives up 16.5 points per game.

Rumson also could face a solid Delran in the semifinals, although the Bears (8-1) haven’t played the level of schedule Rumson has with Point Boro and Red Bank Catholic. Delran is led by dual threat quarterback Vinny Sacca, who has 1,624 total yards and 23 total touchdowns. Delran’s defense has nine interceptions, so it has shown it can take the ball away in the air, but Rumson has a deep attack where teams must cover multiple talented receivers.

Shore Shots: Rumson and Wall. The Crimson Knights’ last sectional title came at the expense of Rumson in 2019 when Wall beat the Bulldogs 14-13 to take the Central Jersey Group 3 crown. There’s a good chance we could have a rematch this season.

Non-Shore Player(s) to Watch: Darren Ikinnagbon, Sr., DL; Talibi Kaba, Sr., LB, Hillside;

Hillside boasts two of the top recruits in New Jersey for this senior class. Ikinnagbon is committed to Georgia, and Kaba is committed to Rutgers.

 

South Jersey Group 2

8-Middle Township at 1-Camden

5-Willingboro at 4-Johnson

6-West Deptford at 3-Manchester

7-Gloucester City at 2-Point Boro

 

The Favorite: Point Boro.

The Panthers (7-2) have had some heartbreakers in the state playoffs the past two seasons, so they are eager to close this one out and win their first sectional title since 2021. They are ranked No. 3 in the Shore by SSI and No. 17 in the state by NJ Advance Media, which makes them one of only two Group 2 squads ranked in the top 20 along with No. 9 Rumson-Fair Haven.

Willingboro has been their nemesis, as Point Boro beat the Chimeras to win the sectional title in 2021 and then lost to them the last two years. However, Willingboro’s superstar quarterback, Lamar Best, transferred to St. Joseph’s-Montvale in the offseason so the Chimeras aren’t the main threat this season compared to top-seeded Camden.

Point Boro has a true triple option attack with sophomore quarterback Jake Clayton (692 rushing, 13 TDs), senior fullback Dylan Reitmeyer (697-12) and sophomore slotback Nick Spanola (537-5) forcing teams to pick their poison. Their offense is averaging 35.1 points per game against one of the toughest schedules of any Group 2 team in New Jersey.

Defensively, senior linebacker Colin Obser (96 tackles, 3 TFL) has been a monster for a unit that has been stout against the run and struggled against elite passing teams like Rumson-Fair Haven and Toms River North.

The Panthers are a battle-tested group that played a difficult schedule. Winning this section also possibly gives them a rematch with Rumson-Fair Haven in the Group 2 semifinals after losing 41-28 to the Bulldogs during the regular season. This feels like a revenge tour for Point Boro after multiple near-misses in recent seasons.

Contenders: Camden

It looks to be Panthers vs. Panthers in the final as Camden (6-2) enters with its only losses being to a juggernaut Winslow Township team and a 23-12 setback to a Holy Spirit squad ranked No. 13 in the state by NJ Advance Media. Their marquee win is a 44-27 victory over Rancocas Valley, which is the No. 2 seed in South Jersey Group 5.

Senior Makhi Brunson has 1,381 yards passing and 16 touchdowns but has thrown nine interceptions for Camden. The Panthers are a dual threat offense, as Brunson (454-5), junior Christian Braxton (836-6) and junior Jaiden Steele (420-3) lead a rushing attack that has 1,842 yards this season.

Senior Malik Redd-Hubbard is their big-play receiver with 547 yards and 9 touchdowns on an average of 18.2 yards per catch, so he is one who will get a lot of attention from Point Boro if the matchup comes to fruition.

Camden has become an FBS factory, and the latest commit is senior defensive back Azir Lee, who has 17 tackles and an interception. He is verbally committed to Kent State.

Camden was a sectional champion last season, handing Holmdel its only loss of the season along the way. The Panthers are a perennial contender, so having to go to their field and get the win is going to be a challenge if that’s the way it shakes out for Point Boro.

Shore Shots: Point Boro and Manchester are the only Shore teams in the bracket, and this is rare territory for the Hawks.

Manchester has only been in the state playoffs three times in its history and has never won a state playoff game. The Hawks will host their first state playoff game in history on Friday night against a West Deptford team that is a playoff regular with seven sectional titles and 14 trips to the finals in its history. Manchester beat West Deptford 26-21 in the season opener.

The difference is that the Eagles now have senior Bryce Wright in the fold. He did not play in the first game against Manchester because he had to sit out due to transferring from Penns Grove. He has put up 643 yards rushing and eight touchdowns in six games on an average of 8.2 yards per carry, so he joins sophomore Zamir Davis (685-9) as another weapon in West Deptford’s backfield.

The Hawks will try to make history behind senior quarterback Aidan Lunn (1,158 yds, 12 TDs, 477 yds, 4 TDs rushing), wideout MJ Goins (24-578-6) and running back Avery Phillips (438-6). Senior linebacker Dante Mortellite (87 tackles) and defensive lineman Kurtis Mayer (60 tackles, 5 sacks) lead a unit that will be focused on stopping the West Deptford run game.

If Manchester wins, it would be a heavy underdog in the semifinals against Point Boro, but it would be another big step forward for the program.

 

Non-Shore Player to Watch: Bryce Wright, Sr., RB, West Deptford

As mentioned above, Wright did not play in the first matchup with Manchester because he had to sit out due to the NJSIAA transfer rule. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior transferred to West Deptford from Penns Grove, basically following West Deptford’s new coach, John Emel, who was previously Wright’s coach at Penns Grove. In two seasons, Wright ran for nearly 2,000 yards and had 19 touchdowns before transferring.

 

North Jersey matchups

North 1

8-Lakeland at 1-Westwood

5-Shabazz at 4-Caldwell

6-Madison at 3-Pequannock

7-Rutherford at 2-Bernards

 

North 2

8-Waldwick at 1-Glen Rock

5-Becton at 4-High Point

6-Lyndhurst at 3-Ramsey

7-Newton at 2-Hanover Park