NJSIAA Football: Group 5 Playoff Preview
Shore Sports Insider is breaking down the NJSIAA public school playoffs with previews on each bracket involving Shore Conference teams.
A total of 23 Shore teams have qualified for the public playoffs across all five groups and seven different sections. Here is what to watch for beginning this Friday night when the battle for a state championship begins across New Jersey.
GROUP 5
Defending Champion: Toms River North
Central Jersey Group 5
8- Howell at 1- Washington Township
5- Hillsborough at 4- Rancocas Valley
6- Freehold Township at 3- Old Bridge
7- Trenton at 2- Sayreville
The Favorite: Washington Township
Washington Township quarterback Cole Aquino (in white, shown in the 2024 playoffs) is back as the Minutemen enter Central Jersey Group 5 as the top seed. (Photo by Tom Smith/tspimages.com)
The Minutemen have been knocking on the door the last two years, only to have Toms River North slam it in their face. This year they enter as the strong favorite at 9-0 and ranked in the top 10 in the state by NJ.com.
It’s a lot of the same faces from the last two years, when Washington Township had its season ended by a juggernaut Toms River North squad that won three straight Group 5 titles. The Minutemen have played a legit schedule with wins over Hillsborough and Rancocas Valley within the bracket, as well as Millville, Williamstown and state-ranked Kingsway, which is a strong contender for the South Jersey Group 5 title.
Senior quarterback Cole Aquino has 1,107 yards passing and 15 touchdowns against only three interceptions for a team averaging 38.4 points per game. Only one team, Millville, has held them under 38 points all season.
Senior Colin Beeler is another familiar face to Shore fans, and he has 793 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. Senior Paris Pratt leads the receiving group with 33 catches for 389 yards and 5 touchdowns on a team that runs a pro-style offense.
Senior Jaylen Robinson is yet another returning star, and he leads the defense at linebacker with 58 tackles, 12 of them for a loss, on a unit that has four shutouts and allows 9.1 points per game. The Minutemen also force an average of 2.4 turnovers per game.
The Minutemen are trying to win their second straight sectional title, as they ran into Toms River North in the Group 5 semifinals last season. With Toms River North enduring some growing pains after heavy graduation losses, the door is open for Washington Township to go all the way and win the overall Group 5 title.
Contenders: Old Bridge, Sayreville
The two Middlesex County squads look like the biggest obstacles to Washington Township and will meet in the semifinals if the seeds hold true.
Old Bridge’s best win is perennial power Cedar Creek (7-2) in the season opener. Their win over Colonia, another playoff squad, is their only other victory over a team with a winning record.
Senior quarterback Brody Nugent is having a big season for Old Bridge (8-1) with 1,811 yards passing and 15 touchdowns, while also running for 799 yards and 15 touchdowns on an average of 8.9 yards per carry. His top receiver, sophomore Amari Alsbrook, is also having a big year with 34 catches for 726 yards and 8 touchdowns, and they have three other receivers with more than 230 yards.
Senior linebacker Tommy Kasoff leads the defense with 126 tackles, and junior defense lineman Justin Barkaszi has 6.5 sacks.
Sayreville (8-1) is a perennial playoff contender with six sectional titles in its history. The Bombers also have a win over Hillsborough and ones over playoff qualifiers Colonia, Linden, Piscataway and St. Thomas Aquinas.
Sayreville is a run-heavy team based around star senior Shaun Jackson, who is among the most prolific backs in the state with 1,650 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns. Sophomore Dion Osae also has 482 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns for a team that has run for 2,745 yards this season on an average of 305 per game.
Shore Shots: Howell, Freehold Township
Howell has the toughest game of any Shore team in having to go on the road to face Washington Township after qualifying for the playoffs for the third straight season.
The Rebels (3-6) have played one of the most rugged schedules in the Shore Conference. Defensively, they have hung in there against some tough opponents and are led by junior Ivan Padilla, who has a Shore Conference-best 13.5 sacks for a unit allowing 18.8 points per game. Junior Aidan Mendes also has 5.5 sacks to go with 45 tackles.
The biggest struggle has been on offense, as Howell has been shut out four times this season. Junior quarterback Connor Acker has 1,179 yards passing and eight touchdowns and will need to generate some offense to stay with a Washington Township team that averages 38 points per game.
Freehold Township and star wide receiver Jake Schultzel will try to upset Old Bridge on the road in Central Jersey Group 5. (Photo by Bob Badders)
Freehold Township (5-4) has played a tough schedule of its own and will head to Old Bridge to try to pull off an upset.
The Patriots’ Air Raid offense can often give teams trouble when they haven’t seen it, and they enter averaging 29.8 points per game. Junior quarterback Dakota Lasater has a couple games back under his belt after returning from illness and has thrown for 1,336 yards and 13 touchdowns in six games.
Junior wideout Jake Schultzel, an FCS prospect, is having a big season with 980 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns on 54 catches to lead a deep group of receivers.
The main question is whether a Freehold Township defense allowing 25 points per game can slow down Old Bridge quarterback Brody Nugent enough to keep the Patriots close heading into the fourth quarter.
If it turns into an all-out shootout, that is Freehold Township’s comfort zone because the Patriots have an offense built to win that type of game. They only have two state playoff wins in their history, so a victory would put this season in a whole new light.
Non-Shore Player to Watch: Sayvien Adams, Sr., QB, Rancocas Valley
It’s been a disappointing season so far for a Rancocas Valley (5-4) squad that entered with high expectations, as Adams missed four games with an injury and has thrown for 664 yards and 4 touchdowns.
He is a dual threat who makes the Red Devils dangerous despite their regular-season struggles. Adams gave Toms River North fits in last year’s state playoffs. He also will be continuing his career right in the Shore’s backyard, as he is verbally committed to Monmouth University.
Another player to watch on Rancocas Valley is sophomore defensive lineman Michael Beasley, who is having a monster season with 81 tackles, 23 for a loss, and 12 sacks. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Beasley has offers from Pittsburgh and Syracuse.
South Jersey Group 5
8- Cherokee at 1- Atlantic City
5- Toms River North at 4- Cherry Hill East
6- Eastern at 3- Kingsway
7- Williamstown at 2- Southern
The favorite: Kingsway
The Dragons (7-2) have become a perennial contender in this bracket and are the last team to defeat Toms River North in the state playoffs, back in 2022. They enter the playoffs ranked No. 15 in the state by NJ.com.
They boast a 20-7 win over one of the Shore Conference’s top teams, Donovan Catholic, and also took undefeated Washington Township to the brink in a 39-36 loss.
Kingsway averages 37 points per game with a balanced offense that has passed for 1,446 yards and run for 1,230 yards. Senior quarterback David Oravetz has thrown 15 touchdowns and six interceptions and has four receivers with 200 or more yards. Junior running back Cole DeNick is a running and receiving threat with a combined 1,104 yards and 22 touchdowns, so he is the primary figure on offense.
The Dragons allow 13.2 points per game and are led by senior defensive lineman Jordan Hernandez, who has 13 tackles for a loss and 4 sacks.
Contender: Atlantic City
The Vikings (7-1) played a challenging schedule and only lost to Cedar Creek while picking up wins over Millville, Mainland, Ocean City and Eastern, which are all solid programs.
They are a passing team led by sophomore quarterback Marvin Burroughs, who has 1,827 yards and 18 touchdowns on an average of 22.5 attempts per game, so this team puts it up frequently. Senior wide receiver Jaylen Day has 37 catches for 696 yards and 8 touchdowns to lead a group of four good receivers who have combined for 17 touchdown catches.
They allow 13.9 points behind a defense led by junior Omar Kelly, who has 46.5 tackles, 10 sacks and 9.5 tackles for a loss. He plays safety, but the Vikings will walk him up to the line of scrimmage as an edge rusher, where he has wreaked havoc.
If Toms River North can knock off unbeaten Cherry Hill East in the quarterfinals, the pass rush for the Mariners is going to be absolutely huge in a matchup with Atlantic City. The Mariners are young in some spots in the secondary, so getting pressure on Burroughs would be essential to victory.
Shore Shots/Contenders: Southern, Toms River North
Both Shore teams are legitimate contenders in this bracket.
Southern (8-1) is in the midst of one of its best seasons ever while in search of its first state sectional title in program history.
Carson Abbato and Southern are in search of the program’s first state sectional title. (Photo by Bob Badders)
The Rams’ backbone is a defense that only allows a paltry 6.8 points per game, led by sophomore twins Niko and Lukas Iliescu at linebacker. Niko has been a force with 46 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss and 4 sacks, and Lukas has also made a big impact with 44 tackles, 12 for a loss, and 3.5 sacks. Senior defensive lineman Lucas Favorito leads the team with six sacks.
Offensively, the Rams look to establish the run and then open things up with mobile junior quarterback Carson Abbato. The passing game has improved and become a bigger part of the offense as the season has progressed, with Abbato throwing for 1,161 yards and 15 touchdowns with only three interceptions. Junior Chris Raub has become his main target with 521 yards receiving and 5 touchdowns on 27 catches.
Southern has the defense to play a potential low-scoring slugfest with Kingsway in the semifinals. A win there sends a message to the entire state that Southern is a contender in Group 5 and would most likely make the Rams the favorite going into the championship game.
On the other side of the bracket, Toms River North has to be considered a contender simply because it has ruled this entire Group for three years. The Mariners (4-5) are the champs until someone knocks them off.
Toms River North and Cole Garrison look to defend their Group 5 title as an underdog. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspimages.com)
They have played in a million big games and all their new starters are battle-tested by this point. The biggest key will be mustering enough offense to get it done, as that side has struggled against most high-level opponents with the exception of Rumson-Fair Haven.
A defense led by junior linebacker Jack Baker, freshman defensive end Finn Boland and sophomore defensive end Kam Morse will face a Cherry Hill East team that is averaging 41 points per game. Toms River North enters allowing 17 points per game.
However, the Cougars’ schedule is not nearly as strong as the one Toms River North played, so we’ll see how real those numbers are. Cherry Hill East’s offense revolves around dual threat quarterback Josh Greenberg, a junior who has 1,889 total yards and 26 total touchdowns.
Offensively, Toms River North will look to control the game with its offensive line to get junior Cole Garrison some running lanes and set up play-action with quarterback Logan Brill.
Non-Shore Player to Watch: Aiden Ezeiruaku, So., LB, Williamstown
Southern will be facing a Williamstown team with some high-end talent, as Ezeiruaku is considered a four-star recruit and has offers from Boston College, Pittsburgh and Syracuse. He has 33 tackles, 10.5 for a loss, and 4 sacks this season.
Williamstown’s running back, sophomore Trey Alexander, is another FBS prospect who has an offer from Pittsburgh. He has 668 yards rushing and 9 touchdowns. The Braves are 3-6, but they’re dangerous, as they showed in a 21-18 win over Rancocas Valley.
North Jersey matchups
North 1
8- Passaic at 1- West Orange
5- Ridgewood at 4- Livingston
6- Bloomfield at 3- East Orange Campus
7- Morristown at 2- Passaic County Tech
North 2
8- Linden at 1- Bridgewater-Raritan
5- Irvington at 4- Union City
6- Bayonne at 3- Elizabeth
7- Plainfield at 2- Piscataway
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
