NJSIAA sectional semifinal preview: The Shore’s chances in South Jersey

The state championship dream is still alive for 12 Shore Conference public schools as we head into the sectional semifinals this week.

Two of the Shore’s three non-public teams will also get underway in the state playoffs this weekend in the Non-Public B bracket, which will be previewed separately. Defending champion Red Bank Catholic has a bye to the quarterfinals after earning the No. 2 seed behind heavy favorite DePaul.

(Central Jersey sectional semifinal preview) 

Here’s a breakdown of all the South Jersey brackets where the Shore is still alive.

South Jersey Group 5

(5) Kingsway at (1) Toms River North

(3) Hillsborough at (2) Rancocas Valley

Toms River North continues to nuke every opponent in sight and remains the heavy favorite here. The Mariners beat eighth-seeded Bridgeton 55-6 in the first round and have now outscored their last five opponents 197-6. The only touchdown they allowed was in garbage time against Bridgeton when they were up 55-0.

Kingsway grinded out a 13-0 win over a Howell team that Toms River North beat 31-0 in the regular season. The Mariners (10-0) have the state’s longest current winning streak at 15 games and have won 35 games in a row against public schools. The last public school to beat Toms River North? It was Kingsway in the 2021 South Jersey Group 5 final.

That Kingsway team was an explosive offensive unit, whereas this version of the Dragons (8-2) is more of a defensive, low-scoring squad. They forced two turnovers in the win over the Rebels and were led by senior linebacker Tommy DiPietro’s eight tackles, one sack and two forced fumbles.

The problem is that teams are going to need at least 25 or more points to beat Toms River North, and that’s being generous. Even if they can hold down quarterback T.J. Valerio, running back Mordecai Ford and a deep group of wideouts, they also must find a way to score on a defense led by senior linebacker Blaise Boland that has been impenetrable for basically all but one game this season. All signs point to the two-time defending Group 5 champions playing in the sectional final at Gernerd Field next week.

The main question is which team they will be playing. It most likely will be Rancocas Valley (8-2), which routed Edison 42-7 in its first-round game. The Red Devils face a Hillsborough team that knocked out Freehold Township with a 49-20 win in the first round.

Rancocas Valley rolled up 294 yards rushing on Edison and had two rushers, Jameer Bellamy and dual threat quarterback Sayvien Adams, go over 100 yards. Meanwhile, senior Jackson Jankowicz exploded for six touchdowns for Hillsborough in the win over the Patriots.

Both teams have played solid schedules, but Rancocas Valley has a balanced, high-scoring offense led by Adams and game-breaking wideout Brody Deiter, who has 1,085 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns. They remain the favorite to get this one and take their shot at Toms River North.

 

South Jersey Group 4

(4) Manalapan at (1) Winslow Twp.

(3) Shawnee at (2) Middletown North

While the challenge of toppling Millville in the Central Jersey bracket is a tough one, beating Winslow Township in this bracket is the biggest hill to climb for any public school in New Jersey right now. The Eagles (10-0) beat Princeton 69-6 (!) in the first round and are ranked No. 6 in the state by NJ Advance Media, the highest of any public school.

Manalapan will try to load up its slingshot and slay Goliath after beating Pennsauken 35-12 in the first round behind two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown from quarterback Ryan Dougherty. The Braves will have their hands full with a team that has an absurd amount of talent led by senior CB/WR Cam Miller (Wisconsin), senior safety Marcus Upton (Boston College) and senior wide receiver Karon Brookins (Iowa State).

There’s also sophomore star quarterback Jalen Parker, who threw four touchdowns in the win over Princeton and has 32 for the season. Miller had three TDs in the win over Princeton, including a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown. There’s just playmakers all over the field.

The Braves’ best chance is to run the ball effectively with Ah’sere Woollfolk and Nick Palmieri, hit some play action off that, keep Winslow Township’s offense off the field as much as they can and try to come up with a touchdown on defense or special teams.

The main intrigue is on the other side of the bracket, where Middletown North is trying to reach its first sectional final since 2016. The unbeaten Lions (8-0) took care of Steinert 37-7 in the first round and now face a perennial playoff contender in Shawnee, which knocked off Middletown North’s Thanksgiving rival, Middletown South, with a 21-7 win in the first round.

Senior Brian O’Donnell’s sensational all-around season continued for Middletown North with three rushing touchdowns to help the Lions pull away in the second half. The formula is the same for Middletown North – a balanced offense led by quarterback Owen Robson and running back Shane Volante, and a stingy defense that only allows 9.5 points per game.

Shawnee is a run-based team led by junior running back Brett Lundberg (1,118 yards, 12 TDs), who had 107 yards against Middletown South, and freshman Cole Anderson (811, 12 TDs), who ran for a pair of scores in the win. This looks like a good matchup for Middletown North, which has been tough against the run this season and has already seen one of the state’s best running backs in St. John Vianney sophomore Abdul Turay.

Shawnee allows 18.2 points per game but has been better in its last three games behind senior linebacker Mason Grabowski (98 tackles). Robson also need to be careful with the ball against a team that has 11 interceptions in 10 games. If Middletown North can jump on the Renegades (7-3) early and force them to throw, the Lions will be in a great spot.

Much like the Central Jersey bracket, the anticipated final was Winslow Township against Middletown North before the playoffs started. Manalapan is a huge underdog, while Shawnee has a little better shot given the pedigree of its program. Regardless, Middletown North has given no one any reason to doubt them all season.

 

South Jersey Group 3

(3) Holmdel at (2) Mainland

(4) Seneca at (1) Hopewell Valley

This is a seismic game in Holmdel football history. A victory on the road over Mainland might arguably be the biggest win ever for the Hornets, or at least since 1991, which is the last and only time Holmdel has reached a sectional final.

It’s a juicy matchup featuring two high-scoring offenses filled with dynamic players. Holmdel star junior quarterback Jack Cannon (2,798 total yards, 36 TDs) ran for 168 yards and five touchdowns in a 35-12 win over Oakcrest in the first round as the Hornets rolled up 271 yards on the ground. Mainland beat Barnegat 49-14 behind three rushing touchdowns from Rocco DeBiaso and a pair of pick-sixes by Khaleeb Foster.

Holmdel has the talent to win a shootout with the Mustangs (7-3), so it could come down to the defense just getting some key stops. The secondary will be tested by junior wideout Jake Blum, who has 934 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns, including 4 for 122 yards and a score in the win over Barnegat.

Holmdel’s pass rush behind senior defensive lineman Cipriano Bodnar is going to be huge in this one to get the heat on quarterback John Franchini (1,644, 14 TDs). Franchini has thrown 10 interceptions this season, so a Holmdel secondary that has nine picks this season could have some chances for crucial turnovers.

Mainland roared to the Group 4 title last season before being realigned into Group 3 this fall. While the Mustangs aren’t as loaded as last year, they are a battle-tested program that is hard to rattle, so Holmdel is going to have to be poised.

On the other side of the bracket, Hopewell Valley (10-0) has already beaten Seneca 35-12 during the regular season, so unless the Eagles close a big gap, Holmdel would see the Bulldogs in the final if it can take down Mainland.

The Hornets would be the favorite in that potential matchup despite Hopewell Valley’s unbeaten record, given that they had to beat a much tougher opponent to reach the final and played a harder schedule.

South Jersey Group 2

(5) Willingboro at (1) Camden

(3) Manchester at (2) Point Boro

The Shore matchup in this bracket is the Cinderella story against a hungry, loaded team with its eyes on winning all of Group 2.

Manchester (8-2) has tied the school record for wins in a season and is coming off its first state playoff victory in program history. The Hawks beat West Deptford 30-29 in a thriller that came down to senior Ian Spicer’s 37-yard field goal with 2.7 seconds left in the game. It continued a memorable season in which Manchester also won its first outright division title in school history.

The Hawks are now heavy underdogs to Point Boro (8-2), the No. 3 team in the Shore Sports Insider Top 12. The Panthers’ triple option offense has not been stopped all season and averages 35.7 points per game. No. 1 Toms River North has allowed 45 points all season, and Point Boro scored 21 of them.

The trio of sophomore quarterback Jake Clayton, senior fullback Dylan Reitmeyer and sophomore slotback Nick Spanola have been prolific running behind a strong offensive line.

Point Boro cruised past Gloucester City, 41-17, in the first round as Clayton and Reitmeyer accounted for six touchdowns. The Panthers played a brutal schedule to get them ready for this time of year, so they are focused on reaching their third sectional final in the past four seasons.

If Point Boro takes care of business, it will most likely have to travel to top-seeded Camden for the sectional final. The Panthers beat Middle Township 46-13 in the first round behind three touchdowns from running back Christian Braxton and now face a team that is all too familiar to Point Boro – Willingboro. The Chimeras beat Point Boro in last year’s sectional final and knocked them out in the semifinals in 2022, one year after Point Boro beat Willingboro to win a sectional title.

The Chimeras (7-3) had an eye-opening first round when they detonated A.L. Johnson, 62-7, to set up the meeting with Camden. However, Camden has played a tougher schedule. Willingboro has a big-play offense led by quarterback Sean Taylor and wideout Terrance Knighton, but Camden has the speed to match them.

An upset win by Willingboro would not only mean yet another Point Boro-Willingboro playoff clash – the championship game would be at Al Saner Field in Point Pleasant instead of at Camden.

Scott Stump is an award-winning reporter, newsletter writer and editor who first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999 and has covered basketball, baseball and seemingly every other Shore Conference sport at some point. 

Email: [email protected]