Pinelands Smothers Lacey as Wildcats Stay Perfect

LITTLE EGG HARBOR — The Wildcats have long been on the wrong side of history in their matchups with Lacey. Coming into tonight, the Lions had won 25 of 26 contests between the two foes, with their lone win coming last season. But tonight was different. Pinelands controlled the game in dominating fashion, winning 13-0 and putting an early stranglehold on Class B South.

Lacey received the ball first, and it was clear the Lions wanted to play a slow game, taking as much time off the clock as possible. Their drive eventually stalled, leading to a punt that pinned the Wildcats deep in their own territory. Pinelands went right down the field and cashed in when senior quarterback J.J. Jenkins found senior receiver Anthony Bonds for a 29-yard touchdown.

“I ran my route and made sure I had outside leverage on him. He bit on it, so I made my cut, caught the ball, and scored,” said Bonds.

While Bonds ran a textbook route, creating the opportunity, Jenkins saw the play unfold from the backfield and trusted his senior wideout to finish it, even after the throw did not come out exactly as intended.

“I saw him beat the defender on the post. He fell, and I threw it. It wasn’t a great ball. It slipped out of my hand, but that’s what happens when you play with great players. They bail you out. It was a decent throw, but a great catch,” said Jenkins.

The second quarter belonged to senior safety A.J. O’Brien, who had one of the best two-play sequences of the year. It started when O’Brien flew across the field to stop Lacey senior quarterback Joseph Geiger’s keeper for no gain with an impressive tackle. On the very next play, he intercepted Geiger on a play that changed the game.

“On the play before, I was just following my keys and staying deep. I saw the quarterback start running, so I chased him down and got to his legs,” said O’Brien. “Then, on the interception, I was just following my assignment and helping my teammates. I heard everyone yelling, ‘Ball!’ from the sideline. I turned around, and it went right into my hands. There wasn’t much more to it.”

The turnover set up the Wildcats’ offense, and junior running back RJ Clark went to work. Clark finished the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run after breaking a 13-yard run on the play before.

“I just followed the big men in front of me. I didn’t really do much. I just followed them,” said Clark.

 

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The score was 13-0 at the half, and it held throughout the second half as Lacey could get nothing going against a dominant Pinelands defense. The Lions’ offense finished the night with just 80 total yards and was shut out.

“Lacey came out and did something we weren’t expecting. They went with double formations and tried to spread us out while attacking us inside. Our defense held up,” said coach John Tierney. “We panicked a little bit at first because they were picking up first downs, but we knew we were going to give up some first downs. The coaches made the necessary adjustments. Coach Adelizzi and Coach Milden made two great adjustments, and we shut it down.”

One reason the defense was so effective was the Wildcats’ ability to control possession throughout the game. Jenkins and Clark consistently gained first downs on the ground and through the air. Jenkins was 9-for-13 on the night for 98 yards and one touchdown. He also ran for 51 yards. Clark was a force on the ground, picking up 100 yards and adding a score.

“It’s all a numbers game for us. J.J. has become very good at reading the box. If we have six blockers and they have six defenders in the box, we’re going to run the football. If they have seven in the box, we’re going to throw it outside to A.B. [Anthony Bonds],” said Tierney. “A.B. made some huge plays tonight. As I said on the podcast, J.J. is me on the field. He has studied enough, watched enough film and shown me enough that I now have the confidence to open everything up for him.”

Pinelands is now 4-0 for the first time since 2023, and this group has the makings of something special. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 129-6, and the team’s confidence keeps growing with each win. They have been overlooked going all the way back to the preseason. Yet that adds to their edge, as the Wildcats know what they can achieve.

“I feel like people think about the past, but this is the present. We have so many good players on this team, and people have to realize that. That’s it,” said O’Brien.

That belief is shared throughout a Pinelands locker room that has embraced the opportunity to prove itself each week.

“We’re just going to keep working. It doesn’t matter what anybody has to say because that doesn’t define us. We know who we really are. We’re going to keep working and prove everybody wrong,” said Jenkins.

Despite the dominant start, the Wildcats aren’t treating 4-0 as an accomplishment that lets them get satisfied.

“We still have a lot to prove. We’re not where we need to be yet, but we’re coming,” said Clark.

Tierney has taken a similar approach, keeping his team focused on what comes next rather than outside recognition.

“The rankings are the rankings. I don’t care about them,” said Tierney. “We’re going to enjoy this tonight. At 7 o’clock tomorrow morning, all of my kids had better be in school because they are student-athletes first. They are not going to be late tomorrow. I don’t care if we played on a Thursday night. They are going to be in school, and if I’m there, they are going to be there.”

Once Friday morning arrives, the Wildcats will turn their attention to their next challenge against Toms River East, the team that defeated them in the regular-season finale last year, costing the Wildcats their first division title since 1987 and a state playoff appearance.

“Then we’re going to start getting ready for East. They are a very physical football team”, said Tierney. “I’m not going to say that we owe them one from last year because last year is last year. We will be completely focused in practice.”

Pinelands (4-0, 2-0) will travel to Toms River East next Friday, while Lacey (2-2, 1-1) hosts rival Central next Saturday.