Lakewood’s Rahmel Anderson sets school records for yards and TDs in monster night
Senior quarterback Rahmel Anderson is turning the Lakewood record book into his autobiography.
After setting the single-season school record for rushing yards as a junior, he erupted for 353 yards rushing and six touchdowns in a wild, 52-40 nondivisional win over Asbury Park on Friday night at Asbury Park Stadium.
The yards and touchdowns are both single-game school records, according to Piners head coach L.J. Clark.
“We didn’t even run him much in the third quarter, but they started scoring, so I had to put him back in the game and he was like, ‘All right coach, give me the ball, we’re good,’” Clark said. “I don’t think there’s a better runner in the Shore.”
“It’s just a blessing,” Anderson said about getting the records.
Anderson, who also had 100 yards passing, broke the record of five touchdowns in a game set by former Piners star Amir Tyler, who was in attendance on Friday night.
“I was walking off the field, and (Tyler) came up to me,” Anderson said. “He basically said I remind him of a little version of him, and he told me to keep going and stay focused.”
Rahmel Anderson had a historic night in a victory over Asbury Park that improved Lakewood to 2-0 for the first time in eight years. (Photo courtesy of Rahmel Anderson)
The victory improves Lakewood to 2-0 for the first time since the Piners went 7-3 and won a division title in 2016 with Tyler as their star.
Anderson’s monster rushing night gives him a Shore Conference-leading 606 yards rushing and 9 touchdowns in only two games. It comes on the heels of a season in which he led the state in rushing with 2,182 yards.
He capped the night with an 80-yard touchdown run that put the finishing touches on the victory.
“That might’ve been the best run I’ve ever seen,” Clark said. “He just stiff-armed someone and kept going. Everybody was like, ‘Whoa.’ He’s humble, and he’s hungry.”
“We knew power is our dominant play, and when I got through the line I just saw a wide-open hole,” Anderson said. “I believe in my ability to see those holes, and when I saw that, I just took it 80 yards.”
Adding some spice to the record is that he did it against Asbury Park. Anderson played American Youth Football (AYF) for Asbury Park before his career with the Piners.
“I had a conversation with some of them after,” he said. “It’s all love at the end of the day.”
The Piners will look to keep it rolling when they travel to Monmouth Regional in Week Two.
