Rivalry Reclaimed: Clayton, Point Boro Run Past Manasquan

POINT PLEASANT — Jake Clayton called it just another week. The scene surrounding Point Boro’s home field Thursday night suggested otherwise.

The stands were packed well before kickoff. The student sections traded noise across the field, every short-yardage measurement brought people to their feet, and two proud Shore Conference communities treated each collision like it carried extra weight. Week 1 renewed the longtime rivalry between Point Boro and Manasquan, one year after the Warriors rallied for a four-point victory.

This chapter belonged to Point Boro because the Panthers remained patient enough to make their identity matter.

Senior quarterback/defensive back Jake Clayton rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns, senior fullback/linebacker DJ Albanese supplied the hard yards between the tackles, and senior tight end/defensive end Mason Morris delivered three tackles for loss to lead Point Boro to a 20-6 victory.

“It’s a big rivalry, and it’s always fun to play them,” Clayton said. “But it’s just another week for us — another week for us to get better and get another win under our belt. We always bring a good crowd. The hype around this game is great.”

Point Boro improved to 2-0 after opening with a 24-10 win over Sterling. Manasquan fell to 1-1 following its 20-19 victory over Westwood, but the Warriors’ record told only part of the story Thursday.

Manasquan played without senior quarterback Kyle Dow, who was on the sideline with an undisclosed injury. Their junior backup quarterback Kennedy Larned was also on the sidelines in street clothes. The Warriors did not attempt a pass and operated primarily through direct snaps to senior running back Dax Klein.

Klein responded to the added responsibility with 99 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. He repeatedly fought through contact and kept Manasquan within one point at halftime, even as Point Boro devoted more defenders to the line of scrimmage.

That approach could carry the Warriors only so far. Once the Panthers adjusted, Morris and the Point Boro front closed the running lanes Klein had found early. Morris’ three tackles for loss reflected his larger impact: He set a physical edge, disrupted plays before they could develop, and helped prevent Klein from breaking the long run Manasquan needed.

“The Wildcat definitely threw us off,” Morris said. “We thought Dow was going to be in there scrambling, but they were in the Wildcat for the majority of the game. At first, we did struggle with it, but our coaches adjusted at halftime. Then we completely shut it down.”

Point Boro’s offense was almost equally committed to the ground game. Clayton recorded the Panthers’ lone completion, a 6-yard pass to senior wide receiver Dylan Comstock on a hitch route. The Panthers rushed for 234 yards and scored all three touchdowns through the flexbone triple-option offense that has long defined coach Brian Staub’s program.

The plan was evident immediately. Point Boro received the opening kickoff and marched 71 yards in nine plays — all runs. Clayton gained 41 yards on three carries, while Albanese handled the other six attempts and finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown.

Albanese’s final line, 41 yards on 10 carries, did not fully capture his importance. At 5-foot-9 and 220 pounds, he served as the Panthers’ between-the-tackles runner and short-yardage option, repeatedly taking the direct, physical carries that kept the offense on schedule. His presence forced Manasquan to respect the interior, creating space for Clayton to keep the ball around the edge or cut upfield.

The first half soon became the tense, grinding rivalry game the crowd expected. Point Boro stopped Klein just short on fourth-and-inches, with the official measurement drawing both sidelines toward the field. Manasquan junior linebacker Wyatt Sowul later recovered a Clayton fumble, preventing the Panthers from turning the stop into another early touchdown.

Manasquan finally converted field position into points after junior wide receiver Connor Lalli returned a punt 22 yards to the Point Boro 30. Klein carried four straight times for gains of 5, 4, 20 and 1 yards, scoring from the goal line. A mishandled snap disrupted the extra-point attempt, leaving the Panthers ahead 7-6 with 5:52 remaining in the half.

For several minutes, the rivalry felt suspended on that single point. Manasquan’s sideline had come alive, Point Boro’s early momentum had disappeared, and neither offense could create separation before halftime.

“We started hot right out of the gate, but then we got into a little bit of a funk,” Morris said. “We came out after halftime, everyone was fired up, ready for war.”

Point Boro emerged from the break looking like a team that understood it did not need to reinvent itself. It simply needed to execute more cleanly.

After its defense forced a three-and-out, the Panthers took over at the Manasquan 44 and ran six straight times. Clayton accounted for 34 yards and finished the drive with a 7-yard keeper, stretching the lead to 13-6 after a mishandled extra-point snap.

Morris and the defense quickly returned the ball to the offense, which produced the drive that decided the night. Point Boro moved methodically behind Clayton, Albanese and sophomore slotback Julius Reaves. Clayton finished the eight-play, all-rushing possession with a 1-yard sneak, and senior kicker Jack Sullivan’s extra point made it 20-6 with 7:49 remaining.

By then, the option had become more than a scheme. It was the identity carrying Point Boro toward victory. Albanese kept hammering inside, Clayton punished overcommitment, and a young offensive line grew more confident against a respected Manasquan front that spent much of the night sorting through fakes and bodies.

“The three of us have to be leaders and make the younger kids follow our lead,” Clayton said of himself, Albanese, and senior slotback/defensive back Nick Spanola, the latter of whom missed the game due to injury. “Eventually, it’ll click for them, and it’s definitely starting already. We need to peak at the right time, and our offensive line is going to be big for us.”

Manasquan’s last opportunity ended when Sowul lost a fumble in Point Boro territory and senior defensive lineman Aidan Dombrowsky recovered it. The Panthers then trusted freshman fullback Gio DiMatteo, freshman slotback Grayson Williams and junior running back Jack Quick to help finish the game.

The defense’s work was already complete. Point Boro did not allow a point after Klein’s second-quarter touchdown, and Morris’ presence was essential whenever Manasquan tried to regain momentum on the ground.

For Morris, the victory carried meaning beyond an unbeaten start. Manasquan has historically held the upper hand in the series, and last year’s 14-10 comeback loss remained close enough to sharpen the Panthers’ preparation.

“The whole summer, we were looking forward to this game,” Morris said. “We talked about the history and how they’ve beaten us for years. It was time to change that.”

Point Boro accomplished that with a compelling blend of old and new. Its veteran backfield operated the offense with composure, while a developing line showed enough maturity to become stronger as the game progressed. Clayton, a Rutgers University wrestling commit and three-time state medalist, supplied the toughness expected from his wrestling background, but his influence went beyond the 134 yards on the stat sheet. After losing the early fumble, he protected the ball, directed the option and gave the Panthers a steady voice when the rivalry tightened.

“I’ve got to be a good role model for the younger kids,” Clayton said. “Every single play, I’ve got to show them what it’s like. Being a leader comes with a lot of responsibilities. Every day, I keep doing the right thing, make everybody around me better, and lead by example.”

Point Boro now turns to perhaps its greatest regular-season test at No. 3 Toms River North, which could be the best defense the Panthers see all year. Senior linebacker and Duke University commit Jack Baker, sophomore linebacker Finn Boland and junior linebacker Kam Morse combined for 339 tackles and 63 tackles for loss last season, with Boland adding 11.5 sacks as a freshman. Their discipline and ability to attack the backfield will challenge every phase of the flexbone after Point Boro edged the Mariners 17-14 last year.

“I’ll leave it in our coaches’ hands,” Clayton said. “They always put us in the right spot, and we’re going to do our best to execute it.”

Manasquan, meanwhile, will try to bounce back when it hosts preseason No. 10 Matawan next Saturday. Despite opening with a 27-7 loss to River Dell, the Huskies feature junior quarterback Blair-Carter Gagneron, who produced 2,087 total yards and 21 touchdowns last season, and junior wide receiver Cayson Williams, who holds an offer from Temple University after catching 37 passes for 742 yards and 10 scores. Dow’s availability will be pivotal; without him, Manasquan must find more balance and an insurance plan under center while avoiding falling behind against a dangerous passing offense.

The next challenges could wait for one night. When the final horn sounded, the home crowd celebrated a victory built through patience, physicality, and one bruising run after another.

Clayton may have called it another week, but Point Boro made it feel like much more. Against a Manasquan program that has long taken pride in old-school, smashmouth football, the Panthers beat the Warriors at their own game — and flipped the script on their longtime rival.