Championship Week in the Shore: What to Know About 6 Division Title Games

Barnegat and Monmouth have been on a collision course in Class D North all season, but Friday’s showdown of unbeaten teams has been years in the making. 

For the Falcons, this has been a three-year building process. They had a strong run from 2021-23, got crushed by graduation and then rebuilt from 1-9 to 5-5 and now 6-0 with a new group. 

“The kids have been working hard for two years now,” head coach Dan Wendel said. “They earned the right to get to this point, and now it’s time for them to go have some fun and try and take one home.” 

Barnegat has tied its best start in school history at 6-0 as well.  

“I took over the program six years ago, and you have a vision and a culture you want to set,” head coach Paul Covine said. “I feel like we’re finally at that spot. We have a senior group that’s very experienced, leading from within the locker room, which we’ve lacked in the past, and young guys that are now valuable pieces. It’s a big reason why we’re 6-0.” 

The similarities between the two teams are myriad. They both went 5-5 last year, and neither team has ever been 7-0, which will be the record of the winner of Friday’s game. Both teams have a core of three-year starters bolstered by exciting young talent and have been building toward this season. 

Barnegat has outscored its opponents 214-13, while Monmouth’s differential is 195-41. Neither squad has a victory over a team with a winning record, so this game is the biggest test for both of them so far. The Bengals have beaten Monmouth the past two seasons. 

The undefeated squads will face off on Barnegat’s home field on Friday night as part of six games that could decide division titles during championship week in the Shore Conference. The Barnegat-Monmouth winner clinches at least a tie for the division title, which would be the first since 2014 for Barnegat and 2021 for Monmouth. 

“It would mean a lot going 7-0 and beating a team like (Barnegat) and proving we’re good,” Monmouth junior quarterback Ryan Corwin said. 

Corwin (748 yards, 10 TD passes, 5 TD runs), the tandem of freshman running back Conall Hicks (90-434-3) and junior Brandon Thompson (44-401-5) and wide receiver Donovan Hicks (17-277-4) have led the offense. However, the Falcons showed the defense and special teams can be the backbone of their team when they went up two divisions and shut out Class B South’s Brick in a 5-0 win last week. 

Senior punter Sam Jackson is a weapon who averages 38.7 yards per punt and boomed a 65-yard punt in the rain that pinned Brick at its own 1-yard line last week. That led to the Falcons getting a tackle in the end zone for a safety. Senior kicker Sal Bruno also hit a 22-yard field goal in the win. 

“It was good to see when one phase isn’t playing as well, the other two pick it up,” Wendel said. 

The Falcons’ defense averages 8.5 tackles for a loss per game, led by 11 from junior defensive lineman Amari Roach and 10 from junior defensive lineman Ryan Fleury. Hicks leads the team with 33 tackles.  

They will deal with a Barnegat offense averaging 35.7 points per game, which has added a new wrinkle in the last two weeks. Freshman Zach McCrohan has stepped in at quarterback for senior Nick Malinowski, who is one of the team’s top defensive players at middle linebacker. 

“That’s something we didn’t expect,” Covine said. “We knew he was talented, and you just saw the intangibles. We needed a spark when we were in a one-score game with Colts Neck, so we went to (McCrohan) and he went 3-for-3 and threw a touchdown pass, so he just was ready for the moment at 14 years old. One of the biggest differences is he can make all the throws. You can’t teach moxie, and this kid’s got it. Is he ready for a game like this? We’re going to find out Friday night.” 

He has weapons around him, led by senior running backs Ryan Fitzpatrick (42-387-6) and Chris Santero (30-276-4) in the backfield and sophomore dynamo Chance Joseph at wideout. The FBS prospect has three touchdown catches, a touchdown run and a punt return for a score. He’s also lurking in the secondary with two interceptions. 

Junior defensive lineman Charles Black (31 tackles, 10 TFL, 3.5 sacks), Malinowski (7 TFL, 3 sacks) and senior linebacker Emir Robles Mendoza (8 TFL) lead a defense that averages 9.5 tackles for loss per game. 

One concern for Barnegat is the starters have only played two full games because of blowouts. 

“Truthfully, yeah,” Covine said about that being an issue. “As a head coach, we’re right where we wanted to be, but it’s going to take four hard quarters against (Monmouth), so that’s a question. We try to condition more, get them into the best shape possible and hope that we’re ready to rock and roll.” 

Meanwhile, Monmouth is coming off a hard-fought, four-quarter battle with Brick. 

“It helped a lot seeing a better defense and a lot of different blitzes,” Corwin said about the Brick game. 

The winner will have to get one last divisional win in the final weekend of the regular season to clinch the outright title. 

Here’s what else to watch from this week’s five other games with division title implications. The only division with no title-clinching games this week is Class B North, where division co-leaders Middletown South and Middletown North both have byes. If they both win their divisional games in two weeks, they will play each other on Thanksgiving for the title. 

Back-to-Back Beach? 

Point Beach (4-1, 3-0) enters as the favorite against Keansburg (3-3, 3-0) in Class C South with a chance to win consecutive division titles for the first time in the history of a program that began in 1924. 

“That’s the stuff you tell your grandkids about,” Point Beach head coach Joe Zaccone said. 

“It’s become the culture at Point Beach now,” senior running back Danny Neal said. “We’re expected to win.” 

Unlike the all-out passing attack last season behind quarterback Matt Rossi, this year’s Garnet Gulls boast a three-headed rushing attack led by Neal (37-306-4), junior Gage Boyle (55-431-6) and junior Thomas Aiosa (44-406-6). Point Beach averages 252.8 yards rushing per game. 

The hydra is about to sprout another head, as Point Beach will welcome back sophomore running back Jalen Kreiger this week. Kreiger was an All-Division selection as a freshman after finishing with over 400 total yards between rushing and receiving. He broke his collarbone in the preseason and is making his return against Keansburg. 

“We haven’t even seen the best of our running game yet,” Zaccone said. 

Keansburg (3-3) will counter with junior running back Taurian Black (104-581-12), quarterback Mason Rand (908 yds, 8 TD) and wideout Daizhan Jones (18-383-5) for an offense that averages 25.5 points per game. 

Point Beach, which won the Class D South title last year, has won two straight against Keansburg and nine straight divisional games overall. The winner clinches at least a tie for the Class C South title. 

Rumson-RBC Rivalry to Decide Class A North

As expected, the Class A North race has come down to No. 2 Red Bank Catholic (4-2, 3-0) and No. 4 Rumson-Fair Haven (5-1, 3-0). 

The longtime rivals are both coming off losses and looking to exploit weaknesses that were exposed last week. 

RBC’s secondary has struggled in big games against nonconference opponents this year, giving up 281 yards passing in a loss to DePaul, 314 yards passing in a 62-41 win over St. Anthony (NY) and 275 yards passing in a 31-24 loss to Winslow Township last week. What does Rumson do best? Throw the ball behind junior quarterback Brady Williams, who is averaging 220.3 yards passing per game.

On the other side, Donovan Catholic’s Alex Staten just ran for a school-record 371 yards(opens in new tab) on only 18 carries against Rumson in a 51-13 win over the Bulldogs last week. That was one game after Manalapan ran for 191 yards against them. What does RBC do best? Run the ball behind sophomore Gabe Kemp, who has 920 yards rushing and averages 184 yards rushing per game. 

A big X-factor is the health of Rumson star RB/LB Ryder Izzo, who left the Donovan Catholic game with an injury. If he plays, it gives Rumson a top run threat RBC has to consider, in addition to a talented linebacker to help try to slow down Kemp.

RBC’s pass rush will also be key, and Navy recruit Lorenzo Tartamella is rounding back into form. He had two sacks against Winslow Township in his second game back after suffering a knee injury in the season opener. He and junior defensive end Asher Cummins will be tasked with getting after Williams.

RBC will clinch at least a tie for its second straight Class A North title with a win, while Rumson will win its second A North title in three seasons with a victory. The Caseys lead the all-time series 39-23-6. 

Donovan Catholic Aims to Lock Down Class A South to Make History

No. 1 Donovan Catholic (6-0, 3-0) can clinch at least a tie for its second straight Class A South title with a win over No. 9 Point Boro (3-3, 0-3). The Griffins have never won back-to-back division championships in their history. 

The Griffins are coming off their best performance of the season, a 51-13 win over Rumson-Fair Haven(opens in new tab). They have their sights set on their first state title since 1976, but need to take care of business in the division first. 

Donovan is looking to start 7-0 for the first time since 2020.

Pinelands Looks to End a 39-Year Drought

One of the stories of the Shore this fall has been Pinelands, which is 6-0 for the first time in program history. 

The Wildcats have recorded a school-record five straight shutouts in dominating the Class B South division. If they beat Central (1-5, 1-2) this week, they will clinch no worse than a tie for the program’s first division title since 1987 and just the second one in school history. 

For more on Pinelands, click here(opens in new tab).

Marlboro Eyes Class C North Crown

Marlboro can clinch at least a tie for its second division title in four seasons and just the third in school history by beating Freehold Regional District rival Howell in Class C North. 

The Mustangs (4-2, 3-0) are coming off a 20-13 nondivisional loss to Matawan, while Howell (3-2, 1-2) enters off its best performance of the season, a 38-7 rout of Jackson in a nondivisional game.

Fans at the Ocean-Raritan game will be scoreboard watching because if Howell wins, the winner of the Rockets and Spartans game is now in play to grab a share of the division title. It would come down to the final week of regular-season games to decide the division winner or co-champs. 

Scott Stump is the football editor and a reporter for Shore Sports Insider. He first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999. 

Email: scottstump25@gmail.com