Shore Conference Football Midseason Report

Take a breath. Exhale. We’re at the midpoint of the Shore Conference football regular season.

This is a week to take stock of what’s transpired so far before gearing up for the big finish in the coming weeks with division titles, playoff berths and postseason seeding on the line. Before you know it, the NJSIAA playoffs will be upon us.

It’s also a good time to take a look at what players are frontrunners for top accolades, which ones have burst onto the scene in 2024 and what teams are in position to take home one of the Shore’s seven division titles.

Here’s a look at everything from the frontrunners for top honors to the big games to watch down the stretch.

Offensive Player of the Year

Candidates:

Abdul Turay, So., RB, St. John Vianney

Owen O’Toole, Sr., QB, Rumson-Fair Haven

T.J. Valerio, Sr., QB, Toms River North

Jack Cannon, Jr., QB, Holmdel

Nick Cardone, Sr., QB, Freehold Twp.

Frankie Williams, Sr., QB, Red Bank Catholic

Jason Lajara, Jr., QB, Brick Memorial

Jonah Glenn, Jr., RB, Jackson Memorial

Dylan Reitmeyer, Sr., RB and Jake Clayton, So., QB, Point Boro

Dark horses: Joe Vezzosi, Sr., QB, Central; Rahmel Anderson, Sr., QB, Lakewood; Jake Henehan, Sr., RB, Toms River South; Ah’sere Woolfolk, Jr., RB, Manalapan; Aidan Lunn, Sr., QB, Manchester; M.J. Goins, Sr., WR, Manchester; Zach LaBarca, Jr., QB, St. John Vianney; Owen Robson, Jr., QB, Middletown North; Franny Scaramellino, So., QB, Wall; Jaimin Parkinson, Sr., RB, Pinelands.

The breakdown: This feels more wide open than in recent years when stars like Micah Ford and Emanuel Ross were clearly way ahead of the pack. In my mind it’s four guys right now: Turay is on a heater with three straight games of more than 200 yards rushing to give him 900 yards and a conference-best 17 touchdowns for the season. Valerio had a massively clutch moment for the Shore’s No. 1 team in the win over Point Boro and is second in the conference in passing yards with 943. O’Toole is right behind him at 931 and has a more convincing win over Point Boro on his resume. Both of them have completion percentages in the 70s with only one interception.

Cannon has the biggest stats at fourth in the Shore with 919 yards passing and sixth in the Shore with 580 yards rushing and a combined 18 touchdowns. He could potentially have a 2,000/1,000-yard season.

Glenn has battled injuries that have essentially wiped out two games for him, but could still end up with impressive numbers if he comes back for Jackson Memorial. Cardone will most likely lead the Shore Conference again in passing yards in the Patriots’ spread passing attack, but it will be his performances in big divisional games coming up and the playoffs that will be his best case. Reitmeyer and Clayton have both been great but kind of split their candidacy because they share the bulk of the workload for Point Boro.

Frankie Williams still has some big games ahead with Rumson-Fair Haven and Paramus Catholic coming up, so that will be his chance to make his statement. O’Toole also faces RBC and can use that as a signature game after already beating Point Boro.

The playoffs will most likely decide this award.

 

Defensive Player of the Year

Candidates:

Blaise Boland, Sr., LB/DE, Toms River North

Cole Toddings, Sr., LB, Barnegat

Colin Obser, Sr., LB, Point Boro

Eddie Slosky, Sr., LB, Toms River North

Patrick McGonnell, Sr., LB, Red Bank Catholic

Cipriano Bodnar, SR., DL, Holmdel

Trey Tallmadge, Jr., LB, Brick Memorial

Tommy Schroeder, Sr., LB, Shore

Jacob Tobias, Sr., LB, Rumson-FH

Dark horses: Johnathan Kokotis, Jr., LB, Freehold Township; Dante Mortellite, Sr., LB, Manchester; Nasir Jackson, Sr., DB, Toms River North; Sawyer Hughes, Jr., DE, New Egypt; Brendan Sliva, Sr., S, Middletown South; Jennaro Percodani, Jr., LB, Marlboro.

The breakdown: Boland is having another outstanding year after being a first-team All-Shore selection last season and looks like the front-runner right now. He has 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in a tough Class A South division for a defense only allowing 7.8 points per game. His teammate, Eddie Slosky, is also quietly not far behind him in several categories.

Toddings plays for a team that doesn’t get as much spotlight, but he is the real deal. The Colgate recruit is everywhere on the field, and he is second in the Shore in tackles and first with 14 for a loss. Sometimes the tackle stats submitted by coaches can seem inflated, but having seen Toddings in person, it definitely checks out.

McGonnell quietly has been putting together a stellar season for the Caseys with 44 tackles, 11 TFL and 4 sacks. Big games against Rumson’s high-octane offense and a strong Paramus Catholic team could put him right up there. Same goes the other way for Rumson linebacker Jacob Tobias when the Bulldogs face rival RBC.

Most Valuable Player

Candidates:

Cam Thomas, Sr., WR/CB, Toms River North

Abdul Turay, So., RB/S, St. John Vianney

Cole Toddings, Sr., TE/LB, Barnegat

Justin Silva, Sr., RB/DB, Southern

Brendan O’Brien, Sr., RB/LB, Shore

Jack Cannon, Jr., QB/S, Holmdel

Royalty Riley, Sr., WR/DB, Central

Dylan Reitmeyer, Sr., RB/LB, Point Boro

Heath Reinhardt, Jr., WR/K/P/S, Wall

Brian O’Donnell, Sr., WR/S, Middletown North

The breakdown: This is more for the all-around talents whose teams would suffer greatly on both sides of the ball if you took them out of the lineup.

I would say Turay is the frontrunner here. He is not only a star at running back, he’s also one of the top safeties in the Shore Conference. Thomas also must be considered as he leads the No. 1 Mariners in receiving yards and touchdown catches while also serving as a top cover corner who has a pick-six on his resume. He also is a menace on special teams with a punt return touchdown.

Cannon is also right up there. Compared to the other star quarterbacks in the Shore who only play offense, Cannon also sees time at safety on defense. Riley has also gone from a one-way player as a standout wide receiver to playing cornerback this season and is tied for the Shore Conference lead with three interceptions. Reitmeyer leads Point Boro in rushing and has 50 tackles for one of the top five teams in the Shore.

 

Coach of the Year

The candidates:

Tommy Farrell, Manchester

Jarrett Pidgeon, Central

Steve Bush, Middletown North

Steve Fence, New Egypt

The breakdown: Honestly, this is more just a recognition of coaches whose teams have opened eyes in the early going. Every year, this award is almost always decided by the state playoffs and division title performances, so guys like Toms River North’s Dave Oizerowitz, Red Bank Catholic’s Mike Lange, Rumson’s Jeremy Schulte, Shore’s Don Klein, Point Boro’s Brian Staub, Brick Memorial’s Walt Currie, Freehold Township’s Cory Davies and the coaches from the ultra-competitive Class C North will be more measured by what’s coming up in the postseason and division races.

Farrell has Manchester in position to win its first outright division title in program history (the Shore Conference recognized division champions during the 2020 Covid-shortened season and Manchester was a co-champ in a makeshift National Division) and reach the state playoffs for just the third time ever after winning a program-record eight games last season. Pidgeon has Central in the driver’s seat to win the Class B South title at 5-0 and Fence has New Egypt off to its best start in 14 years. Bush has Middletown North at 4-0 for its best start in decades, but the Lions don’t have that signature win yet, so how they fare against St. John Vianney this week will be a big test.

Biggest surprise teams

The candidates:

Central

Southern

Middletown North

New Egypt

Point Beach

The breakdown: The two Class B South teams stick out for me so far. Coming off a four-win season, Central is 5-0 for the first time since starting 6-0 in 2021 and has made a big offensive jump with one of the Shore’s more exciting units.

Southern lost a heartbreaker to Central but is still 4-1 under Chuck Donohue Sr. on the heels of a three-win season. Point Beach also deserves a mention for starting 3-1 after going 2-9 last season.

Breakout/most improved players

The candidates:

C.J. Yates, So., WR, Central

Cole Garrison, So., WR, Toms River North

Jordan Angstreich, Sr., WR, Rumson-FH

Jordan Mosenthine, So., RB, Red Bank Catholic

Jason Berecsky, Fr., WR, Red Bank Catholic

Michael Todisco, So., WR/DB, Holmdel

Johnnel Johnson, Sr., RB, Barnegat

Jason Lajara, Jr., QB, Brick Memorial

Franny Scaramellino, So., QB, Wall

Jake Schultzel, So., WR, Freehold Twp.

Heath Reinhardt, Jr., K/P/WR/DB, Wall

Ace Etienne, Jr., RB, Manasquan

Zach LaBarca, Jr., QB, St. John Vianney

Corleii Thomas, So., RB, Jackson Liberty

Dylan Reitmeyer, Sr., RB, Point Boro

James Hirtes, Jr., QB, Brick

Quentin Fisher, Jr., QB, Long Branch

Owen Robson, Jr., QB, Middletown North

Joe Vezzosi, Sr., QB, Central

Shawn Fowler, So., WR/DB, Brick Memorial

Koen Johnson, Jr., DL, Neptune

Nicky Palmieri, So., RB, Manalapan

Damier Lester, Jr., WR, Freehold

The breakdown: A lot of new faces have been making an impact this season, while some returning players have made a dramatic leap forward.

Schultzel leads the Shore Conference with 425 yards receiving to go with 22 catches and 4 touchdowns as a sophomore in Freehold Township’s spread passing attack.

Yates (15-342-5) just had a monster game against Southern to announce himself as one of the better young wide receivers in the Shore, while Garrison has shown flashes of becoming a star for Toms River North. Players like Lajara, Angstreich and LaBarca were projected to be breakout playmakers and have delivered, while a veteran like Vezzosi has made a jump into the higher echelon of quarterbacks in the Shore.

RBC is loaded with young talent, and Mosenthine leads the team in rushing while Berecsky has made an impact as a freshman with 14 catches. Not sure anyone outside of the Wall faithful had Heath Reinhardt to be seventh in the Shore in scoring at the midway point, but the do-it-all junior has been stellar with five touchdowns to go with 18 extra points and two field goals.

Todisco just had a huge game with a pair of pick-sixes in a win over previously unbeaten Wall and also has 17 tackles in the secondary and six catches for 152 yards as a receiver. While Lajara gets a lot of the spotlight for Brick Memorial, watch out for Fowler, who is a touchdown waiting to happen when he gets his hands on the ball on offense or defense.

 

Best game

Candidates:

Manalapan 35, St. John Vianney 34 (OT)

Toms River North 24, Point Boro 21

Wall 36, St. John Vianney 26

Central 26, Southern 21

Middletown South 28, Manalapan 21 (OT)

Freehold Twp. 24, Red Bank 22

The breakdown: Three of these games just happened this past weekend, so the action is definitely picking up.

I always love a coach going for it, so I’m inclined to say Manalapan is the best game after the Braves went for two and the win and hit it to beat St. John Vianney in a thriller. The Central and Toms River North wins also came down to the final seconds.

The Toms River North game was definitely the one the most people were checking on their phones wondering if Point Boro was going to shock one of the top public school teams in the state, but the Mariners found a way with a field goal by Yianni Papanikolas to win it inside the final minute.

Freehold Township’s win is definitely the most controversial. Red Bank was down 21-0, roared back to take a 22-21 lead and then lost on a field goal as time expired after two penalties, the second of which the NJSIAA admitted was the wrong call and should’ve have been allowed.

 

Biggest games ahead

New Egypt at Shore on Oct. 2

This game looks like the de facto championship game in Class D North, although the winner will still have to get at least one more division victory to clinch no worse than a tie for the title.

Rumson-Fair Haven at Red Bank Catholic on Oct. 10

Skip whatever the NFL’s boring Thursday night game is and head to Count Basie Field for this matchup in one of the Shore’s oldest rivalries. This is essentially the Class A North championship game, and it also will have big playoff seeding implications for the winner.

Wall at Manalapan on Oct. 10

Another Thursday night special, this game is huge for the Class C North race. Manalapan can clinch no worse than a tie for the title with a win, while Wall keeps its own title hopes alive with a victory. Plus, Wall’s Ed Gurrieri is the former head coach at Manalapan and a longtime friend of Braves coach Dom Lepore, so that’s a perennial subplot when these teams meet.

Point Boro at Brick Memorial on Oct. 10

This is most likely for second place in Class A South and features the student vs. the master in a matchup of high-scoring offenses. Point Boro’s head coach Brian Staub is a former Brick Memorial star who played for Mustangs’ head coach Walt Currie and won a state title. This game is also big for playoff seeding and the Shore Conference rankings.

Paramus Catholic at Red Bank Catholic on Oct. 18

This is a big nonconference game at Count Basie Field when state-ranked Paramus Catholic comes to town. This game is huge for RBC when it comes to playoff positioning for the defending Non-Public B champs, and it’s against a team in the Caseys’ bracket.

Middletown North at Freehold Twp. on Oct. 25

If Middletown North can get by Red Bank and Freehold Township can beat rival Freehold Boro, this game will be for the Class B North title. Freehold Township has never won a division crown in program history, while Middletown North is looking for its first division crown since 2021.

Holmdel at Manalapan on Oct. 25

If Wall beats Manalapan, this game looms large. If not, Manalapan would still most likely have to win this one to clinch the outright division title.

Milestones/storylines from the first half.

—No. 1 Toms River North extended the state’s longest current winning streak to 10 games and has now won 31 in a row against public school competition. The Mariners had a close shave in a 24-21 comeback win over Point Boro in Week Four.

—Eleven new head coaches made their debut after an offseason of turnover. Shore Regional head coach Don Klein (4-0) has yet to lose after taking the job at his alma mater.

—Girls continue to play a bigger role in Shore Conference football as twin freshmen sisters Elani and Eniya Johnson play on both sides of the line for Asbury Park.

—The NJSIAA admitted officials got a penalty call wrong that allowed Freehold Township to beat Red Bank in a walk-off field goal in a game that was huge for the Class B North race and both teams’ playoff push.

—Brick Memorial head coach Walt Currie, who is already the career wins leader for the Mustangs, notched his 100^th career victory with a victory over Howell in the third game of the season.

—Rumson-Fair Haven senior Owen O’Toole became the rare Shore Conference quarterback to break 5,000 career yards passing with 236 yards in a win over Middletown South in Week Four.

—Freehold Township senior Nick Cardone became the Patriots’ all-time leading passer in a win over Red Bank in Week Three and is approaching 5,000 yards for his career.

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]