Atlantic Physical Therapy Shore Conference Football Top 12, 10/28/25
Let the playoffs begin.
The postseason is upon us, as the brackets for the public state playoffs were released on Sunday, with two Shore Conference teams nabbing No. 1 seeds and four more grabbing No. 2 seeds in their respective brackets.
Class A South ended with one final flourish in its quest to be a complete nightmare when trying to do the rankings. Unranked Point Boro locked down the No. 6 seed in Central Jersey Group 2 by taking down last week’s No. 6 team, Toms River North, with a 17-14 victory on a late field goal. The win also meant the Panthers finished ahead of the Mariners in the final divisional standings.
Here’s this week’s playoff schedule, plus a look at the top storylines heading into the postseason.
As we head into the home stretch, check out the latest Shore Sports Insider rankings presented by Atlantic Physical Therapy.
1 Red Bank Catholic (8-1). Last week: No. 1.
The Caseys wrapped up the outright Class A North title with a 56-7 win over Marlboro for their fourth division crown in the last five seasons. Freshman quarterback Rahmir Rivera threw for 251 yards to bring his season total to 1,606 yards, and he also threw three touchdown passes. Freshman running back Gabe Kemp continued his stellar season with 101 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and five different Caseys caught touchdown passes. RBC has one more regular-season tuneup before the Non-Public B playoffs kick off next week. The bracket will be seeded by an NJSIAA committee, so RBC’s seed and opponent are not known yet. Next game: Thursday vs. Notre Dame (4-5).
2 Brick Memorial (7-2). Last week: No. 2.
Brick Memorial quarterback Jason Lajara set a single-season school record for touchdown passes in a season in a win over Jackson to help the Mustangs clinch a tie for the Class A South title. (Photo by Tom Smith/tsimages.com)
The Mustangs cruised to their fourth straight win, beating Jackson 47-14 to clinch a tie for the Class A South title with Donovan Catholic. The school records keep falling one by one, as senior quarterback Jason Lajara set the Mustangs’ single-season record with 22 touchdown passes, and senior Nyzier Matthews set the single-season record with 40 catches and broke his own record for most touchdown catches in a season with his 10th. He also tied the school record for career touchdown catches with 20. Lajara threw three touchdown passes to Matthews and another one to Shawn Fowler while also running for two scores in the win over Jackson. The Mustangs are the No. 1 seed in Central Jersey Group 4 and the favorite to bring home their first state sectional title since 2008. Next game: Friday vs. Marlboro (2-7) in the Central Jersey Group 4 quarterfinals.
3 Holmdel (6-2). Last week: No. 3.
The Hornets’ offense continues to be unstoppable as they won another scoring-fest, 49-38 over Middletown North. Senior quarterback Jack Cannon threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Sophomore wide receiver Anthony Serini had six catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns. They are the No. 1 seed in Central Jersey Group 3 and will have homefield advantage through the finals in their quest to win the first state sectional title in school history. Next game: Friday vs. Cinnaminson (4-5) in the Central Jersey Group 3 quarterfinals.
4 Donovan Catholic (6-3). Last week: No. 4.
Donovan Catholic’s Alex Staten rushed for 143 yards and two scores as the No. 4 Griffins won their fifth straight. (Photo by Tom Smith/tspimages.com)
The Griffins spared their coaches’ blood pressure from another nail-biting win with a 21-0 victory over Howell for their fifth straight win. Junior running back Alex Staten led the way with 143 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and the defense posted its third shutout of the season. Donovan Catholic has a chance to make a major statement this week and move up the rankings to end the regular season when it takes on an undefeated team ranked No. 13 in the state by NJ.com. The win would also be big for arguing for a high seed in the Non-Public B bracket, which begins next week. Next game: Saturday vs. St. Joseph’s-Metuchen (8-0).
5 Southern (8-1). Last week: No. 5.
The Rams wrapped up the regular season by clinching the outright Class B South title in a 34-7 win over Toms River South. Junior quarterback Carson Abbato threw three touchdown passes, two to wideout Chris Raub, and ran for another in the win. Southern earned the No. 2 seed in South Jersey Group 5 as it seeks its first state sectional title in program history. Next game: Friday vs. Williamstown (3-6) in the South Jersey Group 5 quarterfinals.
6 Rumson-Fair Haven (5-3). Last week: No. 7.
The Bulldogs edged Middletown South 17-14 as junior Ryder Izzo ran for a pair of touchdowns and senior Drew Cavise kicked a 15-yard field goal. The defending Group 2 champions enter Central Jersey Group 2 as the No. 3 seed. It’s a real argument between them and Wall for this spot, but it’s possible it will get settled on the field. If both teams win their first-round playoff games, they would meet in the Central Jersey Group 2 semifinals at Wall. First, Rumson has to deal with a familiar rival as it plays Point Boro for the fourth time in two seasons. The Bulldogs beat the Panthers 34-0 in the season opener this year. Next game: Friday vs. Point Boro (4-4) in the Central Jersey Group 2 quarterfinals.
7 Wall (6-2). Last week: No. 8.
Wall senior running back Dylan Cohen found the end zone three times in a win over St. John Vianney. (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
The Crimson Knights look like they’re peaking at the right time as they played their best game of the season in a 28-0 win over St. John Vianney that locked down the outright Class B North title. Senior running back Dylan Cohen rolled up 156 yards and three touchdowns on the ground to power Wall’s sixth straight win. The defense posted its third shutout of the season and its second in a row to help the Crimson Knights earn the No. 2 seed in Central Jersey Group 2 as they push for their first state sectional title since 2019. Now they face a playoff opponent coached by Skip Edwards, the former head coach at Holmdel and Lakewood. Next game: Friday vs. Bordentown (7-1) in the Central Jersey Group 2 quarterfinals.
8 Manasquan (7-1). Last week: No. 9.
The Warriors claimed their share of the Class C North title with a 34-14 win over Colts Neck in which senior Justice Morgan stepped in at running back and scored three touchdowns in place of star Ace Etienne, who left the game with an injury after running for two touchdowns in the first half. The Warriors, who have won five straight, earned the No. 4 seed and a first-round home game in Central Jersey Group 2. Next game: Saturday vs. A.L. Johnson (7-1) in the Central Jersey Group 2 quarterfinals.
9 Point Boro (4-4). Last week: Unranked.
Junior quarterback Jake Clayton and Point Boro picked up their biggest win of the season in a 17-14 takedown of Toms River North. (Photo by Bob Badders | rpbphotography.com)
The Panthers return to the rankings after a long hiatus after they broke through to get a signature win, knocking off last week’s No. 6 team, Toms River North, in a 17-14 thriller. Junior kicker Jack Sullivan hit a 31-yard field goal with 1:42 left in the game for the win. Junior quarterback Jake Clayton threw for one score and ran for another. The win meant they didn’t have to sweat out potentially missing the playoffs and instead earned the No. 6 seed in Central Jersey Group 2. Point Boro, which won the South Jersey Group 2 title last year, will now try to solve a team that has beaten the Panthers three times since the start of last season, including in last season’s Group 2 semifinals. Next game: Friday at Rumson-Fair Haven (5-3) in the Central Jersey Group 2 quarterfinals.
10 Toms River North (4-4). Last week: No. 6.
The Mariners take a tumble as their yo-yo season continues. One week after beating Rumson-Fair Haven, they lost 17-14 to previously unranked Point Boro on a field goal with under two minutes remaining. Toms River North will try to shake it off quickly as it gets set to defend its Group 5 title. The Mariners will be going on the road to face an undefeated team as the No. 5 seed. Next game: Friday at Cherry Hill East (9-0) in the South Jersey Group 5 quarterfinals.
11 Manalapan (6-3). Last week: No. 11.
The Braves continued their mastery of Freehold Regional District rival Freehold Township with a 37-7 victory to end a two-game losing streak. Senior Ah’sere Woolfolk ran for a pair of touchdowns and junior quarterback Cameron Desfosse threw for two scores in the win. Now comes a major opportunity for the Braves to make a move in the rankings as they enter as the No. 2 seed in a Central Jersey Group 4 bracket packed with Shore teams. Their best win this season is over Middletown South, which they could see again in the semifinals. The real prize is a crack at No. 2 Brick Memorial in the championship game, but there’s a lot of work for both teams to do before we get to that. Next game: Friday vs. Hamilton (5-3) in the Central Jersey Group 4 quarterfinals.
12 Central (8-1). Last week: No. 12.
The Golden Eagles won their sixth straight game by topping Ocean 29-14 behind three touchdown runs by senior Elijah Reeder. They now have a chance for just their third state playoff win in school history after earning the No. 3 seed in South Jersey Group 4. Their best win is over Middletown North, which Middletown South plays this week, so it will be a good comparison between the Eagles and the Golden Eagles as far as the rankings go. Next game: Friday vs. Northern Burlington (6-3).
Dropped out: Middletown South (3-5)
The Eagles’ 17-14 loss to Rumson, coupled with Point Boro’s win over Toms River North, pushed Middletown South out this week. They can get right back in the mix with wins in the next two weeks, starting with rival Middletown North (3-4) in the Central Jersey Group 4 quarterfinals this week. A win in that game could potentially give them a second shot at No. 11 Manalapan, which beat them 24-14 in the regular season.
Knocking on the door: Neptune, Red Bank, Shore.
Scott Stump is the football editor and a reporter for Shore Sports Insider. He first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999 and has covered basketball, baseball and seemingly every other Shore Conference sport at some point.
Email: scottstump25@gmail.com
