Week 7 Shore Conference football preview: Playoff mode

There’s only two weeks remaining before the state playoffs get underway, so Week Seven in Shore Conference football is all about locking down a postseason spot and pushing for a home playoff game.

There are two games featuring teams ranked in the Shore Sports Insider Top 12 going head to head this week, plus plenty of other important games for teams on the playoff bubble and others looking to improve their seeding.

Every game this week is either a nondivisional or nonconference matchup, so there’s no stakes as far as division races go.

(Full Week 7 schedule)

Here’s what to watch for as we get down to crunch time.

Rumson-FH and Donovan Catholic continue an American Division rivalry

Two teams that used to slug it out in the ruthless American Division will renew acquaintances on Friday night when No. 2 Rumson-Fair Haven (6-0) welcomes No. 9 Donovan Catholic (2-3) to Borden Stadium.

The Griffins have beaten the Bulldogs two seasons in a row, but they enter as the underdog against a Rumson team coming off an impressive 26-11 win over then-No. 3 Red Bank Catholic. Donovan Catholic also just lost one of its key pieces when sophomore RB/LB/K/TE Gavin Nascimento suffered a season-ending injury last week against Jackson Memorial.

The main question is whether Donovan Catholic, coming off a season-high 32 points in the win over the Jaguars, has enough offense to stick with one of the Shore’s most explosive units. Bulldogs senior quarterback Owen O’Toole enters just 25 yards shy of becoming the school’s all-time leading passer by eclipsing the mark of Michael Roberto (5,635), and he has a deep group of playmakers in the passing game led by Jordan Angstreich and Nick Thomas. Angstreich is coming off a 204-yard receiving game in the win over RBC.

It’s a clash of styles as Rumson likes to play at warp speed on offense and put opponents on their heels between O’Toole’s passing and the shifty running of standout junior Kellen Murray behind a physical offensive line. Donovan Catholic wants to slow the game down, control the clock with its running game featuring senior Luke Vernieri and sophomore Ethan Nicolas, and then hit some plays with sophomore quarterback Kyle Dow. Senior Michael Thomas III, a game-breaking receiver and runner who is committed to Rutgers, is also expected to return from injury for Donovan after missing the Jackson Memorial game, according to head coach Dan Curcione.

A Bulldogs defense led by linebacker Jacob Tobias, defensive lineman Frank Argilagos and a talented secondary just swallowed up the RBC running game last week and will look to do the same against the Griffins. Junior linebacker Jayden Nascimento leads a Griffins unit aiming to put some heat on O’Toole and turn the game into a low-scoring grindfest.

Rumson-Fair Haven is battling Camden for a No. 1 seed in the South Group 2 region, so a win here is key. It also would make the Bulldogs 7-0 for the first time since they went 11-1 in 2013. This would also be another ranked win in Rumson’s argument to be No. 1 in the Shore over fellow unbeaten Toms River North, which will play Donovan Catholic next week.

A win by the Griffins would give them a huge boost in seeding in Non-Public B, where they currently sit in 14^th, in addition to shaking up the state rankings.

Border rivals Wall and Howell battle in a matchup of tough defenses

No. 8 Wall welcomes No. 10 Howell in the other ranked matchup this week between two teams that have leaned on physical defenses adept at forcing turnovers. This is one of those games where a score in the high teens might be enough to win.

The teams have split their last two meetings, with Wall pulling out a 21-20 win last season, and the Rebels beating the Crimson Knights 24-14 in 2022. This game is big for Wall because the Crimson Knights are pushing to leapfrog Point Boro in the South Group 2 region and possibly secure a home game if the two teams end up meeting. For Howell, a win here goes a long way toward locking up the Rebels’ first home playoff game since 2017, as they sit fifth in the South Group 5 region.

Wall is coming off a 7-6 slugfest win over Manalapan that was huge for its title hopes in Class C North, while Howell ran into the Toms River North threshing machine and lost 35-0 to the Shore’s No. 1 team. The encouraging part is that the game was only 7-0 at halftime, so Howell showed it can hang with an elite team.

Wall’s defense is led by junior linebackers Dylan Cohen, who has 66 tackles, 5 for a loss, and two sacks, and Justin Davis, who has 30 tackles and 4 sacks. Howell has a tackle machine of its own in senior linebacker Quincy Shaw, who has 59 stops. Senior Vin Meehan, who is also the team’s quarterback, has been a force with 39 tackles and two interceptions in the secondary.

This game is also a great comparison between divisions. Wall is in a good spot to clinch a tie for the Class C North title, while Howell is the fifth-place team in the rugged Class A South. The two teams have a common opponent, as Howell beat Manalapan 14-6.

Another Freehold Regional District throwdown

The nondivisional games between top Freehold Regional District teams this season have been nail-biters, and another one is coming up this weekend.

Manalapan (3-4) heads to Freehold Township (5-2) in a game that is important for both teams as far as making a push for a home playoff game. The Patriots sit at No. 7 in the South Group 5 region, while Manalapan is No. 10 in South Group 4.

Freehold Township senior quarterback Nick Cardone and his army of receivers continue to light it up, while Manalapan is looking to get its offense back on track after scoring only one touchdown in the last two games.

Manalapan has absolutely owned this rivalry, winning 17 in a row against Freehold Township. The last time the Patriots beat the Braves was in 2004, when current Manalapan head coach Dom Lepore was the head coach of Freehold Township.

On the playoff bubble

There are 24 Shore Conference teams that are currently in position to qualify for the state playoffs by being ranked in the top 16 in their respective regions by United Power Ranking. Some are riding the razor’s edge in the 15-16 range and looking to not get jumped by teams below them, while Manasquan (19^th in South Group 2), Barnegat (17^th in South Group 3), Brick (18^th in South 3) and Toms River East (18^th in South 4) are right on the outside looking in.

Manasquan (3-4) has the tallest task because it has to face old Thanksgiving rival Point Boro (5-2), the No. 3 team in the SSI Top 12. Barnegat (4-3) is coming off a thrilling 22-21 win over Pinelands in a must-win game for its playoff hopes and looks to ride that momentum against New Egypt (5-1) to get over that 16 mark by beating a five-win team. Meanwhile, the Warriors could jump up the South Group 1 rankings to push for a home game with a win.

Brick (3-3) heads to Jackson Memorial (3-4) in an old-school matchup between two former Class A South rivals, so the opportunity is right there for the Green Dragons. They pushed unbeaten Central to the brink in a 10-7 loss last week, while Jackson, which sits 11^th in South Group 4, has lost four out of its last five games.

Toms River East (1-6) is still alive but needs to get a least two wins to qualify and may not get many points if the Raiders beat Asbury Park (2-3) this week. The Blue Bishops, who have won two straight and have standout junior tailback Am’iere Massie back in the fold, are a massive long shot to make the playoffs at No. 28 in South Group 1. They can give themselves a sliver of a chance if they beat Toms River East and then upset undefeated Shore Regional next week.

Another interesting game to watch for playoff purposes is on Saturday when Long Branch (1-5) heads to play Red Bank. The two had one of the oldest Thanksgiving rivalries in the Shore Conference, but it’s now been moved to earlier in the season for the first time. It’s a crucial game for both teams because the Bucs (3-3) sit in 15^th in South Group 4, while the Green Wave are in 21^st in the same region.

Long Branch has to get to two wins to qualify, and a win over Red Bank puts them in position to possibly sneak into the field with a victory over Marlboro in the last week of the regular season. Long Branch was a sectional finalist in Central Jersey Group 4 last season. Meanwhile, Red Bank can solidify its spot in the postseason with a victory.

Other games to watch:

• Former longtime Ocean head coach Don Klein heads back to his old home when Shore Regional (6-0) travels to face the Spartans (1-5) on Friday night. He is one win away from 100 for his career.
• Red Bank Catholic (3-3) welcomes Paramus Catholic (3-3), which is ranked No. 14 in the state by NJ Advance Media, in a nonconference game. This one is huge for RBC as far as moving up in seeding in Non-Public B, where the Caseys are the defending champions. They are currently in 13^th, while Paramus Catholic is No. 5 in the same bracket. RBC is still searching for a signature win this season, and this is a big opportunity on its home field.
• Raritan (2-4) has scored more than 30 points in three straight games as it welcomes winless Colts Neck on Friday night. The Rockets sit at No. 22 in South Group 2, so a victory over the Cougars is a must to set up a big game with St. John Vianney as far as their playoff hopes go.
• Matawan (2-4), which is No. 21 in South Group 3, has to upset visiting St. John Vianney (4-3) to have any chance at a state playoff berth by beating Red Bank the following week.
• Two-time defending Group 5 champion Toms River North (7-0) will look to lock down a No. 1 seed in the South Group 5 region when it heads to Southern (5-2). The Mariners have the longest current winning streak in the state at 12 games and have won 32 in a row against public school teams.
• A win over Freehold (1-4) would put Central (7-0) one victory away from tying the single-season school record of nine wins. It also may mark the first 8-0 start for the Golden Eagles since they finished 9-0 in 1971. They also went 9-2 in 1994.

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]