SSI Football Report: Point Boro hits the ground running
It wasn’t just standout sophomore Jake Clayton who had some big shoes to fill this season for Point Boro.
While Clayton had to replace the most productive quarterback in school history, All-Shore star Matt Oliphant, senior Dylan Reitmeyer had the unenviable task of replacing fullback Jake Croce, the school’s all-time leading rusher with 3,517 yards to go with 54 total touchdowns.
(Additional content: Read about Southern’s 3-0 start on the heels of a 3-win season)
“I sat behind Jake for a couple years and got the hang of it while not playing,” Reitmeyer said. “Me and Jake worked well together. (The transition) was really smooth. Just watching him play and practice in games, I could almost see what he was seeing, as far as where to run, who to run behind. He was definitely faster, while I’m more of a power back.”
Despite graduating two of the best players in program history, the Panthers (2-1) seemingly haven’t lost a step as they enter Week Three averaging 35.7 points per game. Reitmeyer is averaging 7.8 yards per carry at fullback in the triple option, while Clayton (251 yds, 7 TDs) and sophomore slotback Nick Spanola (161 yds) have made the Panthers difficult to defend yet again. Star linebacker Colin Obser also pitches in as a running back.
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Even in their lone loss, a 41-28 setback to No. 2 Rumson-Fair Haven, they rolled up 324 yards on the ground. They also learned some resilience from that loss to the Bulldogs that served them well in a 30-14 win over Donovan Catholic last weekend. They bounced back from a 14-7 halftime deficit to dominate the second half, one week after getting too down on themselves at halftime while trailing Rumson.
“The coaches stressed all week about our mentality when we’re down,” Reitmeyer said. “Going into the locker room at half (against Donovan Catholic), we believed we could win.”
Clayton recovered his own surprise onside kick to start the third quarter and Point Boro rolled the rest of the way. Now the Panthers face a team with a formidable running attack of its own, No. 8 Jackson Memorial and star tailback Jonah Glenn, in a key Class A South game on Friday night.
“Obviously Jonah Glenn’s one of the best running backs in the Shore, but we’ve been practicing hard and prepared ourselves to try to contain him,” Reitmeyer said. “I think it’s going to be a good one.”
The Panthers also welcome a major addition against the Jaguars. Senior two-way lineman Lou DiBiase, who started the last two years at Donovan Catholic before transferring to Point Boro, is eligible after sitting out three games due to the NJSIAA transfer rule. He will play left tackle on offense and in the middle of the defensive line.
“I think he might be the best two-way lineman in the Shore,” Reitmeyer said. “It’s a huge game-changer for us.”
LaBarca is a vision of the past for St. John Vianney
St. John Vianney junior quarterback Zach LaBarca has helped the Lancers get off to a 3-0 start while conjuring visions of another member of his family.
LaBarca, who has 717 total yards and 4 touchdowns after a strong game against Holmdel, looks eerily similar to his older cousin, former Brick and Toms River North star quarterback Carmen Sclafani. He helped lead Brick to the 2013 Central Jersey Group 4 title while engineering an offense coordinated by LaBarca’s father, former Toms River North head coach Chip LaBarca Jr. The elder LaBarca was his son’s offensive coordinator last year at Donovan Catholic before Zach transferred to play for the Lancers.
The younger LaBarca now resembles Sclafani, who went on to play baseball at Rutgers, with his similar body type and dual threat ability.
“I like playing like (Sclafani),” Zach LaBarca said after the win over Holmdel. “He was always a big runner, and I like to run.”
St. John Vianney head coach Bob Acosta almost sounded like he was talking about Sclafani when describing LaBarca.
“I’m not a big quarterback run person,” Acosta said. “I like to protect my quarterbacks, but he loves to run the football. He can throw the football as well. He has a high football IQ, so a lot of the things he’s doing out there, he’s checking into the plays.”
The No. 6 Lancers have a big showdown in Class C North against No. 7 Wall on Friday night.
Sophomores shine for the Caseys
No. 3 Red Bank Catholic roared back from its 0-2 start and gave a look at its promising future in a 41-7 win over Long Branch.
Sophomore running back Jordan Mosenthine threw his name in the ring to be a part of the Caseys’ rotation in the backfield with one touchdown receiving and another rushing. He is the latest to see time after sophomore Luke Scaturro got some carries in a loss to Don Bosco Prep, and sophomores Luke Lonczak and Jake Bickerton are also options.
Mosenthine and Lonczak saw varsity time as freshmen and played in the Caseys’ win over DePaul in last year’s Non-Public B state championship game.
RBC showed last year that it can win it all with a running back by committee approach, but the Caseys were looking to get the ground game jumpstarted against Long Branch. They had only scored 14 points all season and had under 100 total yards rushing.
“Since I’ve been the head coach we’ve always had a bunch of guys carry the ball, and we kind of play off who’s the hot hand,” RBC coach Mike Lange said. “The other thing is keeping fresh legs going. You have (seniors Jamie) Gutridge and (Matt) Lonczak there, but there will be a healthy dose of these young kids the rest of the way.”
With all the sophomores in the mix, RBC almost went from searching for options to too many options with only one ball to go around.
“It’s a good dilemma to have,” Lange said.
New Egypt makes itself right at home in the Shore
In its first season as a member of the Shore Conference, New Egypt has emerged as a contender in Class D North after a 24-6 win over Asbury Park in Week Two.
Junior Lucas Burgos has rolled up 359 yards and a pair of touchdowns so far this season after a career-high 218 yards in the win over the Blue Bishops to help lead the way. The Warriors are adjusting to life in the Shore after playing in the West Jersey Football League.
“We’ve seen the speed before playing in the WJFL, so when we see teams like Asbury Park and Neptune, we’re used to the speed, which has helped,” head coach Steve Fence said. “The teams in the Shore are really well-coached.”
Ocean County’s smallest public school also has 47 players on its roster at a school with 330 total students. They also prepared themselves for the switch by playing Shore teams like Lakewood, Point Beach and Keyport in recent seasons.
Next comes a big challenge in Class D North with a game against a Group 3 program, Neptune (2-1), in Week Three. The winner stamps itself as a top contender for the division title, with unbeaten Shore Regional also in the mix.
Adding a fun wrinkle to this weekend’s matchup is that Fence said New Egypt’s goal line offensive set with an unbalanced line is taken straight from the playbook of late Neptune legend John Amabile, who led the Scarlet Fliers to state championships in 1995, 1997 and 1998.
Vote for the Play of the Week
Obviously the Cam Thomas catch for Toms River North that was featured on ESPN was a stunner, but there were plenty of other insane plays captured by our partners at LAZ Creative during Week Two. Vote for your favorite one.
Alumni Spotlight
Kevin Bauman, Sr., TE, Notre Dame
Last week, it was Alex Bauman, and this week it’s his older brother, former Red Bank Catholic star Kevin Bauman. It was an emotional week for the Notre Dame senior, who has persevered through tearing the ACL in his left knee twice in a year and a previous fractured fibula that knocked him out for the season in 2021. Bauman stuck it out through all the injuries and scored his first career touchdown in a 66-7 win over Purdue on an 8-yard touchdown pass from another former New Jersey star, Bergen Catholic grad Steve Angeli.
Special moment indeed for Kevin Bauman, who clawed his way back after two ACL injuries and a broken leg over the last few years to catch his first career TD pass today. You love to see it. https://t.co/m16Z14znyk
— Bob Badders (@Bob_Badders) September 14, 2024
Mike Gesicki, TE, Cincinnati Bengals
It was a big week for star tight ends from the Shore as the former Southern standout had a strong game in a last-second loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Gesicki, who is in his first season with the Bengals after playing for the Patriots last year, had a team-high 7 catches for 91 yards in the 26-25 loss.
Also, in the “Did you know?” category, there are two Shore grads on the staffs of some high-profile teams.
Former Manalapan standout quarterback Mike Bimonte, who played at Rutgers and Monmouth University, is now a senior offensive assistant who works with quarterbacks for the nation’s No. 1 team, the University of Texas. It also happens to be the most scrutinized quarterback room in the country. Bimonte works with Quinn Ewers, a Heisman candidate and likely first-round NFL pick, and junior star-in-waiting Arch Manning, the scion of the famous quarterback family who lit it up against UTSA this past weekend after Ewers got hurt.
Also, former Jackson Memorial All-Shore linebacker Asil Mulbah, who played at Fordham, is the assistant director of pro scouting for the Buffalo Bills. Mulbah was previously the scouting director for Syracuse before making the jump to the NFL.
Notes from Around the Shore
- Shore Regional can start 3-0 for the first time since it finished 12-0 in 2015 with a win over Keyport (0-3) in Class D North.
- Toms River North senior quarterback T.J. Valerio has been lights out this season. He is 28-for-38 for 635 yards and 7 touchdowns passing in three games. He was a perfect 8-for-8 for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 54-10 win over Jackson Memorial and is averaging a whopping 22.7 yards per completion. Senior wide receivers Cam Thomas, Mekai Morse and Nasir Jackson are all averaging at least 24 yards per catch.
- Rumson-Fair Haven senior quarterback Owen O’Toole threw for a career-high 310 yards to go with 2 touchdowns in a win over Marlboro. O’Toole is the only passer to crack 300 yards in a game in the Shore so far this season. Senior wide receiver Nick Thomas is averaging 25 yards per catch for the Bulldogs.
- Toms River North is ranked No. 6 in the state by NJ Advance Media. Rumson-Fair Haven is No. 16, and RBC is at No. 18.
- The first power rankings of the season are out, which are used to seed teams in the playoffs. Rumson-Fair Haven (South 2) and Toms River North (South 5) are in the No. 1 spots in the early going.
- Brick Memorial head coach Walt Currie picked up his 100th career win in a 34-14 victory over Howell in Class A South. Currie is one of only two coaches to lead Brick Memorial to a state title along with Fred Sprengel. Currie coached the 2008 Mustangs to the Central Jersey Group IV championship with current Point Boro head coach Brian Staub as his star quarterback.
- Brick head coach Jay Graber picked up his first win with the Green Dragons in a 35-7 victory over Lacey in Class B South.
- Red Bank (2-1) can tie its win total from last season with a victory over Freehold Township.
- This is the first time in program history that Barnegat has had back-to-back games of 40 or more points and the first season since 2013 that the Bengals have cracked 40 more than once.
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].