Shore Sports Insider Football Top 12, Week 11

And then there were eight. 

Five Shore Conference public schools and three non-public schools remain alive for state championships as we head into the public sectional finals. 

Toms River North, Point Boro, Middletown South, Middletown North and Pinelands will all play for a ring on Friday night, with four of them on the road. Only top-seeded Middletown North will be at home as it tries to win its first state sectional title in 30 years by knocking off Chatham in North 2 Group 4. 

The most surprising is Pinelands, which had one state playoff win in its entire history before this postseason but is now in its first sectional final. The Wildcats (11-0) are also the only undefeated team left in the Shore and will try to take down Seneca and record-setting quarterback Anthony Tirico. The Wildcats also make their debut in the Top 12 this week. 

No. 1 Red Bank Catholic and No. 2 Donovan Catholic will kick off their state playoff runs in Non-Public B this week, while St. John Vianney will try to shock the state when it faces top-seeded Paramus Catholic in the Non-Public B quarterfinals. 

The biggest shakeup this week was last week’s No. 9 squad, Point Boro, taking down No. 4 Rumson-Fair Haven in a 24-21 thriller in the Central Jersey Group 2 semifinals. That win gave Class A South a big boost in the rankings, with Toms River North and Southern also rising thanks to regular-season wins over Point Boro. 

1. Red Bank Catholic (7-3) – Last week’s ranking: No. 1. 

The third-seeded Caseys had a bye in the first round of the Non-Public B playoffs last week and will start their postseason at home on Friday night. Next game: Friday vs. sixth-seeded Pope John (4-6) in the Non-Public B quarterfinals. 

2. Donovan Catholic (9-1) – Last week’s ranking: No. 2. 

The fourth-seeded Griffins also had a first-round bye in the Non-Public B playoffs and will kick off their postseason this week with a home game. Next game: Friday vs. fifth-seeded Immaculata (7-4) in the Non-Public B quarterfinals. 

3. Brick Memorial (9-2) – Last week’s ranking: No. 3.

The Mustangs’ brilliant season came to an end at home with a 24-7 loss to Millville in the sectional semifinals that thwarted their bid to repeat as Central Jersey Group 4 champions. Senior Shawn Fowler ran for a touchdown in the loss. Senior quarterback Tyler Pierce set a single-season school record with a 75.5% completion percentage in his one year as the starter. The Mustangs ended their season with five wins over ranked opponents (Southern, Toms River North, Point Boro, Rumson-Fair Haven and Wall), and their only losses were to No. 2 Donovan Catholic and Millville. The Mustangs graduate a stellar senior class that includes Fowler, Pierce, Pierce’s twin brother Casey, linemen Jaxon Pacheco and Jaxon Ellis, RB/LB Colin Schoellkopf, TE/DE Joe Livio and DB/K Jack Marotta. Next game: Season complete. 

4. Middletown North (8-1) – Last week’s ranking: No. 5. 

The top-seeded Lions move up a spot, as they are now one win away from their first NJSIAA sectional title in 30 years after steamrolling fourth-seeded Teaneck 47-21 in the North 2 Group 4 semifinals. Junior quarterback Derek Grasso lit it up by going 11-for-14 for 235 yards and three touchdowns, and senior running back Matt Belenko had 182 yards rushing and a touchdown on 19 carries. Senior running back Patrick Jacques also ran for 52 yards and two scores, and junior Anthony Christiani had a 19-yard touchdown run and a huge game at receiver with five catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Christiani now has 36 catches for 739 yards and nine total touchdowns this season. The Lions will play for their first state title since 1996 this week. Next game: Friday vs. third-seeded Chatham (8-3) in the North 2 Group 4 championship game. 

5. Toms River North (8-3) – Last week’s ranking: No. 7. 

The Mariners move up two spots after routing the team that eliminated Southern a week earlier in South Jersey Group 5. Toms River North beat Trenton 31-6 in the semifinals to give them the argument to jump a Southern team that beat them in the regular season. The Mariners are now in their fifth sectional final in the last six seasons. In addition, their season-opening win over Northern Highlands is also looking great now that the Highlanders have advanced to the sectional final in North 1 Group 4. In the win over Trenton, senior quarterback Cole Garrison ran for 133 yards, senior running back Lucas Elias had 94 yards rushing and two scores and senior Wesley Tanner had 77 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns in a 304-yard rushing effort. Sophomore linebacker Finn Boland had 12 tackles, 3.5 for a loss, to lead the defense. Now Toms River North will try to shock the No. 3 team in the state on the road for its fourth sectional title in the last five years. Next game: Friday at top-seeded Washington Township (11-0) in the South Jersey Group 5 championship game. 

6. Southern (6-4) – Last week’s ranking: No. 6. 

The Rams’ season is over, but their regular-season win over Point Boro added some luster after the Panthers took down last week’s No. 4 team, Rumson-Fair Haven. Their four losses are to No. 2 Donovan Catholic, No. 3 Brick Memorial, No. 4 Middletown North and Trenton in the state playoffs. Next game: Season complete. 

7. Point Boro (7-4) – Last week’s ranking: No. 9. 

The third-seeded Panthers stunned their playoff nemesis, second-seeded Rumson-Fair Haven, with a 24-21 win on the road to reach the Central Jersey Group 2 championship game for the third time in four seasons. Senior kicker Jack Sullivan nailed a 35-yard field goal as time expired to win it, one day after getting cleared by doctors from a heart ailment that had sidelined him for six weeks. The victory also snapped a four-game losing streak against Rumson and jumped the Panthers up two spots in the rankings. Point Boro’s flexbone option rushing attack had a big night, as senior fullback DJ Albanese ran for 162 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries and senior quarterback Jake Clayton had 125 yards rushing and a touchdown on 27 carries in the win. Linebacker Luca Cangiano had 11 tackles, Albanese also had 10 tackles at linebacker and senior defensive end Mason Morris had a pair of sacks in the win. Much like Toms River North, the Panthers will try to take down Goliath this week on the road to capture their second sectional title in three seasons. Next game: Friday at Glassboro (10-1) in the Central Jersey Group 2 championship game. 

8. Rumson-Fair Haven (7-4) – Last week’s ranking: No. 4. 

The Bulldogs tumble four spots after their season came to a disappointing end with a 24-21 loss to last week’s No. 9 team, Point Boro, in the Central Jersey Group 2 semifinals on a 35-yard field goal as time expired. Junior quarterback Brady Williams, who leads the Shore Conference in passing yards, threw three touchdown passes in the loss, two of them to junior wideout Michael Capra. Rumson will return Williams and Capra, but will graduate top receiver Cole Spoonire, two-way standout Ryder Izzo, Harvard-bound defensive tackle Ben Gredell, top offensive lineman Aidan Lane and top defensive back Hunter Beattie. Next game: Season complete. 

9. Wall (5-5) – Last week’s ranking: No. 8. 

While Rumson’s loss on the final play was a gut punch, no team may have had a bigger heartbreaker than the Crimson Knights. They had undefeated West Deptford on the ropes in the South Jersey Group 2 semifinals but could not put them away in a 14-10 loss. The Eagles drove 99 yards and scored on a 30-yard hook-and-lateral in the final minute to seal the win. Wall scored all of its points on special teams with a 28-yard field goal by Kai Smith and an 88-yard punt return touchdown by Jake Butkus to become the first team to lead West Deptford all season. The Crimson Knights have one more chance to add to their resume in their annual Thanksgiving game. Next game: Nov. 26 at Manasquan (6-4). 

10. Holmdel (6-4) – Last week’s ranking: No. 10. 

The Hornets’ season ended two weeks ago in a first-round playoff loss. They are clinging to this spot by virtue of a 12-0 win over Middletown South, but if the Eagles win a sectional title and a few other things happen, Holmdel is in danger of falling out of the rankings completely. Next game: Season complete. 

11. Middletown South (7-3) – Last week’s ranking: No. 11. 

The fourth-seeded Eagles are one win away from returning to glory with their first state sectional title since 2015. They went on the road and took down No. 1 seed Roxbury, 23-21, in a thriller in the North 1 Group 4 semifinals. Senior quarterback Jack Schneider threw for a career-high 282 yards and two touchdowns, senior running back Justin Rosato had 108 yards rushing and a touchdown on 20 carries, and senior wide receiver Owen Maguire had five catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. Rosato and Connor Leon also combined for 17 tackles, two for a loss, in the victory. Middletown South has losses to Rumson and Holmdel, but a sectional title would certainly be an argument to move ahead of them. They will head up north to try to vanquish a solid program. Next game: Friday at second-seeded Northern Highlands (7-3) in the North 1 Group 4 championship game. 

12. Pinelands (11-0) – Last week’s ranking: Unranked. 

The Wildcats have broken through into the rankings after a 13-7 overtime thriller on the road against Oakcrest in South Jersey Group 3 put them into their first state sectional final in program history. They are the Shore’s only remaining unbeaten team. A defense that has allowed a state-low 38 points rose to the occasion time and again against Oakcrest, led by junior linebacker Montrell Carter, who had 14 tackles, two for a loss, three sacks, a forced fumble and a blocked field goal. Junior linebacker Paul Veneri had a team-high 20 tackles, and senior defensive lineman Brody Rawa had a pair of sacks. They held the Falcons to zero total yards after halftime. Senior quarterback JJ Jenkins ran for both of the Pinelands touchdowns, including a 9-yarder in overtime that gave them the win. Now they will look to keep the dream season going by making more history in the sectional final. Next game: Friday at top-seeded Seneca (8-3) in the South Jersey Group 3 championship game. 

Keep an eye on: 

Manasquan (6-4): The fifth-seeded Warriors’ state playoff run came to an abrupt end with a 44-0 loss to a powerhouse Glassboro squad in the Central Jersey Group 2 semifinals. They can state their final case to be ranked with a win in their Thanksgiving game on Nov. 26 against No. 9 Wall (5-5). 

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