Shore Sports Insider Football Top 12, Week 3

We had our first real movement in the rankings this week as divisional play kicked off with some thrilling games and impressive performances. 

The biggest win was last week’s No. 12 squad, Wall, taking down No. 7 Manalapan in a 15-12 comeback win in their first game on their new artificial turf field. The margin in Class A North is so razor thin that a touchdown with 30 seconds left in the game by Wall junior Mike Boulard could be a big swing in the seasons for both teams. 

Two new teams join the rankings this week in Manasquan and Middletown South, raising a question that comes up every year. Are the top teams in a division like Class B North better than the teams near the back of a loaded division like Class A North or Class A South? Only time will tell since teams have only played one divisional game so far, so the standings haven’t really shaken out yet. 

The team I am most curious about right now is Southern. Normally they are a power-running team that is not looking to throw the ball a whole lot, but this season senior quarterback Carson Abbato has lit it up through the air to make them much more multi-dimensional. 

The Rams have a veteran team that has dominated two opponents thus far but haven’t faced a strong test yet. Are they a sleeper ready to rise up and take the Class A South crown over higher-ranked opponents like Donovan Catholic, Brick Memorial and Toms River North? Or will they be more of a middle-of-the-pack squad in a really tough division? They can start to state their case this week against No. 10 Point Boro.

Brick Memorial also showed last week that the gulf between the top two teams is not nearly as wide as maybe people thought when they fought No. 2 Donovan Catholic to the end in a 14-7 loss. It feels like a season where almost anything can happen even though the top teams in the rankings have held their positions for three weeks now. 

1. Red Bank Catholic (2-1, 1-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 1. 

The Caseys’ offense continued to light it up in a 44-7 win over St. John Vianney in Class A North. RBC rolled up 422 yards of offense, as sophomore quarterback Rahmir Rivera threw for 174 yards and 3 touchdowns, and sophomore running back Gabe Kemp finished with 149 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 20 carries. The Caseys lead the Shore in points per game at 44.7 and have won eight straight against Shore Conference opponents. All-Shore two-way lineman Jordan Key led the defense with a pair of sacks and three tackles for a loss, and linebacker Luke Scaturro had 10 tackles, a sack and two tackles for a loss. Next game: Friday at Manalapan (2-1, 0-1). 

2. Donovan Catholic (3-0, 1-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 2. 

The Griffins had their first real dogfight of the season, and the defense rose to the occasion in a 14-7 slugfest with No. 5 Brick Memorial in Class A South. UConn commit Jason Madden was sensational against his former team, as the senior defensive end finished with 11 tackles, a sack, two tackles for a loss and an interception. Aidan Kelly, Diondre Foendoe and Henry Byrnes all finished with double-digit tackles, and Torrence Turner had two sacks. Senior quarterback Kahden Davis ran for the game-winning touchdown on a night when the Griffins’ offense was held to 130 total yards and had four turnovers. Now they will be looking for payback against a team that handed them an upset loss last year. Next game: Friday at Jackson (2-1, 0-1). 

3. Toms River North (3-0, 1-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 3. 

The defense was stellar once again as the Mariners fought their way to a 14-7 win over No. 10 Point Boro in Class A South. All-Shore sophomore linebacker Finn Boland was everywhere with 19 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks, and All-Shore safety Cole Garrison had 10 tackles, a sack and 1.5 tackles for a loss. Garrison also ran for 147 yards and 2 touchdowns at quarterback to help the Mariners get out to a 14-0 lead and hold on for the win. The Class A South wars continue this week against a Brick Memorial team that just gave No. 2 Donovan Catholic all it could handle. Next game: Friday at No. 5 Brick Memorial (2-1, 0-1). 

4. Rumson-Fair Haven (3-0, 1-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 4. 

Junior quarterback Brady Williams was sensational with 248 yards passing and two touchdowns as well as 66 yards rushing and three scores to help the Bulldogs hold off No. 6 Holmdel in a 40-28 win in Class A North. Senior RB/LB Ryder Izzo also had a big night with 169 yards rushing and a touchdown, plus an interception in the end zone on defense. Rumson’s defense forced four turnovers in the win. Next up is a Wall team coming off its biggest win of the season. The Bulldogs will be out for revenge after Wall ended their streak of 11 consecutive sectional final appearances with a win over Rumson in last year’s state playoffs. Next game: Thursday at No. 9 Wall (2-1, 1-0). 

5. Brick Memorial (2-1, 0-1) – Last week’s ranking: No. 5. 

The Mustangs showed the gap from No. 2 to the rest of the Shore is not that wide by battling Donovan Catholic to the end in a 14-7 loss in Class A South. They were undone by five turnovers, but the defense held the high-scoring Griffins to 130 total yards of offense and picked off quarterback Kahden Davis three times. Junior Jay’von Ellison, freshman Zyion Weaver and senior Jack Marotta all had interceptions, and senior Casey Pierce had 7 tackles, a tackle for a loss and a fumble recovery. They can’t dwell on it because they have another unbeaten, top-four opponent coming to DiFabio Field this week. Next game: Friday vs. No. 3 Toms River North (3-0, 1-0). 

6. Holmdel (2-1, 0-1) – Last week’s ranking: No. 6. 

The Hornets were in a five-point game with No. 4 Rumson in the fourth quarter before the Bulldogs put away a 40-28 victory in Class A North. Holmdel piled up 417 yards of offense in the loss, including a huge game by All-Shore junior wide receiver Anthony Serini, who had 12 catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Tommy Fletcher threw for a career-high 252 yards and two touchdowns, but was picked off three times by the Rumson defense. Senior Michael Todisco also ran for 89 yards and two scores in the loss. They have to shake it off quickly with a cross-town rival coming to Bob Roggy Memorial Field looking to get a signature win. Next game: Friday vs. St. John Vianney (1-2, 0-1). 

7. Southern (3-0, 1-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 9. 

The Rams jump up to No. 7 after a 42-14 rout of Jackson in Class A South in which senior quarterback Carson Abbato exploded for a career-high 308 yards passing and four touchdowns. Cole Celeste had a big night with two catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns while also going 7-for-7 on extra points. Senior wideout Chris Raub added 5 catches for 89 yards and a pair of scores for the Rams, who face a Point Boro team coming off a hard-fought loss to No. 3 Toms River North. Next game: Friday night vs. No. 10 Point Boro (2-1, 0-1). 

8. Middletown North (2-0, 1-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 8. 

The Lions pulled out a 34-20 win over Shore Regional in Class B North thanks to a big-play offense that helped offset Shore’s clock-eating running game. Quarterback Derek Grasso threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns on only nine completions, hitting big plays to wideout Danny Sigler. He had four catches for 167 yards and tied a single-game school record with three touchdown catches. Sigler also ran for 52 yards and a touchdown on only two carries and had an interception on defense. Senior Matt Belenko added 93 yards rushing and a score in the win, and linebacker Kade Little led the defense with 12 tackles. A crucial game in the Class B North race looms this week. Next game: Friday vs. No. 11 Manasquan (2-1, 1-0). 

9. Wall (2-1, 1-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 12. 

The Crimson Knights jump up three spots after winning a 15-12 comeback thriller over last week’s No. 7 team, Manalapan, to christen their new artificial turf field in style. Junior tailback Mike Boulard ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, including the game-winning score with only 30 seconds left after a blocked punt by Jack Duffy. Senior Christos Tsandiotis led the defense with 11 tackles, a forced fumble, two tackles for a loss and a sack as Wall racked up 14 tackles for a loss in the win. The Crimson Knights can really blow up the rankings this week in another Class A North showdown against a familiar foe. Wall’s lone loss is a 28-3 setback against No. 5 Brick Memorial. Next game: Thursday vs. No. 4 Rumson-Fair Haven (3-0, 1-0). 

10. Point Boro (2-1, 0-1) – Last week’s ranking: No. 10. 

The Panthers fell 14-7 but fought No. 3 Toms River North the whole way in a Class A South game. Mason Morris and DJ Albanese each had double-digit tackles to lead a solid defensive effort. The grueling Class A South schedule doesn’t get any easier with another big challenge this week. Next game: Friday at No. 7 Southern (3-0, 1-0). 

11. Manasquan (2-1, 1-0) – Last week’s ranking: Unranked. 

The Warriors enter the rankings after rolling over Matawan 28-0 in Class B North on Saturday behind senior Dax Klein, who ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns. The defense was dominant with five sacks and 14 tackles for a loss, including 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for a loss apiece for Ryder Boyle and Jon Jones. Wyatt Sowul also ran for a touchdown and had an interception on defense, and Connor Lalli added an interception in the win. They can take a big step in the Class B North race this week and make a bid to climb in the rankings. Manasquan’s lone loss is to No. 10 Point Boro, and it also has a win over solid Westwood (2-1) team. Next game: Friday at No. 8 Middletown North (2-0, 1-0). 

12. Middletown South (1-2, 1-0) – Last week’s ranking: Unranked.

The Eagles make their debut in the rankings this season thanks to an impressive 42-14 win over a Freehold Township team that had pushed No. 9 Wall to the brink in a 42-41 overtime loss a week earlier. Lehigh commit Justin Rosato had a big night with 195 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 20 carries, and quarterback Jack Schneider threw for 128 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Now comes another Class B North matchup as they try to stay tied for first place. Next game: Friday vs. Shore (1-2, 0-1). 

Dropped out: 

Manalapan (2-1, 0-1): The unofficial Shore Conference leader in heartbreaking losses suffered another one in a 15-12 setback against last week’s No. 12 team, Wall, in which the Crimson Knights scored with 30 seconds left in the game to beat the then-No. 7 Braves. Seven players had double-digit tackles in the loss for the Braves, including four tackles for a loss apiece by seniors Ethan Fogelstrom and Nick Palmieri. PJ Pape also had a 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to go with 14 tackles. The upcoming schedule is especially daunting, but it presents immediate opportunities for the Braves to roar back into the rankings: No. 1 Red Bank Catholic, No. 4 Rumson-Fair Haven and No. 3 Toms River North. They can be the story of the Shore in three weeks or be 2-4, so we’ll see. 

St. John Vianney (1-2, 0-1): The Lancers lost 44-7 to No. 1 Red Bank Catholic and will try to regroup after facing the 1-2 punch of Donovan Catholic and RBC in successive weeks. They have an opportunity to bust back into the rankings this week when they face No. 6 Holmdel and its high-octane offense in Class A North. Their 29-28 overtime win over defending Group 3 champion Cedar Creek is not aging particularly well as the Pirates are now 0-3 and have scored eight total points in their last two games. 

Keep an eye on: 

Freehold Township (1-2, 0-1): The Patriots were routed 42-14 by Middletown South in their Class B North opener. Their main claim right now is pushing No. 9 Wall to the edge in a 42-41 overtime loss. Senior quarterback Dakota Lasater leads the Shore Conference with 974 yards passing to go with eight touchdown passes. They welcome Matawan this week in a game both teams have to have in order not to fall too far back in the division race. 

Matawan (1-2, 0-1): The Huskies did not look good in a 28-0 loss to Manasquan, so their main argument to stay on the bubble is an 18-12 win over a Raritan team off to a 2-1 start that included a win over Howell last week. They can add to their case when they face Freehold Township in Class B North this week. 

Jackson (2-1, 0-1): The Jaguars were on the wrong end of a 42-14 loss to Southern in Class A South and will likely have an uphill battle in one of the Shore’s toughest divisions all season. It only gets harder this week with a game against No. 2 Donovan Catholic. Their shutout win over Ocean has looked better after the Spartans won two straight in the last two weeks. 

Pinelands (3-0, 1-0): The Wildcats opened some eyes last week with a 34-0 romp over Brick for their first win over the Green Dragons since 2004, one week after Brick had put up a fight against No. 5 Brick Memorial. Running back RJ Clark had a big night with 145 yards rushing and two scores as part of a 263-yard rushing performance by the Wildcats. Junior Montrell Carter was a monster on defense with 14 tackles, 4 sacks and 2 tackles for a loss. Pinelands can move to 4-0 for the first time in three years with a win over Lacey (2-1, 1-0) in Class B South on Thursday night. 

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