Shore Sports Insider Football Top 12, Week Five

We’re starting to get a clear pecking order in the division races as the season hits the midpoint. 

Class A North appears to be a collision course between No. 1 Red Bank Catholic and No. 3 Rumson-Fair Haven, No. 2 Donovan Catholic is in the driver’s seat in Class A South, and Class B North may not be decided until the Thanksgiving game between Middletown South and Middletown North. 

Pinelands is on track for its first division title since 1987 in Class B South, Marlboro is alone in first place in Class C North, Point Beach appears to be rolling toward consecutive division titles for the first time in program history in Class C South, and Class D North almost certainly will be Monmouth vs. Barnegat in a matchup of teams that are currently a combined 10-0. 

The closest we came to a big shakeup in the rankings this week came in Class A North, where No. 3 Rumson-Fair Haven held off unranked Manalapan, 29-22, to remain unbeaten in a thriller that came down to the end. 

The Bulldogs are part of this week’s marquee showdown, as they travel to No. 2 Donovan Catholic for the biggest game of the Shore Conference season thus far. We’ll learn soon enough if a third team can get in the way of a showdown between Donovan Catholic and No. 1 Red Bank Catholic for the Shore’s top ranking. 

The division races will take a break this week with a slate of nondivisional games that will help us compare the relative strengths of each division. RBC also welcomes defending Group 4 champion Winslow Township for a nonconference game on Saturday night. 

There are some arguments with teams in the latter half of the rankings, but most of them will get settled on the field. As usual, the debate comes down to whether the teams in the middle or bottom part of the standings in the A divisions are better than those who are leading the B, C, and D divisions. 

Exhibit A: Is a first-place Class B North team, Middletown North, good enough to beat a team in a three-way tie for third in Class A North, St. John Vianney? We’ll find out Friday. 

The Lancers have returned to the rankings after a hard-fought, 12-7 win over Wall and can keep climbing with a win over the Lions. 

1. Red Bank Catholic (4-1, 3-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 1. 

The Caseys continued to dominate Shore Conference competition with a 36-7 win over No. 6 Holmdel in Class A North. They have now won four in a row this season and 10 in a row against Shore Conference opponents. The story was senior running back Jake Bickerton, who rolled up 159 yards rushing and a touchdown on 14 carries with sophomore star Gabe Kemp out of the lineup for precautionary injury reasons. Kemp is expected to return this week. Sophomore quarterback Rahmir Rivera was 10-for-14 for 141 yards and a touchdown, and junior wideout Jason Berecsky had a touchdown catch. Senior linebacker Luke Scaturro led the defense with 13 tackles, three for a loss, and a fumble recovery. Their game this week lost some of its juice after Winslow Township fell from being ranked into the top 10 in the state to out of the NJ.com Top 20 rankings with two straight losses, but the Eagles are still dangerous. Next game: Saturday vs. Winslow Township (3-2). 

2. Donovan Catholic (5-0, 3-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 2. 

The Griffins asserted their will in the Class A South race with an impressive 35-6 win over No. 7 Southern to hand the Rams their first loss and improve to 5-0 for the first time since 2020. Senior quarterback Kahden Davis threw three touchdown passes, while senior running back Alex Staten erupted for 179 yards rushing and a touchdown to power the win. Senior Nyron Snerling had a pick-six as Donovan Catholic shut down the Southern passing attack, with UConn commit Jason Madden adding a sack and a touchdown catch in the win. Now comes the biggest game in the Shore so far this season. Next game: Friday vs. No. 3 Rumson-Fair Haven (5-0). 

3. Rumson-Fair Haven (5-0, 3-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 3. 

The Bulldogs got their biggest test of the season thus far in a 29-22 win over unranked Manalapan in a Class A North dogfight. It was the Ryder Izzo Show, as the Yale recruit racked up 186 yards rushing and three touchdowns with the Braves limiting the passing attack of junior quarterback Brady Williams. Rumson rolled up 267 yards on the ground, as Williams also ran for 78 yards and a touchdown in the win. Senior defensive back Hunter Beattie led the defense with 10 tackles and the game-clinching interception late in the fourth quarter. It only gets harder for Rumson, which looks to make its biggest statement of the year this week in a showdown of undefeated teams. Next game: Friday at No. 2 Donovan Catholic (5-0). 

4. Brick Memorial (4-1, 2-1) – Last week’s ranking: No. 4. 

The Mustangs had to rally out of a fourth-quarter hole to pull out a 27-20 win over No. 9 Point Boro in another tough Class A South clash. Senior running back Colin Schoellkopf had another big game with 112 yards rushing and four touchdowns along with nine tackles at linebacker to power Brick Memorial’s second straight win. Freshman defensive back Zyion Weaver was also a factor with an interception and a tackle for a loss. Next game: Friday vs. Neptune (1-4). 

5. Toms River North (4-1, 2-1) – Last week’s ranking: No. 5. 

The Mariners grinded out a 21-17 win over Jackson while playing without injured star QB/S Cole Garrison in the second half and injured Duke commit Jack Baker at linebacker for the entire game. Senior Wesley Tanner exploded for a career-high 202 yards rushing and three touchdowns to lead the offense, while sophomore linebacker Finn Boland had 11 tackles, 2.5 for a loss, on the defensive side. The schedule is unrelenting and continues with a tough road game this week. Toms River North feels like it’s on shaky ground right now with injuries mounting, so we’ll see if the Mariners can hold the fort against a tough schedule. Next game: Friday at Manalapan (2-3). 

6. Holmdel (3-2, 1-2) – Last week’s ranking: No. 6. 

The Hornets fell 36-7 to No. 1 RBC for their second loss, with junior wideout Anthony Serini catching a touchdown pass from Tommy Fletcher for their lone score. Serini also had 15 tackles, one for a loss, in defeat. Holmdel’s win over St. John Vianney added some luster when the Lancers beat Wall last week. They can add another ranked win to the resume this week when they travel to The Swamp in Middletown. They will need to shore up the run defense against Justin Rosato and the Eagles’ rushing attack. Next game: Friday at No. 11 Middletown South (3-2). 

7. Southern (4-1, 2-1) – Last week’s ranking: No. 7. 

The Rams fell 35-6 to No. 2 Donovan Catholic for their first loss. Senior Chris Raub caught a touchdown pass by Carson Abbato for their lone touchdown. You could argue they could still move up based on their 42-14 win over a Jackson team that No. 5 Toms River North only beat 21-17 last week, but they did just suffer a 29-point loss, and Toms River North played half of the game without star Cole Garrison. The Rams will look to regroup against one of their oldest rivals. Next game: Friday vs. Central (1-4). 

8. Middletown North (4-0, 3-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 8. 

The Lions remained unbeaten with a 21-6 win over Matawan that kept them tied for first in Class B North. Senior running back Matt Belenko ran for 124 yards and a touchdown and Anthony Christiani added a touchdown run and an interception on defense. Now comes their biggest test of the season so far. Next game: Friday at No. 10 St. John Vianney (2-3). 

9. Point Boro (2-3, 0-3) – Last week’s ranking: No. 10. 

The Panthers were on the verge of their biggest win of the season but could not withstand Brick Memorial’s comeback in a 27-20 loss in Class A South. Senior quarterback Jake Clayton ran for 141 yards and two touchdowns and senior linebacker DJ Albanese had 16 tackles in the loss. All of Point Boro’s losses are to teams ranked ahead of it (Toms River North/Southern/Brick Memorial). Their best win is over Manasquan. They look to snap a three-game losing streak in a nondivisional game this week. Next game: Friday at Lacey (2-3). 

10. St. John Vianney (2-3, 1-2) – Last week’s ranking: Unranked. 

The Lancers picked up their first ranked win of the season when they snapped a three-game losing streak with a 12-7 victory over last week’s No. 9 team, Wall, in Class A North. They can build on that momentum and argue to jump up a few more spots when they face another ranked opponent this week. Next game: Friday vs. No. 8 Middletown North (4-0). 

11. Middletown South (3-2, 3-0) – Last week’s ranking: No. 11. 

The Eagles didn’t play until Monday due to the nor’easter postponing their game with Manasquan. They picked up a thrilling 21-17 win in the mud on the road thanks to a pair of touchdown runs by senior Justin Rosato and a 79-yard kickoff return touchdown by Owen Maguire. It’s Maguire’s third kickoff return for a score this season. Senior defensive back Ryan McCarthy also had an outstanding game with a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a game-sealing interception. The Eagles’ two losses are a nonconference setback against Cherokee and one to No. 3 Rumson-Fair Haven. Middletown South can make a push to move up with a home win in another ranked matchup this week. Next game: Friday vs. No. 6 Holmdel (3-2). 

12. Wall (2-3, 1-2) – Last week’s ranking: No. 9. 

The Crimson Knights fall three spots after a 12-7 loss to previously unranked St. John Vianney in Class A North for their second straight defeat. Their main claim to remain in this spot is a win over Manalapan. Wall has a bye this week to regroup before its Class A North schedule resumes. Next game: Oct. 9 vs. No. 6 Holmdel. 

Dropped out:

Manasquan (2-3): The Warriors fought hard with starting quarterback Kyle Dow out injured against Middletown South in a 21-17 loss on Monday. Senior Dax Klein had a pair of touchdown runs in the loss. They have a bye week to get healthy before traveling to Freehold Township in Class B North on Oct. 9. 

Keep an eye on: 

Manalapan (2-3): The Braves nearly stunned No. 3 Rumson-Fair Haven last week in a 29-22 loss in Class A North. They do boast a blowout win over Class C North leader Marlboro, but are still searching for their first ranked victory. Senior linebacker Nick Palmieri had a big night with 13 tackles, three for a loss, and a sack in the loss to Rumson. He also ran for 86 yards and a touchdown. This week presents a golden opportunity against a banged-up Toms River North (4-1) team that has been playing without some of its biggest stars. 

Pinelands (5-0): The Wildcats are alone in first place in Class B South and have tied their best start in program history. They have dominated thus far, recording a school-record four straight shutouts after a 34-0 rout of Toms River East. Running back RJ Clark went off for a career-high 243 yards rushing and three touchdowns, while junior linebacker Montrell Carter continued to impress with 10 tackles, three for a loss, and two sacks. There is a strong chance the Wildcats could be undefeated heading into the state playoffs if they keep playing at this level. Next up is winless Lakewood (0-5) in a bid to move to 6-0 for the first time in history. 

Marlboro (4-1): The Mustangs took over first place in Class C North with a 37-30 win over Raritan in which senior Shaqur Richardson ran for a career-high 142 yards and a touchdown and senior quarterback Nick Dimino threw two touchdown passes and ran for 96 yards and a touchdown. Their lone loss is to Manalapan. They host Matawan (1-4) in a solid nondivisional test on Friday. 

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