SSI Football Report: Historic Nights for Pinelands and Rumson’s Ryder Izzo, Pt. Boro Perseveres Through Injuries
It’s been a goal for Pinelands since the inception of the program in 1981, and the Wildcats finally achieved it last week.
A 14-10 comeback win over Lacey on a diving touchdown catch by Anthony Bonds inside the final two minutes marked the first time in program history that Pinelands beat the Lions. They were 0-26 all time against Lacey before getting the win in Class C South, where the Wildcats are tied for first place with Toms River East.
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Lacey ruled the old Class B South for decades and had kept the upper hand under legendary coach Lou Vircillo through various divisions over the years against their fellow southern Ocean County program.
“To beat a program like Lacey, our first head football coach ever, Bob Gillece, came over the next day and gave me a hug and said, ‘Thank you,’” head coach John Tierney said. “I think to get where we want to be, we have to win a game like that. That was 46 years of being little brother – that was the mentality we had to break.”
Tierney has seen it from both sides as he is a former assistant at Lacey. This has been an important season in establishing a foundation at Pinelands where no matter who graduates, the team remains competitive. The Wildcats lost almost their entire starting lineup to graduation yet achieved something much more experienced teams in program history had never done. They have now won three straight after an 0-2 start.
“I asked the kids today, ‘Raise your hand if three weeks ago you weren’t sure if we were going to win a game,’ and everyone raised their hand because we were so young, we didn’t know,” Tierney said. “We have so much room for improvement.”
Pinelands’ Eric Kobilnyk blocks a punt in the win over Lacey. (Photo by The Cat Eye)
Bonds had five catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns in the win and has three touchdown catches in the last two games from quarterback JJ Jenkins. The defense has been the backbone and got an emotional lift with the return of standout senior linebacker Eric Kobilnyk, who had been out with a back injury after only playing a handful of plays in the season opener. He had nine tackles and blocked a punt in the win.
Pinelands, which has only made two state playoff appearances in program history, sits right on the edge at No. 17 in the United Power Rankings in South Jersey Group 3. The top 16 qualify. The Wildcats take on winless Long Branch this week in a nondivisional game.
Ryder Izzo Runs Wild in Record-Setting Night for Rumson
Rumson-Fair Haven junior running back Ryder Izzo was just in the flow of the game against Middletown North last week when he was given an update about his performance in the fourth quarter.
“A teammate came up to me and said, ‘You might have 300 yards (rushing), and I was like, ‘There’s no way,’” Izzo said. “It was crazy when I got the number.”
Rumson junior Ryder Izzo had a night to remember in a win over Middletown North. (Photo credit: Bob Badders | rpbphotography.com)
Izzo exploded for a single-game school-record 344 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries in a 48-21 win over the Lions. He beat the record set by a Rumson immortal, Charlie Volker, who had 328 yards in a game. Volker went on to star at Princeton University and then became an Olympic bobsledder who competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Congratulations to @Ryder_Izzo on breaking the RFH single game rushing record last night! The previous record of 328 yards was held by all time RFH great Charlie Volker. Some pretty good company! pic.twitter.com/mf8TYLehBc
— Rumson-Fair Haven Football (@RFH_Football) September 27, 2025
“I used to train with him and watched him growing up,” Izzo said. “He’s a big inspiration for me. Breaking his record means a lot.”
The total was also the highest by any running back in the Shore Conference this season. Izzo now has 614 yards rushing and five touchdowns on an average of 8.5 yards per carry this season.
The terrifying thought for Rumson opponents is that Izzo is technically the backup running back. Also a standout linebacker, he has been serving as the starting tailback in place of senior Kellen Murray, an All-Shore talent who has been injured since the second game of the season. Izzo was getting carries as a secondary option to start the season but was thrust into the main role.
“(Murray) has been a great mentor and has been giving me tips while I’ve been filling in for him,” Izzo said.
Izzo comes from a football family. His father, Len Izzo, played wide receiver at the University of Virginia in the early 1990s. His uncle, Larry Izzo, won three Super Bowls as a linebacker and Pro Bowl special teams player for the New England Patriots. Larry is now the special teams coordinator for the Washington Commanders.
“I actually was with him this weekend,” Ryder said. “He was pretty impressed (with the record).”
The Bulldogs have a bye this week before a monster showdown with longtime rival Red Bank Catholic in Class A North.
Point Boro and Brick Memorial Continue to Battle Injuries
The Class A South grind has taken its toll on a host of stars on pretty much every team in the division, but Brick Memorial and Point Boro have particularly been up against it.
Brick Memorial star linebacker Trey Tallmadge has been out with a hamstring injury since the second game of the season and was downgraded from probable to questionable on Tuesday to return this week against No. 2 Holmdel, according to coach Walt Currie.
Brick Memorial is hoping to have star linebacker Trey Tallmadge back in the lineup against No. 2 Holmdel this week. (Photo credit: Rich Tallmadge)
The Mustangs have yet to play a single game with both standout quarterback Jason Lajara and Tallmadge in the lineup this season because Lajara missed the first two games with an illness. Also, starting wide receiver Ricky Dillon is in the concussion protocol and will not play against the Hornets, Currie said. Standout junior WR/DB Shawn Fowler also missed last week’s game against Donovan Catholic with a hamstring injury.
As for Point Boro, the snakebit Panthers have had four players suffer season-ending ACL injuries this season.
Senior Jack Barger, who was going to be in the safety rotation, suffered one in the preseason. Senior James Bradley, a starting defensive back, suffered his in the first half of the season opener against Rumson-Fair Haven. Starting senior left tackle Declan Miles tore his ACL in a loss to Brick Memorial, and standout junior slotback Nick Spanola, who was averaging 10 yards per carry, endured a torn ACL in a win over St. John Vianney.
On top of all that, standout junior quarterback Jake Clayton left the game with an ankle sprain last week against Jackson. However, sophomore quarterback Jaxin Corino stepped in and helped the Panthers pick up a clutch 28-7 win over the Jaguars in Class A South for their second straight victory. He went 3-for-3 for 112 yards and a touchdown in the win.
“(Corino) is just tough as nails,” head coach Brian Staub said. “We have so much confidence in him. He was calm and collected, and he knows the offense, so he was ready. That was one of the crazier games we have been a part of. It was our first game without Spanola, and then we lose Clayton, but guys stepped up.”
Point Boro is mercifully on its bye week, and Staub said Clayton is expected to return next week for another crucial Class A South matchup against No. 6 Donovan Catholic.
Raritan Retires Bennett Jackson’s Jersey
No one will ever wear No. 4 again in Raritan history, as it was immortalized in a ceremony last week for former star Bennett Jackson.
Bennett Jackson’s jersey hangs in honor at Joseph De Virgilio Field in Hazlet. (Photo by Tom Smith/tspimages.com)
The former NFL safety and Notre Dame captain had his jersey retired before the Rockets’ hard-fought, 21-14 loss to Wall.
Former NFL safety Bennett Jackson waves to the crowd at his jersey retirement ceremony at Raritan. (Photo by Tom Smith/tspimages.com)
Jackson, 34, joins former first-team All-State quarterback Andrew Mandeville, who starred in the mid-2000s, in having his jersey retired at Raritan. The number of Francis Murphy, a former player who passed away in the 1960s, is also retired.
Notes from Around the Shore
—Southern is off to its first 5-0 start since 1974 after beating Toms River North last week.
—Red Bank Catholic is our OIB Ortho Team of the Week after winning the 1-vs-2 matchup in a 29-28 thriller over Holmdel.
—Neptune is in the midst of its first four-game winning streak since 2014 after beating rival Asbury Park 32-6 in Class D North.
—Point Beach clinched no worse than a tie for the Class D South title with a win over Keyport. The Garnet Gulls can win it outright with a victory over Keansburg in the regular-season finale on Oct. 24.
—New Egypt picked up its first win with a 36-33 victory over Keyport thanks to a pair of TD passes from Thomas Marabuto to Toby Chao and a rushing touchdown for Marabuto.
—Toms River South broke into the win column with a 33-22 victory over Manchester thanks to a combined 300 yards and five touchdowns from quarterback Brett Rankin.
Scott Stump is the football editor and a reporter for Shore Sports Insider. He first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999 and has covered basketball, baseball and seemingly every other Shore Conference sport at some point.
Email: scottstump25@gmail.com
