Dynasty Mode: Toms River North romps to its third straight Group 5 title
EAST RUTHERFORD – Toms River North transcended being a championship team with its 41-14 win over Union City in the NJSIAA Group 5 final on Friday.
The Mariners became a dynasty.
Toms River North won its third straight Group 5 title in dominant fashion to chisel a blue-and-gold ship onto the Shore Conference’s Mount Rushmore and extend the state’s longest current winning streak to 19 games. The Mariners (14-0), who went undefeated for the second time in three seasons, swallowed up the Soaring Eagles (11-2) at MetLife Stadium to win their 39th straight game against fellow public schools.
Toms River North completed a perfect 14-0 season by defeating Union City 41-14 in the NJSIAA Group 5 state championship game on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. (Bob Badders | rpbphotography.com)
In the three years since the NJSIAA expanded the public playoffs to play to Group champions, Toms River North has won all three Group 5 titles. They won the three championship games by a combined score of 92-34, and their latest one came over a team ranked No. 7 in the state by NJ Advance Media, only two spots behind the Mariners.
“I think we’re the best team in Shore Conference history,” senior linebacker Blaise Boland said. “Three times – no one’s ever done it before.”
The Mariners dominate on both sides
Senior quarterback T.J. Valerio threw four touchdown passes, three of them to senior running back Mordecai Ford, finishing 13-for-18 for 159 yards passing and also running for 56 yards. Sophomore quarterback Cole Garrison had 83 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries, and Ford had 7 catches for 79 yards.
Boland had a sack and forced fumble, senior defensive lineman Jaelyne Matthews had two fumble recoveries, and junior linebacker Brady Cicala and sophomore linebacker Jack Baker each had 11 tackles to lead a shutdown defensive effort.
Junior linebacker Brady Cicala had 11 tackles to help lead a dominant defensive effort by Toms River North. (Bob Badders | rpbphotography.com)
Union City’s Wing-T rushing attack entered the game with two 1,000-yard rushers, 3,641 yards rushing and 61 touchdowns. Toms River North held them to 145 total yards, including only 86 yards rushing, 37 of which came after the score was 41-14 in the fourth quarter.
The Mariners had not seen a Wing-T team all season, but they did a tremendous job of setting the edge and not letting the Soaring Eagles get anything going up the middle. After Union City picked up a first down on its second play of the game, it didn’t have another one until early in the third quarter.
“There was a lot more run-fitting, getting in the gap and playing hard-nosed football, not really finesse,” Boland said.
North starts fast and doesn’t look back
Toms River North also got Union City out of its comfort zone by jumping out to a quick lead. The Soaring Eagles had six shutouts this season, including five in a row, but the Mariners put up 20 in the first half against a team that entered allowing 8.9 points per game.
Sophomore quarterback Cole Garrison, who rotates in with Valerio as a change of pace because of his explosive running ability, scored on a 1-yard touchdown to cap a 10-play, 66-yard drive for a 7-0 lead with 1:15 left in the first quarter. Ford caught two passes for 33 yards on the drive for a bit of foreshadowing as to how much he would hurt Union City catching the ball out of the backfield.
The defense forced a three-and-out, and the Mariners then marched 57 yards in eight plays, scoring on a five-yard pass from Valerio to Ford that made it 13-0 after the extra point was blocked.
T.J. Valerio hits Mordecai Ford for a 5-yd TD pass, PAT blocked, and TR North leads Union City 13-0 with 7:19 in the 2nd Q pic.twitter.com/Yva2gzsdRM
— Scott Stump (@Scott_Stump) November 29, 2024
“When we were looking at film and we were studying, a lot of teams in the playoffs that I’ve done really well against was when I went out to go run a route, so I was expecting this team to guard up more,” Ford said. “We ran different schemes to try to get me open and stuff, and obviously they worked. From the start of the season, I know my speed going out for passes against linebackers, that’s something I was really banking on.”
Toms River North stuck in one more score before the half when Matthews recovered a fumble at the Union City 36-yard line with 2:08 remaining. Matthews came up with the ball and pointed to the sideline, where his future head coach, Rutgers’ Greg Schiano, was standing. Matthews will make his commitment official on Signing Day on Dec. 4.
Blaise Boland gets a sack/fumble and Jaelyne Matthews recovers at the Union City 36-yd line late 2nd pic.twitter.com/2v9fAb11sC
— Scott Stump (@Scott_Stump) November 29, 2024
Five plays later, Valerio hit senior wide receiver Nasir Jackson for a 25-yard score to push the lead to 20-0 at the break. Toms River North outgained Union City 170-21 in the first half.
TJ Valerio hits Nasir Jackson with a 25-yd strike and TR North has pushed the lead to 20-0 with 58 secs left in the half. pic.twitter.com/qXRKt090OX
— Scott Stump (@Scott_Stump) November 29, 2024
Considering only one team all season cracked 20 points on a Toms River North defense that entered with a Shore Conference-best 7.4 points allowed per game, Union City was in a Grand Canyon-sized hole.
“Once we were up two scores we said, ‘They don’t have enough firepower to come back,’” Boland said.
Championship pedigree
The Soaring Eagles got on the board when senior running back Mark Boyd scored on an 11-yard run to open the third quarter and cut the lead to 20-7. The drive was set up by a kickoff return to Toms River North’s 18-yard line.
The Mariners got stopped on their ensuing drive, but then got the ball right back. Boland blindsided quarterback Xavien Rodriguez for a sack to force a fumble recovered by Matthews at the Union City 20-yard line. Four plays later, Valerio again found a wide-open Ford for an 8-yard touchdown and a 26-7 lead with 5:39 left in the third quarter.
“As a quarterback I have so many talented guys running the routes, I’ve just got to pick the poison for them,” Valerio said. “For them, 6 was the poison.”
Senior linebacker Blaise Boland and the Mariners’ defense put a Union City rushing attack with two 1,000-yard rushers to sleep. (Bob Badders | rpbphotography.com)
Union City drew within 26-14 when Rodriguez found junior wide receiver Khalil Sutton for a 22-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but the Mariners had an immediate answer.
“That’s the experience of being coached by Coach Oz,” Ford said about head coach Dave Oizerowitz. “He always tells us that the game’s never over. We could be up 42-0, and the game’s never over. It keeps us on our feet. We know if they score, we’ve got to just come right back.”
Jackson returned the ensuing kickoff 60 yards to the Union City 19-yard line. Three plays later, Valerio found Ford again for a 16-yard score and then found him yet again for a two-point conversion pass for a 34-14 lead with 8:18 left in the game. Ford finished the season with 32 catches for 404 yards and 7 touchdowns out of the backfield to go with his 694 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns.
A 60-yd kickoff return by Nasir Jackson sets up this 16-yd TD pass from Valerio to Mordecai Ford for his 3rd TD catch of the game. Ford then caught a 2-pt pass from Valerio. TRN in command up 34-14 with 8:18 left in the game pic.twitter.com/5Wrvw8bZ7B
— Scott Stump (@Scott_Stump) November 29, 2024
“Too easy,” Valerio said. “Dump it off. Track speed. Goodbye.”
Garrison then punctuated the win with a 57-yard burst to make it 41-14 with 7:01 left in the game, and all that was left was counting the minutes until the celebration could begin.
“This is a memory that we’ll have 40 years from now,” Valerio said.
Ascending to the Shore pantheon
The Mariners, who have been ranked No. 1 in the Shore Sports Insider Top 12 all season, made a case to be the top public school team in the state in the argument with Winslow Township. The unbeaten Eagles are in the Group 4 final on Dec. 4.
“The rankings don’t matter,” Matthews said. “We’re No. 1 in the state. Everybody and anybody can get it.”
Toms River North also got it done after graduating one of the best classes in school history, spearheaded by Ford’s older brother, current Stanford freshman running back Micah Ford.
“Honestly it means the world,” Mordecai Ford said. “I’ve always been right behind him, but he also has been training me in the shadows, so I was ready for a moment like this. One thing that I’m proud to say is that I got more rings than Micah Ford.”
A star-studded team put the egos aside to come together to make history.
“The pressure was there,” Ford said. “We knew we had to execute. The only thing we had to work on was ourselves. We came in, I’m not going to lie, as a greedy group. Everybody wanted the ball, you know all the athletes on the team. T.J. got us all together to let us know that everybody is going to get the ball when they get the ball. I think that’s what took us all the way.”
“There were some expectations but it’s something I’ve learned over the years,” Valerio said. “Being on the bench (behind Micah Ford), I had to be ready at all times. That really translated to senior year. I had a calm presence and cold blood.”
Only one public school team in state history can say it has won three Group titles. The Mariners stand alone.
“I think we’re never going to be forgotten,” Ford said.
Box score
Toms River North 41, Union City 14
. T U
First downs 15 7
Rushes-yards 33-146 34-86
Passing 13-18-0 4-12-0
Passing yards 159 59
Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-2
Penalties 4-38 5-43
TR North (14-0) 7 13 7 14 – 41
Union City (11-2) 0 0 7 7 – 14
Scoring summary
T: Garrison 1-yard run (Tamaro kick).
T: Ford 5-yard pass from Valerio (kick blocked).
T: Jackson 25-yard pass from Valerio (Tamaro kick).
U: Boyd 11-yard run (Niass kick).
T: Ford 8-yard pass from Valerio (kick failed).
U: Sutton 22-yard pass from Rodriguez (Niass kick).
T: Ford 16-yard pass from Valerio (Ford pass from Valerio).
T: Garrison 57-yard run (Tamaro kick).
Individual statistics
Rushing – T: Valerio 19-56, Jackson 2-(-4), Ford 6-11, Garrison 6-83. U: Boyd 15-56, Rodriguez 2-(-5), Aurelus 13-36, Evans 3-(-1), Espinal 1-0.
Passing – T: Valerio 13-18-0 159. U: Rodriguez 4-12-0 59.
Receiving – T: Ford 7-79, Thomas 3-35, Jackson 2-38, Garrison 1-7. U: Sutton 3-53, Boyd 1-6.
Interceptions – None.
