Toms River North’s Growth on Display in Gritty Win Over Point Boro

TOMS RIVER — Toms River North took its lumps during a five-win season in 2025, when inexperience showed at critical moments. A year later, those growing pains are paying off.

The No. 3 Mariners are 3-0 after grinding out a 14-7 victory over No. 10 Point Boro, continuing a strong start that has Toms River North looking like a much different team in 2026.

The Mariners received the opening kickoff and immediately marched down the field, but the drive stalled with a turnover on downs. Point Boro took over deep in its own territory and went three-and-out, giving Toms River North another opportunity with a short field. This time, the Mariners capitalized, as senior quarterback Cole Garrison scored on a 3-yard run to give Toms River North the lead with 4:43 remaining in the second quarter.

The Mariners dominated the second quarter. After getting pinned deep in their own territory, Toms River North went on a methodical 16-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, which culminated in Garrison punching in another touchdown—this time from two yards out—to put the Mariners up 14-0 with just 43 seconds left in the second quarter. That would remain the score at halftime.

“I’ve been running hard, but I knew I had to be patient,” Garrison said. “I believed in my line, found the open hole, and got in.”

The Mariners’ defense continued to stifle the Panthers’ offense in the third quarter. Point Boro drove to the North 25-yard line, but the Mariners’ defense did not break, forcing an incompletion from senior quarterback Jake Clayton to turn the Panthers over on downs. The third quarter ended with the Mariners pitching a shutout through three.

The Panthers made it interesting in the fourth quarter when Clayton scampered into the end zone from 22 yards out on a keeper to cut the lead to seven with six minutes to play. The Mariners chipped away at the clock before punting the ball back to the Panthers for one final drive. As was the story for most of the night, Toms River North’s defense came through again with a stop to seal the game.

“I can’t even describe how well we played. It was amazing,” sophomore linebacker Finn Boland said. “We held them to seven points, and I don’t think I’ve seen another team do that. We kept telling ourselves to have a clear mind, stay calm, and let the game do the talking. That’s how we finished it.”

The Mariners’ defense was a key factor in the victory. Toms River North held Point Boro to fewer than 200 yards of total offense and just seven points. Clayton was held to 5-of-12 passing. The Mariners’ attention to detail and strong tackling helped their defense perform so well.

“It comes down to practice,” Garrison said. “We prepared for them for a while, even during the summer. It also comes down to our team’s motivation. I was getting our guys inspired, and we knew we could win.”

Garrison had an incredible night for the Mariners, rushing for 129 yards and two touchdowns while adding 28 passing yards. Garrison showed plenty of poise at quarterback for a player taking over as the full-time starter after seeing limited snaps in a gadget role over the last two seasons. He has also proven to be a leader for the Mariners.

“Cole’s leadership is out of this world. He gets on you when he needs to, but he also picks you up when you’re down. That’s what a great leader does,” senior running back Lucas Elias said. “He leads by example, and that’s all a leader really needs to do. He’s a great leader, a great person, and a great football player.”

Elias also played a key role in the victory. The senior running back rushed for 85 yards and gained crucial yards down the stretch to help North close out the win.

“We had the mindset that no one was stopping us. We were going to work and keep working until it was over,” Elias said. “That’s how we practice. You play the way you practice, and we practice by continuing to work until the job is finished. We had the mindset that nobody was going to stop us. We were getting the first down, keeping the game going, and not losing. It worked out for us at the end of the day.”

Elias has also earned his teammates’ respect for the physical way he runs the ball.

“Lucas is amazing. He runs the ball with a lot of physicality. Even though he might not be the biggest player, he has the mentality that he is going to run through people,” Boland said.

Boland is one of the best linebackers in the conference. The sophomore was a First Team All-Shore selection as a freshman and proved to be one of the best defensive players on the field against Point Boro, making plays all over the field—something his teammates have grown accustomed to seeing.

“Finn is a great player. I don’t think you’re going to find a better sophomore defensive player in New Jersey,” Elias said. “He puts in work every day with his dad, even after practice. He works his tail off.”

Despite the unbeaten start, head coach Dave Oizerowitz knows this year’s Mariners are still establishing their own identity.

“Every team is different. All three of our state championship teams and all of our sectional championship teams were different, no matter how many players we brought back,” coach Dave Oizerowitz said. “This group is still trying to find its personality. The schedule is really, really difficult, so just because we’re 3-0 and got off to a good start doesn’t mean anything. We closed last year very strongly, and we’ve gotten off to a good start this year, but the schedule is still very difficult. Every team we play is good, so we’re just going to take it one week at a time.”

For now, the Mariners are continuing to find ways to win while learning exactly what kind of team they can become.

The Mariners (3-0, 1-0) travel to Brick Memorial next week, while the Panthers (2-1, 0-1) travel to Southern.