Week One Shore Conference Football Preview: Ocean and Monmouth County Powers Clash

We’re only heading into the second week of the football season, but we are about to get some clarity about which teams are the top two in the Shore Conference.

This week’s slate is still nondivisional and nonconference games, so there’s no division race implications, just teams looking to move up to the rankings and get wins to bolster their state playoff chances.

A juicy Monmouth County vs. Ocean County matchup is the headliner, with the winner adding to its argument for the top spot with current No. 1 Red Bank Catholic. The Caseys also have a formidable challenge themselves this week.

Here’s what to watch in Week One.

No. 3 Rumson-Fair Haven at No. 2 Brick Memorial, Friday at 6 p.m. 

The Shore Conference scheduling gods gave us a good one, as the Bulldogs enter with a 14-game winning streak to face a loaded Mustangs team that reached a sectional final last season. The Bulldogs’ new two-man quarterback attack of junior Casey Moore and sophomore Brady Williams accounted for all five touchdowns in a 34-0 rout of Point Boro in the season opener, and All-Shore running back Kellen Murray went over 100 yards. Senior defensive end Ben Roberts led a shutdown effort against the Panthers’ running game.

Meanwhile, Brick Memorial rolled to a 35-7 win over Wall without All-Shore quarterback Jason Lajara, who was out with an illness. The question looming over this game is whether Lajara has been cleared to return and if he will start. Head coach Walt Currie told SSI on Wednesday that Lajara is “questionable” to play.

If he can’t go, it will once again be All-Shore linebacker Trey Tallmadge, a Sacred Heart recruit who stepped in at quarterback against Wall and lit it up for 279 yards of total offense, two rushing TDs and a pair of touchdown passes.

Tallmadge is more of a downhill, power runner compared to the elusive Lajara, and he is not the passer that Lajara is. However, he showed he can hit big plays in the passing game with two touchdown passes of 70-plus-yards to Ricky Dillon and Nyzier Matthews in the win over Wall.

The winner not only gets a huge victory to make its argument to be the Shore’s No. 1 team, it also may go a long way toward securing a No. 1 seed in the sectional playoffs down the road.

No. 11 Holmdel at No. 6 Donovan Catholic, Friday at 6:30 p.m.

This is a matchup of two of the Shore’s top quarterbacks and also marks the season opener for Holmdel. Dartmouth-bound Holmdel senior Jack Cannon is the definition of a dual threat quarterback, and he’s already rewritten the school record book. His next hurdle is helping the Hornets thrive against a tougher schedule that starts with the Griffins.

Holmdel has proven it can replace standout linemen lost to graduation, and it will have to do it again this season after saying goodbye to a talented group. Sophomore Anthony Serini, junior Michael Todisco and senior James Murphy look to be Cannon’s main targets in the passing game, while junior Matt Scheinman returns with experience in the backfield. With a rugged schedule against some physical defenses, it will be interesting to see how much Holmdel uses Cannon on designed runs in order to ensure he doesn’t take too much punishment.

Donovan Catholic is trying to rebound from a 20-7 loss to Kingsway in which the offense struggled to finish drives. Junior quarterback Kahden Davis rolled up 262 total yards in his Griffins debut, but he and the Griffins need to jumpstart their offense quickly.

Holmdel is out to show it has established a program where the wins keep coming no matter who graduates. Donovan Catholic is trying to avoid an 0-2 start after a season with high expectations due to an influx of new talent.

Can Donovan’s defense slow down Cannon? Can the Griffins take their offense up a few notches after a slow start? What will Holmdel’s defense look like after graduating a host of talented starters? We’re about to find out.

Middletown (DE) at No. 1 Red Bank Catholic, Friday at 7 p.m. 

The Caseys will get a major test when Delaware’s top team comes to Count Basie Field. RBC went to Delaware and lost 17-14 to Middletown in last year’s season opener.

RBC freshman quarterback Rahmir Rivera and freshman tailback Gabe Kemp showed their big-play capability in a 21-0 win over Toms River North that ended the Mariners’ 19-game winning streak. Now comes another trial by fire for the freshmen against a team with at least six FBS prospects on the roster.

Senior Derian Cunningham is one of the top quarterbacks in Delaware, and they have two FBS-caliber running backs. Senior Amare Glover has offers from Arizona, Virginia Tech, Maryland and more, while senior Makai Walker has offers from West Virginia, Duke and others.

Senior wide receiver B.J. Garrett is committed to Syracuse, but he is out with an injury. Junior receiver D.J. Davis has double-digit FBS offers, including North Carolina and Duke.

It will be up to an RBC defense led by junior defensive end Lorenzo Tartamella, junior linebacker Luke Scaturro and senior defensive back Daniel Zabora to slow them down. Sophomore defensive end Asher Cummins also had a strong debut in the win over Toms River North, showing some explosive bend around the edge to routinely get pressure in one-on-one matchups.

Defensively, Middletown senior safety Dorian Rutledge is committed to Delaware, and sophomore Tysir Young is considered a top 10 linebacker nationally in the Class of 2028. He has offers from Penn State, South Carolina, Rutgers and more.

It all adds up to what should be one of RBC’s toughest games of the season.

Raritan at No. 10 St. John Vianney, Friday at 6:30 p.m.

The Rockets will kick off their season with a rivalry game against a Lancers team coming off a 14-12 loss to Seton Hall Prep.

This is Raritan’s chance to open some eyes immediately and show it should be among the top 10 teams in the Shore. The Rockets are huge up front and return quarterback Parker Needham and senior RB/LB John Jeleniewski.

St. John Vianney will counter with senior quarterback Zach LaBarca and the running back tandem of senior Danny Breen and junior Corleii Thomas. The Lancers look to avoid an 0-2 hole with four games still remaining on their schedule against teams currently ranked in the SSI Top 12.

A great battle in the trenches if they get matched up is Raritan’s 6-4, 300-pound senior Matthew Zweidinger and St. John Vianney’s 6-foot-4, 300-pound senior Rob Yakovchuk, who is verbally committed to Long Island University.

No. 5 Point Boro at Manasquan, Saturday at 1 p.m.

A longtime rivalry gets its latest installment, and it feels like an early-season crossroads for both teams.

Point Boro falling to 0-2 would be a tough spot for its playoff hopes with a daunting schedule in Class A South coming up. The Panthers are trying to regroup from a 34-0 loss to Rumson-Fair Haven in which junior QB/DB Jake Clayton got banged up on defense and barely played the second half. There’s a chance he may not play in this game, which would be a lot to overcome. They have to get the run game going in the triple option after being bottled up by the Bulldogs.

They face a Manasquan team that isn’t quite whole yet because it has transfers like quarterback Kyle Dow and all-around standout Justice Morgan waiting to get eligible. The Warriors are coming off a 27-0 win over Toms River South in the opener behind 130 yards rushing and two touchdowns from senior tailback Ace Etienne. Manasquan rushed for 247 yards overall.

A win by Manasquan would show the Warriors are ready to get back to being a contender in the Group 2 playoffs.

 

More games to keep an eye on:

No. 7 Middletown North at Howell, Friday at 6:30 p.m.

This is the season debut for Middletown North, which is coming off its first outright division title since 1983. The Lions return quarterback Owen Robson, wide receiver Jack Viola and more in their move to Class A North. They start with a Rebels team coming off a 21-0 win over Lacey in the opener and looking to make the Shore take notice.

No. 8 Jackson at Southern, Friday at 7 p.m. 

The season opener was a success for both teams, including Jackson’s historic first win as a unified school in a 33-0 rout of North Brunswick. Southern rolled over Highland 40-8 to also start with a victory. Both teams were heavy favorites in those games, so this is more of an accurate gauge of how good the two of them are.

Asbury Park at Point Beach, Friday at 7 p.m. 

The Blue Bishops open the season on the road against a Garnet Gulls team that began with a 37-6 win over South River. Asbury Park brings back almost everyone from last season and adds some impact freshmen, so we’ll see if that pays dividends against a Point Beach team that unveiled an impressive aerial attack in the opener.

Red Bank at Neptune, Friday at 6:30 p.m.

The Bucs open the season under new head coach Tyler Karalewich. They feature a deep group of wide receivers, while Neptune counters with explosive junior quarterback Caleb Brown-Mason. He rolled up 415 yards of offense and accounted for four touchdowns in a 35-28 loss to Freehold Township in the opener.

No. 12 Manalapan at Middletown South, Friday at 7 p.m. 

Both teams are trying to avoid an 0-2 hole after one-point losses in their season openers. Both offenses flashed in the first game, so there’s the chance this could be a fun shootout.

Shore at New Egypt, Friday at 6:30 p.m.

Coming off a 10-win season, the Blue Devils get underway after not playing in Week Zero. Junior RB/DE Cole Torres leads a team with title aspirations against a Warriors squad that is also opening its season. Shore beat New Egypt twice last season, so it will be looking for payback behind senior running backs Lucas Burgos and Eddie Novatkowski.

Freehold at Keansburg, Saturday at noon

The Titans open the season against a Freehold team coming off a 14-8 win over New Brunswick in the opener. This marks the beginning of the second stint of John Bird as Keansburg’s head coach, and he hopes an experienced line can help lead the way.

 

Scott Stump is the football editor for Shore Sports Insider. He first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999 and also has covered basketball, baseball and seemingly every other Shore Conference sport at some point. 

Email: scottstump25@gmail.com