Week 9 Dick’s House of Sport Football Player of the Week Poll

Welcome to the Week 9 edition of the Shore Conference Football Player of the Week Poll, presented by Dick’s House of Sport. This poll will be the final edition of the 2026 season.

Each week, Shore Sports Insider will highlight some of the top individual performances from around the Shore Conference and give readers the chance to decide who deserves to be named Shore Conference Football Player of the Week.

Nominees are selected based on statistics and information submitted by coaches or designated team representatives to Shore Sports Insider or entered on the distribution list by noon on Sunday. Only players from teams that won that week are eligible for consideration, and a maximum of one player per team can be nominated. Players who have previously won the Shore Conference Football Player of the Week Poll are not eligible to win the award again during the season.

Check out this week’s nominees and their standout performances below, then cast your vote for the player you think should take home the award. The winner will receive a $50 gift card to Dick’s House of Sport.

Voting for the Week 9 poll closes Tuesday at noon. Users are limited to one vote per hour. The winner will be announced Wednesday.

 

Previous Winners

Week 8: Lucas Potenza, Sr., TE, Manchester

Week 7: Anthony Locascio, So., LB, Middletown South

Week 6: Brandon Kaplan, Sr., K, Manalapan

Week 5: Alex Staten, Sr., RB, Donovan Catholic

Week 4: Malik Thompson, Sr., WR/DB, Monmouth

Week 3: MJ Parulis, Sr., DB, Middletown North

Week 2: Dax Klein, Sr., RB/DB, Manasquan

Week 1: Santino Martini, So., WR, Shore

Week 0: Tyler Pierce, Sr., QB, Brick Memorial

 

Week 9 Shore Sports Insider Football Player of the Week nominees (listed in alphabetical order)

 

Matt Belenko, Sr., RB, Middletown North

Belenko gashed the Watchung Hills defense for 204 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 19 carries, fueling Middletown North’s commanding 42-7 victory and sending the Lions into the North Jersey Section 2 Group 4 semifinals.

 

Eric Berg, Sr., SB, Raritan

Berg delivered a dominant offensive performance, rushing for 104 yards and four touchdowns while adding four receptions for 50 yards to help power Raritan to a convincing 56-21 victory over South Plainfield in a consolation game.

 

RJ Clark, Jr., RB/DB, Pinelands

Clark powered Pinelands to its first playoff victory since 2004, rushing for 162 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries while adding three tackles on defense as the Wildcats shut out Triton, 21-0, to advance to the South Jersey Group 3 semifinals.

 

Jake Clayton, Sr., QB/DB, Point Boro

Clayton was a force on both sides of the ball, rushing for 163 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries while adding two two-point conversions. He also recorded seven tackles and an interception on defense as Point Boro cruised past Lower Cape May, 48-14, to advance to the Central Jersey Group 2 semifinals.

 

Lucas Elias, Sr., Toms River North

Manalapan had no answer for Elias, who piled up 167 rushing yards and scored all six of Toms River North’s touchdowns on just 17 carries, powering the Mariners to a 42-7 victory and a berth in the South Jersey Group 5 semifinals.

 

Mike Fink, Sr., RB/LB, Manchester

Fink delivered a strong two-way performance, rushing for 55 yards and both of his team’s touchdowns on 11 carries while adding seven tackles and a sack on defense to help secure a hard-fought 14-13 victory over Keyport in a consolation game.

 

Kaiden Grosso, Sr., WR, New Egypt

Grosso caught a pair of touchdown passes covering five and 18 yards, accounting for all of New Egypt’s points in a hard-fought 12-10 victory over Florence in a consolation game.

 

Jason Madden, Sr., DL, Donovan Catholic

Madden wreaked havoc in the backfield, recording multiple sacks to help Donovan Catholic close out its regular season with a 45-28 victory over St. Joseph Metuchen.

 

Ardy Mehmedaj, Sr., LB, Marlboro

Mehmedaj anchored the Mustangs’ defense with 10 total tackles, including two tackles for loss and a sack, helping lead his team to a 21-8 victory over Steinert and a berth in the South Jersey Group 4 semifinals.

 

Franny Scaramellino, Sr., QB, Wall

Scaramellino showcased his versatility in a dominant all-around performance, rushing for 106 yards and five touchdowns, completing 7 of 9 passes for 101 yards, and intercepting two passes on defense as Wall blanked Monmouth, 35-0, to advance to the South Jersey Group 2 semifinals.

 

Jack Schneider, Sr., QB, Middletown South

Schneider came through in the clutch, throwing the game-winning touchdown pass to lift Middletown South past Ridge, 21-14, and into the North Jersey Section 1 Group 4 semifinals. He completed 8 of 15 passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns in the hard-fought playoff victory.

 

Colin Schoellkopf, Sr., RB/LB, Brick Memorial

Schoellkopf made his presence felt on both sides of the ball, rushing for 107 yards and a touchdown while recording five tackles, including two for a loss, as Brick Memorial rolled past Absegami, 42-13, to advance to the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals.

 

Wyatt Sowul, Jr., LB, Manasquan

Sowul delivered the decisive defensive play, intercepting a pass and returning it 31 yards for a game-sealing touchdown as Manasquan held off Gloucester City, 26-14, to punch its ticket to the Central Jersey Group 2 semifinals.

 

Cole Torres, Sr., RB, Shore

Torres ran wild against Manville, shredding the defense for 314 yards and five touchdowns on just 23 carries as Shore rolled to a 34-7 victory to secure a spot in the South Jersey Group 1 semifinals.

 

James Winters, Jr., RB, Rumson-Fair Haven

Winters led Rumson-Fair Haven’s rushing attack with a team-high 83 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs rolled to a dominant 56-6 victory over Sterling.