Berry, Greene Help Toms River South Cruise Past Toms River East

By Matt Stypulkoski - Shore Sports Network contributor

TOMS RIVER – Toms River South turned in a complete effort and managed touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams in a 42-6 win over cross-town and Class A South rival Toms River East at Detwiler Stadium on Friday night.

Listen to the game broadcast at the end of this report.

The Indians scored on four of their seven offensive possessions on the night, but did so in different ways. They proved that they could be methodical on an 11-play, 74-yard drive in the first quarter. On their next drive, they showed their explosiveness with a two-play, 67-yard strike.

“We basically do what we do,” Indians coach Ron Signorino Jr. said. “I know it sounds a little silly or cliché, but that’s who we are.”

Toms River South senior quarterback Tymere Berry had a big night on the ground and in the air in a win over Toms River East. (Photo by Heather Laing Photography)

Though Toms River South’s style of attack varied, the players who led the efforts remained the same. Throughout the night, quarterback Tymere Berry and running back Khaleel Greene set the tone for the Indians as the duo accounted for five touchdowns.

After a 21-yard pass from Berry gave Toms River South (2-0, 1-0), ranked No. 6 in the Shore Sports Network Top 10, an early 7-0 lead, the Raiders picked up two first downs and showed some promise on the ensuing drive. But Greene quickly extinguished the threat by jumping a route and taking an interception back 82 yards for a touchdown.

“It’s probably a 14-point swing,” Signorino Jr. said. “It juices you up. Our guys get excited about that. As silly as it may sound, that was probably the turning point in the game.”

Greene, whose nickname is “Sparkplug,” nearly brought another interception back on the final play of the first half after cutting and reversing fields several times. In total, he intercepted three passes and tallied 132 return yards, in addition to 58 rushing yards and a 16-yard touchdown reception.

Sophomore defensive lineman Jake Iadevia and the Toms River South defense had Toms River East on the run all night in a 42-6 victory. (Photo by Heather Laing Photography)

“Man, he’s something special,” Berry said of his teammate. “He can really fly, he can play. He can do anything you need him to do and he works hard, I really appreciate that.”

Not to be outdone, Berry completed 4 of 5 passes for 55 yards and two touchdowns, then tacked on 158 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries on the ground.

“He brings composure,” Greene said of his quarterback. “He brings confidence. He brings everything. He brings me up, he brings the whole team up. When we’re down, he makes a play and you saw [what he can do] when he plays.”

Francis Hearne completed Toms River South’s offense-defense-special teams scoring trifecta with a 67-yard fumble return touchdown following a blocked field goal in the second quarter.

Toms River East (0-2, 0-2) got on the board with a 7-yard run from Jeff Wood late in the fourth quarter. Wood finished the night with 100 yards on 20 carries.

Despite struggling to score, the Raiders' offense was active on the night, running 50 plays and racking up 152 yards. But four turnovers – three interceptions and a late turnover on downs – hampered their ability to turn forward progress into points.

For the Indians, another cross-town matchup looms next week against Toms River North. But having already tallied one big rivalry win, momentum will reside on the south side of town heading into the marquee matchup.

“There’s no question it’s going to help us going into next week,” Signorino Jr. said. “Winning is contagious, and we’re just looking forward to the challenge.”

Box score

Toms River South 42, Toms River East 6

. TRE TRS

First downs 9 11

Rushes-yards 38-140 35-250

Passing 2-12-0 4-5-2

Passing yards 13 55

Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-0

Penalties 2-10 7-70

Toms River East (0-2, 0-2) 0 0 0 6 – 6

Toms River South (2-0, 1-0) 21 14 7 0 – 42

Scoring summary

Jaden Kosh 21-yard catch (Matt Shiffer kick).

Greene 82-yard interception return (Shiffer kick).

Berry 56-yard run (Shiffer kick).

Hearne 67-yard blocked field goal return (Shiffer kick).

Greene 16-yard catch (Shiffer kick).

Berry 6-yard run (Shiffer kick).

Wood 7-yard run (2-pt attempt failed).

Individual statistics

Rushing – TRE: Wood 20-100, Davidyock 4-10, Grasso 1-1, Grande 6-18, D. Gilligan 2-5, Asri 1-4, J. Gilligan 1-1, Venezia 2-3, Ferrante 1-0. TRS: Berry 12-158, Greene 7-58, Sosa 6-22, Lonergan 1-1, Kosh 1-(-11), D. Alexander 2-7, Hibbert 2-0, Shiffer 3-14, M. Alexander 1-1.

Passing – TRE: Venezia 1-10-0 7, Savulich 1-2-0 6. TRS: Berry 4-5-2 55.

Receiving – TRE: Wood 1-6, Saunders 1-7. TRS: Kosh 1-21, Greene 1-16, Parker 1-7, Hearne 1-11.

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