WEEK 8

Friday, Nov. 1

Constitution Division

Brick Memorial 16, Howell 13

A 68-yard touchdown run by junior running back Ahki Barksdale early in the third quarter held up as the game-winning score as the Mustangs (2-6) held on for a win over the Rebels (0-9).

Junior running back TJ McArthur had a 38-yard touchdown run and also recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass. Senior Ryan McCombs kicked a 23-yard field goal. Senior Anthony Albanese had an interception in the end zone to stop a Howell drive.

Vaughn Meehan had a 3-yard touchdown run for Howell and the Rebels also had a blocked punt by Craig Iandoli that was returned 40 yards for a touchdown by Christian Rath.

 

Freedom Division

Neptune 34, Matawan 14

 

Nondivisional

No. 2 Toms River North 44, Toms River South 7WATCH THE REPLAY!

Senior running back Jarrod Pruitt totaled four touchdowns and junior quarterback Jake Kazanowsky threw for a pair of scores as the Mariners (8-1) opened a 31-0 halftime lead and cruised to another win over the Indians (2-5) in The Civil War.

Pruitt ran for 116 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries and scored on runs of 22, 1 and 1 in the first half. He also caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Kazanowsky. Junior wideout Zach Browne made a great one-handed catch to haul in a 27-yard touchdown pass while senior Dominick Jacob caught four passes for 54 yards. Kazanowsky completed 10 of 14 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Justin Burkert kicked a 26-yard field goal.

Sergio Borda had an interception that set up a late touchdown by junior running back Ryan Gordon.

Toms River South scored when Tyler Madeo threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Bo Marro on a wide receiver jet sweep pass.

Toms River North vs Toms River South

 

No. 9 Jackson Memorial 22, No. 4 Rumson-Fair Haven 14

Senior quarterback Lonnie Cebulski tossed three touchdown passes, two to senior Zack Novak and another to senior Jake McKown, as the Jaguars (6-2) won a muddy slugfest over the Bulldogs (4-4) to enter the playoffs on a five-game winning streak.

Novak had touchdown catches of 5 and 9 yards to bookend the scoring for the Jags while McKown's 59-yard touchdown run in the second quarter gave Jackson the lead for good. McKown also had a 22-yard field goal in the third quarter that gave Jackson a 16-7 lead.

McKown finished with four receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back will Towns entered the game second in the Shore in rushing yards and ran for 70 yards on 26 carries. Senior fullback Nic Ford added 39 yards rushing on eight carries.

Jackson's defense was outstanding in holding Rumson to 127 yards of offense, including minus-1 yards rushing. Senior linebacker Brian Zapata had an interception that set up Jackson's first touchdown while senior linebacker Hunter Smith stepped in for injured starter Tyronn Blackwell and played an exceptional game that included two pass deflections at the line of scrimmage and one tackle for no gain.

Junior running back John Volker took a short pass and turned it into a 74-yard touchdown reception for Rumson's only offensive touchdown. He was held to just nine yards rushing on nine carries. Senior quarterback Collin Coles threw for 128 yards with one touchdown and one interception on 7 of 22 passing. Junior wideout Patrick Jamin had four catches for 41 yards.

Senior linebacker Gordon Forsyth played a great game for Rumson's defense with one sack and four tackles for loss.

 

No. 6 Red Bank Catholic 42, Freehold Township 7

Kevin Degnan, Jack Zenkert, Elijah Jules and Billy Guidetti all had first-half touchdowns as the Caseys (5-3) rolled to a win over the Patriots (2-7). Guidetti had a pair of touchdown runs to lead the way.

Kevin Bauman and Sean Rossback each forced fumbles for an RBC defense that was dominant against Freehold Township's Air Raid offense.

 

No. 8 Ocean 42, Marlboro 7

Seniors Trebor Pena ran for 213 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries and also returned a punt for a touchdown as the Spartans (8-0) completed an undefeated regular season with a victory over the Mustangs (3-6).

Pena, who entered the game as the Shore's leader in total points and rushing yards, had a 96-yard touchdown run and a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown. Senior Nasir Thompson added 129 yards rushing on just five carries and had touchdown runs of 42 and 39 yards. Ishyne Woodward scored on a 15-yard run and Robbie Nungesser tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Tye Brookins.

 

Long Branch 26, No. 10 St. John Vianney 21

Senior quarterback Kyle Davidson threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to senior running back Jermaine Corbett to give Long Branch a two-score lead in the fourth quarter and senior defensive back Ernest Reevey clinched the win with an interception in the end zone late in the game to send the Green Wave (3-5) to victory against the Lancers (4-4).

Corbett ran for 70 yards and a touchdown and Davidson threw for 124 yards and a touchdown. Junior Karon Laws added 66 yards rushing. Jah'Kwan Gordon had a 10-yard touchdown run and senior Jarell Sherin returned a blocked punt 13 yards for a touchdown.

Sophomore Pete Pezzullo had a 46-yard touchdown run and senior quarterback CJ Duell ran for a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass to senior Zarrin Stephens for St. John Vianney. Senior running back Kavon Chambers ran for a game-high 115 yards.

 

Southern 21, Central 16

Senior quarterback Cole Robinson ran for two touchdowns and threw another as the Rams (7-2) held off the Golden Eagles (3-5) to keep their bid alive for a first-round home game in the playoffs.

Robinson threw a 59-yard touchdown to Xavier Hendricks and then ran for a 22-yard touchdown to give Southern a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Central got on the board when Gunnar Nemeth sacked Robinson in the end zone for a safety. Landon Richardson added a 1-yard touchdown run later in the first half and the teams went into the break with Southern holding a 14-9 lead.

The Rams extended their lead to 21-9 when Robinson scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter. Central scored on another 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to provide the final margin.

Sophomore running back Jaiden Brown had another strong game with 152 yards rushing on 29 carries. Hendricks had two receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown.

 

Middletown South 28, Brick 7

Senior running back and defensive back Chris Lotito had a game for the ages as Middletown South (3-4) completely dominated the Brick Township Dragons (3-4). The win resulted in a probable home game when the South Group 4 playoffs begin next week.

Lotito rushed for 203 yards on 21 carries, accounted for touchdown runs of 4 and 14 yards, had an 88-yard TD sprint called back, tossed a 25-yard halfback touchdown pass to Thomas Schork and picked off a pass when the score was only 7-0 and Brick was threatening. He also had more than 75 yards on punt and kick returns.

Quarterback Tyler Cuccia scored the first touchdown of the evening on a 1-yard dash with 6:43 left in the first quarter. Middletown South's Mike D'Amato's PAT kick was his first of four on the night. When Brick's C.J. Lavarin returned the kickoff to the 50-yard line, Lotito made a leaping interception at the Eagles 8-yard line to shut down the Dragons' threat. The Eagles then put together a 92-yard drive with Lotito blasting in from the 4-yard line to make the score 14-0 in the second quarter.

Middletown South came storming out on the first drive of the second half as it moved from its own 36-yard line to the Brick 42 before Lotito connected with Schork for the touchdown to open a 21-0 lead. The margin increased to 28-0 in the fourth period when Lotito twisted in for another score from the 14-yard line.

Defensive coordinator Al Bigos created the perfect game plan as his strong unit allowed Brick to garner just two first downs. Standing out for the Eagles on the defensive side of the ball were linemen Michael Dunn, Ian Rahill and Thomas Mielnikiewicz and cornerback Nick Trezza.

Brick avoided the shutout when Val Grigorian hauled in a 12-yard pass with 2:59 remaining in the fourth quarter.

 

Point Boro 41, Manchester 20

Sophomore quarterback Charles Vitale ran for 66 yards and three touchdowns, threw for 77 yards and a touchdown and intercepted a pass on defense as the Panthers (3-5) topped the Hawks (2-7) to make a final push for a playoff spot.

Junior running back Nick Tuzzolino ran for a game-high 128 yards and a touchdown on just five carries while senior running back Colby Biggs ran for 109 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Vitale threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to senior Sam Young and ran for touchdowns of 3, 5 and 3 yards. Tuzzolino had a 54-yard touchdown run and Biggs had a 14-yard touchdown run. Point Boro ran for 342 yards and rolled up 419 yards of total offense.

Josh Glenn ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns for Manchester. Glenn had scoring runs of 3 and 13 yards while Xavier Williams had a 30-yard touchdown run.

 

Toms River East 17, Lacey 14

Justin Deem and Yusuf Ahmed scored touchdowns and Nick Costa kicked a field goal as the Raiders (8-1) held off the Lions (6-3) for a thrilling win heading into the playoffs.

Deem returned the game's opening kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown to give East a 7-0 lead. Lacey tied the score in the second quarter when sophomore quarterback Noah Brunatti tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to junior Tynan Jensen. Costa's 25-yard field goal gave the Raiders a 10-7 lead but Lacey pulled in front, 14-10, when Brunatti tossed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Bacchetta.

Toms River East took the lead for good in the fourth quarter when Ahmed ran for a 19-yard touchdown. Lacey had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but could not get the snap down on a field goal attempt as time expired.

Ahmed ran for 72 yards and a touchdown on eight carries and senior quarterback Mike Goodall completed 10 of 15 passes for 140 yards. Ahmed also had a team-high eight tackles with one tackle for loss. Nasceem Davis and Justin Tucker had fumble recoveries on defense, as well.

Brunatti completed 21 of 27 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns to lead Lacey. The Lions played without their top two running backs as senior Justin Gorski is out for the season with an injury and junior Chase Granit is also out. Jensen led the ground attack with 61 yards on 19 carries. Bacchetta caught eight passes for 77 yards and a touchdown and Jensen had three receptions for 61 yards and a score. Matt Kuligoski added four receptions for 53 yards.

Senior Mike Kudlacik led Lacey's defense with 11 tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss. Bobby Hicks, Scott Stevens and Austin Chadwick also had two tackles for loss.

 

Barnegat 33, Pinelands 6

Junior running back Nik Dileo ran for 143 yards and three touchdowns against his former team as the Bengals (4-4) used a 26-point third quarter to cruise to a victory over the Wildcats (1-7).

Junior running back TJ Crudup ran for 72 yards and a touchdown on just six carries and senior quarterback Matt Vernieri added 61 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.

 

Holmdel 24, Freehold 7

Evan Jennings, Tom Ammirati and Christian Donnely each ran for over 100 yards as the Hornets (5-3) rolled up 410 yards rushing to defeat the Colonials (2-7).

Ammirati ran for 139 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, Donnely ran for 130 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries and Jennings ran for 103 yards and a touchdown on just eight carries. Holmdel attempted only one pass all game. Ian Flanagan added a 33-yard field goal.

 

Nonconference

Point Beach 31, Pennington 20

Senior running back Liam Buday ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries while senior Jason Sherlock had a touchdown catch and a dominant game on defense to lead the Garnet Gulls (7-2) to the nonconference win.

Sherlock caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Jack Akins and from his defensive end position recorded 15 tackles with three sacks, five tackles for loss, a blocked punt and a blocked extra point.

Junior running back Mikey Grauso added 97 yards rushing and a touchdown on 17 carries.

 

Saturday, Nov. 2

Freedom Division

Colts Neck 13, Jackson Liberty 10

A 2-yard touchdown run by senior running back Romeo Thomas with 4:38 left in the game propelled the Cougars (7-2) to a victory over the Lions (1-7) to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Thomas also had a 90-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage to go over the 1,000-yard mark on the season and finished with 233 yards on 27 carries.

 

Nondivisional

No. 5 Mater Dei Prep 17, No. 3 Manalapan 0

Clarence Lewis and Naran Buntin each scored long touchdowns and the defense pitched its second straight shutout as the Seraphs (6-3) picked up its best win of the season by downing the Braves (5-3).

Mater Dei led 3-0 at halftime on a 32-yard field goal by Rich Pekmezian and stretched the lead to 10-0 when Lewis, who is committed to Notre Dame, hauled in a 67-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Alex Brown with 47 seconds left in the third quarter. Buntin put the finishing touches on the win when he took a jet sweep 60 yards for a touchdown with 1:05 left in the game.

Mater Dei's defense held Manalapan to just 90 yards of offense, including holding the Braves to 50 yards rushing.

 

No. 7 Donovan Catholic 48, Lakewood 0

Senior running back Damian Johnson ran for two touchdowns and senior quarterback Ryan Clark threw two touchdowns as the Griffins (8-1) rolled over the Piners (0-7) for their eighth win, the program's most since 1992.

James Bivins had a 51-yard touchdown catch and freshman Omare Walker had a 30-yard touchdown catch. Nasir Calhoun added 76 yards rushing and a touchdown, Gage Rebmann also ran for a touchdown and Mysun Esdaile returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown.

 

Keansburg 21, Keyport 14

Running back Patrick Beltran had two touchdown runs and quarterback Mikal Braithwaite totaled 178 yards and a touchdown as the Titans (5-3) defeated the Red Raiders (2-6) to retain the Bayshore Bell and guarantee the program's first winning season since 2007.

 

Red Bank 42, Monmouth 14

Senior running back Makai Mickens made his season debut coming off a preseason knee injury and scored two touchdowns as the Bucs (5-3) closed out the regular season with a win over the Falcons (0-8).

Mickens ran for 69 yards, including a 51-yard run, and scored a touchdown on just four carries. He also caught two passes for 26 yards and a touchdown. Last season, Mickens ran for 1,206 yards and 13 touchdowns and was a Second Team All-Shore selection.

Senior quarterback Jack Chamberlain once again led Red Bank's offense, going 10-for-10 for 112 yards and three touchdowns and also rushing for 114 yards and two touchdowns on just five carries. Junior Gordon Ogden caught two touchdown passes.

Junior linebacker Owen Laughlin led the Bucs' defense with eight tackles, two sacks, four tackles for loss

 

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