Shore Conference Week 6 Football Player of the Week: Ocean’s Ryan Moran
Every week this season, Shore Conference football fans will have their chance to vote for the Orthopaedic Institute of Central Jersey/Shore Sports Network Football Player of the Week on our website.
The Week 6 Player of the Week winner is Ocean senior linebacker Ryan Moran, who had a historic game on defense and also scored a touchdown to help the Spartans to a thrilling 27-21 victory over Point Boro.
Moran ran for 49 yards and a touchdown on seven carries and also had an eight-yard reception, but it was his performance at linebacker that set him apart. With nine solo tackles and 16 assists, including two tackles for loss, Moran recorded a school single-game record 25 tackles against Point Boro’s triple-option offense.
Moran’s 25 tackles broke the previous record of 23 set by linebacker Danny Loizos against Warren Hills in 2013. His 7-yard touchdown run in the second quarter gave Ocean a 14-0 lead.
Ocean pulled off the victory in dramatic fashion when junior quarterback Robbie Nungesser scrambled and threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Holden Lowe with four seconds left in regulation. The pass was initially ruled incomplete, but the officials utilized the NJSIAA’s first-year replay format and overturned the call, saying Lowe did indeed get a foot in bounds with possession.
The victory was a huge boost to Ocean’s playoff hopes following a 1-4 start. The Spartans are now 3-4 and 11th in the South Group 3 United Power Rankings. They need a win over Neptune this Friday night to give them a shot to finish in the top 16 and qualify for the postseason.
Moran has a team-high 78 tackles this season with four tackles for loss and one interception. He won the POTW poll with 21.46 percent of the votes in a close race with Toms River East’s Frankie Giannetti, Monmouth’s Dayshawn Porter and Central’s Darius Martorano.
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