Shore Sports Network Football Players of the Week, 10/7/14

Overall Shore Conference Players of the Week

Offense

Carmen Sclafani, Sr., QB, Brick

Sclafani continues to put up huge numbers for the No. 2 Dragons, and on Saturday night he did so again in Brick’s biggest game of the season. In a 30-24 overtime victory over No. 6 Jackson Memorial, Sclafani ran for 141 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries while throwing for 125 yards and two touchdowns. He threw a 48-yard touchdown to senior tight end Simon Bingelis in the third quarter to tie the game at 17, then tossed a game-tying 7-yard touchdown to senior wide receiver Ja’Quez Johnson on fourth down with 4:39 left in the fourth quarter. On the ground, Sclafani broke an 87-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and scored the eventual game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard run in overtime.

Defense

Jordan Billups, Jr., DB, Jackson Liberty

Billups made 11 tackles, seven solo, along with a pass deflection and an interception in the Lions’ emotional 9-8 victory over previously undefeated Lakewood to even Liberty’s record at 2-2. Billups’ interception in the fourth quarter helped the Lions hold off the Piners after building a 9-0 lead.

Special Teams

Pat Davis, Jr., K, Lacey

Davis kicked three field goals in a 22-15 loss to Toms River South, including a 39-yard kick in the third quarter that gave Lacey a 9-0 lead. He also connected on a 30-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 29-yarder in the second quarter.

Also deserving mention: Sadiq Palmer, Jr., Red Bank; Mo Omar, Sr., Marlboro;  Bryce Watts, So., Toms River North.

Divisional Players of the Week

Class A North

Offense

 Imamu Mayfield, Sr., RB, Manalapan

Mayfield ran for 183 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries - an 8.3 average - in a 56-34 win over Middletown North. Mayfield had touchdown runs of 4, 36, 27 and 2 yards to give him 14 touchdowns and 700 rushing yards on 68 carries so far this season.

Also deserving mention: Cole Rogers, Jr., RB, Middletown South.

Defense

Middletown South’s entire unit

The Eagles are 3-1 with their only loss coming to state-ranked South Brunswick, and in each of their three wins they have shut out their opponent. They did it for a third time on Thursday by blanking Freehold Township, 44-0.

Class A Central

Offense

(tie) Mike O’Connor, So., QB, Rumson-Fair Haven/Anthony Brown, Jr., QB, St. John Vianney

In the division’s marquee game of the season, both O’Connor and Brown delivered standout performances. With the Bulldogs without start running back Charlie Volker, O’Connor put Rumson’s offense on his back in rushing for 260 yards and 3 touchdowns on 28 carries. Brown accounted for 205 total yards and three touchdowns in leading the Lancers to a 35-28 victory. He scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in the third quarter to spark a run of 21 unanswered points in the second half.

Also deserving mention: James McAlary, Sr., RB, Manasquan; Justin Ferrara, Sr., WR, Matawan.

Defense

Tanner Cowley, Sr., LB, Manasquan

The University of Virginia recruit led a Warriors defense that shut down Ocean standout junior running back Tyler Thompson in a 14-7 victory. Cowley made 12 tackles, eight of which were solo, along with two hits for a loss. He also recovered an onside kick late in the game after Ocean had cut Manasquan lead in half.

Class A South

Offense

Mike Husni, So., QB, Toms River North

Husni went nuclear on Marlboro in a 48-12 nondivisional victory that pushed the Mariners’ record to 3-1. He piled up a whopping 452 yards of total offense in throwing for 267 yards and a touchdown on 13-of-16 passing, while also running for 185 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.

Also deserving consideration: Tymere Berry, Sr., QB, Toms River South; Vinny Lee, Jr., RB, Jackson Memorial.

Defense

Joe Miele, Fr., LB, Southern

In his first career varsity start, Miele posted a team-leading 15 tackles, 10 of which were solo, along with four tackles for a loss and a sack to lead the way in the Rams’ 7-0 shutout victory over Howell.

Also deserving consideration: Dan Finelli, Jr., DL, Brick.

Class B North

Offense

Dahmiere Willis, Sr., RB, Long Branch

For the third week in a row it was impossible to deny Willis player of the week honors after another high-octane performance on the ground. Willis ran for a career-high 307 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-0 win over Colts Neck, giving him three straight games of over 200 yards rushing, to help the Green Wave improve to 3-1.

Defense

Mi’Jaut Berry, Sr., LB, Neptune

The Scarlet Fliers middle linebacker posted a team-high 12 tackles in Neptune’s 24-7 win over previously undefeated Red Bank in which the defense went unscored upon to help snap a two-game losing streak.

Class B Central

Offense

Christian Palmer, Sr., QB, Mater Dei Prep

In the Seraphs’ 36-0 victory over Keyport, Palmer combined for 326 total yards and five touchdowns to lead the way in the program’s first win over the Red Raiders since 1996. Palmer was 7-for-13 passing for 232 yards and 3 touchdowns, and carried 11 times for 94 yards and 2 touchdowns. He has thrown for 597 yards and ran for 458 this season with 16 total touchdowns to lead the Seraphs to a 3-1 start.

Defense

Tanner Smith, Jr., DL, Point Beach

Smith led the Garnet Gulls’ defense with 5 tackles, 2 sacks and a fumble recovery in their 9-6 comeback win over Spotswood to improve to 3-1.

Class B South

Offense

Mike Bickford, So., RB, Central 

Bickford ran for a career-high 228 yards and four touchdowns in the Golden Eagles’ 26-12 victory over Pinelands that evened their record at 2-2. He was selected as the Sport Clips Player of the Week by the fans with nearly 50 percent of the votes.

Defense

Point Boro’s entire unit

The Panthers blanked Manchester 34-0 to record their first shutout since 2011 and move into sole possession of first place in B South (3-1, 3-0).