VOTE for the Shore Conference Football Player of the Week

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High school football has returned, and so has the Shore Sports Network Football Player of the Week award. We are excited to have Beacon 70 as the sponsor of the 2021 poll.

There were some great individual performances in the air, on the ground, on defense and on special teams in Week 0 and Week 1 and now it’s time to get your vote in for who had the top performance in the Shore this weekend to choose the Beacon 70/Shore Sports Network Player of the Week. The winner will be announced on Thursday night right here on ShoreSportsNetwork.com. Voting will end Thursday at noon.

Scroll down to see the candidates and make your selection.

Beacon 70 Player of the Week nominees for Weeks 0 and 1 (listed in alphabetical order)

JoJo Bivins, Jr., RB, Barnegat

Bivins exploded for 232 yards rushing and a program single-game record five touchdowns on 32 carries to help deliver first-year head coach Paul Covine his first career win.

Mikal Braithwaite, Sr., QB, Keansburg

Braithwaite led the Titans to a 21-8 win over West Windsor-Plainsboro in Week 0 by rushing for 122 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and passing for 67 yards and two touchdowns. He also made five tackles on defense and ran for a 2-point conversion.

Alex Brown, Sr., QB, Red Bank Catholic

In a 34-0 win over Timber Creek in Week 0, Brown completed 16 of 23 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a touchdown.

Jaiden Brown, Sr., RB, Southern

The Rams’ all-time leading rusher added to his totals in a 41-0 win over Toms River East by rushing for 127 yards and four touchdowns on 16 carries.

Jai’Sun Brown, Jr., QB, Asbury Park

Brown threw for 179 yards and two touchdowns on 14 of 16 passing to help lead the Blue Bishops to a 30-19 victory over Red Bank.

Dennis Buonagura, Sr., QB, Matawan

Buonagura threw for a career-high 320 yards and four touchdowns, including three in the fourth quarter, as the Huskies stormed back for a 28-27 win over Ocean

Connor Dietz, So., QB, Brick Memorial

Dietz had a great start to his varsity career with 137 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 22 carries plus a touchdown pass in the Mustangs’ 32-27 victory over Howell.

Tommy Fallon, Sr., QB, Colts Neck

Fallon ran for 89 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and threw for 32 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 17 seconds left, to steer the Cougars to a 28-21 win over Toms River North.

Micah Ford, So., QB, Toms River North

Ford had a great debut at quarterback for the Mariners, albeit in a 28-21 loss to Colts Neck, by rushing for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries and throwing for 115 yards and a touchdown.

Colin Gallagher, So., LB, Middletown South

Gallagher had a huge game with three sacks to help the Eagles win a defensive battle, 15-12, over Manasquan.

Jaden Gallo, Sr., RB, Holmdel

Gallo led the Hornets’ ground game in a 28-0 victory over St. Joseph By The Sea (NY) by rushing for 165 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries.

Kamore Gill, Sr., QB/DB, Freehold

Gill led the charge in the Colonials’ 20-19 comeback win over Jackson Memorial with 134 yards rushing and a touchdown on 24 carries, a 45-yard touchdown reception, 80 yards passing and a game-clinching interception.

Jack Grassi, Sr., QB, Red Bank

Although his effort came in a loss to Asbury Park, Grassi had a monster game with 228 yards and two touchdowns on 10 of 12 passing plus 154 yards rushing and a touchdown on 20 carries.

Chase Gumbrecht, Jr., RB, Central

The Golden Eagles ran for 438 yards in a 35-0 win over Hightstown and Gumbrecht led the way with 241 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries.

Brian Haddow, Sr., RB, Middletown North

Haddow ran for 211 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries to lead the Lions to a 31-14 victory over Freehold Township.

Colin Kennedy, Sr., QB, Rumson-Fair Haven

Rumson throttled top-ranked Wall, 35-0, in a statement game felt around New Jersey and Kennedy was tremendous in his first career start by rushing for 131 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries and completing 5 of 6 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown.

EJ Marquez, Sr., LB/RB, Manalapan

Marquez returned a fumble 46 yards for a touchdown and also ran for 54 yards in the Braves’ 14-6 win over Manalapan.

Savon Myers, Sr., QB, Manchester

Myers ran for 145 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and threw for 108 yards and a touchdown as the Hawks opened their season with a 20-14 win over Monmouth Regional.

DJ Thomson, Sr., WR, Keyport

Thomson caught four passes for 160 yards and touchdowns of 40 and 60 yards and also returned a punt 60 yards for a score to lead the Red Raiders to a 37-20 win over Metuchen.

Charlie Vitale, Sr., QB, Point Boro

Vitale and the Panthers’ offense got off to a fast start to the season with a 34-20 victory over Shore Regional. The third-year starting quarterback ran for 136 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries, including a 71-yard touchdown run.

Dante Vernieri, Jr., DB, Donovan Catholic

There were several standouts in the Griffins’ emphatic 54-14 win over Archbishop Stepinac (NYC) but Vernieri had the rare distinction of returning two interceptions for touchdowns. He added seven tackles to his pair of pick-sixes.

Kyle Verriest, Jr., WR, St. John Vianney

Verriest had a standout game in a loss to Manalapan by catching six passes for 139 yards and a touchdown.

Tyler Weisneck, Sr., RB, Brick

Weisneck ran for 103 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries and also ran for a 2-point conversion to help the Dragons rally for a 21-14 win over Toms River South.

Cooper Yorke, Sr., K, Jackson Liberty

York connected on field goals of 37 and 35 yards to provide a large chunk of the Lions’ offense in their 13-0 victory over Point Beach.

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

Filed Under: Football Player of the Week 2021