Holmdel 43, Point Pleasant Beach 3
Holmdel improved to 6-1 on the season and went an undefeated 6-0 in the National division in their 43-3 victory over Point Beach to secure its first division title since 2007. Senior running back Dean Gallo shined once again on the ground for the Hornets, rushing for 119 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries, while senior quarterback Jeff DeCicco completed 3-of-4 passes for 75 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Holmdel got out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead thanks to a 12-yard touchdown run from Nick Fanizini and a 68-yard score from Gallo. They doubled their lead in the second quarter with a three-yard touchdown pass from DeCicco to Ryan Day and a two-yard run from Gallo. In the third quarter, senior Mack Byrne scored on a 66-yard touchdown run and a 66-yard score from DeCicco to Aidan Flanagan in the fourth quarter, with a two-point conversion from Austin Fischer, capped off the scoring.
Red Bank Catholic 14, Rumson-Fair Haven 13
Entering the fourth quarter with a 14-0 lead, Red Bank Catholic was able to hold off a Rumson comeback in a battle of Shore Conference unbeatens. The Caseys got on the board early on a pair of touchdown passes by quarterback Steve Lubischer, who connected with senior M.J. Wright for a nine-yard score in the first quarter and with and junior Sean Rossback on a 15-yard touchdown in the second quarter, giving them a 14-0 halftime advantage.
Rumson scored with 4:35 left in the game on a four-yard touchdown run by Alex Maldjian and got the ball back on an interception by Ryan Ruane. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Maldjian broke an 84-yard touchdown run to bring the Bulldogs to within one, but RBC’s Jaden Key blocked the game-tying extra point attempt. Rumson recovered the onside kick, but RBC’s Gino Tartamella intercepted a screen pass with just over two minutes to play. RBC was forced to punt with just over a minute left and Rumson was able to get into field goal range, but a 42-yard field goal attempt with two seconds left was short, enabling RBC to escape remaining undefeated.
Long Branch 34, Manalapan 0
Junior running back Jermaine Corbett continues to add to his already remarkable scholastic career, setting a new career-high with 320 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 29 carries as Long Branch shut out Manalapan and improved to 6-1 on the season. Corbett scored on runs of 15 yards and five yards in the first half and senior quarterback Marc Dennis threw a pair of scores – a four-yard pass to senior Qua'Zahun Dennis and an 11-yard pass to senior Matt Clarke. Qua'Zahun Dennis added a 27-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. For Manalapan, junior running back Nico Santorelli led the Braves with 100 yards rushing on 15 carries.
Red Bank Regional 19, Monmouth 0
Makai Mickens ran for 180 yards on 31 carries to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark on the season and scored on a 34-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to lead the Bucs past the Falcons to improve to 6-1 on the season. Kashawn Turner, who also forced an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone to result in a safety, also scored on a three-yard touchdown run.
Toms River North 48, Toms River East 7
Sophomore quarterback Jake Kazanowsky threw for five touchdowns to lead the Mariners past Toms River East and complete the sweep of their district opponents. Kazanowsky opened the scoring with a first quarter touchdown pass to Will Marsh for 20 yards and then a 31-yard score to Dashawn Wilder early in the second quarter. He then connected with Dominick Jacob for a 69-yard score and a 25-yard run by junior running back Jarrod Pruitt gave Toms River North a 28-0 halftime lead. Another Kazanowsky-to-Jacob connection made it 35-0 early in the third quarter. Kazanowsky's fifth touchdown pass of the night and second to Aaron Craig made it 41-7 with 9:39 to play and a touchdown run by sophomore Jordan Grey capped the scoring at 48-7. Toms River East got on the board in the opening minute of the fourth quarter when junior running back Frankie Giannetti scored from seven yards out.
Barnegat 18, Point Pleasant Boro 15
Senior running back Charlie Cotton ran for 149 yards and three scores on 33 carries to lead 6-1 Barnegat past Point Boro, snapping a three-game losing streak against their former division rivals. All three of Cotton’s scores came from inside the 10-yard line, coming from six, seven and three yards. For Point Boro, senior quarterback Garrett Romer completed three-of-four passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns, all to senior wide receiver Kyle Komanitsky.
Southern 28, Howell 18
A trio of Rams scored rushing touchdowns as Southern won its third game of the season in a 28-18 victory over Howell. A six-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jason Caston gave Howell a 7-0 lead, but Joe Guglielmo's one-yard touchdown run in the first quarter tied the score at seven. A 21-yard field goal by Jacob David put Howell up, 10-7, before Thomas Barnett's four-yard score in the second quarter gave Southern a 14-10 halftime lead. Pat Scully scored from a yard out, extending the Southern lead to 21-10 in the third quarter and Carmen Deo converted a fourth-and-two with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Matt Caporrino with 4:12 to play to make it 28-10. Howell narrowed the deficit to 28-18 with Caston connected with Brandon Van Bargen on a 15-yard touchdown pass and completed the 2-point conversion pass to Xavier Kelly.
Pinelands 27, Colts Neck 15
Senior running back Evan Burton led Pinelands past Colts Neck by rushing for 227 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries, giving the Wildcats their third win of the season. Burton scored on touchdown runs of two yards and 66 yards, and he is closing in on his third straight 1,000 yard season. Sophomore running back Nik DiLeo added 52 rushing yards and a touchdown on 13 carries and senior quarterback Garrett Brown also scored on a two-yard run. For Colts Neck, junior running back Romeo Thomas ran for 116 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, freshman quarterback Tom Fallon completed 10-of-13 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown and Michael Boliver had a team-high four receptions for 46 yards.
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