NOTE ON PLAYERS OF THE WEEK, UPCOMING FEATURES

E-mail: stump@digitalsports.com
   

     1. Toms River North (7-0) – Last week: No. 1.
The Mariners are coming off their bye week and have one of their biggest games of the season when they head to No. 3 Southern in the American Division. A victory clinches them at least a tie for the American Division title, while Southern would clinch the title outright with a victory. Senior quarterback Anthony Penna and his talented corps of wideouts will once again be called upon to deliver.

    2. Long Branch (6-1)
– Last week: No. 3. The Green Wave move up a spot after Red Bank Catholic took down last week’s No. 2, Wall. At this point, with every team having a loss, it’s a matter of opinion and you could go around and around. Long Branch has quality wins over RBC and Lacey, and lost by a point to Wall after committing six turnovers. Senior Travis Patterson ran for a school-record 330 yards in a 14-0 win over Manchester this past weekend, which is a special record considering Long Branch is one of the oldest programs in the Shore. Although, if I’m not mistaken, Crazy Legs Greenshoes in 1893 piled up 332 yards, but I don’t know if it’s official.

     3. Southern (6-1) – Last week: No. 4. The Rams topped Middletown North, 22-7, in a nondivisional game to tune up for a huge game against top-ranked Toms River North. Junior linebacker Glenn Carson made his return from a slight shoulder separation, and they will need him and junior Anthony Stroffolino to have big games in their showdown with the Mariners. This team matches up pretty well with North, so it would not be a surprise by any stretch if they won this game and claimed their stake of the No. 1 spot next week. Plus, there are major South Jersey Group IV seeding implications in this game.

     4. Toms River East (6-1) – Last week: No. 5. A shutout win over Central continued the Raiders’ surge toward the playoffs, and now they have winless Toms River South this week. This team has kind of been laying low the past few weeks, but will be eager to begin its run at its first state title when the South Jersey Group IV playoffs begin next week.

     5. Howell (6-1) – Last week: No. 6. The Rebels move up a spot, and they will try to gear up for their run in the Central Jersey Group IV playoffs this week when they meet winless Marlboro after coming off their bye week.

     6. Red Bank Catholic (6-1) – Last week: Unranked.  The Caseys are right back in the mix after a 25-17 win over last week’s No. 2 team, Wall, which was a win over a Top 10 team that they needed to validate their season. It wasn’t pretty, with four fumbles lost, but some huge special teams and defensive play showed that they are a well-rounded team. Their only loss is to No. 2 Long Branch. They face a dangerous Neptune team that needs to win to have a shot at the state playoffs, so the Caseys need to continue to play well.

    7. Holmdel (7-0) – Last week: No. 10. It’s time for the Hornets to move up in the world after a 13-10 win over last week’s No. 7 team, Point Boro, in a match-up of previously unbeaten teams. All year, people have knocked them for not having that win over a quality team, but they beat a ranked, undefeated team on the road. All they have done is win, and they face Red Bank this week in a nondivisional game. They should get the No. 1 seed in the Central Jersey Group II playoffs, and could be at Rutgers Stadium in the final in December.

    8. Freehold (6-1) – Last week:  No. 8. The Colonials rolled past Pinelands to wrap up the Federal Division title outright last week. Now they take on Matawan and need to win to affect their seeding in Central Jersey Group III. This is a dangerous game, so we’ll see if the Colonials learned their lesson after a slip-up against Red Bank earlier in the year.

    9. Middletown South (6-2) – Last week: No. 9.
The Eagles stay put after a 33-0 win over Ocean that locked up a berth in the Central Jersey Group III playoffs, where they are the defending champions. They are on their bye week and will try to remind everyone that they are the defending champs when the playoffs kick off next week.

    10.
Wall (5-2) – Last week: No. 2. The Crimson Knights fall eight spots after a 25-17 loss to Red Bank Catholic that means they will share the Liberty Division title. They can jump right back on the horse, however, with a victory over a surging Lacey team that is fighting hard to return to the Top 10. Wall stays in ahead of Lacey by virtue of a win over Long Branch, which defeated Lacey. Their game against the Lions is a big power-point swing for the victor.

Knocking on the door:
Lacey (5-2): The opportunity is right there for the Lions to vault back into the top 10 when they take on No. 10 Wall in a nondivisional game this week. Then it’s on to defend their title in the South Jersey Group III playoffs.

Asbury Park (7-1): Make it seven in a row for the Blue Bishops, who handled Barnegat, 26-7, in the mud behind Rashawn Roberts in a nondivisional game to give the Patriot Division some respect. They are on their bye week, then it’s on to the Central Jersey Group I playoffs.

Colts Neck (5-2):
The Cougars rolled to a shutout win over Marlboro and now have a major game against Brick in the Constitution Division that will affect the Central Jersey Group IV bracket.

Jackson (5-3): Senior running back Don Murphy is on fire, registered yet another 200-yard rushing game and giving the Jaguars a 1,000-yard rusher for the 12th straight season in a 20-7 win over Brick Memorial. With their eight games necessary for playoff qualification already in the books, they will just try to keep the momentum going with a win over Manalapan.

Keansburg (6-1): The Titans were dealt a tough loss when senior Justin Laguna was lost for 4-6 weeks with a fractured tibia in a 46-20 win over Monsignor Donovan last week. It will be up to Anthony Valle, Scott Pillar, Joe Laguna, Josh Bakala, Joe Mickle and Co. to pick up the slack this week against Pinelands and in the upcoming Central Jersey Group I playoffs.

Rumson-Fair Haven (6-1):
The Bulldogs blanked Point Beach, 27-0, for their third straight shutout and a share of their second straight Patriot Division title. Next up is winless Raritan and then the Central Jersey Group II playoffs.

Manasquan (4-3):
The Warriors are coming off their bye week and take on Shore in a nondivisional game as they try to get some momentum and get in the South Jersey Group II playoffs to defend their title.

SMALL-SCHOOL TOP 10
(PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS THAT ARE GROUP II OR SMALLER)
 
     1. Red Bank Catholic (6-1) – Last week: No. 3. The Caseys took down last week’s No. 2 team in the overall rankings, Wall, with a 25-17 win. Next up is Neptune.

     2. Holmdel (7-0) – Last week: No. 3.
The Hornets are breathing down RBC’s neck, and the more they continue to win, the more it will take of itself.

    3. Asbury Park (7-1) – Last week: No. 5. The Blue Bishops are playing out of their minds right now, and I just think they deserve to be in this spot among the three-team tie in the Patriot Division between them, Rumson and Keansburg. They are
coming off a 26-7 win over Barnegat and seem to get more impressive by
the week. They are on their bye week right now and return with a home
game in the Central Jersey Group I playoffs.  

    4. Rumson-Fair Haven (6-1) – Last week No. 4.
The Bulldogs are coming off their third straight shutout, a 27-0 win over Point Beach that clinched a tie for the Patriot Division title, and now face winless Raritan in a nondivisional game.    

    5. Keansburg (6-1) – Last week: No. 6. The
Titans rolled over Monsignor Donovan, but suffered a significant loss in senior star Justin Laguna, who fractured the tibia on his right leg in the victory. They will have to make do without him in the Central Jersey Group I playoffs and this weekend’s game against Pinelands.

    6. Point Boro (5-1) – Last week: No. 1. This was a really tough decision to drop Point Boro this far considering that if the Panthers stopped Holmdel on fourth down in the final seconds, they would still be undefeated. Their best win this season is over No. 7 Manasquan, and they now face No. 8 Barnegat. The South Jersey Group II playoffs await, which is a perfect opportunity to move back up the rankings if they can get by the Bengals.

    7. Manasquan (4-3) –  Last week: No. 7. The
Warriors are coming off their bye week with a nondivisional game against Shore. They look to be a sleeper in South Jersey Group II, where they are the defending champs, if they get by the Blue Devils this weekend.

    8. Barnegat (4-3) – Last week: No. 8. The
Bengals lost 26-7 to No. 3 Asbury Park in a game in which senior running back Erik Smithman left with an injury. They will try to regroup and get a higher seed in the South Jersey Group II bracket when they take on No. 6 Point Boro this week.

    9. Matawan (3-4) – Last week: Unranked. The Huskies are coming off their bye week and have a huge nondivisional game against Freehold. They need to win to qualify for the state playoffs, so it’s all or nothing.

   10. Keyport (3-5) – Last week: Unranked. After a tough start thanks to a brutal schedule, the Red Raiders have really come on in the latter half of the season and are into the Top 10. They picked up a last-minute, 31-26 win over Shore this week and are now on their bye week.

E-mail: stump@digitalsports.com 

BAD BREAK FOR KEANSBURG FOOTBALL

Keansburg senior star Justin Laguna is out for 4-6 weeks with an injury.

    
Keansburg will have to rally together in these next few weeks as it tries to mount a run at the Central Jersey Group I title as senior running back/safety Justin Laguna, one of the team’s core stars, is out for four to six weeks with a fractured tibia in his right leg, according to Titans coach Brian Kmak.
      That means that at best Laguna has a slight chance to return if the Titans reached the state sectional final. Laguna sustained the injury in a victory over Monsignor Donovan this past weekend, and after it initially didn’t look too bad, the diagnosis takes away a player who leads the team in rushing, catches, receiving yards and touchdowns. Laguna is also a talented safety and a special teams weapon as a punt returner.
      “While it’s tough for our team, I just really feel bad for Justin because he is a great kid who has been a huge part of our success,” Kmak said.
      While that is a tough loss, the good news is that the Titans still have plenty of offensive weapons in senior quarterback Anthony Valle, wideouts Scott Pillar and Josh Bakala, and Laguna’s twin brother, Joe. Joe Mickle will step into Justin Laguna’s shoes at running back in the Titans’ veer offense. Keansburg is playing Pinelands this weekend with the hopes of a victory and a potential No. 2 seed in the Central Jersey Group I bracket.

E-mail:stump@digitalsports.com

FRIDAY FOOTBALL POSTPONEMENTS, 10/26/07  

WEEK EIGHT FOOTBALL PICKS

      If you haven’t watched the Schwartz Chrysler Mazda Pick ‘Em show or gotten your picks in for Week Eight action and your shot at a $100 gift certificate to Monmouth Mall, you can do so here.
      Here are my picks for Week Eight action.
      TR South at Brick – Brick. The Green Dragons bounce back from a loss to Howell.
      Brick Mem. at Jackson – Jackson. The Jaguars continue their playoff push.
      Central at TR East – TR East. The Raiders try to build momentum as the postseason looms.
      Manalapan at Freehold Twp. – Manalapan. The Braves bounce back from a heartbreaker.
      Monmouth at Jackson Liberty – Monmouth. The Falcons pick up a win over the first-year Lions.
      Holmdel at Pt. Boro – Pt. Boro. Experience gives the Panthers a slight edge in the DigitalSports Game of the Week for the National Division title.
      Long Branch at Manchester – Long Branch. The Green Wave hope to handle their business and have RBC upset Wall to get their slice of the Liberty Division pie.
      Midd. South at Ocean – Midd. South. The Eagles need to win to guarantee the playoffs.
      Southern at Midd. North – Southern. The Rams spoil the unveiling of the Lions’ new field.
      Rumson-FH at Pt. Beach – Rumson-FH. The Bulldogs clinch their share of the Patriot Division crown.
      Wall at RB Catholic – Wall. The Crimson Knights lock up the Liberty Division title outright.
      Shore at Keyport – Keyport. The Red Raiders continue their push for a .500 season.
      Barnegat at Asbury Park – Asbury Park. The Blue Bishops win a wild one filled with offense.
     Pinelands at Freehold – Freehold. The Colonials take the Federal Division crown outright.
      Lakewood at Red Bank – Lakewood. The Piners get back on track.
      Colts Neck at Marlboro – Colts Neck. The Cougars are gaining steam with the playoffs coming.
      St. John Vianney at Mater Dei – SJV. The Lancers get their second victory of the season.
      Msgr. Donovan at Keansburg – Keansburg. The Titans are rolling toward the playoffs.

E-mail: stump@digitalsports.com

THE FANS’ FOOTBALL TOP 10, 10/25/07

Check out how the fans voted for the order of the top 10 football teams in the Shore Conference

     The votes are in, and this week’s fan voting has a few surprises. It also shows the parity between top 10 teams that the squads ranked from No. 4 to No. 10 are separated by hundredths of a point in the voting.
     The teams are listed in order with their composite score in parentheses after each team. The score comes from the average position that each team was voted. For instance, No. 1 Toms River North has a score of 2.24, which means the Mariners mostly received first- and second-place votes with some third place and lower votes thrown in.
     The conclusions from this week’s rankings are that head-to-head does not mean everything to people, as Long Branch is ahead of Wall despite losing to the Crimson Knights, and Toms River East is ahead of Southern despite losing to the Rams. If you didn’t get your votes in this week, be sure to check the homepage and Football Central early next week after this weekend’s action.
     I also added some comments from voters out of the nearly 80 that we received.

    The Fans’ Top 10

    1. Toms River North (2.24)
        Richie from Toms River – TR North still remains #1 in spite of a poor first-half appearance against
Brick Memorial. Offense came up flat until second half. Starting RB
(Marlon) Brinson returned to action after injury but was a little rusty until
4th Quarter. Defense played solid all throughout.
I hope this is wake-up call for North, who will need to play at the top
of their game for showdown against Southern in two weeks. Also saw Long
Branch vs RBC, which was a good game for LB. (Travis) Patterson played great on
both sides of the ball but his running game was top notch. Read blocks
well, hides behind his linemen, and always manages to grind out yards by
keeping his legs moving. A coach’s dream.

    2. Long Branch (4.25)
        Doug from Long Branch: Long Branch will be Number 1 by the end of the year.
       Steve from Shrewsbury: LB beat RBC at RBC so you give them
props for that. Coach George did a great job preparing his team. RBC QB
was hurt but played. LB probably beats Wall if they don’t go for two
with 0:02 in regulation. LB basically fumbled away the game vs Wall in
the 2nd half. TRN win over Midd. South not looking that great after a
Freehold team that lost to RBR beats South in the Swamp (in
regulation). Wall beats South if the Wall RB (Blaze Caponegro) played in the 2nd half.
Even if the Wall RB is in the game for the 2-point conversion, with
Wright playing at wide receiver, Campbell does not make that game-saving tackle from his safety position because he’s helping to defend
vs. Wright instead of making a game-saving tackle. It is going to be a
great Wall vs. RBC game this Friday.
      From Anonymous: I am a Raritan parent and the teams are
very weak in their division this year. I would be very
surprised to see any of those teams in the top 10, including Point
Boro. I couldn’t imagine a team beating RBC, but Long Branch did it in
a close game, so they get my vote as #1.

    3. Wall (4.95)
    Joe from Howell: Wall is a great team. They could have beaten Middletown South and they
beat Long Branch. Howell is also a real good team who will continue to
make noise.

    4. Toms River East (6.37)
     Ed from Barnegat: TR East is not going away!

    5. Howell (6.62)
   Jake from Howell: Howell is the best team in the Shore
because they have the veteran leadership to run the table. Out of the
22 starters on offense and defense, 20 are seniors in the Rebel
program. This veteran leadership team with a high-powered offensive
playbook will make Howell the team to beat in the shore.

    6. Freehold (6.74)
     From “Just a Mom” from Freehold: Freehold has proven they are a tough competitor this year. These boys
are playing for themselves as well as for the entire student body and
community, which has been through so much this past year. Its a force
that’s beyond us.
    Rich from Rumson: Freehold Boro lost to Red Bank Regional and beat
Middletown South, who is now a two-loss team. They are the most
overrated team in the Shore
    Brian from Freehold: Even though Freehold lost to Red Bank, you have to give them credit for
beating Middletown South after losing to them the past three years in
great defeats. This was a big one for them, so they deserve to be up
there. They worked for this. They are the real deal now.
    Frank from Middletown: Beating Middletown South is still an automatic move up in the rankings.

    7. Point Boro (6.88)
       Ed from Brick: TRN by far the best this week!
Wall will be tested by RBC.
I think Holmdel can beat Boro and will.
East will beat North on Turkey weekend.
      Anthony from Manasquan: Maybe Point Boro knows how to get it
done in every game. It’s not the score that counts, it is getting the ‘W’
that matters most. Give them the respect that they deserve.
     From Anonymous: The only thing for sure is TRN #1, Wall
#2, and LB #3! Pt. Boro and Holmdel would lose to the three Patriot
Division teams and how could a ranked team lose to Red Bank? Good luck with
this one!

    8. Southern (6.96)
    Bruce from Manahawkin: The big dogs rule: TRN, Southern, TRE. Long Branch, Wall and Howell are
tough teams.Freehold is having a great year. Pt Boro and Holmdel are
undefeated. Middletown South is barely hanging in. Lacey and Asbury are
knocking on the door. RBC must beat a good team to get back in.

    9. Red Bank Catholic (7.20)
       From Anonymous: RBC kept Long Branch from gaining over 175 yards. How are they not in
your (DigitalSports) top 10 from losing to your third-ranked Long Branch by six points? RBC played a terrible game versus Long Branch, but they are far
ahead of Holmdel, Point Boro and Freehold.
      Andrew from Colts Neck: I don’t think RBC deserved to be droppd out of the Top 10 after a tough loss to a good LB team.

    10. Middletown South (7.96)
    Mary from Brick: Middletown South should no longer be in the top 10. They lost twice and almost lost to Wall.

The next five: Holmdel (8.49); Lacey (9.45); Asbury Park (9.81); Keansburg (10.55); Jackson (10.57).

Some general comments:
From Anonymous: The senior class at Holmdel went
undefeated as freshmen and brought in Glenn Grainger from Central with a
great coach in Andy Carlstrom. Why are people still not giving Holmdel
respect? I doubt they will get it if they beat Point Boro

Jersey from Lakewood: Jackson is the most underrated team in the
Shore. I saw the Holmdel vs Mon Don game this past weekend. Regardless of
Holmdel’s pristine record, they couldn’t hang with the big schools in the
Shore Conference.

Tom from Hazlet: TR North takes the cake no doubt about
it. Howell has so many skilled players you can’t leave them out. Long
Branch, RBC, TR East and Wall are the same in my book and Wall against
RBC coming up this week determines that. Although undefeated, Point
Boro isn’t that good so they take No. 7, and the same deal with Holmdel who
is mediocre ballclub. Rumson is nine and should be undefeated and 10
is Patriot Division counterpart Keansburg. Eleven goes to Asbury, who by
the way would not beat Rumson due to poor ability to stop the pass. And
the rest goes from there.

From Anonymous: Freehold’s win really lowers the
perception of Middletown South as a great football team. Point Boro
deserves more respect in the rankings. Toms River North’s failure to
score till the fourth quarter questions their abilities. Do they have
enough weapons to advance in the playoffs? They can’t always rely on a
comeback. TRE should be in top 3.

From Anonymous: For all those people that jumped off
the Howell bandwagon, they did more than prove they’re a good team. They
not only beat Brick, they pounded them. Howell bullied Brick the entire game and put up 400 yards of offense on supposedly one
of the best defenses in the Shore. Howell is a top 4 team in the shore
along with TRN, Long Branch, and TRE. Like I have said before, Midd. South is NOT good and doesn’t have a strong team this year. GET OFF THE
MIDD. SOUTH BANDWAGON EVERYONE. TRN is number 1 in the Shore and
followed by Long Branch, Howell, and TRE.

From Anonymous: TRN is unbeaten and did so against
solid teams. Wall lost on a 2-pt. conversion to a tough team but has
bounced back since. TRE has since bounced back from their loss. Long
Branch is scary athletic and has lost tight ones and beat RBC. Southern
is dangerous even without Carson, and with him they are very good. Point
Boro played hard against an athletic SJV setting up a contest with
Holmdel for essentially the division. I have them ranked ahead of
Freehold Boro because they beat Freehold in a game scrimmage this year.
RBC’s loss to Long Branch proves they were playing a cake schedule. MTS
has tough losses but is still good. Freehold is good enough to contend.
Holmdel vs. Boro will be a good one.

E-mail: stump@digitalsports.com

PLAYOFFS RAPIDLY APPROACHING, OTHER TIDBITS

E-mail: stump@digitalsports.com

SCHWARTZ CHRYSLER MADZDA PICK ‘EM – WEEK EIGHT

Get your picks in and take your shot at winning a $100 gift certificate to Monmouth Mall.

With the 2007 Shore
Conference football season entering Week Eight, it’s once again time to
be a part of our weekly Schwartz Chrysler Mazda Pick ‘Em contest.
     
All you have to do is beat the win-loss record for the week of
DigitalSports Shore Conference football writer Scott Stump (that would
be me), and a $100 gift certificate to Monmouth Mall could be yours,
courtesy of Schwartz Chrysler Mazda in Shrewsbury. Last week, I turned in a 17-3 record and was beaten by WOBM Radio’s Ed Sarluca of Brick, who went 18-2.
   
You can either click on the Schwartz logo on the Pick ‘Em videos that
will appear weekly on the main player or click on the link for
“Promos/Extras” on the homepage to enter. You could also just click here to get your picks in for Week Eight. This week’s DigitalSports Game of the Week is a showdown for the National Division title on Friday night between a pair of undefeated teams, Point Boro and Holmdel.

FOOTBALL TOP 10, 10/21/07 – LET THE FANS VOTE!

Get your picks in for what teams should be ranked where among the Shore Conference’s top football squads.