FOOTBALL TOP 10s, 10/31/07

By Scott Stump – Senior Editor
      Come back Red Bank Catholic, all is forgiven. I guess I officially have no shot at ever being named to the RBC Hall of Fame after dropping my alma mater from the Top 10 last week, as the Caseys rebounded strong with a 25-17 win over last week’s No. 2 squad, Wall.
      The victory gave RBC a piece of the Liberty Division title and silenced many doubters and those know-nothing sportswriters. Still, I maintain to the end that I really would like to know the team that should’ve been knocked out last week to keep RBC in the rankings considering that Point Boro and Holmdel were still both unbeaten.
      Anyway, enough of my filibustering about last week. Point Boro is out of the Top 10 and Holmdel moves up after a gutsy, 13-10 win over the Panthers that was won in the final six seconds. I know people still have wildly different opinions on the Hornets, but the bottom line is they keep winning.
      The two monstrous games this week are the DigitalSports Game of the Week between Southern and Toms River North, each of whom are unbeaten in American Division play, and Wall and Lacey. The latter game has major state playoff seeding implications for the Group III schools.
      I put Long Branch up at the second spot, which Southern could certainly argue for as well, but I feel the Green Wave have played a rugged schedule and done a great job, considering all of it has been on the road. The last time I traveled to Southern and underestimated the Rams, they stunned Toms River East. I will be going down there again and may have to wear a helmet if the Rams take down the Mariners, who are my pick by a hair in that game.

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.

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