And then there were three. After nine weeks of exhilarating Shore Conference high school football, only three local teams will be in action when the state playoffs get underway this weekend.
Long Branch, who can still earn a share of the Liberty Division title with a win over rival Red Bank on Thanksgiving Day, was just one missed two-point conversion away from entering the postseason undefeated. The Green Wave lost to Wall Township when they were unable to convert on the PAT after getting to within one point in the closing moments of the game.
Meanwhile, Rumson-Fair Haven also enters the postseason with just one loss, to Keansburg. However, the Bulldogs still managed to earn a share of the Patriot Division title with Asbury Park and Keansburg, should the Titans defeat Mater Dei on Thanksgiving (a safe bet).
Red Bank Catholic, the third team in the likely three-way tie atop the Liberty Division, had an opportunity to secure a firstround home game on Saturday, only to lose a tough 12-10 defensive struggle to a good Neptune team. RBC appeared to be poised to beat the host Scarlet Fliers when the Caseys lined up for a 22-yard field goal in the final seconds of the game, down two. However, the kick sailed wide left, and the Caseys’ home playoff game went with it.
Now at 6-2 on the year, RBC faces a stiffer test than they originally anticipated, though in truth, in the bracket they play, there are no free rides.
So after eight games, and 20 combined wins, Long Branch, RFH and RBC are ready to begin pursuing state sectional crowns. And all three will certainly be challenged from the start.
With an impressive 32-0 win over rival Ocean Township on Friday, the Green Wave secured their first No. 2 seed in the sectional playoffs in 21 years.
While their renovated home field will not be ready for this weekend, the Wave will host Princeton in the opening round of the Central Jersey Group III playoffs on Saturday in Matawan at noon. Should the Green Wave bring the type of effort they displayed in Ocean on Friday, on both sides of the ball, it could make for a very long night for the visiting Tigers.
Princeton is 5-4 on the year, having lost to Trenton Central, 12-7, over the weekend. The low score is nothing new for the Tigers, who have struggled offensively this year, scoring about 17 points per game. Even so, Princeton still managed to capture the Colonial Valley Conference’s Valley League, finishing one game ahead of both Hamilton North and Hamilton East-Steinert.
On paper, Long Branch looks like the better team, and with the Shore’s recent dominance over CVC teams, the Green Wave enters this game as a heavy favorite.
With a win, Long Branch will get the winner of the Freehold Borough (7-1) vs. Monroe (7-1) first-round match-up. Monroe is a Greater Middlesex team that has never had much luck in the postseason, while Freehold Borough has been among the pleasant surprises in the Shore this year, knocking off defending champion Middletown South to capture the Shore’s Federal Division title.
Should both Long Branch and Freehold survive week one, their second-round game will be among the most highly anticipated match-ups in the state.
Also in this section, top-seeded and unbeaten Moorestown will take on a Wall Township team (5-3) coming off a rather lopsided loss to Lacey over the weekend, while fifth-seeded Middletown South, seeking its Shore Conference record-tying fifth consecutive sectional title, will travel to fourthseeded Lawrence (7-2) on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Rumson-Fair Haven received the fifth seed in the CJ Group II playoffs, and as such, will travel to North Plainfield on Friday. The Canucks are 6-2 on the year and play in the Skyland-Raritan Conference, where they finished second to Delaware Valley. North Plainfield enters the game on the heels of a four-game winning streak, the most recent of which was a 16-15 win over Governor Livingston this past weekend.
RFH prepared for the postseason with an impressive 31-0 blanking of Raritan on Friday. The Bulldogs are a veteran team that will need to play its best game on both sides of the ball should they hope to advance this weekend.
With a win, they’ll get the winner of the Holmdel-Governor Livingston game. Holmdel (8-0) is the top seed, and is playing as well as anyone in the Shore at this point in the season. Should RFH get past North Plainfield, a match-up against Holmdel will certainly present an even tougher challenge.
RBC’s loss to Neptune likely cost the team a No. 4 seed in the Non-Public Group IV bracket. Now, the Caseys face the daunting task of heading to Bergen Catholic, home to the state’s fifth-ranked team in the state for a first-round game on Saturday at 1 p.m. RBC has been a bit of a mystery this season, bullying some lesser opponents early on, before losing to Long Branch, beating Wall Township, and falling to Neptune this past weekend.
The Caseys, when clicking, have a good enough offense to be competitive this weekend, but will need to put forth their finest defensive effort to date. Bergen Catholic (7-1), whose only loss came to top-ranked Don Bosco Prep, 27-7, on Saturday, dominated every other opponent they’ve faced this year, with a 34-6 contest with Nutley representing their closest game.
The Crusaders are a battle-tested team that is used to facing the very best teams in the state on a routine basis. And now they’re likely an angry team on top of it. They are led by tailback Nick Gerst, who averages 139 rushing yards a game, while quarterback Ron Eckrote has also thrown for nearly 119 yards per game.
While both RBC and Bergen Catholic have prolific offensive numbers, they come against very different levels of competition. As such, comparing their stats is hardly appropriate.
RBC has its work cut out for it on Saturday, but as head coach Frank Edgerly continues to say, if the Caseys hope to become a state power, they’re going to have to beat the likes of Bergen Catholic, Don Bosco Prep and St. Peter’s sooner or later.
The remainder of the local teams will be playing in consolation games this weekend, starting with Shore Regional, who will host Burlington City in a CJ Group I match-up tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in West Long Branch. Red Bank Regional will travel to A.L. Johnson on Saturday for a 7 p.m. CJ Group II contest, while Monmouth Regional will host West Windsor-North on Saturday at 1 p.m. in CJ Group III action. Ocean Township will also host a CJ III game tomorrow night, when Hightstown pays the Spartans a visit.