In a football game that actually came down to the last play, Ocean Township High School upset Red, Bank Catholic (RBC) High School, 42-35, at Count Basie Field on Oct. 30.
The Spartans staged an exciting fourth quarter comeback to take the lead, but the Caseys valiantly tried to answer back — and nearly did. A huge tackle by Ocean Township’s Joe Aldarelli at his own 1-yard line saved the day as time ran out.
Behind by seven points, quarterback Kenny Pickett’s pass found Ruquan Dean roaring down the sideline for 82 yards to tie the score at 35-35. Despite a successful fake punt that resulted in a first down, the Spartans defense held the ball back. Pickett calmly brought his team downfield and finally scored himself on a short keeper to give Ocean Township the lead.
“This is a tremendous win for our team,” Ocean Township coach Don Klein said. “To come back and beat a great team like Red Bank Catholic, it really says a lot about our players.”
Ocean Township was up, 14-7, at the end of the opening quarter thanks to a 21-yard scoring run by Tyler Thompson, the first of his two touchdowns, and a 14-yard touchdown pass from Pickett to Quadratullah Qadri. Pickett also connected with Aldarelli for a 15-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.
Caseys quarterback Eddie Hahn tried to will his team to victory. The senior standout threw four touchdown passes, three of them to Michael Balzofiore, who caught nine balls for nearly 200 yards. Hahn completed 20 of his 29 throws for 381 yards and also ran for a touchdown.
The victory gave Ocean Township (6-1) 116 power points, good for second place in the race for the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group III playoffs behind Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School,which has 120 power points.
The top eight teams will qualify in each section. The best seven of a team’s first eight games count in the standings.
The Spartans are set to host Colts Neck High School (1-7), which is coming off a 13-0 win over Wall High School.
RBC (6-2) is fifth in the Non-Public Group III playoff race with 108 power points. The Caseys will be home Nov. 6 to face Jackson Memorial High School (5-3). The Jaguars downed Toms River High School East, 30-0, Oct. 30.
In Hazlet, Rumson-Fair Haven (6-1) faced a tough test from an upset-minded Raritan High School (3-4) Oct. 30. The Rockets pulled within 21-20 with just over three minutes to play. Raritan then faked an extra point, but Bulldogs cornerback Mike Murdock made the read and stopped Jordan Smith just shy of the goal line to preserve his team’s lead. Murdock led his team with 12 tackles on the evening.
“We thought that they might try something like that,” Rumson-Fair Haven coach Bryan Batchler said. “Even then, it took a great play by Murdock to stop it.”
The Bulldogs churned out yardage on the ground throughout the game. Bryan Hess ran for nearly 150 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, and quarterback Michael O’Connor ran 15 times for 141 yards and a touchdown. O’Connor also threw for 129 yards and a touchdown.
Rumson-Fair Haven was up, 13-0, but Raritan scored a touchdown to cut the lead to six points right before the half.
“Their touchdown right before the half really hurt us,” Batchler said. “That gave them the momentum. They knew they were getting the ball back, and they came out strong in the second half.”
The Rockets went up, 14-13, in the third quarter, but the visitors regained the lead before the quarter ended. On fourth-and-2 from the Raritan 5-yard line, O’Connor found Mike Ruane on a snag route for a touchdown.
Next up for Rumson-Fair Haven is a visit to Holmdel High School Nov. 6
At Red Bank Regional High School, the Buccaneers won for the seventh straight time, easily outscoring Holmdel (1-6) 37-6.
Jack O’Connor’s 26-yard field goal opened the scoring, and Red Bank Regional (7-0) added to the lead when quarterback Jack Navitsky scored on a 2-yard keeper late in the opening quarter. The second quarter was fairly even until Navitsky connected with Sadiq Palmer for an 18-yard scoring pass to extend the lead to 17-0.
The Buccaneers immediately shut down any thoughts of a Holmdel comeback by taking the second half kickoff and scoring five plays later. Alim Godsey’s 17-yard run capped the short drive. Navitsky later scored again, and Ian Fitzgerald also got into the end zone on an 18-yard run. “It was good to have that week off following a big win [over RBC],” Buccaneers coach Nick Giglio said. “It gave us time to put it in perspective and to really focus on this game. Our guys came out focused and ready to play.”
Red Bank Regional, the champion of Shore Conference B North, sits in third place in the race for the Central Jersey Group III playoffs with 114 power points. The Buccaneers take on winless Manchester Township High School Nov. 6.
Shore Regional High School also remained perfect with a 42-7 win at Point Pleasant Beach High School Oct. 30. Alex Johnson scored two touchdowns to lead the way.
The Blue Devils scored on their first possession as quarterback Matt Pennell hooked up with Connor Rempel for a 5-yard scoring pass. A Jack Britton interception at the beginning of the second quarter led to Johnson’s first touchdown on a 2-yard run. By halftime, it was 21-0 as Doug Goldsmith added another touchdown on a 4-yard run.
Shore Regional’s swarming defense kept the Gulls in check, and the Blue Devils added to the lead and pulled away the second half. The victory keeps coach Mark Costantino’s team atop the standings in B Central.
The Blue Devils are set to host division rival Asbury Park High School (6-1) in a key game Nov. 6. A victory would give Shore Regional the division title, as the Bishops’ lone loss came in divisional play to Point Pleasant Beach.
The game will also have ramifications in the race for the Central Jersey Group I playoffs. Shore Regional and Asbury Park are