The Shore Conference’s Top Games: Week 8

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this article, we preview some of the Shore Conference's top games going into Week 8 of football here in the great, Garden State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Friday, October 25</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Point Pleasant Boro (6-2) at Howell (3-4), 6:30pm<br><br>This is a bit of an unusual matchup, by my standards anyway. Point Pleasant Boro is a Group II school and currently #4 in the South II bracket, but the Panthers are unabashed and ready to strap up against the Howell Rebels, who sit #5 in South Group V. You might see schools playing up or down a group, but in this case the Panthers are playing up <em>three whole groups.</em><br><br>With many worthy defenders on the prowl, the Panthers get a enormous amount of production from three offensive players, specifically 31 of their 36 total offensive touchdowns. That said, you probably guessed it, Point Pleasant Boro gets it done on the ground. First up is the old man in the crew, [player_tooltip player_id='801499' first='Dylan' last='Reitmeyer']. Reitmeyer leads his squad in the big three rushing categories with 114 carries, 662 yards, and 12 touchdowns. Also a contributor in the defensive secondary, the senior Reitmeyer has made 33 tackles (19 solo), 3 tackles for loss, forced a fumble, and recovered 2 more. Beyond him, a pair of sophomores manage to get the lions share of work out of the backfield. [player_tooltip player_id='1539987' first='Nick' last='Spanola'] appears to plays more of a complimentary role to Reitmeyer and the third player yet to be mentioned. Spanola has slashed 45/537/5 on the ground. Truly a three-phase player, Spanola has made 24 tackles (15 solo), 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 interceptions. Most impressively though, the 2027 graduate has taken 2 of his 6 kickoff returns to the crib for house calls. Lastly, [player_tooltip player_id='910828' first='Jake' last='Clayton'] is doing more than managing the game at quarterback. Clayton might have the most explosive stat line, having gone for 627 yards and 11 scores on just 80 carries. As a passer, he is not asked to carry the load on on his throwing shoulder. On the season Clayton is 9-21 for 140 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 pick.<br><br>As Howell looks to stop the run, look to [player_tooltip player_id='1087674' first='Quincy' last='Shaw'] to have a big impact. Shaw has been credited with 66 tackles with a team-high 3 tackles for loss. Should Howell get up early and force the Panthers to play from behind, [player_tooltip player_id='1539989' first='Zach' last='Padilla'] has the potential to make things difficult. Padilla has a team-leading 3 interceptions - one of which he took back to the house. He also has made 23 tackles and 1 tackle for loss. Lastly, Howell's offense looks to house two strong offensive players in [player_tooltip player_id='1539990' first='Vincent' last='Meehan'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1539991' first='Juan' last='DeJesus']. Meehan leads the team in rushing with 544 yards and 99 carries, scoring twice. DeJesus, on the other hand, is the Rebel's leading scorer with 6 total touchdowns. DeJesus has gone 70/390/3 on the ground and 13/104/3 through the air. Padilla compliments him well as a receiver, going for 12/110/1 of his own. It is worth noting that it appears as though Howell has not kept up with their team's stats this season.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Holmdel (6-1) at Manalapan (4-4), 7pm<br><br>In this next matchup both teams have much to gain, whereas only one has much to lose. The Hornets leave their nest to invade Manalapan to take on the Braves. Holmdel currently sits #6 in South III and would certainly go up some with a victory. Manalapan, who is #8 in South IV, can pending the outcome, either jump up or lose a their playoff home game. For the Hornets, they are led by a dual-threat quarterback with some moxie, [player_tooltip player_id='760086' first='Jack' last='Cannon'] has really developed extremely well from his sophomore season last fall. Cannon is, easily, Holmdel's most productive weapon. Cannon has gone for 1410 yards with 16 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions on 89-117 passing - or a 76% completion rate. Further, he leads the team on the ground in the three big offensive categories, slashing 99/812/13 on the ground. His favorite target is a senior named [player_tooltip player_id='1539994' first='Frankie' last='Serini']. Serini leads the squad with 27 catches for 466 yards and 6 scores. Defensively Holmdel is headlined by [player_tooltip player_id='1054401' first='Cipriano' last='Bodnar']. A lineman, Bodnar leads the team in tackles with 60.5 and sacks with 6, while also blocking a kick. Buzzing around the Hornets' secondary is [player_tooltip player_id='1276821' first='Michael' last='Todisco']. The sophomore has made 30 tackles on the year, but has recorded 2 interceptions, both he took back the other way for scores. <br><br>Defensively Manalapan has a few prospects that look to make thing difficult and cloudy for Cannon. First is [player_tooltip player_id='1539995' first='Jackson' last='Pfister']. Pfister has a narrow lead for first on the team in tackles, edging [player_tooltip player_id='1539998' first='Vin' last='DeFillippo'] 61 to 60. Pfister has also made 2 tackles for loss and 1 interception, were DeFillippo has made 5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and recovered a fumble for a score. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Point Pleasant Beach (4-3) at New Egypt (5-2), 6:30pm<br><br>Although it might be a tough stretch for #20 Point Pleasant Beach to in get into the top-16 even with a win over #12 New Egypt. At the very least, I figure this to be a competitive matchup. The Gulls are led by the ground game, specifically the play of [player_tooltip player_id='1540004' first='Liam' last='Brosnan']. Brosnan's 1081 yards represents just under 50.8% of the Gulls' total offense, while he has also scored 12 of of their 20 total touchdowns. Impressively, he has carried the ball 194 times. Brosnan's efforts are not done yet, however, as is top three on the team in tackles with 51, has recored a sack, intercepted a pass, and leads the team with 9 tackles for loss. Next up is the play of [player_tooltip player_id='347496' first='Ronald' last='Thorn'], who is the Gulls' second leading tackler with 53 on the year. Supplementing this impressive stat are his 2 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, and forced fumble. Lastly, [player_tooltip player_id='1540008' first='Ryan' last='Scannell'] has been cleaning up everything that the rest of his defense cannot. Scannell has an impressive 85 tackles with 9 tackles for loss and 1 interception. <br><br>For the host Warriors, expect them to key in on the potent rushing attack of Brosnan. Look to [player_tooltip player_id='1540012' first='Aidan' last='Healy'] to make productive plays all afternoon. Healy has been credited with 49 tackles on the year, with a team-leading 6 tackles for loss. Additionally, he has recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass. [player_tooltip player_id='1540020' first='Steven' last='Meleg'] has go this teammate's back through tick and thin, making 39 tackles of his own - 3 of which have gone for a loss - with 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception, and 1 blocked kick. Lastly, [player_tooltip player_id='1540024' first='Brayden' last='Nelson'] is a player that the Gulls' need to be wear of. His 3 sacks, which are good for first on the team, supplement his 5 tackles for loss and 32 total tackles.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Saturday, October 26</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Barnegat (5-3) at Lakewood (4-4), 1pm<br><br>If you like ground-and-pound matchups, then this is the game for you. The Barnegat Bengals, currently 14th in the South III bracket, must win to have a shot to make the playoffs due to what might happen around their #14 seed. Lakewood, however, may still be a long shot to qualify, as they must leapfrog 6 other teams. Teammates [player_tooltip player_id='1269599' first='Johnnel' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='787197' first='Myquan' last='Rush'] are dual senior rushers that I got an in-person look at last camp season. Both are extremely talented, and have led their Bengals, pushing each other to be great. Rush leads the team in rush yardage (641) and carries (87), yet Johnson has the edge in touchdowns (12 to 7). Johnson has produced 448 yards on 67 carries. The heir-apparent to their senior-led rushing attack seems to already be in the room in [player_tooltip player_id='1540025' first='Christopher' last='Santero']. Santero, just a sophomore, has slashed 48/300/2 on the ground.<br><br>For the host Piners, it has been all about [player_tooltip player_id='1454043' first='Rahmel' last='Anderson']. Having a truly remarkable season, Anderson has carried the ball 218 times for 1716 yards and a whopping 27 touchdowns. Also having taken the most quarterback snaps, Anderson has gone 8-22 for 268 yards with a touchdown pass and 2 interceptions. Lastly, Anderson has converted 3, two-point conversions. To put that into perspective, Anderson's touchdown totals are good for 28 of 31 total offensive scores and 68% of their total offensive yardage</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->