NJIC + Shore Conference Games of the Week, Week 2

With as much football action as our Great Garden State has this coming weekend within the high school ranks, here are a handful of games – and as a fan what I am looking for in each one – throughout the Shore Conference this weekend.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Friday, September 12</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Toms River North (1-1) at Donovan Catholic (0-2) It has been a tale of two games so far for 3x Group V champion Toms River North. After surprisingly being blanked 21-0 in week 0 against Red Bank Catholic, the Mariners turned around and returned the favor to cross-town rival Toms River East, blanking them 40-0. Expectations coming in this season have been high for Donovan Catholic who, in the offseason, cleaned up the "transfer portal" down in South Jersey, as they have slipped to a 0-2 start. Much remains a question for Donovan Catholic's offense this season. The buzz around junior transfer [player_tooltip player_id='205460' first='Kahden' last='Davis'] has been real, and he has rendered results (14-29, 128, 1 int; 16 carries, 134 yards, 1 TD); however, Davis left last week's game in the third quarter due to a knee injury. This is the second season in a row Davis has sustained a lower body injury. His availability in this tilt remains to be seen, but we are praying for a quick, speedy, and full recovery for Davis. As many from the wealth of talent at Toms River North have graduated, [player_tooltip player_id='910824' first='Cole' last='Garrison'] is the man in town. After having an breakout season that was capped by a transformative state championship game, Garrison is set to lead the team offensively (13 carries for 52 yards) and defensively (1 interception). Furthermore, expect freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1014510' first='Finn' last='Boland'] (likely the brother of Blaise Boland) to have an immediate impact. </li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Holmdel (1-0) at Rumson-Fair Haven (2-0) Off of a state championship title last year, Rumson-Fair Haven is off to a hot, 2-0 start with a 69-7 margin of victory. After sitting out week 0, Holmdel defeated Donovan Catholic in a thriller, 48-35, on the road. This ought to be a good test for Holmdel to see how they stack up. Holmdel is home to one of the state's most dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks in [player_tooltip player_id='760086' first='Jack' last='Cannon']. Cannon, how a senior, is a production machine. Leading the team in carries, yardage, and touchdowns, Cannon has slashed 17/187/3 thus far, while also passing for an efficient 9-12 for 155 yards with 2 TDs and 1 Int. On defense, [player_tooltip player_id='1276821' first='Michael' last='Todisco'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1551259' first='Peter' last='Berardi'] are making plays early in the season. Along with his 2 catches for 20 yards, Todisco has recovered a fumble and scored on a pick-six. Complimenting his play, Berardi has recovered and scored on a fumble. It seems despite graduating Owen O'Toole last year has not slowed down the Bulldogs attack. [player_tooltip player_id='1882874' first='Casey' last='Moore'], a junior, has stepped in and not missed a beat. Across his first two starts, Moore has gone 14-22 for 199 yards and 3 touchdowns in limited duty. His strong offensive play has been complimented by strong defensive play. After playing early as a sophomore, [player_tooltip player_id='1524371' first='Ben' last='Gredell'] is off to a hot start. Gredell has made 12 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble. Joining him, and breaking out early, is junior [player_tooltip player_id='1882875' first='Ryder' last='Izzo']. Izzo has made 9 tackles, but seems to have a nose for the ball as he has already recovered 4 fumbles - 1 of which he took bag to the house.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Toms River East (1-1) at Barnegat (2-0) Looking to bounce bag the rest of the way after suffering a tough defeat to Toms River North, Toms River East looks to impose their will on Barnegat, similar to how they did Manchester in week 0. Barnegat, off to a 2-0 start, looks to continue their tradition of two-headed running backs out of the backfield to control the clock and play defense, as their defense has only allowed 13 points on the year. Blessed with another pair of talented backs, the Barnegat Bengals do what they Barnegat Bengals do. While [player_tooltip player_id='1540025' first='Christopher' last='Santero'] leads the way in carries (31 for 154 yards and 2 scores), [player_tooltip player_id='1882880' first='Jack' last='Haviland'], their quarterback, leads them in efficiency (18/157/3). Additionally, Haviland has gone 14-25 for 146 yards with 1 TD and 2 Ints when he drops back to pass. Santero has also made an immediate impact on defense, making 7 tackles (1 for a loss), while recovering and forcing a fumble. A two-way player who impacts the game on both sides of the ball, [player_tooltip player_id='1882885' first='Patrick' last='Small'] plays a large part in what Barnegat does. Small is the team leader on tackles with 13, and likely plays a pivotal role on offense. Meanwhile, [player_tooltip player_id='1882889' first='Joshua' last='Kawka'] appear to be a strong, two-way linebacker. His 10 tackles are accompanied by 1 sack, 1 interception, and 2 tackles for loss. Unfortunately there is no roster or statistical information available for Toms River East. </li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Hawthorne (2-0) at Butler (1-0) What a difference a year can make. After starting 0-3 last year, Hawthorne appears to have turned their luck around and is off to a 2-0 start in this new campaign. Meanwhile, state semifinalist Butler remains the team-to-beat with a target on their back for all NJIC teams. This will be an early barometer for Hawthorne early in the season. For Butler, [player_tooltip player_id='1530306' first='David' last='Smith'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1305459' first='Yadi' last='Perez'] - both seniors - look to compliment each other running the rock. Perez leas the team in carries (25) and yardage (100) while also scoring once. Smith, the teams quarterback, leads the team in touchdowns (2), while rushing 12 times for 64 yards. On defense, expect a lot of [player_tooltip player_id='1882894' first='Ryder' last='Higbie'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1882898' first='Tommy' last='Henehan'] to impact the game. The junior Henehan leads the way with 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, and recovered a fumble. Getting early burn as a sophomore, Higbie has made 6 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 tackle for loss. Who has the ball? Who gets it next? These are questions you should ask yourself when playing Hawthorne. Offensively, their 71 carries have been distributed across 5 different ball carriers, with 4 of them having ran the ball at least 10 times and no more than 29. With so many options out of the backfield, [player_tooltip player_id='1037782' first='Ali' last='Visaev'] has emerged as the clear-cut top passing target. Visaev has 10 catches for 111 yards and 2 scores. Considering that no other receiver has more than 10 and, as a team, the Bears have just 16 combined receptions, Visaev is the man in the passing game. He also has a fumble recovery to his name on defense. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1880365' first='Sebastian' last='Gill'] is a prospect who is making plays all over the field. Through two games, Gill leads his team in: tackles (11), forced fumbles (2), and interceptions (2). </li> </ul>

With as much football action as our Great Garden State has this coming weekend within the high school ranks, here are a handful of games – and as a fan what I am looking for in each one – throughout the Shore Conference this weekend.