Shore Conference Games of the Week, Week 5

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.   Prep Redzone's Winter Showcase is back for 2025 with more locations than ever. Looking to attend? Register <a href="https://prepredzone.com/all-events/?type=Showcase">here</a>. Save a few dollars off the cost of registration by using my special promo code, MankariousWinterPRZ   Be sure to follow me on <a href="https://x.com/BrendanScoutsNJ">Twitter</a> for the latest New Jersey high school football prospect news and not miss a beat!   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Friday, October 3</h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Point Pleasant Beach (4-1) at Shore (2-2) I had to do a double-take when I checked the conference standings. In years' past, I have grown accustomed to Boro being the top team in Point Pleasant. This year, however, it seems to be Beach. Off to a 4-1 record with a game against Asbury Park they wish they had back, they travel perennial stalwart program Shore Regional. For Shore Regional, they look to avoid falling below .500 this late into the season. Leading the bash at the beach has been [player_tooltip player_id='1922139' first='Matthew' last='Rossi']. A senior, Rossi is off to an efficient start. Rossi has completed 66 of 106 passes for 1249 yards with 12 touchdowns and just 1 interception thus far. On the ground, Rossi has added 3 additional touchdowns and 25 yards on 9 carries. His two favorite targets seem to be competing, not only for targets, but in an "anything you could do, I could do better"-type of rivalry. [player_tooltip player_id='1069061' first='Danny' last='Cavanaugh'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1400755' first='Elijah' last='Ives'] lead the receiving corps for Point Pleasant Beach. The duo have the same exact number of receptions (21) and touchdowns (4), yet the senior Ives has the slight edge in yardage (420) to that of the junior, Cavanaugh (395). Also a defender, Cavanaugh has made waves on both sides of scrimmage with 3 tackles for loss and a team-leading 3 interceptions. A terror in the backfield for Point Pleasant Beach has been [player_tooltip player_id='1922147' first='Jalen' last='Kreiger']. Already leading the team with 3 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and 2 forced fumbles, it is hard to believe that this linebacker is still just a freshman. Kreiger sits second on the team with 33 tackles (20 solo) and 1 fumble recovery. as if that was not enough for such a young player, Kreiger is second on the team with 14 receptions, 247 reception yards, and carries; while having 1 rushing touchdown, 99 rushing yards, and 2 receiving touchdowns. Shore Regional does not have the best data available, but it is clear that they look to rush the ball. Through three games, [player_tooltip player_id='1556631' first='Cole' last='Torres'] has been the featured back, with his 47 total carries being 31 more than next-best on the team. Those carries have allowed him to rack up 321 yards and 3 scores on the ground, while also adding 4 receptions for 66 yards when targeted. There are no defensive statistics to report for Shore Regional.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Jackson Township (2-3) at Middletown South (1-4) With the merger of two schools, Jackson Township is estimated to have the largest enrollment in all of South, Group V. So far, the results have been mixed, yet they have a very winnable game against a strong opponent in Middletown South. Yes, their record is unimpressive, but Middletown South has challenged themselves this fall as they have opened up, in order, against Cherokee, Manalapan, Red Bank Catholic, and Holmdel - finally winning last week at Marlboro in a one-score game. Middletown South's offensive attack has been paced by junior tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1476859' first='Justin' last='Rosato']. Rosato, a name we ought to be familiar with from last season, has carried the ball 80 times for 355 yards and scored 4 times just about midway through the season. Also a terror on defense, Rosato leads the team with 26 tackles and 2 interceptions, also making 1.5 tackles for loss. Joining him on defense is [player_tooltip player_id='1922149' first='Owen' last='Maguire']. Maguire has been a disruptive force on his way to 2 forced fumbles and 1 sack. Additionally, Maguire sits second on the team with 16 receptions and 198 yards for 2 scores. For Jackson Township, [player_tooltip player_id='212391' first='Jonah' last='Glenn'] seems to finally have sime big play, explosive relief from carrying the offensive load. Teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1514626' first='Jio' last='Kabiri'] has just less than half the carries of Glenn (67 to 32); however, he has nearly the same amount of yardage (482 to 413). Both have found the endzone amply, scoring 7 times between themselves, with Glenn one-upping Kabiri in that department. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='1922150' first='Aidan' last='Chornobroff'] has been cleaning up this season. His 35 tackles (10 solo) are good for second on the team, while he has also made 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, and forced a fumble. </li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Howell (2-3) at Marlboro (2-3) If you base this matchup solely off of record, you might not expect much from this game. However, Marlboro looks to snap a 3-game skid just as Howell did last week against Freehold Township. given the importance for their respective playoff prospects, expect a competitive and even matchup in this one. As Marlboro goes, so does [player_tooltip player_id='1654018' first='Nick' last='Dimino']. A quarterback, Dimino actually leads the team in rushing yardage (360), while sitting second on the team in carries (42), adding 3 scores to his name. When he drops back to pass, Dimino has gone 27-62 for 381 yards with 3 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. However, those 5 picks have been neutralized by the 5 passes he himself has interception on defense, along with 24 tackles (22 solo). Aiding Dimino in the ground game has been [player_tooltip player_id='1922152' first='Zack' last='Mojares']. Mojares sets the pace with 53 carries and 4 touchdowns, which have yielded 223 yards. Like Dimino, Mojares is a major player on defense as he currently finds himself the team leader with 5 sacks and 6 tackles for loss embedded in his 20 (18 solo) tackles on the year. Howell's offensive attack is anchored by the play of [player_tooltip player_id='1894289' first='Connor' last='Acker']. A junior, Acker has gone 56-105 for 715 yards with 7 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, adding 72 yards on the ground. Perhaps it is the steady defensive play of [player_tooltip player_id='1922155' first='Aiden' last='Mendes'] that allowed [player_tooltip player_id='1921836' first='Ivan' last='Padilla'] to break out in a big way last week against Freehold Township. In that game, we saw Padilla double his sack total and extend team lead to 8. Moreover, Padilla also heads the team with 6 tackles behind the line and has made 16 total tackles (7 solo). For Mendes, the steady force, amongst his 27 total tackles (12 solo) he has made 2.5 sacks and 2 tackles for loss.</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.