Rodriguez was a name that broke out in a big way as a junior for Toms River North. Throughout this season, his senior year, Rodriguez was a steady, calming, stabilizing force all season long. In his final game, he made just 2 stops; however, Rodriguez intercepted a pass that he returned all the way for 6 points.

Toms River North seems to have a prospect or two at every level of the defense that excels and standouts in one way, shape, or form. At linebacker the have Rodriguez. I caught glimpses of Rodriguez during indy, particularly during agility drills, where he looked exceedingly sharp. He turned cones nearly at full speed yet managed to avoid rounding them, opting for sharp cuts instead. He moved his feet well on agility bags and avoided contact too. Rodriguez backpedals well and explodes down hill even better.

For as much as we praise the season that Toms River North had, we often acknowledge standouts like Micah Ford Micah Ford 6'1" | 205 lbs | ATH Toms River North | 2024 State NJ and Ja’elyne Matthews Ja’elyne Matthews 6'6" | 300 lbs | OL Toms River North | 2025 State NJ ; however, there are at least nine others on the field who contributed to the Mariner’s success last fall. Defensively, they are led by LB Anthony Rodriguez Anthony Rodriguez 6'1" | 215 lbs | LB Toms River North | 2024 NJ . At 6 foot 215lbs, this ‘backer made 92 stops (15.5 for a loss), 1.5 sacks, and 1 Int in 2022.

Rodriguez offers versatility, being able to play both inside the box and bump out in coverage outside the box vs. 3×1 sets. When doing so, he effectively reads the route concepts in front of him and maintains his leverage to be in position to make a tackle with support rallying. He follows the QB’s eyes when taking his pass drops too, again, playing with correct body leverage to limit windows, redirect receivers, and force back to his help. Rodriguez sees things in front of him and breaks quickly, often undercutting passes. He times up his stunts well and has shown the ability to split defenders by finding a crease to shoot through en route to a tackle. The Mariners will be even stingier on defense as Rodriguez becomes more physical in his tackles and makes less arm tackles. A solid offseason in the weight room should take care of this.

With three key cogs returning for their high school career finales, expectations will be higher than ever before as Toms River North looks to build upon last year’s, literally, perfect season.