Rumson-Fair Haven’s Dan Afflict had a kickoff return for a touchdown in the Bulldogs 22-14 loss to Jackson Memorial last Friday. The Bulldogs host Delsea this Friday night in the opening round of the Central Jersey Group 3 playoffs.
Photo by Patrick Olivero
November means playoff football and nine teams from the Two River area have qualified for the post-season. For the public schools, the hope is to play four more weeks of football culminating in a trip to Rutgers or MetLife Stadium to play in New Jersey’s “bowl” series. Last year, Red Bank Catholic won the Non-Public Group 3 state championship and Rumson-Fair Haven won the Group 3 South Bowl game with a victory over Woodrow Wilson.
Photo by Rich Chrampanis
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 4
(5) HAMILTON (7-1) AT
(4) MIDDLETOWN SOUTH (3-4),
FRIDAY 7:00 P.M.
How does a 3-4 team get a home game against a 7-1 squad? The answer is power points. The NJSIAA’s formula rewards teams playing against quality opponents and Middletown South had one of the toughest schedules in the state. Two of the Eagles’ three wins came against Rumson-Fair Haven (a #2 seed in CJ Group 3) and Red Bank Catholic (a #2 seed in Non-Public Group 3). Those two victories came with a lot of power points, and when you combine that with the points accrued for playing the likes of Toms River North and Manalapan, the result is being rewarded with a home playoff game, and rightfully so. Hamilton lost to Somerville 44-6 in Week 0 and has rolled off seven wins against teams primarily from Mercer County. The Eagles battle-tested schedule should pay dividends in this matchup. Chris Lotito is coming off a 200-yard rushing performance in a win over Brick Township. Lotito is so versatile and contributes on offense and defense in creative ways. Steve Antonucci is laser-focused on the task at hand but we can look ahead. The Eagles would match up with top seed Hammonton and a long bus trip next week if they can take care of business at the Swamp.
(6) MIDDLETOWN NORTH (4-4) AT
(3) TOMS RIVER EAST (8-1), FRIDAY 7:00 P.M.
Five of Middletown North’s eight games have been decided by eight points or less. The Lions 20-13 upset over two-time sectional champ Long Branch is proof that coach Steve Bush’s team is capable of pulling off an upset. Toms River East has been a doormat for most of the last decade, which makes coach Kyle Sandberg’s turnaround in 2019 one of the great stories of the Shore Conference season. The Lions defense is led by Eddie Farrell who leads the Shore Conference in tackles with 103. He’ll look to lead his unit to try and slow down Raiders QB Mike Goodall. This game has the potential to be a down to the wire thriller.
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 3
(7) DELSEA (3-5) AT
(2) RUMSON-FAIR HAVEN (4-4), FRIDAY 7:00 P.M.
RFH is used to having a whole lot more wins heading into the playoffs, but the brutal schedule of the newly formed American Division of the Shore Conference left every one of the area’s top teams with scars. Rumson has to find the form that had them beat Manalapan and Mater Dei Prep in back-to-back weeks. The Bulldogs followed that impressive streak with losses to Middletown South and Jackson Memorial. It’s very unusual for Rumson to begin the playoffs on a two-game skid. But this team has the pedigree of taking their game to another level in November. Just like previous RFH sectional champs, the 2019 edition of Rumson will need to follow the same formula: play stellar defense, move the chains with an effective ground game and win the turnover margin battle. Delsea makes the long journey from South Jersey and has an 18-14 win over Camden as the top win on their resume.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP 3
(5) RED BANK REGIONAL (5-3) AT (4) HOLMDEL (5-3), FRIDAY 7:00 P.M.
We’ve got a rematch in the first round of the playoffs, but there’s no question that the story will be very different from the regular season. The Hornets scored a 17-7 win over the Bucs on September 27. Since that game, coach Jeff Rainess’ squad has been ravaged by injuries. Star running back Cameron LaMountain and starting QB John Tomasulo are just two of the walking wounded, yet Holmdel was able to put together back-to-back wins over Raritan and Freehold Boro to earn a home playoff game for a second straight year. While Holmdel is banged up, the defensive unit has been tremendous, giving up just 10 points per game over the last six weeks. Red Bank Regional has a new wrinkle to its offense. Makai Mickens, the 1500-yard rusher who suffered a knee injury in June has made his way back on the field for his senior season. It was a special moment as Mickens scored a pair of touchdowns in RBR’s 42-13 win over Monmouth Regional on Saturday. Mickens and QB Jack Chamberlain give the Bucs the firepower to improve on their seven-point effort against Holmdel in the regular season. This game has the potential to be a low scoring affair that ultimately could be decided by one big play.
Photo by Rich Chrampanis
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP 2
(7) SHORE REGIONAL (3-5) AT
(2) HADDONFIELD (6-2), FRIDAY 7:00 P.M.
The Blue Devils head to South Jersey as an underdog, facing a Haddonfield squad that won at MetLife Stadium last year as one of the state’s new bowl game-winners. Junior Shane McLaughlin has been a bright spot for the Blue Devils with 13 trips to the end zone, nine on the ground and four through the air. Shore will have to slow down the dynamic passing combo of Jack Narducci and Kyle Garstkiewicz. Narducci has an impressive TD to INT ratio of 13 to 1. Shore misses the days of being in the Group 1 bracket where the Blue Devils were a state power.
NON-PUBLIC GROUP 3 BRACKET
DEPAUL CATHOLIC – BYE RED BANK CATHOLIC – BYE
(6) POPE JOHN AT
(3) MATER DEI PREP,
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16 1:00 P.M.
(5) SAINT JOHN VIANNEY AT (4) DONOVAN CATHOLIC, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15 6:30 P.M.
The NJSIAA has done a lot of things right as it continues to reshape the high school football playoffs. The new power points system has made things clear cut on a direct path to a true state champion. New Jersey is now just one extra week away from getting five public school state champs to go with three Non-Public champs. Eliminating Thanksgiving football is the answer, and as more and more teams opt-out of traditional rivalries, a true state championship weekend could be on the horizon sooner rather than later. The Non-Public schools are currently in three divisions, but with Group 2 and Group 3 reduced to seven and six teams in the playoffs there are some serious gaps. Red Bank Catholic gets two full weeks off and will need just one win to reach the state championship game. Saint John Vianney and Mater Dei Prep get a week off before they take the field in post-season action. DePaul Catholic earned the number one seed thanks to their stunning upset of Bergen Catholic. It’s going to be two weeks down the road, but all arrows point to a Mater Dei Prep at RBC rematch with a trip to the state championship on the line. Last year, the Caseys won the state crown at MetLife over the Seraphs.
