By Rich Chrampanis
It used to be section finals were the end of the road for public high school football teams. But in year four of true state championships, trophies are handed out for section titles before teams need two more wins for the coveted state title trophy.
On the non-public side, the final eight teams are vying for sectional bragging rights.
Here’s a breakdown of all five teams in The Two River Times area looking to continue their quest for a state crown.
Central Jersey Group 3 Championship
Friday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m.
Seneca (9-2) at Holmdel (8-2)
Jack Cannon wasn’t concerned about shattering records and elevating his status as one of New Jersey’s elite quarterbacks. His one and only goal was to lead the Holmdel Hornets to their first sectional championship. For the second time in school history, Holmdel will get its chance to grab a sectional crown, and it will get the opportunity to do it in front of its home crowd.
We are running out of adjectives and perspectives to describe what Cannon has accomplished in his senior season. He’s simply posting mind-boggling numbers and is getting better week by week.
The Dartmouth commit has a tall order to top what he did last week against Neptune. The Hornets hung up 65 points against the Scarlet Fliers, with Cannon responsible for nine touchdowns. One would think Cannon would need to throw it 40 times and run it another 20 to get six touchdown passes and three TD runs. Instead, the senior signal caller was an insanely efficient 12-of-14 through the air for 256 yards. Half of those completions were touchdown passes. On the rushing side, it was a mere 12 carries for 175 yards and three more scores.
The Hornets are averaging 43.8 points per game, so it’s a safe bet the scoreboard is going to get yet another workout.
Seneca got a four-touchdown effort from quarterback Anthony Tirico in a 28-7 win over Matawan. Tirico has impressive dual-threat numbers of his own, with over 5,000 career pass yards, 2,700 on the ground and 78 total touchdowns. Cannon has 109 career touchdowns and over 8,000 yards of offense.
Get ready for a lot of points and the potential for a special moment in Holmdel football history.
Central Jersey Group 4 Championship
Friday, 6 p.m.
Middletown North (5-4) at Brick Memorial (9-2)
The Lions went on the road and knocked off second-seed Manalapan 20-14 thanks to two Matt Belenko touchdown runs and two field goals from Seamus Montague. After opening the postseason with a 28-19 win against crosstown rival Middletown South, Steve Bush’s team heads to Brick as the underdog thanks to an explosive Mustangs team that boasts a win over Holmdel and has one of the most dynamic offenses in the Shore Conference.
Quarterback Jason Lajara and wide receiver Nyzier Matthews are a dangerous combination and running back Nyzeer Matthews ran for 237 yards in the Mustangs’ 40-7 rout of Steinert. Trey Tallmadge, a Sacred Heart commit, is one of the best linebackers in the Shore.
Middletown North will need to figure a way to slow down Brick Memorial and use the same formula that topped Manalapan to pull off a stunner.
Central Jersey Group 1 Championship
Friday, 6 p.m.
Shore Regional (8-2) at Burlington City (10-1)
The Blue Devils are back in the section final for a second straight year. Don Klein’s first season at his alma mater saw Shore blanked 31-0 by Woodstown. This time around, it’s another South Jersey foe. Burlington City is also known as the Blue Devils and has piled up 208 points in its last four games. Donte Davis has over 1,800 yards and 23 touchdowns with Mason Shansey topping 1,500 yards in the air with 17 touchdown passes. Cole Torres has had a fantastic season for Shore with 1,485 yards and 17 touchdowns. Can the Shore defense slow down Burlington City? If they can, Shore has enough playmakers to win the school’s eighth section title.
Non-Public B Quarterfinal
Friday, 7 p.m.
Paul VI (5-4) at Red Bank Catholic (10-1)
Mike Lange’s biggest challenge is to ensure his young Caseys do not look past PVI with a rematch against Paramus Catholic looming in the state semifinals. How’s this for balance? RBC has 2,000 passing yards and 2,030 on the ground. The freshman duo of Rahmir Rivera and Gabe Kemp are talked about a lot for good reason, but there are other young Caseys who have shone. Sophomore Jason Berecsky has become stellar on both sides of the ball with five touchdown catches at wide receiver and two more on defense with pick sixes. Freshman Simon Picinich is one of the best kickers in the state, going a perfect nine-for-nine on field goals. On defense, sophomores Asher Cummins (six sacks) and Brock Goodman (78 tackles) have stepped up. This will likely be RBC’s final game at Count Basie Field. If the brackets hold true, next week’s RBC/Paramus Catholic game will be one of the most anticipated games during a final four weekend.
Non-Public B Quarterfinal
Friday, 6 p.m.
St. John Vianney (5-5) at DePaul Catholic (5-4)
A big tip of the cap to the Lancers, who rebounded from a 28-0 loss to Camden with an impressive 35-17 win over Pope John. Danny Breen had a pair of touchdown runs, Zach LaBarca threw a TD pass and topped 150 yards on the ground and sophomore Khalyd Goodman-Ware rumbled 99 yards for a defensive touchdown in the victory.
The Lancers face a tall order with the defending state champs. QB Derek Zammit is one of the state’s highest-regarded recruits after committing to the Washington Huskies. The Spartans are coming off back-to-back losses to Delbarton and St. Joe’s-Montvale and have had two weeks to get ready for their postseason run. SJV is a massive underdog and will need a perfect storm to be competitive against a team that is heavily favored to return to MetLife Stadium.
The article originally appeared in the November 13 – 19, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
